dagblog - Comments for "Pirates? Are you kidding me?"

John Oliver feels the

Orlando — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 23:17:35 +0000

In reply to Pirates? Are you kidding me?

John Oliver feels the outrage.

I believe East Villagers are

Marquis de Sea to Shining Sea — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 05:11:48 +0000

In reply to And I suppose that the Asians

I believe East Villagers are known as Assies....

Object lessons like this are

acanuck — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 04:13:43 +0000

In reply to Yes, Genghis is right that

Object lessons like this are what it takes. If the desperation of Somali fishermen and sailors translates into an extra dollar or two per barrel of oil in India and China, attention gets paid to the plight of Somalia.

A lot of Somalis see the pirates as Robin Hoods, much like Bonnie, Clyde and Pretty Boy Floyd during the American Depression. I read somewhere that ship ransoms now pour more money into the Somali economy than international aid does.

Yes, Genghis is right that

Orlando — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 21:54:49 +0000

In reply to Amazing how fast an

Yes, Genghis is right that when economic interest or heartstrings are involved, the world pays attention and moves fast. Look at the tsunami relief effort. That was a huge amount of money raised in such a short time. It's good, in that the opportunity and possibility exists to address problems quickly. I just wish that we wouldn't give up on the more desperate-seeming problems.

Amazing how fast an

acanuck — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 21:33:46 +0000

In reply to Pirates? Are you kidding me?

Amazing how fast an international coalition is shaping up to suppress the Somali pirates. Yesterday, Egypt convened its Arab neighbors dependent on the Suez-Indian Ocean sea lanes to co-ordinate their response.

India, South Korea, Russia and the Europeans are all boosting their naval presences. UN Secretary Ban Ki Moon has signed off on concerted action, and so apparently has the transitional government in Mogadishu. (The pirates operate out of the breakaway region of Puntland, which Mogadishu wouldn't mind reintegrating.)

So we'll see some military fireworks. The big question is whether the countries affected will also see the urgency of co-operating to rebuild Somalia. One good sign: Somali parliamentarians and the main Islamist militia have both denounced the pirates.

"That" was said here: The

Donal — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:08:30 +0000

In reply to I don't see that explicitly

"That" was said here:

The Madagascar deal is striking by its size and, according to some reports, its financing. Daewoo Logistics, one of a new breed of Korean companies born from the break-up of its traditional, huge conglomerates after the Asian financial crisis, says it may have to pay nothing for the land.

And in the Bloomberg article, note that Shin said the $5 per hectare was, "... negotiable, so we are in talks with Madagascar officials hopefully to cut it down before finalizing the rental fee."

Also, Bartling just added that Daewoo intends to import South African laborers.

I don't see that explicitly

Michael Wolraich — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:54:34 +0000

In reply to According to this Telegraph

I don't see that explicitly in the article. According to Bloomberg, there's a price of up to $5 per hectare per year and a total expected cost, including infrastructure development, of $6B over 20 years. That's a third of Madagascar's GDP or 2% annualized (not accounting for inflation). I'll be posting on this soon.

According to this Telegraph

Donal — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:12:54 +0000

In reply to In case Hugh Bartling doesn't

According to this Telegraph article, Daewoo Logistics expects to pay nothing for the land. Even worse, they only intend to grow maize and raw ingredients for biofuels. All the locals will get out of it are jobs, roads and "expertise."

You know.....you're starting

LisB — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:52:30 +0000

In reply to And I suppose that the Asians

You know.....you're starting to sound a lot like my nemesis Sarah Palin Grrrrllll. I'm surprised you didn't spell it: 4Evah!

And I suppose that the Asians

Michael Wolraich — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:40:20 +0000

In reply to To nitpick, Genghis,

And I suppose that the Asians are Asies?

One more nitpick, and you're banned for EVER!