Ninjas vs. Pirates!

There has long been a internet debate over which is cooler, ninjas or pirates. Obviously, I find pirates to be the winner. Others disagree. At any rate, this debate has entered the real world! Well, sorta kinda.

The Japanese Navy has sent two destroyers to the coastal region of Somalia in order to combat the ongoing pirate attacks on shipping. So far, the international efforts (The U.S., France, Russia, and some other navies are all there) seem to be working, as attacks dropped from 37 in November to 8 in February. You can read more about this action here.

In other pirate news, the pirates are batting .500 in other places around the world. A Greek owned cargo ship was seized in the Gulf of Aden. Last month a similar vessel was taken as a prize in the same area. Meanwhile, the Turkish navy was victorious in a skirmish with pirates off the coast of Yemen. Here's the article. They also rescued a Vietnamese cargo ship that was attacked on the 14th.

So the battle goes on.

In other, more enjoyable, pirate news, One Ring has agreed to go with me to the ultimate in geeky excitement! The dates for the Tennessee Renaissance Festival have been posted, and May 16-17 is the "Pirate Invasion." Woohoo!

My day is very irritating at the moment, so I need something to look forward to. That and our trip to Virginia next week are really what's keeping me going at this point.