Like A Diamond In The Sky

At twenty-one, Deen is dismayed by the poverty around him and trapped in negativity. Alienated from family and society, heroin is his drug of choice. Deen and his partner in crime, AJ, ride high on acid and amphetamines, philosophize in the university canteen, party in a politician’s posh pad and contemplate God at a roadside tea stall. From Maria, a chemically imbalanced diva, to a rickshaw-walla who reflects on the importance of positive energy, to a group of fakirs who sing about love, and a detective who has his own take on addiction, the characters in Shazia Omar’s debut novel crackle with life. They represent the despair, hopes and aspirations of a generation struggling to survive in the harsh realities of life in modern Dhaka. Hard-hitting and intensely moving, this is an extraordinary novel, and one that is destined to launch Omar as a major contemporary voice from South Asia. Published by Zubaan.

The story behind the classic and universally recognized rhyme! This luminous picture book biography shines a light on the little-known poet and author of the beloved lullaby. Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are. Did you ever wonder who wrote that famous verse? In the days when most girls were brought up to run a home, Jane Taylor had a different kind of education in the English countryside, where she was inspired by nature and the stars, and dreamed of becoming a writer. But in the late 1700s, it was not considered proper for women to be writers. Jane and other female poets were shunned, unable to use their own names when published.But Jane did write, and she never forgot her love for the beauty of nature and the glow of stars, or her desire to write for children. Her published poetry became universally known for generations to come: Twinkle, twinkle little star. This lyrical and luminous biography shines a light on the unsung poet who wrote the words of our most enduring lullaby, and features stunning artwork reflecting the world, the stars, and the story behind the poem that we all know so well.

Why God? Everyone that I saw asked the same questions: Why God? Why has this happened to us? I wondered if we had done something really bad to bring David’s death upon us. I had always prayed to God for him to protect Dan and our children. I asked God to put a protective shield around them everywhere they went and to bring them back safely to me. I believed with all my heart that God would answer my prayers. Three months before David’s accident, I was sitting in the den talking with one of my son-in-laws about what I believed. He said “Linda, death is real…we humans don’t have any control over it.” David was sitting in a recliner listening to us and he said, “Mama, he’s right; we don’t ever know.” There was a big game going on in Heaven in honor of Christ’s birthday. They needed a catcher, so I got the Call, “Come on son, come play in our Game today!” My dear family and friends remembered when those tears start to fill your eyes; just go outside and look up towards the stars for I will be playing on the “Diamond in the sky!”

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Enter the magical world of mermaids! This colourful fairy tale is poetically written with a heartwarming message for children -- you will always shine brightest as yourself. A light fills the ocean each night on their swim. A tale of enchantment is told from within. Kya is a young mermaid, fascinated by a night star. A long time ago, near the very same sea, there was a young girl who longed to be a part of the ocean. She admired its beauty and the magical creatures who graced the seashore. She wished to be something she was not, but she had a lesson to learn. The ones we admire often admire us. Come beneath the sea to find out how Kya and her friends explore the ocean at night . . .

This book tells two stories. The first and most obvious is why the star known as Sirius has been regarded as an important fixture of the night sky by many civilizations and cultures since the beginnings of history. A second, but related, narrative is the prominent part that Sirius has played in how we came to achieve our current scientific understanding of the nature and fate of the stars. This is the first book to integrate the cultural history of Sirius with modern astrophysics in a way which provides a realistic view of how science progresses over time.

A verse-by-verse examination of Arjuna’s soma experience and Krishna’s psychedelic guidance in the Bhagavad Gita • Explains how the Bhagavad Gita provides complete guidelines for the spiritual use of entheogens--from prior mental preparations to the integration of profound visionary insights into everyday consciousness • Examines Chapter XI of the Gita in detail to illuminate Arjuna’s hallucinogenic experience and expose Krishna as the ultimate psychedelic guide • Shows psychedelic experience to be an essential and ancient part of the path to spiritual transformation Known as a text of liberation and enlightenment and praised not only by Indians but also by prominent modern thinkers such as Aldous Huxley and Albert Einstein, the Bhagavad Gita is one of the most commented-upon books of all time, yet one aspect has never before been examined: Arjuna’s psychedelic soma experience with his guru Krishna. Drawing upon his many years as a student of Nitya Chaitanya Yati, whose teacher was Gita scholar Nataraja Guru, preeminent disciple of Narayana Guru, Scott Teitsworth explains how the Bhagavad Gita, through the story of the hero Arjuna and his guru Krishna, provides complete guidelines for the spiritual use of entheogens, from prior mental preparations to the integration of profound visionary insights into everyday consciousness. Examining Chapter XI of the Bhagavad Gita verse by verse, he illuminates Arjuna’s complex revelatory experience and exposes Krishna’s role as the ultimate spiritual guide--facets of the Gita evident to anyone with psychedelic experience yet long suppressed in favor of paths to enlightenment through service or meditation. He shows that psychedelics are indeed “gateway drugs” in that they stimulate open exploration of the mind and the meaning of life. Uncovering new depths to this revered manual of spiritual instruction, Teitsworth reveals psychedelic experience to be an essential and ancient path to ignite realization in the prepared student, turn theory into direct experience, and bring the written teachings to life.

(Piano Vocal). This sheet music features an arrangement for piano and voice with guitar chord frames, with the melody presented in the right hand of the piano part as well as in the vocal line.