Can I have 35? 20? 8? Please?

In a scene out of a bad Hollywood movie, the Somali pirates who have commandeered a shipping vessel loaded with tanks and weapons have again lowered their asking price. The original "fine", which is Somali for "ransom", was $35 million dollars. Not a bad price for a ship, its crew, and its cargo. However, with no takers, the demand was reduced to $20 million. As American, Russian, and possibly other warships closed around it, the Somali pirates threatened to fight to the last man, feasted, shot each other, and after apparently tiring of other onboard amusements, have now lowered their asking price to a mere $8 million for the vessel and its contents. Since delivery isn't guaranteed there still aren't any takers, and if it weren't for innocent hostages aboard it's likely the whole thing would be settled with a couple of salvos to the waterline. Which might be a shame as Brant has expressed an interest in my suggestion to use something from one of the tanks as a hood ornament.

Piracy ain't what it used to be these days.

Cue Jimmy Buffet:

Yes I am a pirate,
200 years too late.
The cannons don't thunder,
There's nothing to plunder,
I'm an over-40 victim of fate...

By: LongBlade