Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Pirates

I would like to dedicate this blog post to my good friend McKay, the original discoverer of the pirate bar in Adyar.

I recently had a conversation with a journalist friend about the Somali pirate trend, admitting that despite the seriousness of the situation I couldn't help but snicker every time I saw the term "pirate" splashed across a headline. And I think the media plays it up too - "Pirates take captain hostage and demand ransom," "Somali pirates strike again, hijacking 4 ships." I know I know, that really is what happened, but don't you think they dramatize it a bit?

And wouldn't you? Nobody dressed up as a burglar or a carjacker for Halloween when they were a kid, but a pirate...

Anyway, another participant in the conversation passed
this article on to me, justifying any sympathy I may have had for the real-life version of my eye-patch wearing, parrot-toting fantasy.  Pirates 1, Italian mafia 0.  And as always, Africa gets the shit end of the rest of the world's stick.

1 comment:

MikesTrips said...

Hi Joanne- I'm Mike in Burlington, VT, and I've just stumbled onto your blog, but unfortunately, it's time to shower and shave so I shall return another time. But, first, allow me to introduce myself... an RPCV India XVI 1965-67 Sawai Madhopur & Jaipur Rajasthan poultry group, then BofA Bombay 1967-75, then handicrafts manufacturing in Channapatna near Bngalore 1975-85, plus imported baskets from Kenya 1984-85, so in spite of distance, age, we share interests an some commonalities. To view pix taken 1965-67, go here http://picasaweb.google.com/Gannettm, to see what I do today go here www.BurlingtonVermontHomes.com. Have great friends from/in Tamil Nadu. Will look forward to making your acquaintanceship. Oh, my group is staging a reunion in Agra! Nov 2-6 this year. gannettm@gmail.com, Cheers from Mike