H/T to 680News for the link.
April 1, 2012
“Off the Somali coast, everyone is looking for a big payday”
Strategy Page on recent developments in the anti-piracy campaign off the Somali coast:
To get around laws, in many ports, forbidding weapons aboard merchant ships, security companies operating off the Somali coast have equipped small ships to serve as floating arsenals. The security guards boards, in port, the merchant ships they are guarding, then meet up with the gun ship in international waters so the guards can get their weapons and ammo. The process is reversed when the merchant ships approach their destinations or leave pirate infested waters (and put the armed guards off onto the gun ship.) Maritime lawyers fret that there are no proper laws to regulate these floating armories, or that if there are applicable laws, everyone is not following them. It’s also feared that some enterprising lawyers will seek to represent the families of pirates shot by these armed guards. Off the Somali coast, everyone is looking for a big payday.
In the last three years, more and more merchant ships, despite the high expense, have hired armed guards when travelling near the “Pirate Coast” of Somalia. It began when France put detachments of troops on tuna boats operating in the Indian Ocean, and Belgium then supplied detachments of soldiers for Belgium ships that must move near the Somali coast. These armed guards are not cheap, with detachments costing up to $200,000 a week. There are now over a dozen private security companies offering such services. What makes the armed guards so attractive is the fact that no ship carrying them has ever been captured by pirates. That may eventually change, but for the moment, the pirates avoid ships carrying armed guards and seek less well-defended prey.
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GuildMag announces details of Guild Wars 2 console versions
I’m quite impressed with our crack GuildMag editorial team for being the first to break this big story:
This just in!
We have just received word from a reliable source within ArenaNet that a console version of Guild Wars 2 has been CONFIRMED!
That’s right, folks! You heard it here first! There is no confirmed release date as of yet, but it has been confirmed that Guild Wars 2 will be on the Xbox Kinect, the Wii U and the PS3 Move, and we’ve got all the details!
Unfortunately, as the controllers for the different platforms are not directly compatible, there are a few differences between the various versions:
Xbox 360 (controller)
Healing skill — To use this skill, press B repeatedly in Morse code to spell the word ‘heal’ (which is dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dash, dot, dash, dot, dot). We recommend beginning this sequence before you take damage otherwise you may not cast it in time to save yourself. If you forget the sequence and delay pressing B a second time, you will activate the ‘/wave’ emote
Xbox 360 (Kinect)
Dodge — To dodge in the computer version, you use V. To dodge in the Xbox 360 version, you simply scream as loudly as you can whilst running away from your television, preferably hiding behind a sofa for a maximum chance to dodge. The game will detect that you’re no longer present and assume you intend to dodge. We think there’s a massive bonus to this — whenever you leave the room whilst playing for whatever reason, you don’t have to worry about pausing the game for fearing of dying!
[. . .]
PS3 Move & Wii U
Dancing Dagger (thief weapon skill) — All weapon skills have been given their own unique movement action. One we particularly enjoyed was this thief skill, where the thief throws a dagger at the target. To perform this skill, the player simply throws their controller at a supplied target ring, which will bounce the controller back if it lands successfully. If not — well, let’s just say you need to improve your aim!
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Scott Feschuk: “Thomas Mulcair didn’t say much at the convention. But at least he said it fast.”
For those of you who don’t follow Canadian politics, Thomas Mulcair is the new leader of the Official Opposition, the NDP (New Democratic Party). His performance at the convention inspired Scott Feschuk:
Most New Democrats who’d be choosing the party’s next leader had voted before the convention even began. Thomas Mulcair could have used his 20 minutes of stage time before the first ballot to repeatedly punch a cat in the face — and still he would have won the leadership. As a bonus, smacking around a kitty would have earned him less hostility and criticism than he took for his speeches.
Mulcair’s performance during the candidates’ showcase began with a line of drummers snaking its way through the hall. This was meant to go on for three minutes. It went on for 10 because, hey, who doesn’t love an interminable drum solo, right? Suddenly up against the clock, Mulcair could have chosen to pare his remarks — but clearly the man didn’t want to deprive us of a single syllable of genius. And so out came the words, fast and then faster. Sweat formed along his brow and down his nose. By the end, Mulcair sounded like a guy reciting a legal disclaimer at the end of a radio commercial. No one remembered a word of it.
After the vote, the winner’s speech to the party faithful:
The first five minutes of Mulcair’s acceptance speech were devoted to thank yous. In any campaign, many are owed a debt — and public gestures of appreciation are a key currency of politics. But even here, the address had its odd moments. Mulcair gently ridiculed the labour-inspired NDP tradition of referring to one another as “brothers and sisters.” He carefully followed a written text in issuing words of thanks to his relatives. And then came this line, delivered in French but translated on TV: “To my mother — my Mom, who with her brothers and sisters is up north watching us: Hello.”
Should Mulcair fail over the course of his leadership to develop a common touch and connect with Canadians, these four words may serve as his political epitaph: “To my Mom: Hello.”
Mulcair then got to the meat of his speech. It made for tough chewing. He said things like “Young people are active in their community groups.” He said things like “Leadership comes in many forms.” Mulcair spoke with all the dynamism and charm of an economics professor, his face buried in his text. Voters of Canada, the NDP would like to introduce you to its new leader: the top of this guy’s head!
