ATDTDA 751 part 1 (3rd attempt!)

[Ya Sam]

ATDTDA 751
 
“Batumi, where you could smell the lemon groves before you saw them”
 
At the southern end of Georgia's Black Sea Coastline lies the seaside resort of Batumi, the capital of the province of Adjara, the warmest and wettest place in Georgia. Under Turkish rule in the 17th Century, Batumi was famous for its slave market, while in the 19th century under the Russians it was a free port. Today, apart from the commercial port area, there is a wide beachfront, the old town, rundown mansions and wooden houses, shady avenues, parks and outdoor cafes. A pleasant place for a one or two night stop. There are some lovely coastal drives outside Batumi, with citrus and tea plantations, and subtropical vegetation .
 
http://www.silkroadandbeyond.co.uk/batumi.html
 
Batumi is the main port of Georgia and the capital of Adjara. Due to the subtropical climate, palm trees, lemon trees and orange trees can be found all over the city.
 
http://www.vacationstogo.com/cruise_port/Batumi__Georgia.cfm
 
dukhans  taverns in Caucasus
But also
Dukhan is a big oil field extending over an area of approximately 80 km by 8 km. and is located over 80 kms to the West of Doha. Dukhan Field encompasses four reservoirs from North to South - Khatiyah, Fahahil and Jaleha/Diyab, three of which are oil resrvoirs , and fourth contains non associated gas . Oil and gas are separated in four main degassing stations which are continuously manned namely Khatiyah North, Khatiyah Main, Fahahil Main and Jaleha. Unmanned satellite stations are Fahahil North and Fahahil South, while Khatiyah South is now a manned station. The Diyab satellite station at the South end of the field has no process facilities and the total oil production is sent to Jaleha station for processing. Stabilized crude oil is transported through pipeline to Mesaieed port about 100 km East of Dukhan. 
http://www.qp.com.qa/qp.nsf/web/bc_dukhan
 
Baku
Located on the southern shore of the Apsheron peninsula, Azerbaijan's capital was founded 1,500 years ago. The first written reference to Baku dates from 885, although archaeologists have found remains of a settlement predating by several centuries the birth of Christ. The city became important after an earthquake destroyed Shemakha and the of the 12th century and the Shirvanshah, Ahistan I, made Baku the new capital. There are a few theories about the origin of the name, the most widely known being that Baku comes from bad kube, meaning "city of winds".  [What, another “Windy City”?!]
The climate is sunny and arid, with gale-force winds that sweep through on occasion, caused by masses of polar air. Baku is located on the western shore of the Caspian Sea and is Azerbaijan's largest city, with wonderful beaches, spas and a striking setting on the salty Caspian Sea. 
The basis of Baku's economy is petroleum. The existence of petroleum has been known since the 8th century. By the 15th century oil for lamps was obtained from surface wells. Commercial exploitation began in 1872, and by the beginning of the 20th century the Baku oil field was the largest in the world. Towards the end of the 20th century much of the land's petroleum had been exhausted, and drilling had extended into the sea. Baku ranks as one of the largest centres for the production of oil industry equipment. The World War II Battle of Stalingrad was fought to determine who would have control of the Baku oil fields. Fifty years before the battle, Baku supplied half of the world's oil production. 
In recent years oil has made the city affluent again, but Baku is still a conservative place. You don't see many women covering their heads, but you'll notice many small revealing details e.g. ladies go to the toilet for a cigarette, couples don't kiss in public... 
Today's Baku is really three cities rolled into one: the old town (icheri shekher), the boomtown and the Soviet-built town. 
http://www.azerb.com/az-baku.html
 
Baku oil fields
 
http://www.viewimages.com/Search.aspx?mid=2639165&epmid=1&partner=Google
 
http://www.viewimages.com/Search.aspx?mid=3296459&epmid=1&partner=Google
 
Azerbaijan’s oil history
 
During its early Oil Boom, between 1885 and 1920, Azerbaijan benefited greatly from the expertise of well-known chemists and geologists from Europe and Russia. Baku's rich oil barons sought out the best advice that the scientific world had to offer, seeking recommendations from important figures like German chemist Carl Engler and Russian chemist Dmitry Mendeleyev. As a result, innovative new techniques such as rotary drilling and gaslift were tested for the first time in Azerbaijan.
 
http://azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/ai102_folder/102_articles/102_oil_chronology.html
 
“skies of hell, boiling red and black” 
Cf. “the first glimpse of Jeshimon was like a religious painting of hell” p. 210
 
Burning oil fields
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/100best/storyD_story.html
 
Rugrider ?
 
“actuarially speaking” 
Through their knowledge of statistics, finance, and business, actuaries assess the risk of events occurring and help create policies that minimize risk and its financial impact on companies and clients. One of the main functions of actuaries is to help businesses assess the risk of certain events occurring and formulate policies that minimize the cost of that risk. For this reason, actuaries are essential to the insurance industry. 
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos041.htm
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