The Definition of "Piracy"?

[katyknight]

As a woman who works in the international trade industry, I have very little sympathy for anyone that would hijack a merchant vessel and threaten the lives of innocent crew members aboard (as we're seeing off the coast of Somalia). However - as with most issues - there are two sides to every story, which makes this article by Johann Hari so

Comments

[dabroots]

Thank you for sharing this article. I had heard just a bit about this situation, but not much. For centuries, Africa has been plundered of its resources and its people, and it seems to keep going on and on.

[katyknight]

Indeed. I was a member of our delegation at the Mining Indaba conference in Cape Town earlier this year. It was, shall we say, a very "enlightening" experience. :(

[dabroots]

I'm noticing that the author of the book cited is Marcus Redeker, who published The Slave Ship: A Human History, just last year. In fact, he teaches here at University of Pittsburgh. I have a copy of latter, but have yet to read it.

You do some serious traveling.

[katyknight]

Please publish your thoughts on the book after you've read it, if you'd be so kind. I'd be interested to learn if it's worth borrowing from the library.

> "You do some serious traveling."

My mother's lament. My father was a career military man, and spent long spans away from home while we were growing up. Now that he's retired, it's me that's hardly home. The good news is my sister has settled down near Sydney, and I will be going back to visit in the early autumn (and, hopefully, again at Christmastime).

[dabroots]

I did a bit more reading about the author. From this page, I assumed he was British, but when I looked at his bio notes, I discovered he's a small-town boy from Kentucky who eventually became a scholar in maritime history.

Do you bring most of your belongings when you settle in a place for a year or two, or just the basics?

[katyknight]

This is my first extended assignment (I'm hopeful that it will become permanent, as we have two representatives here who are being re-assigned), so I brought along a trunk with my essentials. My parents will ship some of my other things when we know more about the length of my stay. In the meantime, the Ministry provides living quarters and a vehicle, along with a per diem for everyday expenses like food, fuel, toiletries, etc.

It's an exciting time for me, but also a nervous one. To be honest, I haven't met a lot of friends here yet, and I get a little homesick sometimes.

[dabroots]

Wow, a non-stop per diem. You're sitting pretty in that situation. You'll have a great time there.

[katyknight]

Oh, it's not as much as you might think, but I am trying to save a portion of it every day so I can buy myself something special when the occasion presents itself. I went to a wonderful fish market this morning, and it was all I could do not to spend $100 (or more) on all the lovely seafood they offered. I ended up bringing home a beautiful halibut filet, tiger prawns and some scallops, and am going to try my hand at a Louisiana-style seafood stew this evening. Wish me luck!

[dabroots]

Good luck with the bottom dwellers! I hear they're wonderful, but I'm allergic to anything that spends its live at the bottom of a lake, river, or ocean, which was sad during my time living in New Orleans.

[katyknight]

I've got a friend back home who's allergic to shellfish, too. She would blow up like a big red balloon just looking at a shrimp or a crab.