Surviving Piracy

I found a great bbro-shure the other day put out by European Union Naval Force. It explains how to survive being taken hostage by Somali pirates. For some reason, I thought that Anna would appreciate this information a lot. Here are some great tips I learned:

1. Reassure the pirates that you won't be a cause of concern for them.
2. Develop a physical exercise program to relieve stress.
3. Negotiate the best possible living conditions on-board for yourself and your crew mates. (I don't know...this seems like a bad idea to me. I figure I will let the guy with the shoulder mounted missile launcher get to pick which bunk he gets to sleep in.)
4. Accept the fact that you will be a hostage for 6 to 12 weeks.
5. Perhaps my favorite tidbit of advice: if the pirates offer you a drug called "khat," don't take it. You will get addicted and experience cravings and tension that might cause "undue violence from your captors."

So there you go. Read through the entire bbro-shure HERE.

And practice saying "I'm not afraid of you" in the mirror at least twice a day.