Solving the Somali pirate problem... forever

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How to solve the Somali pirate problem

The problem cannot be solved with military alone. Pirates are willing to take the risk because the insurance companies are chicken and pay up too quickly in the past. However, they would as they have several reasons to...

1) each ship represents a significant investment for the owner
2) they don't want to be accused of being stingy with human lives
3) a few million dollars is nothing, they can just jack up the insurance rates for the other ships
4) compared to pirates in the Pacific, Somali pirates are downright PEACEFUL. Some ships are known to have completely disappeared and their crew gone, only to have the ship shown up a few years later, under new name, new paint, and new ownership, in the Pacific.

However, if you give them lots of carrots, they will demand even more. From a few ships the year before, to MAJOR escalation in 2008 and 2009, Somali pirates evidently decided that they can make even MORE money from piracy. That must be discouraged.

To fix the problem, you need to do a multiprong approach... You need to attack the SOURCE, both from the motives and the means. In other words, offer both a carrot, and a stick. Then you address the vulnerability of the ships to make the less susceptible.

First, you need to address the situation in Somalia... The government is usless. Ethiopian "peacekeepers" are gone. Due to Clinton's cowardice after "Black Hawk Down" we pretty much left Somalia to its fate, and now we're seeing the consequences. UN is not going to do anything useful. What needs to be done is provide some sort of economy to Somalia, to substitute for piracy. Education is for the long run, but what's for the short run? And how do prevent a backslide?

One short-term possibility is deputize the best group of the bunch as "Somalian Maritime Patrol". You pay his VILLAGE X amount of money if they chase away the OTHER PIRATES. The village will get money, but if any more ships get attacked, they get less. If they let too many through, the village gets nothing. Yes, they can divert some of their own money to pay off the other pirates, but the result is the same: less piracy.

The stick will basically harsh treatment of anyone caught as a pirate. However, there will be a one-time amnesty. However, in the future pirates will be killed ON SIGHT.

So how do you do harm to pirates? Several ways...

1) Send in some Q-ships... Basically cargo ships that are actually manned by military and armed with disguised weapons... AND jam the frequencies so the pirates won't be able to coordinate their moves. The interior is actually disguised and easily isolated (it's all a big trap).

The pirates will be extremely cautious when their brethrens stop coming back.

And you have to send in more than one, or else the pirates may figure out which ship it is and either attack it with overwhelming force (unlikely) or avoid it.

2) Send in unmanned drones, long duration such as Predator and so on and maintain patrol over ships in the area, with automatic warnings. If a ship can be warned, they may get a chance to increase speed and run for it, and at least call for help. The drones may even be armed.

Imagine this scenario...

Three speedboats are on approach to this freighter, under the cover of darkness.

When they pass the 5-mile radius mark from the ship, the drone that's monitoring the ship automatically alerted the on-duty operator.

Two automated hover drones take off from the freighter and head for the potentially attack force. Ship's captain is automatically alerted. Each are similar to the Cypher drone in GRAW, and are NOT armed. Instead, they are equipped with a small searchlight, loudspeakers, and noise-canceling microphones.

Upon reaching the leader of the unknown force, both will assume a retrograde. One will shine the spotlight on the lead boat, with loudspeakers issuing a challenge, such as:

"This is UN Navy. You are approaching UN protected ship. Stop and state your intentions. You have 30 seconds to comply."

The challenge will be issued in English and local dialects. The other drone will watch the enemy for hostile actions. Increase of speed, brandishing weapons, or etc, and the Predator hovering higher will unleash its Hellfire missiles, with one of the drones doing the laser illuminating.

Or you can use Firescout drones with a gunpod loaded with tracers, firing AHEAD of the boat.

"This is your final warning. Stop the vessel or turn away, else we will assume you are hostile, and lethal force will be used."

If the boats stop or turn away, they will not be pursued. If they choose to call the bluff, when one of their boats are lifted out of the water and disintegrate under the Hellfire they will change their mind.

3) Limit ships to shipping lanes, and form small convoys escorted by minor combatants, either frigates or even corvettes. This should allow combatants to protect several ships at once, and the drones can cover the rest.

4) Create a rapid response group out of hydrofoils and hovercrafts... something VERY fast basically. AND mobile gunship platforms, similar to the Nightstalkers used aganst the Iranian Boghammers.

The Pegasus hydrofoils should still be around... They are just big enough for a small LAMPS chopper, I think, and plenty for several drones. Add a floating base, something similar to an oil platform, and you should be able to control most of the area, along with existing NATO and UN forces.

Cynic, vs. skeptic

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First, here is a poll:

Cynic: (n) A person who believes all people are motivated by selfishness.

Skeptic: (n) One who instinctively or habitually doubts, questions, or disagrees with assertions or generally accepted conclusions.

Given the two definitions here (which are both from answers.com, you can check yourself), which would you prefer a news reporter to be? A cynic? or a skeptic?

I am sure most of you would prefer skeptic, as a news reporter is supposed to be neutral, and should have no "beliefs" when it comes to reporting the news.

However, both of the following quotes are attributed to the Ted Koppel, formerly of ABC News, now working for NPR:

My function is, as objectively and accurately as I can, to present reality to people out there, and doing that as quickly as we do is quite difficult enough, thank you. -- Ted Koppel

My level of cynicism about the reasons that took us to war against Iraq remain just as well-developed as they were before I went. -- Ted Koppel

(both from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/t/ted_koppel.html)

If the quotes are accurate, and not taken out of context (and it's pretty hard to imagine how these complete quotes CAN be taken out of context), it means that he had always reported about the Iraq war with preconceptions, even when he promised to report objectively.

And it is interesting to note that both ABC and NPR are often accused of being too liberal. However, it is quite rare for a news reporter and news anchor to admit his own bias, isn't it?

Rant about notebook gaming

Image by jauhari via Flickr

What is it about notebooks that makes it so... business?

Yet when you try to find games that will run on it, you will find that unless you pick a specific that has the latest and greatest video stuff (and even then, you'll often to be told that laptop chispets are NOT supported by the game box) you won't be able to run anything at all.

While it is understandable that laptops may not have the best and the brightest of chipsets (after all, power savings is a must), it shouldn't be so anemic that one is reduced to puzzle games.

Yet, I can tell you that 3 out of 4 games I find at local stores won't run on laptops nowadyas, namely mine.

And I don't have a very exotic laptop either. What I got is a Sony VAIO VGN-NR420E, Pentium M Dual Core inside, Windows Vista Home Premium pre-loaded, ready to be a entertainment machine right off the bat... DVD player, Firewire (i-link in Sony terms), 4 USB ports, built-in Wifi (A,B, and G), not a powerhouse but not a wimp either... Except the graphics: Intel 965 Express. The problem with Intel is they don't believe in "hardware rendering", which has been on NVIDIA video chips since year 2001 (GeForce 256). Thus, Intel chips have always been considered "weaklings" compared to the two juggernauts of video: NVIDIA, and ATI. The only reason Intel is still in the video business is because Intel can sell the video along with their CPUs and chipsets at a discount, making it too irresistable for the system makers to pass up who are under pressure to build a machine CHEAP, cheap, cheap, never mind the video is useless for anything that demands even a modicum of true video processing power.

And what does this do? It will do Aero for Windows Vista, and that's about it.

Yet, SOME games do run on these chipsets, interestingly, namely, OLDER games based on certain video engines. LucasGames' Republic Commando runs fine though you have to reduce the resolution and graphics details to keep the frame rate up. And also Elite Soldiers: Vietnam will run on this chipset, and produces some of the best jungle yet seen in a PC game.

The problem is nothing produced in the last few years will likely run on this laptop, and that cause a LOT of support problems overall.

Too bad the hardware and software makers can't designate hardware and software levels, like "level 1", "level 2", etc. All level 2 hardware will run all level 2 software games, and below, you get the idea.

The illogical hope of good news... and faith

Those who keep up with the news may have heard already... Sandra Cantu out of Tracy, 8-yr old girl missing for a week, has been found... DEAD.

The honest truth... If it's a stranger abduction, the child is usually dead within 24 hours, if not 48. After a week, there is virtually NO hope of the child returning home alive, unless the perp was looking for long-term enslavement, and most aren't dumb enough to take the chance.

So why do people keep on hoping the impossible? It's known as "faith", or "trust in superior being", if you will, that there really IS a higher purpose, even though we may not understand it, everything DOES happen for a reason. And you must hold out hope for the best outcome UNTIL it is no longer possible.

If you have no hope, and thus no faith, then why live a life at all?

Which brings up another interesting point... Faith the word is derived from Latin, Fide and similar forms. Remember the Marine saying "Semper Fidelis", or "Always Faithful"? It's interesting that faith doesn't quite translate into Spanish... It's simply "fe" in Spanish, like "Santa Fe".

Makes you wonder if the monks made up the word "fe" to teach the masses?

Rant: never let kids play computer games alone

Parents nowadays are so busy, they often use computers and game consoles as substitute "kid-sitting" devices, and every once in a while, it may lead to disaster.

One such disaster is barely averted when FBI agents intercepted a 13-yr old girl running away from her home in Centerville, Utah to a "wonderful kid" she met online, first playing World of Warcraft, then chatted online and exchanged e-mails. Apparently, her parents had NO IDEA until FBI agents went through her computer and cell phone records.

FBI agents, soon found that this "wonderful kid" was really a 40-year old man who's got long hair, severely overweight, and clearly NOT AS NICE as she thought he was. I mean, you can't DRAW a stereotypical online gamer that doesn't resemble this guy, and yes, this picture is from "South Park". (photo of perp is in the article link below).


After intercepting the girl in Salt Lake City's main Greyhound hub, FBI agents posed as her and resumed the conversation with the perp, and the conversation turned sexual, as the man described in vivid detail what he'd like to do to her, most of which may not be fit for print even in S&M magazines.

Well, enough said. If your kids play online games, make an effort to play with them every once in a while. It's a bonding experience, and it may help them stay out of trouble such as this case.

FBI arrests 40-yr old man who almost lured 13-yr old girl to California

4 slain officers, asshat behavior, and George Washington Carver

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By now, the entire nation has learned of the loss of four of Oakland's Finest, gunned down by one desperate man who decided to to play suicide by cop, but not without shooting a few cops first.

What was truly disturbing are a few disturbed individuals who actually taunted police who responded to the shooting, indicating that the fallen officers "got just desserts". That is total asshat behavior.

Perhaps the Oscar Grant incident was fresh on their mind, but they should well remember that Oscar Grant was shot by BART Police, which is completely separate from Oakland Police. They share nothing except similar uniforms and some shared operational areas.

Then you have the perp's family out on TV pleading "He's not a monster." So what was he? Insane? Or merely desperate? Only someone who's crazy would gun down four cops, at least two deliberately. If he doesn't want to to back to jail, he'd avoid all the stuff that could set him back, and he didn't. Going back to jail for a few months for a parole violation did not change his behavior, only made it worse. He got two firearms when as a parolee he should have NONE, esp. when one of them is an assault weapon (allegedly AK-47 or variant). He missed meeting with his parole officer when that's the only guy that will keep him out of jail. So he doesn't want to go back to jail? Sounds like he wants to go back REALLY BAD, or he wants to DIE REALLY BAD.

And what is it about black men nowadays? So many of them are willing to play the 'victim card' or the 'race card'. They scream about "racial profiling" but they don't help control the crime spree by tipping police off to crimes either during or after, as it's not good to be a "snitch". Well, you want police protection or not? You can't have it both ways.

And finally, do you know who is George Washington Carver? Time Magazine called him a "Black Leonardo [Da Vinci]" in 1941. He was born as slave and son of a slave. That's about as bad as it CAN be in the US of A, wouldn't you agree? Yet he rose to fame and fortune, and this is LONG before "civil rights" and "affirmative action" or even "black power" came into existence. Those didn't exist until the 1960's/70's.

If George Washington Carver can bring himself out of abject poverty after the abolition and became famous and rich, what can't most black men nowadays, with all the advantages we enjoy now like unions, civil rights, affirmative action, and so on, just make a living, and have to resort of desperate crimes?

Or are today's Black Men just such wussies?

Ah, the people we elect to office... Pfffft :-P

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Recently, a bit of interesting news surfaced in Oakland City Hall. You know, Oakland, that little city just across the bay from San Francisco.

Apparently, after a senior city councilman's retirement, a coveted parking spot has opened up in front of city hall, and two city councilwomen want it. Usually it goes by seniority, but both were sworn in on the same day, and neither would give an inch. So the hot potato was tossed to council president. The president made no decision, but called the city attorney to study the legal precedents. After a few weeks, the city attorney came back with a 5 page paper that basically says: it's a tie.

One of the councilwoman said she'll go for a coin toss. The other refused to comment to the reporter.

Conflict month 3 and counting. :-P