APRIL 29 NEW ZEALAND STRUGGLES TO CULL PESTS

APRIL 29 NEW ZEALAND STRUGGLES TO CULL PESTS

Things have been downright peculiar in New Zealand lately. Let's recap: Earlier this month, Kiwis celebrated Easter Sunday in their own, unique way: By killing bunnies. Yep, the 18th Annual Great Easter Bunny Hunt in Central Otago netted a record 14,799 rabbits. Then...earlier this week...another disturbing story came from the South Island. National Park officials announced the release of the deadly 1080 Poison and the successful culling of countless opossums, mice and other rodents. That's a lot of death for April!

Why so much anger towards little critters? Basically, modern-day New Zealanders are attempting to solve an age-old problem that has plagued the island nation for centuries. Ever since the first settlers arrived in 1769, they brought pests with them. Prior to this year, no mammals never inhabited the remote islands. ( OK! There are two tiny bat species, no native animals whatsoever!) Hence, the place was heaven for European rodents. With no cats and dogs for competition, they ate everything in sight.

Let's fast-forward a bit. Nowadays, the rodents on New Zealand have gone completely berserk. They are threatening a number of beloved indigenous bird species, which are found only in New Zealand. These include the Fairy Tern, the Kakapo, the Taiko and the White Heron. That's why Kiwis decided to release toxic poisons in their National Parks. It will kill the rodents but not the birds. It's hard to believe government and environmentalists signed off on such a crazy idea...But they did. All three national political parties, the Animal Health Board and...even the Maoris think it's a good idea to play God again with their habitat.

Which brings us to the massive Easter Bunny Hunt. If you're imaging hundreds of New Zealanders dressed like ELMER FUDD, you're not too far off! Here's the schedule: First, the hunters are grouped into 35 teams of six. They all have silly names like the Hair Raising Mutineers, Anti Pesto and the Cunculus Terminators. Then, they are randomly assigned plots of infested land to hunt. At the end of the day, dead bunnies are lined up in rows, and counted by officials. Finally, one lucky group is called the Winner!

While we aren't too sure about their methods, we here at the DUNER BLOG do applaud their effort. See, folks from one continent have ruined just about every other continent. In California, we are attempting to replace the eight million non-native Eucalyptus trees that have taken over every state park. Canadian Beavers are ruining Argentine rivers and destroying vast swaths of forests. Meanwhile, the South American Hyacinth continues to flourish in Africa's Lake Victoria. Trying to correct these mistakes isn't easy, but it must be done.

APRIL 24 CHINA TO REBUILD SILK ROAD HIGHWAY

APRIL 24 CHINA TO REBUILD SILK ROAD HIGHWAY

This week's blog comes to us fron high in the Hindu Kush Mountains. Specifically, the Pakistani capital of Islamabad. The occasion? An official state visit from Chinese President Xi Jinping. While such meetings happen every day... THIS ONE was extra special. Fighter planes blazed through the sky, camels were decorated with extra tassels and every lamppost from the airport to the palace had Xi's smiling face attached to them. Yep.. This was no ordinary state visit.

Why all the pomp and circumstance? Well, you would be excited too.. If you were getting $46 billion dollars! Yep, China is pouring cash into neighboring Pakistan. Here's the agreement: The funds will go into specific projects designed to improve the country's crumbling infrastructure. For example, the Indus Highway (the main North / South artery) will be overhauled into a modern Interstate freeway. Other items include upgrading train lines, oil pipelines, electricity and even a Lahore subway!

Our readers are pondering: Has the People's Republic gone mad? What's in it for them? True, it is more than just a nice gesture. At the heart of the deal is the 100 mile international border between the two Asian giants. Here's you'll find fabled Kashmir (the region, not the Led Zeppelin song) and some of the highest mountain passes in the world. At a staggering 15,397 feet, the Khunjerab Pass connects Pakistan and China. Soon, a four-lane highway, high speed railways and oil and gas pipelines will be build, thus connecting Beijing to the Arabian Sea overland!

Whoops! We got ahead of ourselves. Today, the man-of-the-hour is definitely Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Basically, he raised $46 billion to rebuild the infrastructure of his population-challenged nation without raising taxes. However.. It does come with a catch. Although Chinese capital and corporations will fund and oversee matters, Pakistan still needs to provide manual labor and insure political stability in historically hostile areas. In addition to Kashmir, an insurgency in Baluchistan promises to disrupt construction.

For the time being,We here at the DUNER BLOG celebrate Pakistan and their new-found fortune. We are not alone. Even arch-rival India thinks a poor Pakistan is a bad idea. Insurgency breeds in the slums. The US has also supported the measure. After all, it is an aid program and not a military one. As usual, Chinese interests are centered on commerce. Finally, it is ironic that the Silk Road is back in the news. Marco Polo would be so proud..

APRIL 15 KARDASHIAN BABY BAPTIZED IN JERUSALEM

APRIL 15 KARDASHIAN BABY BAPTIZED IN JERUSALEM

Finally some GOOD NEWS from the Holy Land! Last Saturday, three very fabled people descended upon Jerusalem. Known the round the world, the family's pilgrimage ended in the Armenian Quarter old the Old City. It was here that the blessed Mother Kim Kardashian, her husband Kanye (Jeezus) West brought their sacred daughter to receive her baptismal rights. Finally, a shooting star flashed across the night sky. The star would forever be called the NORTH STAR after the blessed child.

Oops! We got a bit carried away. To re-cap: Why are Kimye in the Middle East? Well, as everyone knows, the world's most famous family has direct Armenian roots. Specifically, Kim' Kardashian's great-grandparents fled to the USA just months before the horrific Turkish genocide in 1915. In true rags-to-riches fashion, they have never stopped climbing the American social ladder. These days, the family is so wealthy, they decided to have their youngest member baptized in the holiest of Armenian churches as a spiritual pledge to their heritage.

We here at the DUNER BLOG also applaud Kim & Kanye for their choice to visit the Holy Land. It showed courage! See, 2015 is a bad year for tourism in Israel. The number of visitors to Jerusalem dipped 48% from last year, which is already at a 30-year low. Yet despite the conflict elsewhere in the Middle East, the Israeli capital is one of the few places on earth where Jews, Christians and Muslims all get along.

See, Jerusalem's Old Town is divided into four sects. The Jewish Quarter houses the Western Wall and the Temple Mount. The Christan Quarter is home to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where Jesus was crucified. The largest Quarter is the Muslim. Finally, there is the Armenian Quarter. The smallest and youngest. It dates from 400AD, when the mountainous Kingdom officially adopted Christianity. The four distinct groups all co-habituate the Old City together.

Back to the Armenian Quarter. At it's heart is the famed Cathedral St. James. This venerable building has survived over a thousand years of turbulent times. Violent crusades, voracious jihads, vicious aerial and suicide bombings have all come and gone. All the while, the cathedral has served as a vital link between Jerusalem and Armenia, 500 miles to the North.

We're not sure if Kim and Kanye know all this history, but we here at the DUNER BLOG wanted to point it out! We also encourage everyone to try to see the Middle East for its treasures. They are worth fighting for!

MARCH 24 BARBADOS TO EXIT BRITISH COMMONWEALTH

MARCH 24 BARBADOS TO EXIT BRITISH COMMONWEALTH

Here's a story you might have missed. On Sunday evening, the Prime Minister of Barbados made an important confession. Speaking to members of his DLP Party, Freundel Stuart admitted he finds it "awkward to stand up and pledge allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen" at the beginning of every meeting. He didn't stop there.  Next month, he will enter a bill in Parliament to renounce the monarch. Hopefully, the transition to a full republic should be finalized before the 50th anniversary of statehood in November of 2016.

It's true: Barbados is not a major player in World Politics. BUT... It is the home of beloved Pop Music star Rihanna. Therefore, this blog is important. Here's how it all began: Evan Rogers of DefJam Records was vacationing near the capital, Bridgetown. At a club, he heard a 16-year-old girl perform covers of Beyonce and Mariah Carey hits. In addition to amazing vocals, she had dance moves and a million dollar smile. Within seconds, Evan got on the cell phone to Jay-Z and the rest is Pop Music History. Rihanna has a whopping ten #1 hits and 21 Top Ten Hits.

You're asking: Is this blog about Rihanna or Barbados? Well, to understand Rihanna is to understand Barbados. See, she is a very typical Barbadan. A whopping 93% of Barbados' population are descendants from African slaves. From 1625 to 1810, Britain imported over a million Africans to this tiny island. This number is twice as many people as the entire USA imported. But Barbados is half the size of Rhode Island. This legacy of the human genocide has not been forgotten on Barbados.

Also...like Rihanna...the economy of Barbados has been on the upswing for the last decade. While the other British Commonwealth nations in the Caribbean (Jamaica, Trinidad and the Bahamas) have struggled, the standard of living in Barbados has increased since independence. They boast the third highest such rate in North America, trailing only Canada and the USA and besting Mexico and Costa Rica. In addition to the thriving tourist trade (where Rihanna used to work), the island produces lots of Rum. The Mount Gay Distillery employs thousands of people.

Hopefully, by years' end, it will be all be official. Barbados will leave the Commonwealth, form an independent legislature and plunge into the international scene with a bright future ahead. While few instant economic windfalls will occur from the move, the symbolic gains will be immediate. Four centuries of colonial rule...good and bad...will be forever in the past. Finally, Queen Elizabeth's portrait will be removed from all Barbadan coins and bills. Who will replace her?  Duh! Barbados MOST FAMOUS person: Robyn RIHANNA Fenty.

FEB 18 NOSTALGIC CALIFORNIA FREEWAYS

FEB 18 NOSTALGIC CALIFORNIA FREEWAYS

Last week, the staff of the DUNER BLOG were on assignment in Sacramento. To avoid traffic, we took a short-cut on the Capital City Freeway. Built in the 1950's, the road winds through parks and over a river, with rows of trees on each side. This sparked debate about which California Freeway is the most quaint. Here are our favorites.

Cabrillo Freeway. Route #163. San Diego's first freeway opened in 1948 with great fanfare. It provided a link between Downtown and rapidly growing Mission Valley. To do so, it would bisect Balboa Park. Architects worked hard to maintain the idyllic greenery while still allowing a 45 MPH speed limit. They succeeded. The highlight is passing under the 1915 Cabrillo Bridge, which is modeled after its namesake in Toledo, Spain.

Capital City Freeway. Route #160. Sacramento's first freeway opened in 1947. At first, pedestrian lanes and rows of trees graced the sides. However, the walkways were soon replaced by more auto lanes. Cars...not people...could now zoom from the State Capitol, over the American River and into the rapidly expanding suburbs. Fortunately, the trees still remain.

Pasadena Freeway. Route #11. The 'World's First Freeway' was truly a landmark in transportation history. See, it differed from the 'Parkways' of the East Coast, as it had specific exit and entry ramps. Also, no businesses or residences were allowed on the sides. However, the Pasadena Freeway was similar to the 'Parkways' in that it still tried to emulate the feel of a Park. Thick groves of trees line each side and the median. Finally, Art Deco fans will love the four tunnels that provide quick passage to Downtown Los Angeles.

Richard M. Nixon Freeway. Route #90. Aside from a small city park in Pennsylvania, this tiny three mile freeway in Yorba Linda is the only thing named after America's 37th President. Why only three miles? Well, originally, the plan in 1959 was to build an east-west freeway from Marina Del Rey to Orange County. However, only the beginning (Marina Fwy) and end were built. The Eastern Section was renamed after the only Californian-born President.

Warren Freeway. Route #13. This bold highway slices through the steep slopes of Piedmont Valley. Tall Redwood, Oak and Eucalyptus Trees line both sides.  Like the Nixon Freeway, this route was also intended to go much further. But the Berkeley City Council rejected plans to convert Ashby Avenue into a freeway in 1960. It's sad. You'd think a former California Governor and Supreme Court Chief Justice would get a bigger freeway named after him!

West Valley Freeway. Route #85. In the 1950's most of Santa Clara County was covered in orange orchards. Hence, construction began in 1957, orange trees framed most of the highway. Today, housing subdivisions butt up against most of it, but a few sections of fragrant fruit trees still remain.

Yosemite Freeway. Route #41. All the freeways in Fresno are named after the National Parks they (eventually) lead too. There's the Sequoia Freeway and the King's Canyon Freeway, but these Parks can't compare with Yosemite! Built in the 1970's, this freeway embodies the ultimate California dream. A fast way out of Fresno!

NOTE: When referring to freeways, Southern Californians always employ the article "The" and the name of the freeway, e.g. "The Orange Freeway." Northern Californians just say the number of the freeway. "Take 580 West."

MARCH 11 NOWRUZ: FIVE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

MARCH 11 NOWRUZ: FIVE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Springtime is just ten days away! And no one celebrates the Coming of Spring like Central Asia. Since ancient times, the Spring Equinox is the region's biggest party. Called Nowruz (Persian: New Day), it is an official holiday in fourteen countries including Iran, Georgia, Uzbekistan and...the best STAN of them all...KYRGYZSTAN! Confused? Here are five things you need to know about NOWRUZ.

#1. Spring Equinox. Given the scientific nature of their society, it comes as no surprise that Ancient Persians were advanced astronomers. Priests calculated...down to the exact second...when the sun is precisely over the Equator. BAM! This is when the festival officially starts. Today, Central Asians have digital clocks counting down the days, hours and minutes left to the start of Nowruz. It is much like the New Year's Eve countdowns in the US.

#2. Zoraster. Also known as Zarathustra, he is the prophet of the Zoroastrian faith and is credited with 'inventing' the holiday. Born in 1250 BC, he predates Moses, Buddha and Jesus. His simple message is to seek out truth 'asha' and reject lies 'druj.' There is no pre-determinism: Individuals choose their fates. By doing good deeds, we increase the divine force and we all creep closer to being a better planet. Zoraster chose the First Day of Spring as the main holiday because it is the happiest day of the year.

#3. Omar Khayyam. Just like Clement Clark Moore's poem began our Santa Claus cult, Persian poet Omar Khayyam's poem 'Nowruznama' cemented Nowruz traditions. His descriptions of the celebrations in the Royal Court were detailed. Today, homes recreated these decorations, songs and meals. Here's an example:

Wind and rain have gone. Lord Nowurz has come.

Friends, convey this message. The New Year has come again

This spring be your good luck. The tulip fields be your joy.  

The meal of choice is noodles. But don't just wolf them down. Untangling them first will help straighten out your soul. NOTE: You can thank Omar for the Nowruz Santa equivalent: Haji Firouz. He even wears a red suit with a silly hat!

#4. Fire Jumping. The main symbol of Nowruz is fire. To incorporate this into the celebrations, Iranians perform the Chahar Shanbeh Soori, which loosely translates into Crazy Fire Jumping. People light bonfires in the streets and then run and jump over them. While in mid-air, you shout: 'Zardee Maan Aztoh,' which rids you of sickness and bad luck. When you reach the other side of the fire-pit, you will have health and good luck.

#5 Nowruz and Islam. Up until the year 750 AD, Zoroastrianism was a major religion. It commanded as many adherents as Buddhism and Hinduism and dwarfed the tiny Christian and Jewish populations. But it was no match for Islam. Voracious jihads converted all but the most fervent followers, who were forced to locate to remote regions of Yazd in Eastern Iran (where they still live today!) However, powerful Islam was unable to stop Persians from celebrating their favorite holiday. Today, its popularity is as big as ever. Iran will close down for the next two weeks to celebrate the now-secular NOWRUZ.

MAR 4 NIGERIAN ROYALTY EXPLAINED

MAR 4  NIGERIAN ROYALTY EXPLAINED

Last Sunday's episode of  THE SIMPSONS sparked a lot of debate at the DUNER BLOG headquarters. See, the plot involved a Nigerian Princess who comes to Springfield to negotiate a deal with the nuclear power plant. We won't spoil the surprise ending, but the TV show raised the obvious question: Does Nigeria really have Royal Houses with Kings and Princess?

You bet! The region known today as NIGERIA has always been a bustling center of human activity. Thousands of years ago, it was the core region in the famed Bantu Migration. During this epoch, people began migrating south and eastward...eventually settling everywhere. With superior iron weaponry and persistence, Bantu-speaking people overran most of the sub-Saharan part of Africa. Today, the Niger-Congo language family boasts 400 million speakers.

How was the accomplished? With organized KINGDOMS...that's how! By the time outsiders arrived in Nigeria in the 1800's, they found these formidable city-states. While Islamic armies managed to convert the Sokoto and Kano Kingdoms into Caliphates, they still remained independent entities. Likewise, the British forced the Yoruba and Igbo Kings to sign treaties, but the native monarchs remained on the throne. After independence in 1960, the Nigerian Government granted semi-autonomous status to 82 monarchs. They are all still active today.

Look at it this way: On an international level, King Alaafin of Oyo isn't very powerful, but on a regional level, the "Obo" is the ultimate authority. British, Islamic and Nigerian armies have all come and gone, but the local monarchy remains constant. In the case of the Oyo, King Alaafin can trace his ancestry back five centuries. Across Nigeria, these royal houses have a palaces, complete with throne rooms. They still serve as courts, and oversee marriages, disputes and the policing of the population.

Yoruba Women are the BEST!

Back to Princess Kami, the character on the Simpsons. While at first, the people of Springfield laughed at her. However...by the end of the show...our beloved characters respect her royalty. Even Montgomery Burns bowed in her presence! Unfortunately, these are just cartoon characters. Hopefully...someday...Americans can begin to see Nigerians as something other than just e-mail scam artists. Nigeria is a fascinating and unique place draped in human history and culture!