Suck it, Pirates!

Via Slate:

After engaging in a firefight with pirates off the coast of Seychelles, a U.S. naval ship sank the group's skiff and boarded their mothership early Thursday morning, capturing five pirates in the process. According to a statement from the Department of Defense, pirates opened fire on the USS Nicholas at around 12:30 a.m. on Thursday. An hour and a half later, Navy servicemen took control of the ship and took the remaining pirates into custody. Since pirate attacks have escalated in recent weeks, the international community has upped the number of ships in the waters surrounding Somalia and has increased monitoring, CNN reports. Evidently, this isn't working out well for the pirates. According to the statement, "the suspects will remain in U.S. custody on board Nicholas until a determination is made regarding their disposition."

Pirate Season!

It's back!

Pirates!

The Daily News has an article on the rescue of Captain Phillips from the Somali pirates that has a little zip to it. Enjoy.

I imagine the party aboard the USS Bainbridge tonight will be better than anything those sailors have ever seen while on shore leave -- and deservedly so.

Sunday Morning Link Orgy

* Is Eau Claire is next Chapel Hill?

* A time line of the AIG Financial Products Unit's rise and fall.

* The most valuable college basketball teams in the country.

* Edmund Burke

* Pirates!

* And this one's the most interesting: is rooting for the home team an irrational activity? [via Monkey Cage]

Awesome Pirate Pictures!!!

Here.

Sunday Night Link Orgy

*** The prank phone call that almost led to to war between India and Pakistan ... can somebody please get these guys a red phone/hotline?

*** The origins of piracy in Somalia ... and some tough, but reasonable, possible solutions that just so happen to include the best line I've read all day:

Water-skiing playboys in Lamu can stuff it.

*** Isn't an enemies list just a bit too Nixonian even for this administration?

*** Great article on college radio in the New York Times.

*** The financial crisis has pummeled Wall Street, is bearing down on Main Street and is now set to ravage ... horse country!

*** Any bets on what the books are behind the President-elect?
I'm going with either a three volume collection of Lincoln's speeches and letters or the Federalist Papers.

I kind of think it's pretty cool that he's doing these things from a high-rise. Apparently the transition offices are on the 38th floor of the federal building in the Loop. That's a pretty nice western-looking view of the city from that height.

Until Something Interesting Happens in Wisconsin (Presumably after the Thanksgiving Holiday) You will Read About Pirates here at the Chief

*** A deal on the captured Ukranian ship carrying all kinds of old Soviet munitions is reached. Terms will probably not be disclosed any time soon, but the pirates were asking for $3 m.

*** More on private security contractors looking to hawk their services.

*** American shipping firms in Connecticut are monitoring the situation. (The entire shipping industry is hurting even without piracy right now)

*** Pirate communications.

*** No ties between pirates and al-Qaeda.

*** An interview with Santosh Patil (pictured being hugged by his mother below) after being released from pirate captivity:*** Dutch ships now taking the long way around Africa.

*** Why Piracy Pays.

*** Why U.S. involvement in Somalia is counterproductive.

More Pirate-related Links

*** Here's a pretty laudatory article -- dated Nov. 24th -- on a company called Anti-Piracy Maritime Security Solutions (APMSS) that is using non-lethal means to repel pirate attacks:

All of the APMSS methods are non-lethal. [APMSS President Nick] Davis says, "We don't carry weapons at all. We use acoustic devices, which are basically long-distance, very directional, loud hailing systems. And these emit…150 decibels over a distance of about a nautical mile…. And to give you an idea of…the human pain threshold for sound is 121 decibels. So, it's pretty excruciating when you get within a short distance of this equipment, firing warning tones and messages at you."

So far, he says that APMSS has been 100 percent successful...

Not bad, but...

*** Here's a not-so-laudatory article published five days later:

Three men who jumped off their ship to escape from Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden have been identified as the vessel's security guards. But their employer is defending their actions.

The British-based security company AntiPiracy Maritime Security Solutions (APMSS) says the three men were not armed, and fled the Liberian-flagged chemical tanker Biscaglia on Friday only after mounting a "sustained" effort to repel the attackers.

Ouch.

*** Egypt is getting pissed at the pirates for forcing shipping companies to abandon the Suez Canal route through the Gulf of Aden, thus costing the country much lucrative revenue.

*** Why young sea-fearing men are saying "Screw fishing!" to take up piracy.

*** A look at the new leader of pirate-infested Puntland, Somalia -- a Canadian ex-pat who settled into a quiet retirement in Ottawa before going back to Africa.

*** Do the pirates give Barack Obama an occasion to start talks with Iran?

*** Pirates vs. Islamists (who have a history of harboring al-Qaeda).

*** Which country stands to be the most inconvenienced from Somali pirates: Germany.

*** The softer side of pirate-journalist relations. [via Gawker]

The Cultural Awesomeness of the Somali Pirates

They're everywhere. They're the hottest criminal enterprise on the face of the planet and it doesn't look like they're slowing down anytime soon.

*** They hijacked yet another ship, and on a day when they released a previously captured boat (which can only mean today's payday on the Horn of Africa).

*** They've taken to kidnapping journalists, thus enhancing the mystery behind their allure.

*** Some folks are positing that the pirates are actually operating under the auspices of the transitional, um, "government".

*** Here's the best one: an admiral in the Indian Navy isn't ruling out their involvement in the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, even though it's likely he's the only person in the universe who thinks this idea is anything but preposterous. So now they're receiving credit for dastardly acts they probably didn't even commit.

*** The pirates are hanging out with a "horse country socialite" who appears to be just as mysterious as they are.

*** Awesome 10 minutes YouTube story with interviews and shots of the pirate city of Eyl.

*** Here are few tips your company can learn from the pirates to optimize your business.

*** And now the pirates are looking to make a bid on Citigroup.

Well played, maties.