On the opposite side of the continent where Major League baseball opened its season last week between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres, there lies the terribly depressing Aralkum Desert.
Despite its ghostly appearance, it actually hasn’t been around for all that long. Less than a century ago, the world’s youngest desert looked completely different. Back before powerful forces intervened in the natural course of events; back before the ill-fated decisions, the empty promises, the neglect, and the outright lies, there once stood a momentous, and thriving waterfront community.