Scattered across the suburbs of countless cities in the American West are huge parcels of undeveloped land. Sometimes simple tracts of unkempt scrub, sometimes ploughed to keep weeds and trees from taking root, these prime pieces of real estate, sometimes stretching for many miles, unbroken except by the occasional stand of eucalyptus or ash, are literally pieces of wilderness … [Read more...]
Dr Dreadful’s Letter from America: It Sure Ain’t the Boat Race
At around 9 p.m. this past Wednesday, on a baseball field in Omaha, Nebraska, a young right fielder named Steve Detwiler took a catch that made sporting history. His team, the Fresno State Bulldogs, had just beaten the University of Georgia to win the College World Series - the national championship of university baseball. Fresno State Bulldogs win College World … [Read more...]
Dr Dreadful’s Letter from America: The Impractical Art of Walking
You know how if you’re female there are some things you don’t do, especially after dark? Once the sun goes down, the world for the fairer sex becomes a Clockwork Orange-y hell, the shadows filled with predators ready to pounce on your purse or your modesty in the blink of a streetlight. The reasons we have this not entirely accurate notion are many, but include the influence … [Read more...]
F.A. Cup Final 2008: Portsmouth 1, Cardiff City 0
A 37th-minute Kanu goal was enough to earn Portsmouth their first FA Cup victory in 69 years at the expense of Championship side Cardiff City. The veteran striker pounced after Cardiff goalkeeper Peter Enckelman could only flap at a John Utaka cross. The two unlikely finalists contested a spirited if unspectacular game in front of a sell-out crowd for the second Final at … [Read more...]
Dr Dreadful’s Letter from America: Extreme Weather – Or Not
Spring has come to the San Joaquin Valley. After a month of almost continuous winter rain, the normally brown foothills are briefly washed in a watery bloom of green. The rain has purged the smog and particulates, drawing them back like a lace curtain and revealing the snow-laden Sierra Nevada mountains, rarely seen from the city but now crisp and immediate in the suddenly … [Read more...]