A Diamond in the Desert

A Diamond in the Desert PDF Author: Jo Tatchell
Publisher: Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
ISBN: 0802196179
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 233

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Book Description
Get a closer look at this glittering, oil-rich city in a “revealing travelogue through the capital of the United Arab Emirates” (Publishers Weekly). Jo Tatchell first arrived in the city of Abu Dhabi as a child in 1974, when the discovery of oil was quickly turning a small fishing town into a growing international community. Decades later, this Middle Eastern capital is a dizzying metropolis of ten-lane highways and overlapping languages, and its riches and emphasis on cultural development have thrust it into the international spotlight. Here, Tatchell returns to Abu Dhabi and explores the city and its contradictions: It is a tolerant melting-pot of cultures and faiths, but only a tiny percentage of its native residents are deemed eligible to vote by the ruling class, and the nation’s president holds absolute veto power over his advisory boards and councils. The Emirates boast one of the world’s highest GDP per capita, but the wealth inequality in its cities is staggering. Abu Dhabi’s royal family, worth an estimated $500 billion, lives off the sweat of the city’s migrant workers, who subject themselves to danger and poverty under barely observed labor laws. But now, the city is making an international splash with a showy investment in tourism, arts, and culture—perhaps signaling a change to a more open, tolerant state. As this sparkling city surges into the future, it devotes just as much energy to concealing its past. Tatchell looks not only at history and social issues—the ancient system of tribal organization, the condition of the city’s million foreign workers, the emergence of women in Emirati society, but also her own experiences as both a child and adult in this fascinating city that has radically changed—and in other ways, stayed the same.

A DIAMOND IN THE DESERT

A DIAMOND IN THE DESERT PDF Author: Jo Tatchell
Publisher: Sceptre
ISBN: 1444758543
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 255

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Book Description
Barely forty years ago, Abu Dhabi was a fishing village on the Arabian Gulf. Now the capital of the United Arab Emirates, its citizens are each worth $17 million, it holds major stakes in Western economies, and has money to burn. In this timely, revealing and evocative portrait of a global player, Jo Tatchell traces the emirate's dramatic development and the sometimes ruinous effect of extreme wealth on its people and their desert culture. And as its rulers fund another giant leap forward, she probes behind the official facade to examine whether this secretive and controlled society can realise its breathtaking plans to transform relations between East and West.

The Desert of Souls

The Desert of Souls PDF Author: Howard Andrew Jones
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 1429994819
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 298

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Book Description
The glittering tradition of sword-and-sorcery sweeps into the sands of ancient Arabia with the heart-stopping speed of a whirling dervish in this thrilling debut novel from new talent Howard Andrew Jones In 8th century Baghdad, a stranger pleads with the vizier to safeguard the bejeweled tablet he carries, but he is murdered before he can explain. Charged with solving the puzzle, the scholar Dabir soon realizes that the tablet may unlock secrets hidden within the lost city of Ubar, the Atlantis of the sands. When the tablet is stolen from his care, Dabir and Captain Asim are sent after it, and into a life and death chase through the ancient Middle East. Stopping the thieves—a cunning Greek spy and a fire wizard of the Magi—requires a desperate journey into the desert, but first Dabir and Asim must find the lost ruins of Ubar and contend with a mythic, sorcerous being that has traded wisdom for the souls of men since the dawn of time. But against all these hazards there is one more that may be too great even for Dabir to overcome... Advance Praise for THE DESERT OF SOULS: "The Desert of Souls is filled with adventure, magic, compelling characters and twists that are twisty. This is seriously cool stuff." -- Steven Brust, New York Times bestselling author of the Vlad Taltos series "A grand and wonderful adventure filled with exotic magic and colorful places — like a cross between Sinbad and Indiana Jones." -- Kevin J. Anderson, New York Times bestselling author of The Map of All Things "Like the genie of the lamp, Howard Jones has granted this reader's wish for a fresh, exciting take on the venerable genre of sword-and-sorcery!" -- Richard A. Knaak, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Legends of the Dragonrealm "Howard Andrew Jones spins an exciting and suspenseful tale in his historical fantasy debut. A rich, detailed tapestry -- part Arthur Conan Doyle, part Robert E. Howard, and part Omar Khayyam, woven in the magical thread of One Thousand And One Nights." -- E.E. Knight, Author of the bestselling Vampire Earth "An entertaining and enjoyable journey into a world of djinns and magic far darker than expected, yet one that ends with hope, both for the characters... and that there will be yet another book." -- L. E. Modesitt, Jr, author of the Recluse Saga, the Imager Portfolio, and the Corean Chronicles "A modern iteration of old school storytelling. Highly recommended to anyone in search of a fun run through strange lands and times." -- Glen Cook, author of The Black Company Series "Howard Jones wields magic like a subtle blade and action like a mighty cleaver in his scimitars and sorcery tale, weaving together Arabian myth, history, and some honest-to-gosh surprises to create a unique story that you'll not soon forget." -- Monte Cook, author of The Dungeon Masters Guide, 3rd Edition "A rousing tale of swords against sorcery. Howard Jones writes with wit and flair. His world is involving, authentic and skilfully evoked. The best fantasy novel I have read all year." -- William King, Author of the Space Wolf trilogy and creator of Gotrek and Felix "A whirlwind tale of deserts, djinn and doors to other worlds, told in a voice perfectly pitched for the style and setting." -- Nathan Long, author of Bloodborn and Shamanslayer "An Arabian Nights adventure as written by Robert E Howard. It is exciting, inventive, and most of all fun." -- Dave Drake, author of The Legion of Fire

Diamonds in the Desert

Diamonds in the Desert PDF Author: Olga Levinson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Businessmen
Languages : en
Pages : 192

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Book Description
This well written anecdotal account of the early days of diamond production in Namibia focuses on the settler pioneer August Stauch, who has also become a legend among the settler community today. The author gives a vivid description of the major diamond discoveries and the rush for claims in 1908, followed by the struggle for control and monopoly which eventually led to the takeover by De Beers. It also deals with the political career of August Stauch as a member of the old "Landesrat" and of the Legislative Assembly established in 1926, and describes the fall of his business empire in Germany and Namibia in the interwar period. The biography glorifies a time which, in the overall history of diamond mining in Namibia, is relatively unimportant, and tends to reinforce dearly held colonial myths ("the men who made South West"). It is lavishly illustrated with photos, drawings and facsimile prints of documents. (Eriksen/Moorsom 1989).

Flight of the Diamond Smugglers

Flight of the Diamond Smugglers PDF Author: Matthew Gavin Frank
Publisher: Icon Books
ISBN: 1785787446
Category : True Crime
Languages : en
Pages : 177

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Book Description
'Ghost towns, corporate cruelty, the centuries-old relationship between humans and a species almost magical in its abilities ... fabulous.' The New York Times 'A beautifully written book on diamond smuggling, the universe, life and much of what lies in between.' Toby Muse, author of Kilo: Life and Death Inside the Secret World of the Cocaine Cartels For nearly 80 years, a huge portion of coastal South Africa was closed off to the public. With many of its pits now deemed "overmined" and abandoned, journalist and author Matthew Gavin Frank set out across the infamous Diamond Coast to investigate an illicit trade – the smuggling of diamonds by carrier pigeon – that supplies a global market. Uncovering a long overlooked truecrime story dating back to the founding of the De Beers corporation, and blending elements of reportage, memoir and legend, he weaves interviews with local diamond divers, who extract mineral wealth from the seabed by day and raise pigeons in secret by night, with harrowing anecdotes from former heads of security, environmental managers, and vigilante pigeon hunters. A rare and remarkable portrait of exploitation and greed, Flight of the Diamond Smugglers reveals how these feathered bandits became outlaws in every mining town. 'Unforgettable. ... An outstanding adventure in its lyrical, utterly compelling, and heartbreaking investigations of the world of diamond smuggling.' Aimee Nezhukumatathil, author of Oceanic and World of Wonders 'A lyrical portrait of a resilient species caught in the grinding gears of a cruel industry of extraction and exploitation.' Kirk Wallace Johnson, author of The Feather Thief

Diamond in the Rough

Diamond in the Rough PDF Author: Kamika Graham
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781548968274
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 82

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Book Description
As a victim of domestic violence and a single mom, Kamika Graham is no stranger to betrayal, hurt, and pain. In this memoir she is reliving the trauma from her ex-husband (husband number two) and kids' father. ... the book is the process that God took Kamika through with her ex-husband to make her stronger so that she could help other women in similar situatoins or those who have been through domestice violence. from the back cover.

The Diamond Sutra

The Diamond Sutra PDF Author: Frances Wood
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780712350907
Category : Buddhism
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Describes the book produced in AD 868 and found in 1907; describes the physical object and recent conservation work; places the sutra in the history of Chinese printing and paper making.

Journeys on the Silk Road

Journeys on the Silk Road PDF Author: Conrad Walters
Publisher: Picador Australia
ISBN: 1742627528
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 336

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Book Description
The remarkable story of the world's oldest printed book begins in a meditation cave on the edge of the Gobi Desert. In 1900, a monk who guarded the sacred Caves of the Thousand Buddhas in western China discovered a hidden library that had been sealed for more than a thousand years. When explorer Aurel Stein arrived during a dangerous and secret journey in 1907, he persuaded the monk to part with some of the treasures, including a copy of the Diamond Sutra - dated AD868. Printed 500 years before Gutenberg's famous Bible, the discovery has illuminated the spread of Buddhism along the Silk Road and coincided with the growing appeal of this ancient tradition in the West. The Diamond Sutra, a key teaching of the Buddha, has influenced Jack Kerouac and the Beat Generation and continues to inspire the Dalai Lama. Written by respected journalists Joyce Morgan and Conrad Walters, Journeys on the Silk Road is an explorer's tale, a literary investigation, an evocation of the travelling power of the book and of the impact of a spiritual tradition that has resonated with the modern world.

The Star of the Desert

The Star of the Desert PDF Author: Gordon Wallis
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789798606472
Category : Action and adventure fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 211

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Book Description
For millions of years, a bounty of unimaginable riches lay hidden deep within the scorched wastelands of the Namib desert. Diamonds. Some men cracked the earth to own them. Some men died. For ex-soldier Jason Green, the job was unexpected but the brief was simple. At the most remote diamond mine in the world, something was wrong. Badly wrong. The insurance firm was deeply concerned. The running costs were enormous, the claims, suspicious. What were the dark secrets that had been so carefully concealed? Secrets buried as deep as the glittering stones themselves. Jason Green uncovers the truth but his astonishing discovery sets off a chain of events that result in hideous violence and cold-blooded murder. The architect of this horror must be stopped, but for Green, there are personal scores to settle. The action builds to a frenzy in this ferociously fast-paced thriller, and the heart-stopping climax will be embedded in your mind for a long time. A very long time.

A Diamond in the Desert

A Diamond in the Desert PDF Author: Jo Tatchell
Publisher: Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
ISBN: 0802196179
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 233

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Book Description
Get a closer look at this glittering, oil-rich city in a “revealing travelogue through the capital of the United Arab Emirates” (Publishers Weekly). Jo Tatchell first arrived in the city of Abu Dhabi as a child in 1974, when the discovery of oil was quickly turning a small fishing town into a growing international community. Decades later, this Middle Eastern capital is a dizzying metropolis of ten-lane highways and overlapping languages, and its riches and emphasis on cultural development have thrust it into the international spotlight. Here, Tatchell returns to Abu Dhabi and explores the city and its contradictions: It is a tolerant melting-pot of cultures and faiths, but only a tiny percentage of its native residents are deemed eligible to vote by the ruling class, and the nation’s president holds absolute veto power over his advisory boards and councils. The Emirates boast one of the world’s highest GDP per capita, but the wealth inequality in its cities is staggering. Abu Dhabi’s royal family, worth an estimated $500 billion, lives off the sweat of the city’s migrant workers, who subject themselves to danger and poverty under barely observed labor laws. But now, the city is making an international splash with a showy investment in tourism, arts, and culture—perhaps signaling a change to a more open, tolerant state. As this sparkling city surges into the future, it devotes just as much energy to concealing its past. Tatchell looks not only at history and social issues—the ancient system of tribal organization, the condition of the city’s million foreign workers, the emergence of women in Emirati society, but also her own experiences as both a child and adult in this fascinating city that has radically changed—and in other ways, stayed the same.

A Diamond in the Desert

A Diamond in the Desert PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781480601147
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description