Somali Pirates

I know Capt. 'Roid has been very excited about the Somali Pirates. I also realize not everyone is as into pirates as I am, living with the Pirate Dogs. So here is an article from the Nov. 20 issue of The Economist together with a link to the complete article with graphics:

AHOY THERE!
Nov 20th 2008

The pirates of Africa's most failed state get ever more ambitious, and dangerous

TO BOARD the SIRIUS STAR, one of the world's largest oil tankers, Somali pirates had to haul themselves up ropes tied to grapnel hooks the height of London's Big Ben, with the 330-metre (1,100 feet) long ship pitching all the while in the tropical swell. Then there was the location, way out in the high seas, fully 450 nautical miles off the coast of Kenya. The feat of vertiginous thuggery will be taken everywhere as proof of what is possible; it was the biggest ever catch by any pirate, anywhere in the world.
As if to underline the point, the tanker's capture on November 15th, with $110m of crude oil bound for America, was followed by several other hijackings by Somali pirates, including a Thai tuna boat, a Turkish chemical tanker, an Iranian freighter loaded with wheat and a Greek bulk carrier. Against this, an Indian warship, the INS TABAR, reported that it had blown a Somali pirate "mother ship" to smithereens in retaliatory fire on November 18th. Warships from several countries now patrol the Somali coast.
Taken together, the attacks increase the threat against merchant shipping to levels not seen since the second world war. Every tanker using the Gulf and every freighter using the Suez Canal is now a potential pirate target, no matter what course they navigate or how big they are.
As a nascent and profitable industry in a failed and starving state, the Somali pirates will not lack for recruits. A share in a ransom translates into an easier life of meat and honey; not just pirate parties but a beautiful bride, a camel, a home, even a car. Conversely, the ransoms mean higher insurance premiums for the rattled shipping industry, delays for customers as more ships choose the longer passage around the Cape of Good Hope, lower revenues for the Suez Canal, and for the oil markets yet another variable to work into already volatile prices. Piracy will be bad news even for Somalia, accelerating the Talibanisation of the south by armed Islamist groups as more secular-minded gunmen abandon their poorly paid defence of Mogadishu for adventures at sea.
As THE ECONOMIST went to press, the SIRIUS STAR had dropped anchor off the Somali pirate port of Haradheere. There it joined a dozen or more other vessels, all anchored at ransom, their crews, about 250 people in all, held at gunpoint. Among them is the MV FAINA, a Ukrainian freighter captured in September with a cargo of tanks almost certainly bound for south Sudan (with Kenyan government help). Ransom demands for the FAINA have dropped from $20m to $8m since it was surrounded by American and Russian warships, but there is still no agreement on its release. The pirates are likely to ask in excess of $30m ransom for the SIRIUS STAR.

See this article with graphics and related items at http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12650244&fsrc=nwl

Pirates Redux

So some Indian Man-of-War zapped a Somali pirate "mother ship." Do you believe this stuff??? They actually had a meeting in the White House---W and the National Security Council---to discuss these high seas hijackings. And some Pentagon spokesman had a press conference and said it was incumbent on shipping companies to provide their own protection, like hiring armed security contractors. So our government can no longer protect our interests on the high seas from SOMALI PIRATES!!!!!!!!!!!!! The level of incompetence just gets more astounding daily. No wonder the economy resembles a Russian nuclear reactor.
January 20 cannot come soon enough.

Bail---in or out????

How about them Somali Pirates?????????? 12 ships in 7 days from an area of the ocean patrolled by the US Navy, Her Royal Majesty's Navy, the EU, the Emirates, and Kingdoms of the Gulf!!!! YeeHAW!!!!!!!!!!! The Pirate Dogs hope they get to keep their loot and that they use it to improve the standard of living in the Horn of Africa, one of the poorest and most badly governed places in the entire world.
I need to correct the last post---There were a couple of inconsistencies in the sources. Apparently the ship was taken in the Gulf of Aden and is now anchored in the Indian Ocean some 450 miles from Mombasa, Kenya. Capt. 'Roid apologizes for the misinformation.
Now that the Somalis have bailed out their ships, how about the bail-out in DC of the BIG 3? I thought this was a capitalistic nation, not a welfare state. If I ran my business with as little forethought and lack of planning as that exhibited by the CEOs of the Detroit mega corporations, I'd deserve to be fired or run into bankruptcy. Now I fully appreciate that we cannot allow the auto industry to go the way of the airlines. There's always places to go and someone to take the risk and fly there. No sane person would buy any major asset from a company in Chapter 11. Cars last years and anyone purchasing one wants to make sure he can keep his investment on the road. But a free ride out of their hole is the last thing we should support as taxpayers or citizens.
I believe that successful people should get the fruits of their hard work. And executives who can't formulate a decent forward-looking business plan should go back to the business correspondence school they came from for a refresher course.
Memo to our representatives----
NO BAILOUT!!! No LOANS to the auto Industry without STRINGS!! WE THE PEOPLE need to see how OUR money will be used to sustain the industry and IMPROVE the performance of its products----MORE MPG, MORE environmentally friendly, NO MORE loans or taxpayer dollars after this ONE time.
After all, if a bunch of Somali pirates can outperform the navies of the allegedly advanced economies, our congress, senate, and captains of capitalism should be able to give us some bang for our buck in a car that gets 50-plus MPG, is safe and fun to drive.
Let's get our people in WaWa DC this message!!!!!

Pirates

I noticed some weird things on the computer over the week-end. The Captain seemed very excited and the rest of the crew could barely contain themselves. It wasn't until I caught the news on NPR's All Things Considered this evening, reinforced by the banner running along the bottom of the screen on MSNBC, that I saw the light.
America prides itself on its Armed Forces. But perhaps we now have an incident that is definitive proof that WE ARE STRETCHED TOO THIN!!!!!

Right under the Navy's nose, 450 miles off the coast of Mombasa, Kenya, in the Gulf of Aden, the Somali Pirates have struck again. This time an Arabian tanker with 2million barrels of oil worth about $100million. Apparently the freighter strayed off the recommended and well patrolled shipping lanes. "Gotta hand it to those Somalis", said Capt. 'Roid. "They got gigantic brass cajones!!!!!!!" The captain of the Pirate Dogs also wished their compatriots a fair wind and hoped they might dip their beak in any profit the venture realized.

An Open Letter to President-elect Obama

Dear Barack,

I hope it's OK to address you that way. I already broke the keyboard on my dad's laptop so spelling out all that President-elect stuff is tough. Have you any conception how hard it is for a dog to type anyway?? No opposable thumbs.

I loved your speech, especially because you and I have in common that we're mutts. And going for a shelter dog is an outstanding example for you to give this country. Do you believe these cretins still have kill shelters in some states? I'm a refugee from one in Ohio. I got sent to New Hampshire and adopted. Here's a picture of me at the shelter meeting my new family:

In case you can't tell from the picture, I'm a Sharprador. That's a cross between a Shar-Pei (you know, those Chinese wrinkle hounds) and a Labrador Retriever. I'm about 51 pounds now and I guess I'm fully grown. The vet says my tongue is tie-dyed because it's got a lot of blue on it.

I'm a very fast runner, even though I sometimes get a little careless. One time I was going wicked fast around the corner of the house and I slipped into a pruned rose-bush. One thing about "Sharpies" is very fragile, thin skin. I had to get stitches and have my wound drained. I looked like hell in that lampshade too, don't you think?

But I'm all recovered and very happy, especially with my favorite chew bone:

I really think you should consider a Sharprador for your white House pet. Our breed is very affectionate and loving. We are good watchdogs. I am amazing at catching chip turks that Dad throws my way. And there's lots of Shar-Pei/Lab mixes in shelters too!!!! Of course we aren't the most hypo-allergenic of breeds, but you could always just get the kid shots, right?? I mean how could you pass up a dog that looks like this?????????

Congrats on your new job,

Leny

First Mate of the CPS Nargle and the Pirate Dogs

Economics PD3

Most of the attention the Pirate Dogs pay to economic issues consists of sitting in the kitchen whenever a person goes there, hoping for food to be either given them or dropped on the floor where they can scarf it up. Pretty simplistic and operating at a very basic level.

Now the three of them, joined by my wife and I, watched the President-elect and the stage full of economic heavy hitters do a press conference. We liked the part about the shelter dog the best---the Obama girls really deserve a Sharprador (even if Leny would out-cute them) and wouldn't the Humane Society so benefit from the exposure!!! But the serious issue of the economy did get us thinking......


The auto industry gets a lot of attention. It did in Mr. Obama's remarks before the media. It is probably, after the financial sector, the most needy segment of the manufacturing sector. But a bail-out or loan package MUST be tied to the long-term environmental needs of not only the country but the planet. There were autos that could get 30MPG twenty years ago. This is no longer a goal but an attainable standard. It's our belief that any aid package to the car makers have at the very least a fleet fuel economy standard of 50MPG or more and that this standard be attained within two years!!! Also the car makers should be encouraged to dedicate themselves to improving their core competencies, i.e, building efficient,competitive automobiles, and discouraged from ventures into mortgages and banking. GM Bank and Ditech (mortgages from GMAC) are examples of this phenomenon. If the talent is diluted into so many ancillary ventures, how can the manufacturer be competitive with the foreign companies who keep their eye on the ball. A certain financial acumen is necessary to assist buyers in financing their new (and probably over-priced) vehicle, but a mortgage company and a bank??????????

So by all means, let's put together a stimulus package. And let's support our domestic industries, the few we have left. But let's make sure that this support is aligned with the longer term goals of energy independence and reversing the damage we've done to our planet.

11/4 Hangover

The election is done. I heard a story on NPR Wednesday night that Kenya had declared Thursday a national holiday because of the election of Barack Obama as president of the U.S. One segment reported that people went to the grave of Obama's father and chanted that he had sired a king. I didn't think the popular vote margin was quite that large, but I do believe that it's a good thing for America's image around the globe.

Congratulations to Auntie Bucksnort!!! Her granddaughter Paloma Luz had a tropical storm named after her---Paloma is bearing down on the Caymans and Cuba as I write this Thursday evening. Way to go Dove Light!!!!!!!!!!! But now the Pirate Dogs want to storm NOAA---their idea is to get the National Weather Service to name hurricanes from the BACK of the alphabet. Some muttering from the Captain about Weetzie being more potent than a Dove..................Gotta let those dogs out more during the day.

Watching MSNBC post-election. I can't believe the stories coming out about Sarah Palin. I may not be a fan of hers, but to state that she doesn't know the countries in North America (U.S., Canada, and Mexico), the ones that make up NAFTA, or that she doesn't know Africa is a continent, not a country, all that seems a little over the top. She obviously doesn't care to share what knowledge she might possess---witness the Katie Couric interview question about what magazines or newspapers she reads---all of them, whatever they put in front of me was the response. I don't think anybody (Keith "Big Head" Olbermann excepted) would laugh too hard if she admitted to Fins and Feathers Alaska or the Anchorage Daily News. Maybe US, People, Time or Newsweek. But everything?? Come on. This woman is a master politician and apparently quite the manipulator. Really says something negative about John McCain's campaign that they pick her to be "a heartbeat away" from the presidency and then throw her under the bus when they lose. Shame on the McCain campaign and aren't we glad we didn't elect such a pathetically poor decision maker as our leader?

Election Day

The Pirate Dogs and I have been closely following this year's campaign for the last two years at least. We've gotten information from all kinds of emails, ads, MSNBC, FoxNews, CNN, various newspapers, word of mouth, blogs, you name it. I will say that I have the http://factcheck.org/ short cut on my desktop. And if you are a serious voter, I hope you also have used this to cull the wheat from the chaff. Check out http://zeesgowest.blogspot.com/ for some quotes and commentary on this election, especially the posts since October 31.

So the Pirate Dogs and I are ready to endorse a candidate. Let me say that my wife and I have always liked and respected John McCain. In the past he has worked hard for campaign reform and he has reached out to the Democrats in the Senate--McCain-Feingold being a prime example of this. But of late we have lost this respect. His latest attack ads have a Rovian quality to them, not unlike what W and Karl did to McCain in the 2000 primaries. John had a plethora of really outstanding figures to choose as vice-president, among them Joe Lieberman, Tom Ridge, and Mitt Romney. He chose Sarah Palin. Now, she's interesting, but compared to these others, she is a tremendous lightweight. The Pirate Dogs wish her well, maybe in 2016 after she gets some chops. But for 2008, we will go with the same candidate endorsed by a conservative newspaper/magazine of British heritage, The Economist:

Barack Obama is uniquely qualified to lead us into the future. His world view, formed by his bi-racial roots, should bring a new, fresh, and much-needed perspective to American foreign policy. And we really need that after the damage to our reputation caused by Guantanamo, torture, and the devolution of the Geneva convention perpetrated by the present regime. The difference between the two candidates is basically simple---McCain is a link with the past, when he was perhaps great. Obama is the future and that's what we need to vote for!!!

But regardless how you vote, the Pirate Dogs love you and whatever the outcome, we wish you peace.