I feel like I'm pedaling as fast as I can here, possums. So many third world Muslim shi%holes, so little time. And I'm sure you know by now how the al Shabab has been hitting the fan down there in Somalia.
The most shocking developments have been the Jihad porn released by some character al-Amriki and then there's the press conference held by what is believed to have been two of the Lost Boys of Minnesota. I am not even going to try to catch up with this story - it has gone viral and taken off like - well, I was going to say a North Korean rocket, but the verdict is still out on that one. As usual, Fox Network's Catherine Herridge is working her sources and chasing the details down. I commend her for her coverage - the other networks seem to give it short shrift. I know this shocks all of my fellow travelers who journey here. Thank Goodness for trusty Dr. Rusty and the rest of the Jawas over at The Jawa Report. There's no slacking going on over there.
Old news but still interesting. It's been 'ahoy and avast me mateys' down in pirate alley. Five ships taken in 48 hrs? (Including a British tanker with a Bulgarian crew.)***
Just so you know, it's not all Rainbow Stew in Somalia these days: Somalis protest Islamist drug ban. Khat scratch fevah!
Holy Cow! Breaking over at Jawa this very minute.
And where DID Shabelle go?
Get on it, possums!
Here's one for the books. You better hope the Obama administration doesn't hear about this bright idea. We'll all be fasting in solidarity with our poor Somali brethren as a cultural guilt assuagement exercise before you know it.
Back on March 29 the Government asked all Somalis to fast for 4 days "mainly to solicit Allah to unburden them problems such as war, drought and starvation". Unh-huh. If you say so.
Speaking of guilt, you have to hand it to these Muslims. They are shakedown artists par excellence. Shortage of water alarm coming from Kismayo town.
***Last but not least. Update your list of vessels currently being held by the Muslim pirates beneath the fold.
From Reuters.
A Taiwanese fishing vessel could also have been taken near the Seychelles on Monday, said Andrew Mwangura of the Mombasa-based East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme.
There have been at least 15 pirate attacks on vessels off the coast of Somalia which were reported by the International Maritime Bureau for March, after only two in January and February. Earlier hijackings focussed on the Gulf of Aden.
Below are some of the ships believed to be still held by pirates as well as some details on the increase in piracy:
STOLT STRENGTH: Seized November 10. The chemical tanker had 23 Filipino crew aboard. It was carrying nearly 24,000 tonnes of oil products.
CHEMSTAR VENUS: Seized November 15. The tanker was travelling from Dumai, Indonesia, to Ukraine. It had 18 Filipino and five South Korean crew.
NAMES UKNOWN: Seized on December 10. Pirates hijacked two Yemeni fishing vessels with a total of 22 crew in coastal waters in the Gulf of Aden. Five crew reportedly escaped.
NAMES UNKNOWN: Seized on December 16. A yacht with two on board, an Indonesian tugboat used by French oil company Total. Pirates also hijacked the Chinese fishing vessel Zhenhua-4 with 30 Chinese crew aboard but it was freed the next day.
LONGCHAMP: Seized on January 29, 2009. The liquefied petroleum gas tanker, built in 1990, had 13 crew on board, 12 Filipinos and one Indonesian. The tanker has a capacity of 3,415 tonnes.
SALDANHA: Seized on February 22, 2009. The Maltese-flagged cargo ship, sailing to Slovenia, has 22 crew and was loaded with coal. TITAN: Seized on March 19, 2009. The 43,000 dwt Saint-Vincent-flagged cargo vessel with 24 crew was sailing from the Black Sea when it was attacked by pirates.
NIPAYIYA: Seized on March 25, 2009. The Greek-owned and Panama-registered MT Nipayia, was seized by pirates 450 miles from Somalia's south coast.
BOW ASIR: Seized on March 26, 2009. The 23,000-tonne Bahamas-registered chemical tanker was carrying caustic soda. It was operated by Salhus Shipping and carried 27 crew consisting of a Norwegian captain, 19 Filipinos, five Poles, one Russian and one Lithuanian.
INDIAN OCEAN EXPLORER: Seized March 2009: The 35-metre boat was built in Hamburg as an oceanographic research vessel. It accommodates around 12 passengers. The yacht Serenity with three people on board was seized in late February or early March.
HANSA STAVANGER - Seized April 4, 2009: The 20,000-tonne German container vessel was captured about 400 miles off the southern Somali port of Kismayu, between the Seychelles and Kenya. The ship may have carried 24 crew. Pirates also seized a Yemeni tug.
TANIT - Seized April 4/5, 2009: French television said a French couple with a child were aboard the French yacht.
MALASPINA CASTLE - Seized April 6, 2009: The 32,500-tonne bulker is UK-owned but operated by Italians.
* PIRACY: KEY FACTS:
-- In 2008 there were 293 incidents of piracy against ships worldwide -- 11 percent up on the year before. Attacks off Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden increased nearly 200 percent.
-- All types of vessels have been targeted. The pirates boarding the vessels were also better armed than in previous years and prepared to assault and injure the crew.
Sources: Reuters/International Maritime Bureau Piracy Reporting Centre/Lloyds List/Inquirer.net
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