pirates

Book by Paul and Rachel Chandler

The reopening of the Somali National Theatre brings hope to the war-torn nation

The helicopter raid in Somalia happened shortly before Obama’s State of the Union address

Five Somali men sentenced to five years in prison for attacking a Dutch Antilles-flagged cargo ship

The rate of pirate activity in March was double that of last fall

The fishermen escaped after four months in captivity

Former Toronto taxi driver is now in charge of a Somali coast guard

A New York Times photo essay about Somalia’s pirates identifies an inmate jailed in the Somali port city of Boosaaso as Canadian Gure Ahmed. 

Two hundred attacks, over $18 million in ransom: 2008 may be a record year for pirates

This year Toronto’s festival-goers have developed a curious ritual. At the beginning of every film, before the string of sponsorship trailers, there’s a stern panel of black-and-white text warning the audience about penalties for video piracy, preceded by an announcement that “night vision technology” may be used during the screening to detect anyone trying to pirate a film with a camera. Which brings on a chorus of mock pirate yells from the audience — “Aaaaaaargh!“

Gay marriage, it turns out, is a lot older than people think: In Phillip Bobbit’s Terror and Consent there’s a discussion of the practice, common amongst 17th century pirates, called matelotage,