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What is luck? The chances are you don’t really know, but you probably believe in it, and I bet you invoke the word every day of your life ... ‘Bad luck!’ ‘That was lucky!’ ‘You should be so lucky!’ ‘What a lucky escape!’– said with varying degrees of intensity, relief, sarcasm, amusement, incredulity or disgust. But what is luck? This book tries to determine what luck is, how it operates in our lives, and how far the individual is at its mercy – favoured by good luck or cursed by bad? Is there any justice or fair play in life, or are these merely human concepts that don’t exist in the laws governing the universe? Whatever you think you believe, by the time you have re...
It is 1968 and 19-year-old Sally Phillips has fled the UK for the Middle East in an attempt to heal her broken heart. Betrayal by her Scottish fiancé has made her suspicious of men and reluctant to trust them, but she remains in many ways naïve. She begins to adapt to life in the Sheikhdom of Al Khaleej, making friends and finding a job, and it is not long before she has become indispensible to her boss. So it comes as a shock one morning to find herself unceremoniously and inexplicably dismissed. Almost simultaneously, she is offered very different employment at the Royal stables. Infuriated to learn that her sacking had been masterminded by a p...
It is the mid-1960s and 17-year-old Sally is living in leafy suburbia with her bourgeois mother, indulgent father and infuriating sister. Mrs Phillips, a strict Roman Catholic, worries constantly about what the neighbours think behind their twitching lace curtains and about Sally's tomboyish ways. Having finished her convent education, Sally is shy and naive, and totally unconscious of her budding beauty. Her only sex education has been an excruciating lesson on the procreation of rabbits from the nuns, and her mother's oblique warnings that 'men only want one thing'. Quick to blush and innocent of the world, she is nonetheless intelligent and shows no interest in callow youths eager to date...
The third volume in the Seven Bands of Gold quartet sees our heroine Sally struggling to reconcile her love for the charismatic only son of the ruler of Al Khaleej and her affection for ardent suitor Matthew, the handsome naval officer. To complicate matters further, who should turn up but Doug, the fiancé who jilted her some years before. But solid, reliable Matthew turns out to be not all he seemed and once again Sally's trust is betrayed. Meanwhile, Doug watches unhappily from the sidelines as the love between Sally and Sheikh Abdullah deepens. He is still in love with Sally and would do anything to win her back, but has to accept that Sally has changed, matured and moved on, and is unli...
The recent history of the Arab World presents a dismal story of pain, horror, and suffering. The causes are many and the blame game endless. However, the happy experiences of one Englishman throw a quite contrary light on current events, and have been written down as a way of saying thank you to all the Arabians involved for their unrivalled hospitality and friendship, as well as for sharing so much hilarious merriment. The author has collected stories over the course of many years that highlight not only the essential dottiness of his own country’s activities in the area, but also unveil the tremendous humour that the Arabs themselves possess. In this volume these tales are recorded, many for the first time, and have been added to by extensive research into the relevant literature to provide important background material, reference and explanation. To understand the humour of a race or nation is to understand and appreciate their culture and characteristics and reach a common ground. Whatever your nationality, Fibs, Facts and Farces: Tales from the Arab World will have you holding your sides.
Written by a female Middle East expert, Bradt’s Saudi Arabia is the first English-language travel guide from a mainstream publisher that focuses exclusively on the Kingdom, which has now opened for general tourism as part of rapid political, economic and social reforms. With detailed advice on what to see and do, listings for accommodation and restaurants, guidance on cultural etiquette and advice for women and other diverse travellers, this book provides the practical information adventurous tourists need to explore this new, exciting destination. Saudi Arabia will appeal to adventure travellers, offering activities ranging from pristine, world-class scuba diving to mountain-trekking. Wit...
It is a woman's perspective on life in the Kingdom, and there is no question that the "d" restrictions, that is, dress, demeanor, and driving, weigh more heavily on the Western woman than the Western man. And it is compounded by that wonderfully fuzzy and gray era on quasi-legal work. Cuddihy was in that sub-set, with the right personality, to rise to the challenge. She decided to explore, and come to terms with the world around her. At some level, it would seem self-evident, but success lay in breaking out of the endless griping and gossiping of the company coffee klatches. She (and her husband) made non-company friends, explored Riyadh, took up tennis, learned Arabic, and even more seemingly bizarre, certainly from the point of view of other members of the compound, sought out Saudi friends...
His Royal Highness Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh: irascible, controversial, outspoken, forthright and funny; the Gaffer, the Prince of Political Incorrectness, the Duke of Hazard, Phil the Greek. Whatever you call him – and he doesn’t give a damn – you’ve got to love him! Now in his nineties, on he goes – undaunted, unrepentant and, if less active, just as amusing. This compilation is a celebration of the wit and wisdom of a man whose unique style, down-to-earth humour and no-nonsense approach have brought colour into our lives. With delicious disregard for public opinion, his quips and faux pax have provided fodder for cartoonists and columnists for decades, and his one-liners are globally famous. But less well known, perhaps, is his perception about the state of the world we inhabit and his thoughtfulness about the lives we live.
The first book to be written entirely in Princess Diana's own words, this book of quotations takes us from Diana's troubled childhood, through her rushed and ultimately unhappy marriage to Prince Charles and the uneasy relationship with the Royal Family, to her last years of failed flings and untimely death. But it also highlights the depths of her care and compassion, her unshakeable love of family, her groundbreaking campaigns on AIDS and land mines and her cheeky, sometimes risque, sense of humour. Beautiful and vulnerable, and one of the most popular and most photographed public figures, she lived the whole of her adult life in the glare of an intense media spotlight yet managed to retain herdignity and identity. In this first ever comprehensive collection of Diana's most memorable quotes, veteran royal reporter Phil Dampier reveals the heart and soul of an incredible woman who is missed by millions around the world. Her powerful legacy lives on through her sons, Princes William and Harry, and a new generation is becoming aware her extraordinary life for the first time.
The editor-in-chief of "Majesty" magazine presents a biography of the British consort to discuss his aristocratic childhood in Paris, more than seven-decade marriage to Elizabeth II, and loyal service as a statesman and philanthropist