I wander around the Internet like a child in a candy store. So much to look at, so little time. I end up in places without any idea how I got there and wonder if I could get there again. In many ways, the Internet feels like a wilderness back country where you blaze your own trail and never know what dangers lurk behind every url.
Today I landed in Somalia. First, I rewatched the Susan Boyle video and a number of her interviews. Then, I clicked on an article, “I married an illegal immigrant” and then, somehow the next turn on the path was a Somali born rapper K’Naan talking about how Somalis became pirates, “The truth behind Somali pirates.”
The CBC report provides an interesting perspective.
Illegal fishing. Illegal dumping of toxic wastes. Desperate men trying to survive in a civil war-torn world. Good guys? Attack illegal fishing boats to collect a bit of ‘tax’? Good guys turned bad? Hmmm…this is pretty profitable. What other kinds of ships can we stop and “tax”?
Would the world look at the hijackings differently if it was France or Italy or Portugal?
I had to journey further through the wilderness in search of more stories. I’ve included a few for your enjoyment.
Don’t get lost! I left a few crumbs to follow….
Time http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1892376,00.html
New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/01/world/africa/01pirates.html?ref=world
UK Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/piracy/5152513/Somali-pirates-Greek-ship-and-22-crew-seized-in-Gulf-of-Aden.html
Guardian UK: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/15/pirates-fail-ship-hijack
