The Pirate of Panther Bay Blog

Eaglespeak: On-line Resource on Maritime Security

2009-05-16T19:56:00Z

I just ran across this excellent blog, Eaglespeak, maintained by a retired naval reserve captain. The blog covers lots of issues relating to contemporary naval security issues, and several recent entries have provided insights into the nature of Somali pirate activity.

Among the interesting recent posts is one on pirate intelligence gathering and tactics. The use of modern radio technology allows pirates to adopt sophisticated attack techniques and change them quickly. So, they can create ghost mother ships from captured fishing boats to mislead targets and escorts. Technology also allows these pirate bands to use a mother ship as a legitimate HQ, dispatching raiding skiffs as opportunities present themselves or as circumstances change, sometimes hundreds of miles from their targets and out of harm's way.

Pirates face backlash on land in Somalia

2009-05-15T17:29:00Z

The New York Times (May 9, 2009) had a interesting article on the changing fortunes of pirates in Somalia. Most of the press we have been reading suggests that piratical activity is a "win win" for Somalians involved in the activity. Indeed, as I have blogged earlier, in a nation racked by violence and virtually no economic growth, the benefits of piratical activity seem pretty compelling.

This story begins to straighten out the record a bit. Piratical activity is, in fact, criminal. Since these communities operate outside the law, we shouldn't be surprised that the tactics they use tend toward violence and the abuse of power. So, some Somali communities are pushing back.

For the first time in this pirate-infested region of northern Somalia, some of the very communities that had been flourishing with pirate dollars — supplying these well-known criminals with sanctuary, support, brides, respect and even government help — are now trying to push them out.

Grass-roots, antipirate militias are forming. Sheiks and government leaders are embarking on a campaign to excommunicate the pirates, telling them to get out of town and preaching at mosques for women not to marry these un-Islamic, thieving “burcad badeed,” which in Somali translates as sea bandit. There is even a new sign at a parking lot in Garoowe, the sun-blasted capital of the semiautonomous region of Puntland, that may be the only one of its kind in the world. The thick red letters say: No pirates allowed.

Much like the violence, hunger and warlordism that has engulfed Somalia, piracy is a direct — and some Somalis say inevitable — outgrowth of a society that has languished for 18 years without a functioning central government and whose economy has been smashed by war.

But here in Garoowe, the pirates are increasingly viewed as stains on the devoutly Muslim, nomadic culture, blamed for introducing big-city evils like drugs, alcohol, street brawling and AIDS. A few weeks ago, Puntland police officers broke up a bootlegging ring and poured out 327 bottles of Ethiopian-made gin. In Somalia, alcohol is shunned. Such a voluminous stash of booze is virtually unheard of.

More interesting, perhaps, is the increasing willingness of pirates to give up the trade. This risks of the pirate life have become significant enough that some pirates are willing to go legitimate for lower pay, despite the promise of fortunes.

Still, the Puntland pirate bosses insist they are ready to call it quits, if the sheiks find jobs for their young underlings and help the pirates form a coast guard to protect Somalia’s 1,880-mile coastline from illegal fishing and dumping. These are longstanding complaints made by many Somalis, including those who don’t scamper up the sides of cargo ships, AK-47 in hand.

It is a stretch, to say the least, that the world would accept being policed by rehabilitated hijackers. But on Monday, Mr. Boyah and two dozen other infamous Puntland pirates, many driving Toyota Surfs, a light, fast sport utility vehicle that has become the pirate ride of choice, arrived at an elder’s house in Garoowe to make their case nonetheless.

These kinds of choices aren't unique to Somali pirates. Many pirates in the 17th and 18th century yearned for the ability to settle down to a liesurely life without the imminent threat of the gallows or death at sea. Few accomplished that goal, but the sway of a steady income without risk is a strong one. Perhaps the pirates in Somalia will have a better shot at accomplishing this than their predecessors.

A glimpse at contemporary pirate-hunting tactics

2009-05-06T12:13:00Z

The Sydney (Australia) Morning Herald had a fascinating column covering the recent capture of 11 pirates off the Kenyan coast by the French Navy. What makes this column different is the emphasis on the tactics of pirate hunting.

The French frigate, the Nivose, had identified the pirates well before the attack. As the Herald describes it:

But the trademark nine-metre pirate "mother-ship" escorting two small skiffs had been spotted long before by its intended prey, a French warship bristling with cannons, radar and well-trained servicemen.

The frigate Nivose, one of the ships regularly patrolling the region as part of the European Union anti-piracy mission called Atalanta, made every effort to keep the pirates thinking it was a merchant vessel.

The lieutenant commander of the Nivose, Jean-Marc Le Quilliec, dashed out of his cabin, certain the pirates spotted by a Spanish vessel the previous day were at his mercy.

At about 3pm Sydney time, the French vessel moved into the sun to keep its cover. "They're speeding right towards us," Commander Le Quilliec marvelled.

"Let's just head into the sun - and then we'll turn around to hit them head on."

When the unsuspecting pirates were close enough, the Nivose unleashed commandos on outboards and dispatched a helicopter to intercept the pirates, leaving them no chance.

"It's the exact same location as the case of the Safmarine Asia," Commander Le Quilliec said, referring to an interception his ship carried out on April 15 during an attack on a Liberia-flagged merchant vessel.

This time, the helicopter fired two warning shots to stop one of the two skiffs from fleeing. There was only one pirate left on the mother ship, which was also intercepted moments later, with nothing on board except fuel and sacks of potatoes.

And the winner of the world's worst pirate is....

2009-05-05T11:58:00Z

You've seen the videos of burglars and other criminals making stupid mistakes, like robbing a convenience store with a police cruiser in the parking lot, or making funny faces at the security comera. Now, we have the equivalent in modern pirating when pirates attacked a french frigate!

Yes, you read that correctly. The pirates thought they were raiding a merchant ship, but low and behold it was a french military ship patrolling for...pirates. According to CNN and reported at AOL News,

The French Navy said they seized 11 pirates Sunday after they apparently mistook a French military vessel for a commercial ship and made a run at it off the coast of Kenya.

Two pirate assault boats approached the Nivose "at great speed," Capt. Christophe Prazuck said, but a French helicopter intervened before the attackers had time to fire at the French navy ship.

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The helicopter fired warning shots, he said.

The pirates, who had a mother ship as well as the two assault boats, are being held for questioning on the Nivose, Prazuck said. The vessels were carrying AK-47 rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, but the pirates did not fire, he said.

So, it's even worse because they pirates were operating from a mother ship.

Still, it's good news that the European Union is stepping up to the plate and we are seeing a serious effort to combat pirating.

In the past three weeks, the Nivose has intercepted 24 suspected pirates as part of a European Union anti-piracy operation off the coast of Somalia, which has become a piracy hotspot.

Over the past year, more than 100 suspected pirates have been picked up, Prazuck said. Of that total, 27 have been released, and more than 70 taken to jail in France, handed to authorities in Somalia or taken to Kenya under an EU agreement with the government in Nairobi.

The Nivose seized three other suspected pirates Thursday morning, the French military spokesman said, but released them the next day for lack of evidence.

A photo gallery of modern piracy can be found here and here.

Does anyone know of a similar incident during the Golden Age of piracy?

Everything You Need to Know About Pirate Shipwreks

2009-05-03T00:38:00Z

We just discovered this great site on pirates called pirateshipwrecks.com. The site has a extensive pirate biographies as well as information about pirate shipwrecks and lost treasure. The site promises to add an entirely new section on pirate ships.

Private Israeli Security Guards Fend Off Pirates

2009-04-29T12:06:00Z

The news this week that private security guards drove off pirates after a nighttime attack on an Italian Ocean liner has a number of implications. It looks like private ship owners have finally seen the costs of pirating escalate to the point they have to arm themselves and take action. But, will this simply ratchet up the number of incidents and the violence of the attacks?

The fact it the defense took place on an ocean liner, carrying 1,500 passengers and crew, is particularly notable. While the Somali pirates are more interested in holding one or two human hostages for ransom, the uncertainty and terror from these attacks threatens the health of the industry. Why would anyone go on a cruise if they are believe they are increasingly likely to be attacked?\

Also, given the logistical nightmare involved with trying to track down pirates off the Somali Coast, we should expect to see an increase in private security as a relatively cheap alternative to sending flotillas of warships from dozens of countries out to track the illusive pirates.

From the Associated Press (April 26, 2009)

Saturday's exchange of fire was one of the first reported between pirates and a nonmilitary ship. International military forces have battled pirates, with US navy snipers killing three holding an American captain hostage in one of the highest-profile incidents.

Saturday's attack occurred about 200 miles (325 kilometers) north of the Seychelles, and about 500 miles (800 kilometers) east of Somalia, according to the anti-piracy flotilla headquarters of the Maritime Security Center Horn of Africa.

Pinto said the pirates fired with automatic weapons, slightly damaging the liner, and tried to put a ladder on board. But he said they were unable to climb aboard.

The commander said his security forces opened fire with pistols and the ANSA news agency said the pistols had been kept in a safe under the joint control of the commander and security chief.

Cruise line security work is a popular job for young Israelis who have recently been discharged from mandatory army service, as it is a good chance to save money and travel.

Of additional interest is the Somali pirates attacked at night with assualt rifles, but were repelled with pistols. What will happen if the pirates become even more aggressive and brazen?

Adam Smith? Meet Blackbeard

2009-04-22T23:13:00Z

Economist Peter Leeson has written an excellent new book on the economics of pirates and pirate governance: The Invisible Hook: The Hidden Economics of Pirates (Princeton University Press). The book is a must read for anyone interested in the history of pirates.

Leeson wades through original source material as well as pirate histories to draw surprising insights into the pirate life, using economic analysis to explain their tactics as well as the reasoning behind the peculiar structure of pirate articles and codes. Many with deep knowledge of pirates won't find a lot truly new in the book. Rather, it's the way Lesson connects the dots that makes this book stand out. Indeed, with citations to our own Federalist papers, Leeson does an excellent job of showing how the choices pirate communities made about their captains and on-board ship behavior foreshadowed many of the basic principles that underly the U.S. version of Constitutional government and its unique system of checks and balances on power. He also provides an excellent and crisp analysis of the calculated use of terror by pirates to achieve their objectives.

The book is eminently readable compared to most books by economists. No need to worry about math, supply and demand curves, or jargon. Leeson also keeps the pace of the book flowing through solid organization and an admirable ability to avoid straying off theme or subject. But, be forewarned. The Invisible Hook is targeted toward adults. The author is thorough and takes his subject seriously.

Professors and teachers: This would be an excellent supplemental text for courses on political economy, public choice economics, public policy, economic history, or criminal justice.

16 year old pirate brought to U.S. for trial

2009-04-21T23:00:00Z

A somali teenager is in New York City where he will be charged with piracy, according to the Associated Press. He will be the first person charge with piracy and related kidnapping charges in more than a century.

According to the Associated Press report:

A law enforcement official familiar with the case said Muse (moo-SAY') was being charged under two obscure federal laws that deal with piracy and hostage-taking. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the charges had not been announced.

The teenager was flown from Africa to a New York airport on the same day that his mother appealed to President Barack Obama for his release. She said her son was coaxed into piracy by "gangsters with money."

"I appeal to President Obama to pardon my teenager; I request him to release my son or at least allow me to see him and be with him during the trial," Adar Abdirahman Hassan said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press from her home in Galkayo town in Somalia.

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The boy's father, Abdiqadir Muse, said the pirates lied to his son, telling him they were going to get money. The family is penniless, he said.

The fact piracy charges have not been filed against someone in the U.S. is interesting, to say the least. In essence, piracy is not a significant issue in North American waters. Moreover, we have become to depend on other nations, even those that are not our allies, to wage the sea war against pirates.

That situation may have finally changed.

Jonah Goldberg: How to stop the pirates

2009-04-17T12:08:00Z

Another political columnist, Jonah Goldberg, weighs in on how to stop the pirates. "Well," he writes in a column this week, "that was simple. Shoot the pirates, problem solved." Indeed, it was a simple solution to that particular problem.

But, it may not be the end of it. As we saw yesterday, the somali pirates captured four more ships and already hold about 200 hostages.

Still, Goldberg has an interesting point, both about the international laws that end up protecting modern pirates and the broader media culture that seems to embrace them. Writing for the conservative web site townhall.com, Goldberg notes:

Why has this [arresting pirates] become so complicated? I don't mean finding and shooting pirates, which can be quite difficult, according to experts. I mean the issue of piracy, which has been around since the 13th century B.C. And it hasn't gotten any more complex.

Several answers come to mind. For starters, the culture has become more pro-pirate. Although everyone hoped for the safe return of Phillips, it was clear the media and public thought there was something charmingly exotic about all this pirate talk. Avast, mateys, and all that.

Of course, tales of Blackbeard and the like have always fascinated, but in recent years pirates have joined ninjas, mafiosos, drug dealers and even serial killers as pop-culture heroes. If we can make cannibals and psychopaths -- albeit fictional ones -- like Hannibal Lecter and Showtime's "Dexter" into sympathetic figures, it's no wonder we can take a profession historically associated with murder, rape, pillaging and torture and turn it into a Disney franchise.

Then, of course, there's the fact that the pirates today aren't flamboyantly dressed, gold-bling-sporting white guys better suited for "Project Runway," but very poor Muslim Africans from a failed state. Generations of "don't blame the victim" talk have made us sympathetic to criminals, particularly Third World ones.

Indeed, the British, who once hastened human progress by hunting and hanging pirates, are now afraid to allow the Royal Navy to even arrest them for fear that under the 1998 British Human Rights Act, the captured pirates might demand asylum in Britain. After all, you can't send pirates back to their home country, where they might be mistreated.

Goldberg is an editor at large for the conservative political magazine National Review. An archive of his articles can be founder here.

Gynne Dyer: Send the US Navy after pirates

2009-04-16T11:53:00Z

Gwynne Dyer, a political journalist who specializes in foreign affaris, devotes this week's column to the problem of pirating. In a straightforward and balanced analysis, he dismisses the claim by some we need to wait until Somalia has restored political order at home before we go after the pirates.

        Do not believe the nonsense about how it's too big an ocean area to monitor and control effectively. This is one of the tasks that great-power navies are designed to perform, and they have the right equipment to do it: satellite surveillance, maritime patrol aircraft, and warships with powerful radars and lethal weapons. Moreover, the navies are usually looking for work, since there is not that much call for their services in peacetime.

        The problem is not the reluctance or incompetence of the navies. It is the whole body of international law and human rights legislation that has emerged in recent decades, which has made the traditional remedies for piracy very hard to apply. The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, for example, requires a warship to send a boarding party led by an officer onto any suspected pirate vessel to confirm its criminal intent. Until that has been done, the warship may not open fire.

The solution is to send the navies after them, treating pirates, as they did in the 18th century and earlier, as "enemies of mankind."

        Any country could arrest pirates from any other country or countries and try them for their crimes. If they were captured in battle,
they were even liable to summary execution. And while it is not the 18th century any more, a UN Security Council resolution decreeing universal jurisdiction would certainly transform the situation.

        Suppose that such a declaration were made, and it was then announced that any non-military vessels carrying armed men within 500 kilometres (300 miles) of the Somali coast would be subject to arrest. If they did not submit when challenged, they would be sunk without further discussion. Do that a couple of times (as the Indian warship INS Tabar did last week), and the pirate threat drops away very fast.

        Has the UN got the spine to declare those rules for the Gulf of Aden and the oceans bordering East Africa? Perhaps. It has just given the Indian navy the right of "hot pursuit" of suspected pirate vessels into Somali territorial waters, but it needs to go a good deal further. This thing can be stopped, with very little loss of life, if we just change the rules of engagement.

Dyer's columns are internationally syndicated and appear in 40 different countries.

Pirates become more bold off somalia

2009-04-15T20:18:00Z

The rescue of American and French citizens from pirates appears to have sent the pirates into a bit of a frenzy. Another attack on a U.S. merchant ship (the 738 foot Liberty Sun) with small arms and rocket propelled grenades was repulsed. But what caught my eye was the attitude of the pirates. They seem truly incensed that someone might really start to fight them.

According to the Wall Street Journal (15 April 2009):

A pirate whose gang attacked the aid ship told the Associated Press Wednesday that his group was targeting American ships and sailors.

"We will seek out the Americans and if we capture them we will slaughter them," said a 25-year-old pirate based in the Somali port of Harardhere who gave only his first name, Ismail.

"We will target their ships because we know their flags. Last night, an American-flagged ship escaped us by a whisker. We have showered them with rocket-propelled grenades," said Ismail, who did not take part in the attack on the Liberty Sun.

And it's not just the U.S. The French have become active as well. After rescuing french yahtsmen from pirates, they detained 11 pirates after intercepting their 30-foot "mother ship." The captives are held on board a French frigate.

Interestingly enough, I find the scale of the vessels interesting. The pirate "mother ship" is just 30 feet long and they attack using small boats (sometimes pontoon skiffs). They are light and fast--not so much different from the boats their 18th century predecessors used. The major nations are using destroyers and frigates, not that much different from the brigs, schooners, and frigates. Of course, now the ships are much faster. The tactics don't seem to have changed that much.

Somali pirates earn big bucks in civil war torn nation

2009-04-15T13:09:00Z

Pirating in Somalia is big business. By some accounts, pirates earned $128 million in 2008 and $30 million just four months into 2009. Subsistence fisherman now rank among the wealthiest people in the nation, and the industry supports a cottage industry of hotels, restaurants, financial services, and other businesses.

According to the New York Daily News,

The heavily insured cargo vessels make easy pickings.

In small, unlit boats, the pirates sneak up to hulking ships at night, fling grappling hooks over the side and swarm aboard. They have learned that if they treat their hostages well, they can ransom the boats for millions.

Indeed, the BBC reported there are special pirate restaurants in Eyl to feed the kidnapped crews.

To the Somalis, where the average family lives on less than $1 a day, the lure of the black flag is intoxicating.

These are not the rum-drunk, eccentric, peg-leg pirates of yesteryear: The modern corsair is well-organized, disciplined and toting a satellite phone. They even have publicists to handle media calls.

Obama talks tough on Somali pirates

2009-04-14T20:57:00Z

President Barack Obama has sent a clear message that the rising tide of pirate attacks off the Somali Coast will get more attention from the White House. Talking publicly, the president said:

“I want to be very clear that we are resolved to halt the rise of piracy in that region,” Mr. Obama said. “And to achieve that goal, we’re going to have to continue to work with our partners to prevent future attacks. We have to continue to be prepared to confront them when they arise. And we have to ensure that those who commit acts of piracy are held accountable for their crimes.”

But, the task will probably be much more difficult than many suspect. The problem has as much to do with economic and political instability in Somalia than anything else. Somalia is one of the poorest countries in the world, and the pirates see their work as legitimate work. Somali pirates earned $128 million in 2008, probably the most lucrative business in the destitute nation. Without a thriving economy that generates legitimate jobs and wealth, pirating will still be rampant.

Nevertheless, Defense Secretary Robert Gates had this to say:

“All I can tell you is I am confident we will be spending a lot of time in the Situation Room over the next few weeks trying to figure out what in the world to do about this problem,” Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told students and faculty members at the Marine Corps War College in Quantico, Va., according to a military news service. While the national security team discusses the long-term challenge, the Justice Department said it was deliberating whether to try the lone surviving pirate in the United States or to turn him over to Kenya for trial. Mr. Gates said the four pirates were 17 to 19 years old, but he did not give the age of the one who surrendered to Navy sailors before the fatal shootout Sunday.

We'll stay tuned as the Obama Administration sharpens its thinking and tactics for dealing with the pirates.

Pirates seize ship in wake of US rescue

2009-04-14T12:04:00Z

In a brazen show of defiance, Somali pirates hi-jacked the merchant ship MV Irene E.M. The attack was a night attack.

Somali pirates hijacked a Greek-owned ship Tuesday in a rare night attack that showed their determination to continue striking shipping in the area's strategic waterways.

The brazen capture of the MV Irene E.M. was a clear sign the sea gangs had not been deterred by two raids in recent days by U.S. and French special forces that killed five pirates.

NATO Lieutenant Commander Alexandre Fernandes said the Portuguese warship NRP Corte-Real had received a distress call from the St. Vincent and the Grenadines-flagged bulk carrier as it travelled through the Gulf of Aden.

"There was only three minutes between the alarm and the hijack," Fernandes told Reuters aboard the warship.

"They attacked at night, which was very unusual. They were using the moonlight as it's still quite bright."

While the attack is seen as an act of defiance, the fact the pirates are moving to a night time raids and hi-jackings suggest they are more fearful of daylight attacks. So, this may in fact be a sign that the pirates are taking enforcement more seriously.

Captain rescued by US Navy

2009-04-14T11:24:00Z

We're a bit late to the game, but the riveting story of the of Captain Richard Phillips of the

The New York Times story describing the rescue can be found here.

According to the Times,

Two of the captors had poked their heads out of a rear hatch of the lifeboat, exposing themselves to clear shots, and the third could be seen through a window in the bow, pointing an automatic rifle at the captain, who was tied up inside the 18-foot lifeboat, senior Navy officials said.

It took only three remarkable shots — one each by snipers firing from a distance at dusk, using night-vision scopes, the officials said. Within minutes, rescuers slid down ropes from the Bainbridge, climbed aboard the lifeboat and found the three pirates dead. They then untied Captain Phillips, ending the contretemps at sea that had riveted much of the world’s attention. A fourth pirate had surrendered earlier.

Perhaps even more disturbing is the sense of entitlement from the pirates. Again, according to the times,

While the outcome was a triumph for America, officials in many countries plagued by pirates said it was not likely to discourage them. Pirates are holding a dozen ships with more than 200 crew members, according to the Malaysia-based International Maritime Bureau.

In Somalia itself, other pirates reacted angrily to the news that Captain Phillips had been rescued, and some said they would avenge the deaths of their colleagues by killing Americans in sea hijackings to come.

“Every country will be treated the way it treats us,” Abdullahi Lami, one of the pirates holding a Greek ship anchored in the pirate den of Gaan, a central Somali town, was quoted by The Associated Press as saying in a telephone interview. “In the future, America will be the one mourning and crying.”

We have a long way to go before the pirates will be stopped.

The Not-So Famous Pirate John Phillips

2008-01-25T18:15:00Z

David Stapleton has written a nice short biography of a minor pirate name John Phillips. Mr. Phillips' pirating career spanned from 1721 to 1724. Apparently, he was also a bit of a tyrant. This apparently led to his demise:

Going north from Tobago, the pirates took a Portugueze ship and two or three sloops; Fern again tried to quit the crew in one of these ships and was killed by Captain Phillips in accordance with the articles. On the 25th of March they took another two ships. Taking several more ships, including a sloop and schooner in early April, they made their way to Newfoundland, where they planned to take on more crew. Along the way they replaced their ship with sloop out of Cape Ann.

It was at this time that several of the crew, anxious to be done with pirating, mutinied and tossed several of the officers over the side. Taking control of the ship they changed course for Boston, where they arrived the 3rd of May. As there is no mention of John Phillips being tried with several others of the pirate crew, it can only be assumed that he died during the mutiny on April 18th, 1724.

Once again, the case of Mr. Phillips shows that pirating was a short-term profession. Few pirate careers lasted more than a couple of years, even for the most successful and notorious.

Of particular interest to history buffs will be the Articles for their pirate ship The Revenge under the command of Philllips. Mr. Stapleton has posted the ARticles here, and they are a quick interesting read.

Shimmering pirates!

2008-01-24T18:53:00Z

All sorts of gems and assorted good fortune turn up on the Internet, and one of them is a literary magazine called Shimmer. It turns out, their a recent issue is devoted to a series of short fiction stories devoted to pirates.

Ever wonder what would happen to Blackbeard when (we hope) he went to hell? Want to know more about the Mystical Order of the Buccanneers? Or how about Captain Black, the space pirate?

The magazine is worth a look; the stories look engaging and should make for a compelling read. You can purchase single print copies, an electronic version, or subscribe.

According to their editors:

Shimmer is a speculative fiction magazine . This means that your story should have a speculative element at its heart. On the other hand, we have been known to accept non-speculative stories - but realize the odds are heavily stacked against you. We do not accept fan fiction or any fiction that features trademarked characters - we want to read original work. Our favorite stories have both solid storytelling and vivid, compelling prose.

Pirates as counter-cultural rock stars?

2008-01-24T15:41:00Z

Pirate enthusiasts who are a bit academically inclined will find this post by Lynda on her blog Give Me a Moment (23 January 2008) interesting. She has a number of interesting references, as well as a few insights into the social order of pirates.

Here's a sample:

This idea of the subversive interests me in that I am considering Bakhtin’s idea of carnival and how it influences social protest and counterculture as an area of study for my doctoral degree. I am both amused and intrigued by Hobsbawm’s and Christopher Hill’s Marxists analyses of “social banditry.” I’m only amused because the idea of socialist pirates sounds so peculiar and extreme. But Hobsbawm’s explanation that pirating evolved from the transition from “peasant economies to capitalism” and reflected a “desperate response to upheaval,” posits a new take on pirates for me, and if we consider the 1960s message music movement in conjunction with the civil rights and anti-war protests, we can definitely view pirates as 17th century versions of counter-culture rock stars.

Go Lynda!

Just discovered book review blog--A to Z

2008-01-19T17:30:00Z

We just ran across this blog from college student Andie Z. She loves to read and writes reviews in her spare time. Apparently, she dabbles in seafaring books, having reviewed To Catch a Pirate and "68 knots". You can find her blog here.

Now, to get her interested in Isabella and The Pirate of Panther Bay....

Borders Books hosts author SR Staley writing workshop

2008-01-12T20:02:00Z

Author S.R. Staley will lead a workshop for aspiring writers at Borders Books at Deerfield Town Center in Mason, Ohio on Saturday, 9 February 2008. Staley's book The Pirate of Panther Bay has received rave reviews since its publication in 2006, calling it "a swashbuckling tale of piracy, action, and romance," "expertly written," and a "grand high seas adventure any teen would love; many adults as well."

Staley's workshop will give insight into the writing and publishing process, drawing on more than 15 years of experience working with book publishers and writing fiction and nonfiction.

"We all want to be best-selling authors," Staley said, "but what do you have to do to get there?"

The workshop will cover topics such as the writing process, how to go about getting your book published, and the "brave new world" of marketing using the internet and worldwide web.

Check out www.pantherbay.com for more details as the workshop approaches.