Apr
19
¡Piratas!
Podcast: Download
Piracy on the high seas has been all over the news this month. What had been simmering on the U.S. news media back burner last year finally boiled over earlier this month when a group of Somalian pirates hijacked an American cargo ship and then demanded a $2 million ransom for the ship’s captain. For a few days there the tension and anxiety were extremely high as everyone wondered who would blink first: Pres. Obama or a group of Somalian teenagers wielding assault rifles. Fortunately, for the U.S., it ended like a Hollywood action movie, but the ordeal continues for numerous other hostages being held for ransom on other ships. Who’s going to rescue them?
I first heard of the growing problem of Somalian piracy last fall. My initial reaction was to make a dumb wisecrack about Johnny Depp and the Pirates of the Caribbean movies but these Somalian pirates are no joke.
This week’s podcast is about the piracy problem. We recorded the episode before the news broke about the American cargo ship and the rescue of its captain, so you won’t hear any mention of that news story in this podcast. But there are still plenty of interesting stats and historical context provided which explain what forces created the Somalian pirates and why they do what they do.
¡Piratas! transcript: Spanish text with English translation of key words and phrases used in the conversation. $2.50 Click on “Buy Now” button to purchase and download.
Photo of pirate by Giorgio Fochesato, used under license from iStockPhoto.com
April 24th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
Hola amigos,
to add some context to the piracy problem, here is the “You are being lied to bbout Pirates” article by Johann Hari, that gives some interesting background history of the cause effects – true that these Somalian pirates are no joke, but this is largely because they’ve been left with no choice. The Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/johann-hari/you-are-being-lied-to-abo_b_155147.html
and same article on ZNet:
http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/21157
Enjoy! I’ll enjoy your podcast!
Thomas
April 24th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
Thanks for the links, Thomas. And yes, we mention the dumping and pollution problem caused by European and Asian companies off the coast of Somalia.
May 5th, 2009 at 4:20 am
Still no transcript! I wish it were here!
May 6th, 2009 at 10:51 am
Hi Grog,
Tried to send you a complimentary copy of the transcript but the email address you provided does not exist.
Transcript is now available for purchase. See body of the blog entry for the “Buy Now” button.
Sorry for the delay in getting this transcript up on the site.