SEPT 28 BEIJING'S NEW DAXING AIRPORT IS PHENOMENAL

SEPT 28  BEIJING'S NEW DAXING AIRPORT IS PHENOMENAL

Once again, the DUNER BLOG turns its attention to the People's Republic of China for yet another engineering achievement. Last time, it was the Shanghai-Beijing 300 km/hr bullet train above the ground. Before that, it was a record-setting skyscraper. This time, it's the opening of Daxing International Airport in Beijing. Xi Jinping was there, cutting the ribbon at the main concourse. He called it an "airport built for the future." Let's see why..

THE DESIGN.  Nicknamed the starfish, Daxing has five identical concourses connecting in the middle. Architect Zaha Hadid researched what angers airline passengers the most. Unsurprisingly, the top gripe is walking long distances. So she drew up this new scheme that guarantees travelers won't have to walk more than 600 meters from security to the most remote gate.

THE CEILING. The word used most often to describe PKX (its official abbreviation) is sparkling. This is because the ceiling is comprised of 8,000 super-shiny windows. They are set at differing angles and reflect the sun's rays to every corner of the terminal. That's a lot of ground to cover. Ginormous Daxing is a whopping 700,000 square meters...about 100 soccer fields.

THE GARDENS. Growing in this ample sunlight are five ancient-Chinese style gardens. The main concourse has the China Garden, complete with a Koi Pond. You can also unwind in the Countryside Garden or sip tea in the Tea Garden. We'll pass on the Porcelain and Silk Gardens.

THE SECURITY. Perhaps the most impressive innovation is the new security technology. Instead of showing your passport at check-in...then again at security...then one more time at boarding...at Daxing International you'll only need your smile. 5G facial recognition upon entry will be relayed to security and the departure gate, so put that passport away. This tech can process 260 people in one minute.

THE ROBOTS. Another complaint Zaha Hadid encountered about airports was a lack of assistance from staff. To aid the human employees, a fleet of artificial intelligence-powered smart robots roam the terminal. They'll help you find a parking sport, tell you your gate number, deliver your food and message your back.

The timing of the opening was critical. See, Tuesday is October the First, the top Communist holiday in the People's Republic of China. Since the PRC is turning 70 this year, Xi Jinping wanted the give the country a real nice present. Most importantly, Daxing is projected to pass  Atlanta as the busiest airport worldwide in 2024. Yet another time China replaces the USA atop a worldwide ranking..

SEPT 20 WHITE HOUSE RENOVATIONS THROUGH THE YEARS

SEPT 20  WHITE HOUSE RENOVATIONS THROUGH THE YEARS

Earlier today, Melania Trump proudly opened the doors of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for a State Dinner. When Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his lovely wife Jenny entered the Diplomatic Reception Room, they were the first people to see the fabulous re-model. Everything sparkled. In the center, Melania added a intricate rug depicting all 50 state flowers. Likewise, she refurbished the Green Room décor. Also, the walls in the Red Room were so faded, people called it the Pink Room. Not any more. To salute our current First Lady, we'll look at similar White House renovations through the years.

EARLY YEARS. After getting torched in the War of 1812, the Presidential Mansion was painted white to cover up the burn marks. Or so the story goes. The first remodel came in 1828, after Andrew Jackson's inauguration. The "People's President" invited everyone into the White House for a drink and thrashed the place.

CHESTER A. ARTHUR. When he abruptly took office in 1880, Vice President Arthur turned his attention to the building itself rather than the duties it represented. He replaced the dismal décor with up-to-date Victorian flair. While the flamboyant purple furniture is long gone, his giant Louis Comfort Tiffany screen still graces the main entrance.

TEDDY ROOSEVELT. When Roosevelt moved into the White House, he brought dozens of pets with him: Eight horses, five dogs, three cats, two snakes a couple of guinea pigs and flying squirrel. Staffers demanded more space and the West Wing was constructed. At the heart of the new addition was the Oval Office.

FDR. The uncertainty of World War Two made the White House a vulnerable target. Under FBI pressure, Roosevelt had the East Wing added. In addition to giving the building balance, it also provided an underground bomb shelter to protect the Chief of Staff in case of attack. It's still in use, but it's now called the Presidential Emergency Operations Center.

HARRY S TRUMAN. After the war, President Truman continued renovating the aging White House. In fact, he shut the whole building down and moved to the Blair House for his entire four year term. During this period, the entire steel frame was replaced and new spaces were created. For the first time, the White House was officially open to the public for tours.

JOHN F. KENNEDY. Like Melania, Jacqueline Kennedy had an acute sense of style and grace. As First Lady, she completed a thorough re-decoration in attempt to restore the building's historical legacy. With the help of the DuPont family, she recovered paintings, tapestries and art treasures that had previously been auctioned away. She famously displayed them all on a TV special.

RICHARD NIXON. As an avid bowler, Vice President Nixon noticed some of the space in the underground additions was not being properly used. When elected President eight years later, he converted closets into a one-lane bowling alley. It's still in use today, and has been a favorite hideaway for many presidents since.

SEPT 13 WHICH COUNTRY PRODUCES THE MOST M.L. BASEBALL PLAYERS?

SEPT 13 WHICH COUNTRY HAS THE MOST M.L. BASEBALL PLAYERS?

The Oakland A's made history on Wednesday when they inserted relief pitcher Jesus Luzardo into the game. The unknown leftie became the first ever major league player born in Peru. This season, a record 28% of the players (251 total) were not born in the USA. Let's see which nations supply the most and best athletes.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (102).  It's no secret, this island nation has become a factory for producing baseball talent. As documented in the award-winning documentary Sugar, players are recruited young, trained hard and groomed into superstars. NOTABLE PLAYERS: David 'Big Papi' Ortiz retired last year with 541 career home runs, tops for a Dominican player. Chasing him are Nelson Cruz (396) and Robinson Cano (334).

VENEZUELA (68). Believe it or not, baseball is more popular in Venezuela than soccer. Since 1945, the Liga Venezolano de Beisbol (LVBP) has grown in popularity and attendance. Their premier club, Leones de Caracas could beat the Baltimore Orioles. NOTEABLE: Starting pitcher 'King' Felix Hernandez has 169 career wins. Even more impressive when you consider he spent all 14 years with the Seattle Mariners. First baseman Miguel Cabrera is a lock for the Hall of Fame.

CUBA (19). With a strong history of American colonialism, baseball is part of Cuba. The first game ever was won by Club Havana  in 1874. The team went on the dominate the Cuba League from 1933 to 1960...when Fidel Castro banned all pro sports. Stay tuned: A new league is just underway.. NOTEABLE: Yankees pitcher Aroldis Chapman did the unlikely and replaced beloved Mariano Rivera as a lights-out closer. Yoenis Cespedes has 163 career HRs.

MEXICO (8). With 14 teams in two divisions, La Liga de Beisbol is the America's second largest baseball league. Since 1967, it has been classified as an official Triple-A classification by America's Major Leagues. Despite this, it has produced a surprisingly small number of prospects. NOTABLE: None since Fernando Valenzuela.

JAPAN (6). Baseball in Japan dates back to the 1920's, but things really took off during the American occupation following WWII. From a few clubs, Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) has grown into a billion-dollar industry...it's the second most profitable baseball league in the world. NOTABLE: After six record breaking seasons as a pitcher and slugger, Shohei Otani signed a ginormous contract with the Anaheim Angels. Injuries have slowed him. Pitcher Yu Darvish has a crazy curveball.

SEPT 7 A QUICK PRIMER ON THE BAHAMAS

SEPT 7  A QUICK PRIMER ON THE BAHAMAS

The horrifying images of the destruction from Hurricane Dorian have been heart wrenching to see. Entire communities lay ruined and flooded. Yet many people are still iffy when it comes to specifics about the Bahamas. Is it in the Caribbean? Who owns the islands? So here's a quick DUNER BLOG Primer about the island nation:

THE BAHAMAS ARE CLOSE BY. Aside from Canada and Mexico, (the land borders) and a couple Russian islands in the Bering Strait, the Bahamas are the closest foreign nation to the USA. Bimini Island is a mere 946 miles from Miami. That's closer than Cuba or Bermuda. None of the Bahamanian islands are in the Caribbean Sea. Rather, they are found above Cuba in the Atlantic Ocean.

THE BAHAMAS ARE FLAT. There are over 700 individual islands in the Bahamas. Of these, only 30 are inhabited. All of the islands have ridiculously low elevations. In fact, the highest point in the entire nation is on Cat Island, at a mere 209 feet. This is the main reason why they are so vulnerable to Category 5 Hurricanes like Dorian.

COLUMBUS FIRST LANDED THERE. Americans celebrate October 12th as Columbus Day, yet aside from Puerto Rico, the sailor never actually reached anywhere in the modern-day USA. San Salvador is where he first came. The islands remained under Spanish control until 1648, when English colonists took over. For the next 325 years, the Bahamas were part of the massive British Empire.

THE ORIGINAL PIRATE OF THE CARIBBEAN. Disney based the flamboyant character Jack Sparrow after an actual person: Edward Teach. Better known as Blackbeard, he was a 17th century pirate who wrecked havoc on Floridian shipping lanes. Authorities could never find him, as he hid amongst the Bahama's 700 uninhabited islands.

THE BAHAMAS HAS AN AWESOME FLAG. Most Caribbean countries have colorful and vibrant national flags, and the Bahamas is no exception. It's been flown proudly since independence from the UK in 1973. Here's the breakdown: The gold is the sun. Aquamarine = ocean. The black triangle symbolizes strength. With a long history of slavery, 90% of the population is of African descent.

ATLANTIS PARADISE IS THERE. The Bahamas spans an enormous region. March Harbor and Abacos Islands took the brunt of Dorian. Parts of the capital city of Nassau were impacted, but are now back and open for business. This includes the Atlantis Paradise Resort. All four thousand rooms and suites are beckoning tourists back!

THE BAHAMAS ARE NOT IMPOVERISHED. While the images on the news paint a dreary picture of the nation, there is another side. For example: Sir Sean Connery's multi-million dollar estate survived. See, the Bahamas is home to a bevy of other millionaires as well. This, combined with tourism and offshore finance, means the nation boasts a GDP of $34,000. That's third in North America and #26 worldwide...just behind #25 Italy.

NOTE: 'The' is placed before a couple of countries: The Ukraine, The Sudan, The Lebanon and The Bahamas. Geography is a social science, and there is no reason why.

AUG 31 INDONESIA IS BUILDING A NEW CAPITAL CITY

AUG 31  INDONESIA IS BUILDING A NEW CAPITAL CITY

Attention Geography buffs worldwide! You're going to need to memorize a new capital city soon. And it's not some tiny principality in Europe...Nope, it's the world's fourth most populated country: Indonesia. On Monday, President Joko Widodo announced that in 2024, Jakarta will cease to be the nation's capital city. A new city is to be built on the island of Borneo. He didn't say what the NAME of the city will be.

What's wrong with Jakarta? The world's second largest metropolitan area (30 million people) will remain Indonesia's "centre of business, finance, trade and services," Widodo reassured residents. Yet the move sends a clear message: Jakarta needs to change. It's over-populated, horribly polluted and throttled by traffic. Although a 14-station subway system opened in May, building underground in Jakarta is difficult. Many sections of the city are sinking. It has the worst air in the world, with AQI readings around 270. Add the problem of frequent flooding, and you have a big city nightmare.

Widodo feels that Java...not just Jakarta...needs to stop being the center of development. Indonesia has more islands (17,000 total) than any other nation on earth. Yet 60% of the people live on the island of Java. (That's a whopping 145,00,000 people!) On the other hand, Borneo is an enormous, sparsely populated paradise covered in rainforests and lush jungles. Widodo notes it has "fewer earthquakes, floods and forest fires" than Java.

While the move caught Geography buffs by surprise, the idea has been discussed often. Sukarno, the George Washington of Indonesia, lobbied unsuccessfully for the move in the 1950's. He cited the need to decentralize the enormous nation, and noted the success a new capital city in similar nations: Brasilia and Canberra in Australia. The idea is to physically separate government from big business and the private sector. Sounds like a good plan!

Speaking of money, building a new international capital isn't cheap. To fund the massive project, Widodo will use 'asset management.' This involves selling the real estate the government already hold in Jakarta. Buildings in sought-after neighborhoods will net billions. Mostly, the timing of the announcement is Widodo's attempt at a lasting legacy as president. He's at the end of his term, and wants to be remembered as a pioneer...the 'People's President' who was not heavily influenced by the military, agribusiness or Islam.

AUG 24 WHO IS TO BLAME FOR AMAZON WILDFIRES?

AUG 24  WHO IS TO BLAME FOR AMAZON WILDFIRES?

It's hard to tell which is hotter: The wildfires burning in the Amazon Rainforest or the anger raging on the Internet in response. "Notre Dame burns; billions donated. Amazon burns; no one cares!" noted TeresaG64 on Twitter. Celebs like Madonna, Leo DiCaprio and Cristian Ronaldo all posted heartbreaking pix and Instagram. (Unfortunately, they were from a fire in California.) To help our readers sort out fact from fiction, let's see who really is to blame..

JAIR BOLSONARO? Brazil's president is the obvious target. Elected with an pro-business, anti-environment agenda, he has delivered on campaign promises. Ridiculing climate change, he weakened requirements for agribusiness permits. This led to unprecedented amount of slash-and-burn. In his first term alone, 1,330 square miles of rainforest were lost. Brazil is challenging the USA to become the world's #1 producer of beef, and grazing land is needed.

MOTHER NATURE? "Not so fast!" replies Bolsonaro. Brazilian officials are quick to remind the world that neighboring nations like Bolivia and Paraguay are also ablaze. Why? This year is an unprecedentedly bad Dry Season. Parched conditions like these result in surprisingly large fires. Combined with an oddly strong winds, smoke from the fires has covered Sao Paolo in haze. Here's the kicker: Sao Paolo is a staggering 2,000 miles away from the flames!

BAD TIMING? It's true, 2019 turned out to be the wrong year to initiate Bolsonaro's new agribusiness policy. Instead of clearing a thousand square miles, things got out of control. Seven enormous states are struggling to survive. Over 2,500 fires are raging, an 85% increase over last year. This means a football field burns every minute. Brazil's largest state, Amazonas, declared a state of emergency. Globally speaking, the fires have released 228 megatons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Since the rainforest is essential in absorbing carbon emissions, it's a double-whammy.

The GOOD NEWS is despite Bolsonaro's nationalistic banter ("The Amazon belongs to Brazil"), the renegade president is learning something else: Brazil is part of Planet Earth as well. Led by French President Marcon, an international deluge of anger has flooded Brasilia. Frozen aid will be followed by sanctions and boycotts. This has forced Jair to change course. Army troops are being dispatched and international help is arriving soon. Let's just hope it's not too late..

AUG 17 PRESIDENT TRUMP WANTS TO BUY GREENLAND?

AUG 17  PRESIDENT TRUMP WANTS TO BUY GREENLAND?

When you first saw the bizarre headline about the USA purchasing Greenland, your first thought was to come to the DUNER BLOG. Thanks! Let's get to the mailbox.

Did Trump tweet this at three in the morning? Glen, Utah. Good question! Actually, it wasn't a tweet at all. Rather, this story first ran in the Wall Street Journal. Their source was a unnamed White House staff member. Anyhow, the insider quipped that Donald "in varying degrees of seriousness" brought up the subject a couple of times. Hmm. Whether it's legit or not, Glen, it still gives us one of the rare chances Greenland comes up in the news, so let's continue!

Did politicians over-react to the article? Karen, Hannover. Naturally! Regardless of the validity of the source, people couldn't wait to react online. Especially politicians. Greenland Premier Kim Kielsen says the world largest island is "not for sale." Likewise, Danish MP Rasmus Jarlov tweeted: "Forget it, Donald!" Wisely, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen declined to comment on the article in the WSJ.

Who owns Greenland? Kenji, Osaka. Norwegian Erik the Red was the first European to visit the ice-covered island in the year 986AD. He called it Greenland and encountered the Inuit and Thule people. Despite the colorful name, it received sporadic colonization from Norway over the next thousand years. OK, here comes the confusing part: In the 1700's, the Danish and Norwegian kingdoms merged together, sharing colonies. When they separated in a 1815 treaty, Denmark was ceded Greenland. Since 2009, Copenhagen has granted the island self-rule.

Why does Trump want Greenland? Juan, Quito. Alright...remember...Trump never officially announced this policy. Nonetheless, let's wildly speculate: It's not a military strategy, as the US already operates the Thule AFB as part of a 1950 NATO agreement with Denmark. Nope, most feel Trump is interested in Greenland's many natural resources. Coal (a Trump favorite), zinc, copper, iron...even rubies...are plentiful, yet hidden under the permafrost. With glaciers rapidly melting, these treasures might be exposed within a decade.

Is there any precedent for this? Burt, Boston. Believe it or not, this would NOT be the first time the USA has contacted Denmark about purchasing Greenland. Fresh off his savvy grab of Alaska, Secretary of State Seward also tried to acquire it. However, the only formal request came in 1946. President Truman offered $100 million for Greenland and was rebuffed. NOTE: The last time the US bought territory was in 1917, when the US purchased the Virgin Islands from Denmark.

How do the residents of Greenland feel about this? Sara, Boulder. Interesting angle, Sara. Greenland is the most sparsely populated place on earth. All of the 56,000 residents live in or around Nuuk, the capital. 90% are of Thule/Inuit descent. Although independent politically from Denmark, residents are still dependent on Denmark for food and supplies.

Stay tuned! Danish PM Frederiksen and Trump set to meet later in the year!!