UMBRELLA by Heidi Larsen

EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN Aprilยง 2011

CHARLIE SHEEN

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beta iPhones put the final nail in the coffin of film photography

the law 36 of the claw Pirates set sail for smaller plunder

April§ 2011

Umbrella§Features

EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN

§ THE RULE OF THE SCHOOL Pirates set sail for smaller plunder

THE LAW OF THE CLAW

THE WHALE OF THE TALE

Pirates set sail for smaller plunder

BREAKING WITH TRADITION

Easter goes down easier with these simple secular fixes

COLORED BIRDS EGGS § SHOOTING LOCATION FOR POPULAR DISCOVERY CHANNEL REALITY PROGRAM

ORIGINAL DISNEY LOCATION § GROSS DISTRUBUTOR OF ANIMATRONIC EQUIPMENT AND PIRATES

RABIT STEW ALL NIGHT § SHOOTING LOCATION FOR POPULAR DISCOVERY CHANNEL REALITY PROGRAM

SARAH PALIN'S HOME ADDRESS § THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS PLACE FOR PIRATES. BLAM § AS THE NAME IMPLIES, A POPULAR VACATION SPOT FOR RUSSIAN PIRATES

Pirates set sail for smaller plunder

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ALAN SOMMERSVILLE§STORY

WILLIAM MCCRERY§ILLUSTRATIONS

pirate attacks are on pace to set a nine-year record in 2011, according to data from the International Chamber of Commerce, which tracks global pirate attacks. Over the past five years, the number of attempted pirate attacks around the world has nearly doubled to 445 in 2010. Pirates successfully boarded the attacked vessels in 50 percent of these attempts. It’s estimated that only 30-40 percent of attacks are reported to international agencies so these are pretty conservative figures. Currently, 750 seafarers on over 30 vessels are held hostage by pirates demanding enormous ransoms.

TUNISIA§PHOTOS

The largest problem area has been off the coast of Somalia. The country’s history of piracy extends over 20 years since the fall of its government. In an attempt to protect their waters from being overfished, Somali vigilantes began forcing fisherman in the area to pay a tax. The area Somali pirates controlled was once only along the coast of Somalia to the Gulf of Aden. Now, following a concentrated effort by naval vessels to eradicate piracy in the area, these pirates are extending their destructive efforts to one of the most important shipping areas in the world: the Arabian Sea, Red Sea and Indian Ocean. Their tactics have become more sophisticated. The revised scheme is to use previously hijacked vessels, called “motherships,” to transport people and supplies as far as 1,500 nautical miles from land, making it much more difficult for naval warships to patrol.

There is a war going on in Arctic Alaska: Pirate crustacean gangs are hijacking fishing vessels and gorging the sea’s black market with hundreds of thousands of dollars of ill-gotten seafood.

PIRA calculated the increased costs related to oil tankers in the table. Considering all factors the total cost is approximately 40 cents per barrel when transporting oil in and around this area.

During that same time period, the average ransom paid to release hostages and vessels has increased dramatically. In 2010, the average ransom for hijacked ships was $5.4 million, including a record $9.5 million paid in November for a South Korean oil tanker. This is up substantially from 2005 when the average ransom paid was about $150,000, according to oil industry analyst PIRA Energy Group.

Alan Sommerville heads for the frigid waters of Angel’s Landing to find out what’s feeding this new-found feud and why cold-water captains refuse to abandon ship.

The Law of the Claw

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ONE EARTH FUTURE ESTIMATES THE GLOBAL COST OF PIRACY ON THE ECONOMY HAS GROWN TO APPROXIMATELY $7 TO $12 BILLION A YEAR.

With Somali pirates covering a larger area, there’s an increased risk to energy tankers entering the Indian Ocean headed for key ports in Indonesia, India and China. In 2010, one-third of all pirate attacks were targeting ships carrying chemicals, crude oil and natural gas. This has increased from just 20 percent five years ago. One country bearing the brunt of Somali piracy is neighboring Kenya. The Kenyan Shippers Council (KSC) estimates that piracy increases the cost of imports by $23.8 million per month, and exports by $9.8 million per month, according to One Earth Future, a global think tank on trade.

Bringing in help

Across the continent

, Nigeria’s oil industry has been a direct target of pirates. One Earth Future calculated that

Pyracy in the Century st

MOST DANGEROUS CATCH II § SHOOTING LOCATION FOR POPULAR DISCOVERY CHANNEL REALITY PROGRAM

FRIGID CARRIBEAN § AS THE NAME IMPLIES, A POPULAR VACATION SPOT FOR RUSSIAN PIRATES

MOST DANGEROUS CATCH § SHOOTING LOCATION FOR POPULAR DISCOVERY CHANNEL REALITY PROGRAM

SARAH PALIN'S HOME ADDRESS § THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS PLACE FOR PIRATES. LOTS OF BAD DUDES FLOATING AROUND SHOOTING CANNONS

ORIGINAL DISNEY LOCATION § GROSS DISTRUBUTOR OF ANIMATRONIC EQUIPMENT AND KNOWN CONSPIRITOR OF PIRATES

“WITH THE PREVIOUS MINISTER OF DEFENSE, WE DIDN’T GET ANYWHERE”

wants the Dutch government to have clear laws on the right of self defense. Shipowners want to be able to hire private security companies (PSC), to guard vessels and its cargo. Currently, this is illegal under Dutch law. Voorhoeve and his team advise Minister Hillen to change the law, and allow armed PSC’s to operate aboard vessels that sail under the Dutch flag. Ships sailing under Portuguese and Panamese flag are already allowed to have arms on board. And according to Royal Association of Netherland’s Shipowners, more and more Dutch ships change their flag to be able to defend themselves. The defense ministry was supposed to present new policy on 15 March but postponed the decision until 1 April 2011, some suggest because the ministry wanted to see the outcome of the present seminar. Han ten Broeke, Member of Parliament for the Dutch Liberal Party suggests that all attendees speak frankly: “I have seen some of the ministers’ top aides this afternoon, whatever you suggest here might be the law next week!” Change All of a sudden, the men present at the anti-piracy seminar are quiet. A tiny middle aged woman wearing a bright blue jacket starts to speak: “With the previous minister of defense, we didn’t get anywhere” says Tineke Netelenbos, chairwomen of the Royal Association of Netherland’s Shipowners. “Now I believe that there is the political will to change Dutch policy, allowing shipowners to protect their sailors effectively.” Some navy personnel present at the seminar whisper that they can do the job in no time. “Just give us four ships, and we’ll make sure that no Dutch sailor will be harmed”, says one officer who wants to remain anonymous. Currently, navy vessels from the EU and other countries guard the busiest trade routes. But that is not enough, one nautical insurance company is setting up a private fleet of patrol vessels that would actively engage in confrontations with pirates. As the seminar comes to an end, no new solutions have been suggested during the afternoon. But Chairwoman Netelenbos emphasises that this was an important meeting attended by everybody that matters in the sector. Only one attendee suggested that ships shouldn’t sail near Somalia anymore. Netelenbos: “That is beyond reality, I can’t explain that in the port of Rotterdam!”

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TUNISIA REVOLUTION§PHOTOS

Their theme for 2011, “Piracy: Orchestrating the Response,” represents an increased awareness of the world-wide political changes required to reverse this trend. A fancy hall inside the Dutch foreign ministry is packed with important men. Tall and slim naval officers, bronzed shipowners and dark skinned representatives of East African countries. They all speak with loud voices, sometimes yelling a joke to an acquaintance on the other side of the chic foyer. But most faces have a worrisome expression, because this is a meeting about people in danger. “This discussion has been going on for three years now, what do I tell my sailors!”

says Arnold van der Heul, vice president with Jumbo Shipping attending the anti- piracy seminar. His company exploits 14 heavy duty ships, vessels that sail slowly and often cruise through the piracy plagued waters around Somalia. He wants protection for his ships but the Dutch government doesn’t allow cargo vessels to arm themselves against pirates. Van der Heul gets a long winding answer from Joris Voorhoeve, chairmen of the Advisory Council on International

Affairs. His team of researchers published an influential report on possible solutions to the piracy threat in January. And although the nautical sector is happy with the advice that Voorhoeve gives, the seamen don’t want to wait any longer. Dutch sailor will be harmed”, says one officer who wants to remain anonymous. Currently, navy vessels from the EU and guard the trade routes.

Private security

But waiting is all they can do,

since the Ministry of Defense has yet to write new policies on anti-piracy measures. Although Minister Hans Hillen announced last week that he will deploy marines on two vessels that will sail past Somalia, this is just an exception. The nautical sector

PIRA calculated the increased costs related to oil tankers in the table. Considering all factors the total cost is approximately

Pyracy in the 21st Century

PIRA calculated the increased costs related to oil tankers in the table. Considering all factors the total cost is approximately 40 cents per barrel when transporting oil in and around this area.

of piracy and other attacks. Royal Dutch Shell estimates that approximately 100,000 barrels a day (roughly 10 percent) of Nigeria’s oil production is stolen every day. To avoid the high-risk areas and protect the workers on the ships and supplies from a pirate attack, these tankers have changed their routes. They now travel farther east toward the coast of India before heading south, adding six days of travel time for a Western destination and increasing travel expenses for the shipper. Energy tankers are also employing armed security guards, paying increased insurance rates and retrofitting their vessels to lessen the chance of a pirate attack. One Earth Future estimates the global cost of piracy on the economy has grown to approximately $7 to $12 billion a year. Oil transport is specifically susceptible to piracy because about one-half of total production is moved by tankers on fixed maritime routes, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). This oil flows through chokepoints such as the Strait of Hormuz between Oman and Iran and the Strait of Malacca between Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. PIRA calculated the increased costs related to oil tankers in the table. Considering all factors—vessel diversion costs, additional bunkers, armed guards, hull insurance—the total cost is approximately 40 cents per barrel when transporting oil in and around this area. When you consider a supertanker can transport up to 2 million barrels a day, it adds up. Under PIRA’s calculations, the piracy surcharge tacks on another $800,000 to the total shipping cost. Over the past 30 years, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has successfully lowered the risk of pirate attacks in other regions around the world. With the recent escalation of piracy around Somalia, governments and worldwide organizations including the United Nations are now working in concert with the IMO to curb these attacks.

“JUST GIVE US FOUR SHIPS, AND WE’LL MAKE SURE THAT NO DUTCH SAILOR WILL BE HARMED”

The Law of the Claw

Umbrella§april

way of the beta

Easter goes down easier with these simple secular fixes

Spotify

eMusic

Pandora

Lala (RIP)

Spotify provides unlimited streaming of songs from major and independent record labels into computers and mobile phones. It has over 10 million music tracks in its database. In a blog post on the company’s website, the company’s founder and chief executive Daniel Ek said the company has welcomed its “millionth paying subscriber.” It previously said it had some 750,000 paying subscribers. Spotify customers can choose a free-of-charge advertisingbacked service or pay a subscription for a service without ads. A subscription account is also required to use Spotify on mobile devices. The company, which is headquartered in the U.K. and has research and development facilities in Stockholm, has about 10 million registered users in the U.K., Finland, France, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Spain.

eMusic caters to an older audience with the average subscriber being 39 who subscribes for at least a year. eMusic has more than 6,000,000 tracks available for download and has sold over 300,000,000 tracks. New subscribers receive 45 free downloads during their seven-day trial. As of June 2009 a basic package allows for 24 downloads, with Plus, Premium and Connoisseur subscriptions offering more downloads per month at higher prices and lower price per download. Every 30 days the download limit is reset (regardless of how many songs were downloaded). eMusic also offers “booster packs” to subscribers, which expire after 90 days rather than after a month, and are consumed when subscribers download tracks beyond their monthly allotments.

Pandora Radio is a USA only, automated music recommendation service and custodian of the Music Genome Project. Users enter a song or artist that they enjoy, and the service responds by playing selections that are musically similar. Users provide feedback on approval or disapproval of individual songs, which Pandora takes into account for future selections. While listening, users are offered the ability to buy the songs or albums at various online retailers. Over 400 different musical attributes are considered when selecting the next song. These 400 attributes are combined into larger groups called focus traits. There are 2,000 focus traits. Examples of these are rhythm syncopation, key tonality, vocal harmonies, and displayed instrumental proficiency.

Lala was an online music store created by Silicon Valley entrepreneur Bill Nguyen. The service allowed members to legally create online shareable “playlists” (formerly known as “radio stations”) of their own uploaded music which could play full length songs for other registered Lala members, purchase MP3s, stream music on a one-time basis or as inexpensively purchased “web songs,” buy new CDs from the Lala store, leave blurbs on other members’ pages, and participate in the community forums. Lala contracted with major labels and offered a large catalog of albums to stream or purchase. Their home page claimed over 8 million licensed songs available. Apple Inc. acquired Lala on December 4, 2009. On April 30, 2010, Lala announced it would be shutting down its service on May 31, 2010. Lala shut down as scheduled on May 31, 2010.