APR 27 WHY WAS DJ AVICII IN OMAN?

APR 27  WHY WAS DJ AVICII IN OMAN?

Last Friday, discos and clubs worldwide mourned the sudden passing of their beloved DJ Avicii. The accomplished Swede (real name: Tim Bergling) was found dead from apparent suicide in a hotel room in Muscat, Oman. At first, the DUNER BLOG planned to write about his many contributions to EDM (Electronic Dance Music). Next, we thought about covering the curse of being a Ralph Lauren model. However, the overwhelming question from staff members was: What was Avicii doing in Oman?

Before we start, some world geography is needed. Muscat is the capital of Oman, a sultanate on the Eastern tip of the Arabian peninsula. Its neighbors are Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. The latter nation is the reason Avicii was in Muscat. See, Dubai was one of his favorite places. During his career, he headlined numerous EMD festivals in the chic capital. As everyone knows, fantastic Dubai has burst on the worldwide scene as a entertainment mecca. In addition to musical events, the city has cutting-edge cuisine, 5-star resorts and high end fashion retailers...all the things an internationally famous DJ demands!

Sadly, a decade of the fast-life spent in fluorescent strobe lights began to take its toll on Avicii. Friends, like Sultan Al Nahyan of the U.A.E., suggested he relax in nearby Oman. He did and the DJ fell in love with Muscat...and for good reason. See, a hundred years ago, Dubai was a sleepy fishing village. But Muscat has 4,000 years of history. Ancient Greek geographer Pliny the Elder was the first to describe the city's stunning harbor, surrounded by majestic cliffs. The seaport's strategic location meant it was part of Persian, Abbasid and Portuguese empires. The latter built two towering forts in the 1500's, which are Muscat's top tourist attractions today.

However, Avicii was drawn to the opulence of Muscat's Ghubra District. The ritzy area dates back to the 1700's, when Oman was a world power. Then, the sultan controlled the southern coast on Arabia and Iran, as well as much of Africa's eastern shores. Did you know that Omani settlers are responsible for the invention of Swahili? It's a combination of Arabic and African languages. Sadly, the sultan's economy was based on slavery. When England banned the trade in 1802, the Omani Empire shrank in size. Currently, it's about the size of Italy.

While Dubai has encouraged growth...it boasts the tallest building in the world...Muscat has taken the opposite approach. Sultan Qaboos has banned any structure over seven stories to keep the Old Town's architecture intact. The result is a hidden gem for savvy travelers, like Avicii, who come to relax, unwind and meditate. He will be missed. For those of who don't follow EDM, have Pandora play 'Levels.' He mixes in Etta James and the results are truly mesmerizing.

APR 21 BEST & WORST NBA SPONSOR PATCHES

APR 21  BEST & WORST NBA SPONSOR PATCHES

The NBA post-season is underway! Sixteen teams are all aggressively striving for the championship. For those of you who are just tuning in, you might have noticed something different about the NBA this season: For the first time ever, there are advertisements sewn into the players' jerseys. Called 'sponsor patches,' they are small...just 2.5 inches by 2.5 inches...and only visible on TV. Each team selects their own sponsor. Some teams choose wisely...other teams, not so much. Here's a quick rundown of some notable ones.

THE LOCAL ANGLE: Like a team nickname, a sponsor should reflect something unique about the city. For example, Detroit's team is called the PISTONS, a nod to the cars made there. (Cleaver!) Miami is hot, so their team is called the HEAT. (Not as cleaver.) So it follows that an ad on the jersey should also represent culturally their city. We salute the New Orleans Pelicans, who chose Zatarains. What would Cajun cuisine be without their beans and rice? We also like Harley Davidson on the Milwaukee Bucks' jerseys. Likewise, General Electric has been big in Massachusetts for 150 years, so they're a natural for the Boston Celtics. Ditto for Goodyear and Cleveland.

THE CORPORATE Sadly, many NBA franchises decided on boring international corporations for their Sponsor Patches. Rather than endorse cheesesteaks, the Philadelphia 76ers are represented by StubHub, a ticket swapping company. No local angle, but at least it's sports-related. The Orlando Magic have always been linked to the Disney Corporation, so it's no surprise to see Walt's famous signature on their gear. But Toronto's Sun Life Mutual patch and Detroit's Flagstar Bank logos on their basketball jerseys just doesn't feel right.

THE CONFUSING: Some teams decided to use their coveted, but small, space to introduce fans to a company or organization they may not already know about. The Brooklyn Nets have 'infor' next to their own logo. The enterprise software company is not exactly a household name. The Jazz is playing with '5 for the Fight.' This organization is raising money for cancer research, but you need to research to figure this out. We are also not impressed with the reigning champions. The Golden State Warriors didn't choose a sponsor with local ties like Ghiradelli Chocolate or Rice-a-Roni, the San Francisco treat. Nope, it's Rakuten, another online store based in Tokyo.

Surprisingly, NBA commissioner Adam Silver received very little opposition to the 'Sponsor Patches' this season. Thankfully, the other three pro leagues in the US remain opposed to advertisements on their players' bodies. But Silver is quick to note it will raise over $100 million in revenue. While that number sounds impressive, remember Russell Westbrook's contract alone is $205 million. Ironically, this was the best year ever for the NBA revenue-wise, so it seems silly to raise more money in such an obvious and offensive manner. We just want to warn the NBA about the slippery-slope advertising on people's clothing. Just look what happened to NASCAR drivers!

APR 13 GREAT PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH IS NOW THE SIZE OF ALASKA

APR 13 GREAT PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH IS NOW THE SIZE OF ALASKA

The most disturbing news story of the week is not what you think! No, it's not an inflammatory Trump Tweet. Nor is it another NBA player found cheating on his pregnant wife. It has nothing to do with Facebook. Nope, this week's truly terrifying item comes from a beach in Spain. A dead Sperm whale washed ashore. While this happens all the time, this time things were different. See, the enormous mammal did not die from natural causes. It died from the 40 pounds of plastic found in his stomach.

Sadly, dead sea creatures washing ashore with bellies full of colorful plastic is becoming commonplace worldwide. The largest problem is the Pacific Plastic Patch. While it sounds pretty, it is truly the opposite. Simply put, it is an enormous section of the North Pacific where waste collects. Why does this happen? Well, ocean currents are circular. So this means the center (gyre) of a current's massive circle receives little movement. Over the last fifty years, floating debris has accumulated. Hence, the name Garbage Patch.

However, the patch in the North Pacific Ocean has grown so large, it received a special moniker: It's the GREAT Pacific Garbage Patch. Ten years ago, National Geographic reported the GPGP had grown in size and was now about the size of Texas. Recently, a study using new satellite technology measured it at 617,000 square miles. That's a little larger than Alaska! Stay tuned, because it shows no signs of slowing down. Soon its size will be compared to nations instead of US States.

There's lots of fishing nets and waste from the 2011 tsunami in Japan, but most of the trash in the garbage patch is plastic. The difference between plastic and this other waste is simple. Other debris will eventually deteriorate, but indestructible plastic is stuck in the ocean forever. Well...actually, scientists speculate that plastic will eventually disintegrate in 500 years. So we'll just have to wait until the year 2518 to know for sure! It's clear: The real problem with the GPGP is delicious, brightly colored micro-plastics which whales just love to eat.

Humankind's love affair with plastic was understandable at first. It was first introduced to the US market in the 1950's. The amazing, wondrous material is stronger than paper and lighter than tin. Soon, plastic containers began replacing tin cans. Plastic bags began replacing paper bags. Nowadays plastic is omnipresent. But this dead whale clearly shows this love affair has gone awry. The DUNER BLOG is not green-washing: The people of earth really need to reconsider the long-term effects of plastic before the garbage patch reaches our beaches!

APR 5 TIGER & ELEPHANT ATTACKS ON THE RISE IN INDIA

APR 5  TIGER & ELEPHANT ATTACKS ON THE RISE IN INDIA

Surprise! The toughest guy in the world isn't a GUY! Nope, it's 23 year-old Rapali Meshram. She lives on the edge of jungle in the Indian state of Maharashtra. One night, she heard her favorite goat scream in pain. She rushed outside to discover a massive tiger, crouched and ready to pounce. Did she run back inside and lock the door? Not the world's toughest guy! Instead, she grabbed a stick and tried to protect her goat. Details of the fight are sketchy, but we know that her mom dragged her back inside. Before heading to hospital, she took a selfie.

While this story of misplaced bravery makes for fun copy, the truth is Rapali is one of the lucky ones. Since 2014, one person a day in India dies from a tiger or elephant attack. Do the math: That's 1,144 people getting mauled or trampled to death in the last three years. Most deaths happen in a similar manner: A rancher or farmer attempting to protect their property. While it may seem extreme, remember: The goat, cattle or fruit tree is the person's lifeline, so it truly is a "life or death" matter.

The larger problem involves the simple fact that the nation of India isn't big enough anymore. As everyone knows, India's population is enormous and keeps expanding. It's at 1.3 billion and has grown by 3 by the time you reach the end of this blog. Also, tiger populations are rising. Since conservation efforts began in the 1970's, the number of wild tigers has doubled. The one statistic that isn't changing is India's size. It's holding steady at 1,266,219 square miles. So the government's plan to keep cramming more and more people and animals together is not working out.

The current problem began forty years ago, when the Indian government implemented the conservation act. Large swaths of sought-after lands were parceled off for nature reserves. At the time, there was enough land for every man and beast. Nowadays, new human settlements are seen as economic development, even if they are on the edge of a nature reserve. Belinda Wright of a Wildlife Protection Society agrees. "The shrinking of good quality habitats is an absolutely critical concern for the future of India's iconic animals."

Back to Rapali. Yesterday, she and her mother were discharged from hospital. They were told not to fight any more wild beasts. Sadly, things didn't go well for the goat, who did not recover from the attack. The tiger remains at large. The lesson here is that modern India is not the Kipling novel The Jungle Book. Humans and tigers cannot talk to each other and work things out. Yet this seems to be the government's approach to the problem. Let's face it: If India doesn't get serious about drawing, keeping and enforcing urban limit lines, conflict between will continue. How many more goats must die?