In Bright Particular Stars, David McKie examines the impact of 26 remarkable British eccentrics on 26 unremarkable British locations. From Broadway in the Cotswolds, where the Victorian bibliomaniac Sir Thomas Phillipps nurtured dreams of possessing every book in the world, to Kilwinning in Scotland, where in 1839 the Earl of Eglinton mounted a tournament that was Renaissance in its extravagance and disastrous in its execution, McKie leads us to places transformed, inspired, and sometimes scandalized by the obsessional endeavors of visionary mavericks. Some of McKie's eccentrics, such as Mary Macarthur, who helped the women chainmakers of Cradley Heath win the right to a fair wage in 1910, were good to the point of saintliness; others, including the composer Peter Heseltine, who in the 1920s set net curtains twitching by his hard drinking and naked motorbike riding, rather less so. But together their fascinating stories illuminate some of the most secret and most extraordinary byways of British history. Here, quiet, unassuming streetscapes become sites of eccentric and uproarious sites of action. The triumphs and failures of the visionaries who thus transformed them—recaptured here in vivid and beguiling fashion—have each, in their own way, helped shape the island's rich and checkered history.
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER Surnames are much more than convenient identity tags; they are windows into our families’ pasts. Some suggest ancestral trades (Butcher, Smith, Roper) or physical appearance (Long, Brown, Thynne). Some provide clues to where we come from (McDonald, Evans, Patel). And some – Rymer, Brocklebank, Stolbof – offer a hint of something just a little more exotic or esoteric. All are grist to the mill for David McKie who, in What’s in a Surname?, sets off on a journey around Britain to find out how such appellations have evolved and what they tell us about ourselves. En route he looks at the surname’s tentative beginnings in medieval times, and the myriad routes by which particular names became established. He considers some curious byways: the rise and fall of the multi-barrel surname and the Victorian reinvention of ‘embarrassing’ surnames among them. He considers whether fortune favours those whose surnames come at the beginning of the alphabet. And he celebrates the remarkable and the quirky, from the fearsome Ridley (the cry of which once struck terror in the hearts of their neighbours) to the legend-encrusted Tichborne, whose most famous holders were destined to suffer misfortune and controversy. Elegiac and amusing by turns, he offers a wonderfully entertaining wander along the footpaths of the nation’s history and culture, celebrating not just the Smiths and Joneses of these islands but the Chaceporcs and Swetinbeddes, too.
Addressing a growing need to examine environmental issues from a cultural perspective, this innovative book adopts a cultural studies approach to reach a deeper understanding of the significance of ecological issues in our lives. Eco-Impacts and the Greening of Postmodernity explores such vital questions as: Can nature survive? How do academic disciplines engage with environmental crises? And, how do we map sustainable futures? The authors, Tom Jagtenberg and David McKie, bring a body of relevant literature into the debate - that stems from both cultural and environmental issues - as well as their own multidisciplinary perspectives on the subject.
All public relations emerges from particular environments, but the specific conditions of Israel offer an exceptional study of the accelerators and inhibitors of professional development in the history of a nation. Documenting and analyzing the contribution of one profession to building one specific nation, this book tells the previously-untold story of Israeli public relations practitioners. It illustrates their often-unseen, often-unacknowledged and often-strategic shaping of the events, narratives and symbols of Israel over time and their promotion of Israel to the world. It links the profession’s genesis – including the role of the Diaspora and early Zionist activists – to today’s private and public sector professionals by identifying their roots in Israel’s cultural, economic, media, political, and social systems. It reveals how professional communicators and leaders nurtured and valued collectivism, high consensus, solidarity, and unity over democracy and free speech. It investigates such key underpinning concepts as Hasbara and criticizes non-democratic and sometimes unethical propaganda practices. It highlights unprecedented fundraising and lobbying campaigns that forged Israeli identity internally and internationally. In situating Israeli ideas on democracy in the context of contemporary public relations theory, Public Relations and Nation Building seeks to point ways forward for that theory, for Israel and for the public relations of many other nations.
Innovative and timely, this PR book is the first to address environmental questions within the context of global business. An excellent counterpoint to the existing US-oriented literature on this topic, here the authors set out ways to equip public relations to respond to and re-imagine itself in the light of current major forecasts and trends for
Governments and institutions hold secrets you are entitled by law to know. But how do you exercise your right? In this definitive guide, you will learn how to gain access to information and how to pry loose records governments and institutions would prefer not to release. This book walks you through the maze and over the obstacles that stand in the way of your right to know. In the process you will learn more about how your tax dollars are spent and how key decisions and events were shaped. Perhaps most importantly, you'll learn how to do it all affordably and efficiently.
The definitive guide to using data and technology in reporting, this text teaches students how to combine data analysis with traditional reporting to create compelling stories. Through coverage of theory, practical examples, online tutorials, and celebrated stories from around the world, thistext demonstrates the tools and principles of data-driven journalism.
Attune to the sacredness of all life with The Healing Earth Tarot Kit. This tarot reflects a new spiritual consciousness grounded in tribal wisdom from around the globe: Aboriginal, African, Celtic and Native American. The Major Arcana characters underwent a major recasting -- what was once "The Hermit" is now "The Wise Old Woman" and the old "Magician" is now "The Shaman". the Minor Arcana features two additional suits: Pipes (for healing and herbal lore) and Feathers (for the psychic realm and spirit). The accompanying book explains how to use this 106-card deck to address everyday concerns and open healing pathways into your future.
Hacking, snooping and invading are commonplace on the Internet. Your personal information can be seen and shared and your privacy can be violated. Two veteran journalists, authorities on how information is handled in the digital age, have written a definitive guide to minimize your digital footprint, protect your vital information and prevent it from being misused. Jim Bronskill and David McKie argue there are steps each of us can take to keep our important data out of reach while still participating fully in new technologies. They identify the pitfalls we can make and the small moves that will help us avoid them. Their book makes an important contribution in enforcing our right to privacy at a time when governments, special interests and others are trying to watch everything we do. 'Your Right To Privacy' outlines in detail how to keep your information as safe as possible in an age of hacking, sharing and surveillance. This is the definitive guide on how to minimize your digital footprint and protect your privacy in the digital age.
A new mainstream textbook on primary English for those training to teach in primary education, carefully written to be relevant for the changing education landscape of the next few years.
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