Travelin' Tuesday: Bahrain

I found these boats moored near the Bahrain National Museum, in Manama, the capital of Bahrain - I can't identify the exact spot on the map, but there's been plenty of time for new construction in the area.

Picture taken April 1998.

Travelin' Tuesday: Dubai

The Ruler's Court is located on the left bank of Dubai Creek, in the Al Bastakiya historic area in Bur Dubai.  The Grand Mosque and Al Fahidi Fort, the oldest existing building in Dubai, are also located in Al Bastakiya, which is one of the oldest residential areas in Dubai.

Picture taken July 1998.

Medal of Honor to be awarded for Afghanistan

ZUI this article from CNN:

An Army veteran credited with trying to save the lives of fellow soldiers during a firefight in Afghanistan will be awarded the nation's highest military award, the White House said on Tuesday.

President Barack Obama will bestow the Medal of Honor on May 13 to former Sgt. Kyle White for heroics stemming from the 2007 battle during which his only cover from enemy fire was a single tree jutting from a mountain cliff.

Six Americans were killed and several others in the group, including White, were wounded in the four-hour attack.

*******

White was a platoon radio telephone operator and among 14 American troops and Afghan soldiers ambushed while on patrol on November 8, 2007, in eastern Afghanistan.

Travelin' Tuesday: Hawaii

Marine Corps Base Hawaii is located near Kāneʻohe and Kailua, on the windward side of Oʻahu. In 1941 it was Naval Air Station Kaneohe; Chief Aviation Ordnanceman John Finn was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions there during the Japanese attack.

Picture taken 17 May 87.

Travelin' Tuesday: Crete

Khania (or Chania), on the north shore near the western end of Crete, is the second-largest city on the island.  It was ruled by Venice from 1252 to 1645 (less a couple of decades in the 16th century when it was under Genovese control), and there are several Venetian buildings still standing.  The lighthouse was built by the Venetians at the end of the 16th century, and took its final form in the 1830s.

Picture taken 28 Jun 03.

Book list - Jan-Mar 14

Figure Away - mystery, by Phoebe Atwood Taylor
Old Bones - mystery, by Aaron Elkins *
Spring Harrowing - mystery, by Phoebe Atwood Taylor *
The Danish Scheme - AH, by Herb Sakalaucks
Make No Bones - mystery, by Aaron Elkins *
The Crimson Patch - mystery, by Phoebe Atwood Taylor
1636: Seas of Fortune - AH (short stories), by Iver Cooper
Icy Clutches - mystery, by Aaron Elkins *
The Old Powder Line - children's time travel, by Richard Parker
Locomotive - children's railroading, by Brian Floca (Caldecott Medal, 2014)
Curses! - mystery, by Aaron Elkins *
New Amsterdam - AH/fantasy, by Elizabeth Bear
Twenty Blue Devils - mystery, by Aaron Elkins
Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures - children's, by Kate DiCamillo (Newbery Medal, 2014)
The White City - AH/fantasy, by Elizabeth Bear
Night of the Living Deed - mystery, by E J Copperman
The Martian - SF, by Andy Weir (ARC)


Only 17 books this time round, five of them rereads (marked by asterisks). And I'm still at 58 of 74 on the Carnegie Medal winners - really ought to get back to them.

The Martian was one of the ARCs my wife and her mother brought back from the ALA midwinter convention in Philadelphia. Outstanding book - highly recommended.

Travelin' Tuesday: St Croix

The US Virgin Islands were purchased from Denmark in 1916, with the formal transfer taking place the following year. Christiansted National Historic Site, located in Christiansted, on the north shore of St Croix, includes several 18th- and 19th-century buildings, including Fort Christiansvaern, built in the 1740s. The fort was named after Christian VI, king of Denmark and Norway from 1730 to 1746.

Picture taken 4 Dec 84.