MAY 26 WHAT ARE THE MOST ACTIVE VOLCANOES?

MAY 26  WHAT ARE THE MOST ACTIVE VOLCANOES?

The massive volcanic eruptions on the Big Island of Hawaii has captured the world's attention. Did you see that glowing hot lava engulf the Nissan Sentra? Or how about when it sliced through the four-lane highway? Spectacular images like this have grabbed headlines across the globe. After all, Kilauea is one of the most active volcanoes on earth. How are they ranked? By the Volcanic Explositivity Index, of course! Let's check out the current standings:

#1 Kilauea, Hawaii. To qualify for the Expolsivity Index, a volcano must have erupted in the last 10,000 years. So 95% of the volcanoes on earth score a zero. Since its erupting right now, Kilaeua naturally tops the list with a score of 5. It has an enormous plumbing system of lava-filled veins stretching sixty kilometers underground. So it has massive reserves and could keep exploding all year long. Whatever...scientists. In reality, it seems the goddess Pele is really angry. Everyone in Hawaii just needs to leave leis in the lava flow to make her happy again.

#2. Mount Etna, Sicily. Although not currently erupting, the Italian volcano also grabbed headlines back in 2014 when it too spewed lava into people's homes. In fact, people have been talking about Mount Etna for centuries, as it has been continuously active for the last 3,500 years. That's when Zeus trapped the 100-headed demon named Typhon underneath. Let's hope he never makes it out, because only the Avengers could stop something this mean and hideous.

#3. Piton de la Fournaise, Reunion. Located on an island in the middle of the Indian Ocean, the Peak of the Furnace is gigantic. It boasts a caldera that's a whopping five miles wide. A good portion of this has collapsed into the sea. It hasn't erupted since 1986, but seismologists worry about this volcano. A large eruption would result in a catastrophic mega-tsunami that would destroy coastal areas of India and East Africa.

#4. Mount Yasur, Vanuatu. Of all the volcanoes on this list, this South Pacific spectacle is the most easily accessible for tourists. Although no one has fallen into the steep caldera, three have died after getting hit by flying shards of flaming hot lava. Authorities now have a ranking system of when it's safe to go exploring. Smarter tourists know it's best to see Mount Yasur erupt at night from a nearby boat at a safe distance. That way you can see a magnificent reflection in the water of the eruption. That's what Captain James Cook described when he first explored the region in 1774.

#5 Volcan de Colima, Mexico. Since 1576, this volcano has erupted a staggering 43 times. At 12,533 feet, it's also one of the world's highest volcanoes. On January 28th, Colima sent ash exploding 5 kilometers into the sky. Although it's Mexico's most active volcano, most people worry more about Popocatepeti. It's less active, but its proximity to Mexico City makes it more dangerous.

MAY 16 LIST OF CELEBS EXPECTED AT HARRY & MEGHAN'S WEDDING

MAY 16 LIST OF CELEBS EXPECTED AT HARRY & MEGHAN'S WEDDING

OMG! Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding is just three days away! As your trusted news source for all things royal (remember our three-part series on William & Kate's wedding?), we here at the DUNER BLOG got you covered. One of the unique aspects of the upcoming spectacle involves Meghan's celeb status. So we thought we'd list the confirmed stars for Saturday's nuptials.

THE CAST OF SUITS. They've spent eight long seasons together filming the popular TV drama together. This means the actors themselves (Gina Torres, Rich Hoffman, Patrick J. Adams, Sarah Rafferty and Gabriel Macht) have all become friends too. It's that sweet? In today's cut-throat world, it's reassuring to know that real-world friendships do exist. Another example: Captain Stubing, Doc and Isaac from The Love Boat still golf together. Awww..

SERENA WILLIAMS. A chance meeting at the DIRECTV's Celebrity Beach Bowl in 2014 led to a surprising friendship. Amazingly, Suits is one of the tennis legend's favorite shows. Since then, their relationship has grown. Serena is a "down to earth chick" who is great "to lunch with" blogged Meghan. Awww..

PRIYANKA CHOPRA. Okay, this friendship makes a little more sense. Priyanka and Meghan have a lot more in common. Both are gorgeous TV stars on popular shows. These two met at the ELLE Women In Television event in 2016. It seems Meghan really likes attending feel-good, corporate sponsored events.

SPICE GIRLS. Enough of the bride's famous friends...let's see who Harry is bringing. First up is the second most popular girl-group of all time: The Spice Girls (The Supremes will always be #1). Sadly, according to Page Six, Mel B will not be attending. She angered Buckingham Palace months ago by boasting, erroneously, about how the Spice Girls will be performing at the reception. They will not.

GEORGE & AMAL CLOONEY. Prior to meeting the Hollywood heartthrob, Amal Alamuddin was known as a famed international barrister for international rights cases. She even represented Julian Assange in a deportation case. Naturally, this put her in the same circles as Prince Harry...internationally known do-gooders tend to hang out together.

ELTON JOHN. What would any Royal Wedding be without Sir Elton? It's been that way ever since he struck up a friendship with Princess Di way back in the 1980's. Apparently, he was there for the boys after her death and remains a positive figure in Prince Harry's life. Unlike the Spice Girls, he will definitely perform at the reception.

MAY 11 HAWAII TO BAN SUNSCREEN TO PROTECT CORAL REEFS

MAY 11  HAWAII TO BAN SUNSCREEN TO PROTECT CORAL REEFS

For many travelers, a trip to the tropics isn't complete until you snorkel in a coral reef. For example: You can't possibly go to Honolulu without diving into spectacular Hanauma Bay. Likewise, Cancun's top attraction is swimming next to the world's second largest coral reef. Sadly, if want to snorkel around these fantastic living creatures, you'd better hurry. Many reefs are struggling to live in polluted oceans. In fact, last year scientists declared The Great Barrier Reef officially dead.

How does the biggest living creature on earth suddenly die? You can see The Great Barrier Reef from space! Well, although coral is sharp (and cuts through your foot like a knife through butter) in actuality, it is a sensitive creature. A slight change in ocean temperature or acidity is toxic for coral health. "We didn't expect to see this level of destruction of the Great Barrier Reef for another 30 years," exclaimed Terry Hughes, a director at Cook University in Queensland.

Hoping to prevent the same fate for their prized reef, officials in Hawaii took drastic measures. Although officials cannot control ocean temperature, they can try to tame ocean acidity. On Monday, the state legislature passed a bill which will soon be signed by Governor David Ise. It bans all sunscreens with oxybenzone or octinoxate. The former, also called BP-3, washes off snorkeler's bodies when they are swimming around the reefs. Next, they attack precious reefs. It damages the coral DNA and causes deformities in baby coral. The National Ocean Service declared it "highly toxic to juvenile corals."

Uh-oh! We can hear our ocean-loving but pale-skinned readers starting to panic. "How can I possibly swim in the tropics without sunscreen!?" Fortunately, not all sunscreens contain BP-3. There are plenty of other brands that are coral-safe. They employ other chemicals to protect your skin. The problem is that zinc and titanium oxides leave a white layer on your skin. You know, like a lifeguard's nose! While these brands aren't popular anymore, a Life Science biologist reminds us: "It's worth looking a little goofy to save the reefs."

We here at the DUNER BLOG salute Hawaii for the preemptive legislation. Fortunately, Coppertone Sunscreen lobbyists do not exist so the bill was passed without interference. Unfortunately, the law won't take effect until January First, 2021...so there still are politics involved. Also unclear is how to enforce such an ordinance. Bikini inspections? Despite these issues, the Aloha State is sending a loud message to the rest of the tropical world: Action is needed to save one of earth's most majestic natural treasures.

MAY 4 COMMON AIRLINE DESTINATION MIX-UPS

MAY 4  COMMON AIRLINE DESTINATION MIX-UPS

Once found in every strip mall in the nation, the travel agency is now on the endangered business list. Hit hard by the advent of online airline ticketing, these days a travel agent is about as common as a DVD player. Yet this doesn't mean they aren't still needed. See, everyday, Geography-challenged consumers purchase airline tickets to the wrong destination. Here are four such stories:

San Jose, California / San Jose, Costa Rica. Four thousand miles separate the Latin American capital from the American tech capital. When Spanish colonists named two cities after Saint John, they thought this was far enough apart. Not anymore! Let's see: Both cities have large populations, big airports and similar codes: SJO & SJC. Callie Zucker thought she had clicked on the correct one when she bought tickets online. When the flight home from Italy landed in the tropics, she realized her mistake.

Auckland, New Zealand / Oakland, California. Perhaps the most famous mix-up happened decades ago to Michael Lewis. After flying home from Germany, he was switching flights at LAX. When he heard the announcer at the gate announce a similar sounding city name, he got in line. How did he board the flight? He asked: "Oakland?" and the attendant said "Yes!" Next, the flight crew somehow forgot to scan his incorrect boarding pass. Ouch! Fortunately, Air New Zealand flew back the exhausted passenger for free the next day.

Granada, Spain / Grenada, West Indies. Although not commonly confused, Travel & Leisure covered a humorous tale about this item recently. It involves Lameda Kingdon from the UK. She proudly booked herself a getaway to sunny Granada. She boarded a flight that she thought was going to Spain. After a gin & tonic, she naturally chatted up the passenger seated next to her. "She corrected my pronunciation," explains Kingdon. "No, dear. They call it Gren-a-da." Lameda had never even heard of the place she was flying to.

Sydney, NSW / Sydney, Nova Scotia. This one is funny because the two destinations are so dreadfully far apart. This was made painfully apparent to Milan Shipper, an adventurous 18-year old from Holland. He booked...all by himself...a spectacular hiking trip Down Under. Yet after transferring planes in Toronto, he knew something was afoot. First, he wondered if the twenty-seat aircraft was big enough to cross an ocean. Also, the "plane was going right, not left," explained Shipper.

So...remember readers...always triple-check those online airfares. Happy travels!