In chaotic Somalia, economic stimulus packages come in the form of pirate booty. The country's weak central government cannot stop rogue seamen from hijacking huge commercial ships and demanding millions of dollars in ransom. Right now, these pirates are asking for a record $10 million in exchange for a Saudi oil tanker carrying over $100 million worth of cargo.
Thanks to the surge of cash, pirates bring a surge of commerce most places they go. CNN reports on life in the pirate-centric towns:
- Savvy Somalians have created a pirate economy, selling cigarettes, food, and orange soda to pirates coming back to shore daily.
- Since pirates often take things without paying, sellers have set up a special credit program for them, hoping to be reimbursed when the ransoms come in.
- Formerly destitute towns are now lively centers filled with restaurants, luxury cars, and cyber cafes.
- More income has allowed residents to purchase generators that provide day-long electricity, previously unattainable.
- Pirates treat their captives well, hiring caterers to cook Western favorites like spaghetti and grilled fish.
Can you think of any way for pirates to channel their capabilities toward positive contributions to Somalian society that doesn't involve pillaging and plundering?
Ed Hardy
Eric Van Peterson
Tom Tailor
They could dress up like heads of Wall Street firms, go to Congress and warn of dire consequences to the whole country if they didn't get $700-billion dollars asap.
1Instead of 10 million in just pure cash, why don't they at least ask for some kind of deal in which the Oil companies invest in their small towns in exchange for peace and quiet on the seas? Obviously, their small towns need a boost, and asking for $10 mil for over $100 mil in product seems, well, like chump change.
2I just don't see how they take over these massive ships with out getting killed. Aren't there armed guards on these?
3Just for the record, it's somali, not somalian. No such thing as somalian.
4Jill, I know! What's up with that!
5Lady, I don't know, ten mill in cash is tempting.
6Pirates can be pretty clever. The oil companies need to hire more ninjas to guard their ships. Ninjas, as you well know, are the arch enemy of any pirate.
7OMG! I know how to solve the economic crisis! Instead of the white house, Captain Obama and his Cabinet can take to seas to solve this mess - first mate Biden and deckhand Rahm can bring the booty back to the US!
8"Pirates treat their captives well, hiring caterers to cook Western favorites like spaghetti and grilled fish."
It's like when Captain Barbossa let Elizabeth Swann eat that giant turkey leg and all that other food when he had her captive on the Black Pearl! But without the prospect of a pretty, pretty Orlando Bloom coming to the rescue.
9I don't see how the international community allows this. Pirates? in 2008?
10There was an Egyptian Ship that was hijacked by those pirates from couple of months ,according to the captain the new naval commercial laws do not allow having any kind of weapons on the board of the ship !! They defended themselves with waterspouts !!
11According to some Arabian news reports those pirates are originally from the Somali Navy and their real bosses are the war princes on the shore
I do not about the treatment but I know that our Egyptian crew on that ship suffered a lot during Ramadan
I told my jobless hubby that he better go buy a stuffed parrot and an eye patch and get to pirating.
12I was watching the news yesterday and these ships that are taken are crewed with less than 20 people. So, if a ship has a crew of 12 and their are 20 pirates...it's a takeover.
13"Since pirates often take things without paying, sellers have set up a special credit program for them, hoping to be reimbursed when the ransoms come in."
I'm wondering about the details of this program. If pirates take things without paying, why would the sellers expect payment even when the pirates get money? Can't be an honor system.
14ARRRRRRR!
15wow - i guess if you need to find the positives in this whole situation, then you can say that at least the quality of life is going up in some places right? i wonder what the end result of all this is going to be seeing as how this isn't a good situation to begin with.
16The "big three" auto makers need to change their drag and paint the jet thay swoop around in!
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