A Peg-Leg and a Parrot

To Jhonny,

I know that International Speak Like a Pirate day was last week however, I didn't realize that until to late and am thus paying homage to those 24 hours now...

Etymology: The word pirate comes from the Greek word peira, meaning "attempt" or "experience" in the context of Arrr "to find luck on the sea." (Wikipedia)

History: The history of piracy goes back to the about 150 years to the age of Vikings. While Eric the Red was discovering little non-tropical islands up in the Northern part of the globe, the Bedouin tribesmen viciously attacked their bearded enemies, stealing their meat, gold, and horned helmets before brutally slaughtering all but one of these pale-skinned men. Soon after that the Bedouin tribesmen became earned a reputation for being the most ruthless "peiras" out there, and the Vikings are known as pansies. (FYI: I just made that all up.)

Something a little more legit: The Strait of Malacca lies at the heart of trade in South Asia acting as the watery highway connecting the continent's biggest powerhouses: China and India. For centuries, this passage has been the source of livelihood for merchants, a passage for vessels, and consequently an ideal target for pirates. Not only is the Strait of Malacca filled with hundreds of barriers including estuaries and mangroves, it literally lies in the middle of the political tensions between Malaysia and Indonesia. Furthermore, statistics remark that over 70 000 merchant vessels (roughly 1/3 of the world's crude oil, and 1/5 of global sea-borne trade) passed through in the year. Coupled together this sliver of ocean is impossible to secure allowing modern-day piracy to thrive.

Source: Wikipedia

In Indonesia pirates are known as lanun (lah-noon) and often come in one of three versions:
1) gangs board vessels and rob the ship's crew
2) multi-national crime syndicates hire a group to steal entire ships
3) guerrilla groups capture seamen for ransom

These gangs of thieves no longer attack in powerful armadas but rather use little wooden boats, excellent maneuvering skills, and machetes to plunder passing ships. Long gone are the legendary tales of barbaric buccaneers whose raids yielded, "troves of gold, gems, gunpowder, opium, and slaves." Instead, be weary of small wooden boats filled with the glistening faces of a few small men emerging undetected from the unlit swampy shoreline.

(Source: National Geographic - Peter Gwin)