Arr Matie!

from earcos

Blistering Barnacles!....Piracy on the high-seas is big news these days!

I've known for some time now that the Straits of Malacca and the Phillipine and Indonesian-archipelago's have been rich-hunting grounds for modern-day buccaneers...but i previously had no idea that the Somali-coast was such a major centre for piracy.

So, after reading what was being said about Piracy in the news, and especially when i heard in a news-report that the Somali pirates alone CURRENTLY HAVE 180 VESSELS of different sizes within their control, and about 300 odd seamen as hostage, for variable lengths of time... i decided to go online and look stuff up. I came across this awesome Google Maps-overlay created by the International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Cell.

Live Piracy Map

It shows UP TO DATE information, on a global scale, of maritime incidents of Piracy, with the location, time, vessel-involved and also a brief description of what happened. Muy bueno!

As expected the pointers are clustered around S.E. Asia and the Horn of Africa....(yes India finds mention too- Kandla Port, infact is listed as an area of known risk. Though Indian piracy is nowhere near as organized- just an odd case of theft and looting ship-stores. No Hijacking. The desi-pirates probably just want some foreign dirty magazines and some tinned ham. Hehe....)

Piracy around the Horn and the Gulf of Aden

Note the international naval presence in the area around the Gulf of Aden! And now, with the INS Tabar patrolling there and a Delhi-class ship underway, theres a little nugget of pride in my heart see the Indian Navy flexing it's blue-water strength. Perhaps it maybe the cro-magnon in me, but i've always thought that there nothing like a little action to keep an army, or a navy for that matter, 'fighting fit', and though i don't presume too much INS knowledge it's really heartening to see something besides lame reports of 'fleet reviews' and 'excerises'.

The INS Tabar escorting a merchant vessel

Anyhoo, in a lighter vein...what did the INS Tabar tell the pirate-captain?? FRIG-ATE!! :D

(Link: Live Piracy Map)

The World loves Democrat! McCain sucks donkey kong.

Fresh in Jen!...The world LOVES Sen. Barack Hussein Obama II... 'Obamania'is a global phenomenon!....The latest results from the globally subscribed poll conducted by the website "Iftheworldcouldvote.com" suggests that if the world really had a say in the electoral drama of the US, then Sen. McCain would be, sadly, left sucking Donkey Kong!..... and thats the news from me, Jen!
- Over aaand out!

At the time of voting on this website, created by an Icelandic Guy (where btw- 92.7% pro-Obama), the overall votes were a staggering 600,000 of which 522,000 were for Obama. Landslide eh? LOL!

The country-wise breakup of the polls shows some pretty nifty stuff....For instance:

• Macedonia (erstwhile Yugoslavia) is the ONLY country with a clear McCain lean (84.3% at this time)....i couldn't really figure why.
  
• Georgia too supports McCain (37.5%)... i guess since it better trusts the Reps to counter Mother Russia on the Abhkazia-issue.

• Very interestingly, Iran has a 20% or 1-in-5 pro-McCain vote! LOL....bless those nuts. They prolly clicked the wrong button...
• And understandably, Iraq is well...undecided (53.8%), more-or-less.
• Afghanistan with all of it's 20 netizens (lol)....are a lot more clear minded....just 2 of them voted for McCain.

• Our neighbours in Pakistan....and i was a bit surprised here....polled 71.2% Obama figures... Maybe it's the fact that Pakistan desperately needs the US $$$'s, which Obama is more inclined to spend....or maybe they just looked at his name - saw "Hussein" and Osabama and voted!...or maybe they reckon there'll be a lot less Predator-drones raining hell fire down on their sovereign territory, with Obama-babajaan in charge.

• And then there's us - India - with a hahahahaa 99.9% pro-Obama choice!!!! (1471polls) Bigtime LOLz!!!! I bet the chap who contributed to the 1.471 (=0.1% votes) must have don't that shit just for kicks. Or just maybe, he's half-starjee-half-Vietnamese and his grand-dad was the VietCong volunteer who got caught doing the unmentionables with McCain at the Hanoi Hilton!!! Off-colour?...i noe, and i care.
  

PS: Och laddie! Now tha' s a BLUE map! Now we know a wee bit 'ow bad those poor RG-color blind sods 'ave it!
LINK: http://www.iftheworldcouldvote.com/

EDIT: OBAMA WON! LOL.....TOLD YA!

Imogen Heap

Test for Genius:

Have you heard of this artist?

...Speaking for myself, she's bloody brilliant!

Imogen Heap
(Album: Speak for Yourself )

I was lucky to get an mp3 CD....but its a bit difficult to lay hands on a RAR file for Imogen (i've tried), so you could try downing some individual songs off some off the usual sites... My picks: Headlock, Angry Angel, Speeding Cars, Hide and Seek.

PS: If you'll trust my taste in music....also try "Natalie Merchant" (Album: Tigerlily)
Technorati Tags: music, imogenheap, imogen, vocals, alternative