The President’s administration was often overshadowed by the war in south east Asia
When American troops left Vietnam in March 1973, it ended a period of war that much of the public back home had grown to despise.
It would be two years before North Vietnamese tanks crashed through the gates of the Presidential Palace in Saigon, effectively ending the war. In that time, the postmortem into the war was well underway in America.
By 1975, Richard Nixon had been forced to resign from office over the Watergate scandal that had rocked American politics. …
The metal legends unleash their 17th studio album into the world.
When talking about legends of heavy metal, you’d be hard pressed not to give Iron Maiden a mention.
The band have been almost ever present on the scene for decades and, unlike other groups of their era, seem to be getting more active the later they go on in life.
‘Senjutsu’ was released on 3 September, and has already been accompanied with plenty of positives. It was the band’s first new music in six years. …
The seaside town at the start of the Llyn Peninsula
The Cambrian Coast line starts at Machynlleth and runs all the way up the Welsh coast to Pwllheli.
My short journey, Porthmadog to Criccieth, is just a 10 minute journey and an open return is less than £3.50. The train comes into Criccieth behind the beach and into the station which feels nestled amongst the trees.
The high street is located behind the station, with shops and cafe’s spread all around. I decided to walk towards the beach, and a narrow path which crossed the railway tracks brought me to a map of the town and surrounding area.
Up the coast to the harbour town steeped in history
Another Saturday, another chance to hop in my car and head on up to north Wales. Following my bank holiday venture to Trawsfynydd and Blaenau Ffestiniog, I had my sights set on a couple of towns further west.
Setting off from Aberystwyh at just after 8am, Porthmadog is around 1 hour 30 minutes away by car. Following the A487 to Dolgellau, motorists will start to see signs for the A470 and Porthmadog, it’s then back onto the A487 into the town.
Passing through the villages of Penrhyndeudraeth and Minfford, Porthmadog comes into view when driving up the ‘Cob’, which acts…
How the England captain has gone from a top quality batsman to an English legend
Joe Root is usually England’s saviour in test match cricket, and his 1,398 runs in 2021 so far have won and saved plenty of matches for this side.
A hindrance for the England captain was once his poor record of converting hard fought 50s into three figures scores.
Two years ago, Root had 16 Test centuries and 42 half-centuries for a conversion rate of 27.6 per cent. This issue of being unable to push on was visibly frustrating for the Yorkshireman.
In 2021, in a year where the runs are flowing, Root’s conversion rate is something very special. …
Just up the road from Trawsfynydd is ‘the town that roofed the world’
After a couple of hours in and around Trawsfynydd and the lake that shares its name, I got back in the car and headed further north on the A470.
Blaenau Ffestiniog is known as the town that roofed the world due to the vast slate mining industry that once dominated the surrounding area. It rests in the middle of mountainous terrain and on almost all sides are hills steeped in slate and history.
The winding roads into the town bring you right to the centre, down a high street lined with independent pubs, shops and cafes. …
A lake, a village, and a decommissioned nuclear power plant
The Meirionnydd region of Gwynedd has some real gems waiting to be discovered, and on bank holiday Saturday I made the most of seeing two of these. The village of Trawsfynydd and the town of Blaenau Ffestiniog were on my list, and neither disappointed me.
This entry will cover the ins and outs of the first stop of my impromptu road trip, Trawsfynydd.
I left Aberystwyth at 10am, with Lake Trawsfynydd my first stop. …
How the evacuation of Kabul has drawn some stark comparisons to the ending of the Vietnam War
The scenes of desperation from people in Afghanistan have dominated the news since the Taliban invasion of the country was confirmed.
The group has swept across the nation and last week claimed the capital of Kabul. This led to hundreds of Afghans fleeing to the airport in the city with desperate hopes of escaping the impending Taliban regime, and one shocking video showing people falling from the outside of an aircraft hundreds of feet in the air.
This desperate chaos has unfolded in the days following US military withdrawal from the country, effectively leaving the Afghan people at the mercy…
Yet more poor batting from England went unpunished as rain impacts large parts of First Test
Rain was the overall winner at Trent Bridge as three of the five days of the First Test between England and India were affected by the wet stuff.
There would have been more of feelings of frustration in the Indian camp as the tourists looked the better side, but the draw raises plenty of questions with England’s line-up.
Not to sound like a broken record, but for what feels like the umpteenth test match on the bounce, England’s batting order fell apart.
Rory Burns went without troubling the scorers, and further down the batting card he was joined in the…
Abuse of RNLI volunteers and the people they rescue is a blotch on UK society, and an example of why the charity deserves as much support as possible.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) has been saving lives at sea since 1824. For almost 200 years, volunteers have ventured out into often perilous conditions to rescue people.
Going into stormy conditions is a thankless task, and they often go without the recognition they deserve. The recent reports of these volunteers receiving abuse for rescuing migrants making the perilous journey across the English Channel is a hideous reminder of the sometimes horrific attitude of humans.
Volunteers of one RNLI station reported that they had verbal abuse aimed at them when returning from rescuing migrants from the sea. As well…
