Tag: somalia

Aren’t jobs a kind of bribery?

Corruption is on the rise according to a survey by Transparency International.

The Berlin-based nonprofit organization based this partially on a finding that one quarter of 91,500 surveyed people paid a bribe to an institution or government-provided service. 90 percent of Liberians and 86 percent of Nigerians reported paying a bribe.

And the most corrupt countries–Somalia, Afghanistan, Burma, Iraq, Uzbekistan, Sudan and Turkmenistan–achieved their most corrupt nations’ status by attempting to bribe Transparency International for better rankings.

The McBournie Minute: We are not prepared for the ninja threat

Piracy is something we all live with. We do it every time we download a new song or movie on our favorite Torrent application. Of course, The Pirate Bay got smacked with a conviction in Sweden recently, so they may or may not be out of the picture.

Then there is the rise in piracy off the coast of Somalia. Desperate men and teenagers are taking to the seas to seek fortune, or a sniper’s bullet, depending on how things go. Pirates, thanks to the movies, have enjoyed a pop culture celebration, complete with eye patches and peg legs. But we’re all missing the big issue.

Ninjas are coming. It’s only a matter of time. The resurgence in piracy can only mean that there will be an equal and opposite resurgence in ninjaism. Continue reading The McBournie Minute: We are not prepared for the ninja threat

Not so Jolly Roger

No doubt ye know about the rash o’ pirate attacks in the last several months. They’ve been robbin’ an’ plunderin’ to their hearts’ content–except for when the U.S. Navy shoots them. In any case, these pirates be givin’ pirates a bad name, so says Cap’n Slappy, one o’ the founders o’ International Talk Like A Pirate Day.

He said that these pirates have little or nothin’ to do with the free-wheelin’, rebellious, swasbucklin’ pirates we all know and love. Instead they should be called terrorists or sea-thugs.

Now, technically, the Somali pirates be the real definition o’ pirates, but Cap’n Slappy has a point. Can ye imagine Jack Sparrow with an AK-47?

Who (other than Kevin Costner) saw this coming?

Somali pirates have seized The Sirius Star, a reportedly fully-loaded oil tanker that can carry 2 million barrels of crude and is three times larger than a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier. (This is not to be confused with The Siriusly Star, which is a rowboat full of 2 million Arby’s coupons.)

Along with the 300,000 ton vessel, they are also holding the MV Faina, an Ukranian arms ship that contains T-72 Russian tanks.

So, heavily armed pirates have a giant, full oil tanker and loads of weapons requiring said oil. Meanwhile, global warming is melting our polar caps and, if left unchecked, could flood the world.

Of all the two post-apocalyptic sci-fi-y Kevin Costner flicks, why did Waterworld have to be the prophetic one? At least The Postman promised continued mail delivery.