It has been revealed that the Somali Pirates operate a world wide information gleaning network. In particular they look for illegal cargo, such as the 33 tanks being carried on the MV Faina, hijacked a few months back.

A  Somalia expert at Purdue University in Indiana, Michael Weinstein says “The huge Somali world wide diaspora (200,000 living in Canada alone), have taken to piracy as they would to any other business enterprise. Just as you would buy shares in any syndicate, you get a cut of the ransom dollars, when you buy in.”

The world piracy capital, Eyl, an outback, run down fishing village in Somali, where numerous hijacked ships are docked, receives only a small portion of the millions being paid in ransom.

Suleyman, one of the pirates  said, “We have negotiators, translators and agents in many areas of the world.” Acting as money changers and agents for the pirates, they earn a percentage of the ransom payments. Many are Somali expatriates.

They have agencies in Mombasa, Piraeus, Naples, and Rotterdam.  Information is received through spies working at shipping and marine insurance firms in the Gulf, East African and European ports. Anywhere the merchant vessels heading for the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean dock.  The pirates are briefed on the number of security guards and weapons available on board the vessel, a well as the cargo.

Though the pirate leaders are known by sight and by name, rather than exposing themselves and their exact location, they use their proxies to negotiate the ransom and terms for releasing hijacked vessels. These front men also are the buyers of the latest in navigation equipment, GPS, speed boats, communications gear, food, fuel and any other supplies needed by the pirate community.

As Somalia is a bank-failed state, only cash and an informal transfer network, called ‘hawala’ is used. In ‘hawala’ an operator receives the money at one end and then instructs a relative, friend or another agent to hand a like amount to someone else. This has created a paperless system, based merely on trust and oral agreements.

More and more however, the pirates are opting for cash settlements, in an attempt to bypass government surveillance. They warn strongly against anyone using false money on them. Early in the year the pirates asked for money delivered to the Gulf. Strangely, no one would volunteer to carry it.

The ultimatum for the ransom payment of $25 million for the MV Sirus Star, the Dubai owned oil tanker, taken on Nov 18th, carrying $100 million in crude oil, is drawing to a close. “We do expect a favourable reply,” said the leader of the group Mohammed Said.

Armed private-security agencies from Dubai see this as a once in a lifetime Blue Moon Opportunity to make a score. They are now offering their highly paid services to protect vulnerable shipping. However in a recent brazen attack on a Liberia-flagged oil and chemical tanker, three men jumped overboard and were fished out of the water by a German helicopter. They were former British soldiers providing security for the MV Buscagalia.

Crew aboard the MV Faina line the ships rails. Somali Pirates surround them.

To learn more about a genuine, once in a lifetime  Blue Moon Opportunity that may change your life take a quick visit to Win A Resort.

The privately maintained garden at Seachange Lodge, in the tropical islands of Vanuatu, just two and a half hours flight time from Brisbane, is awash with orchids at the moment.

As you enter the gates you are confronted with the sight of exotic mauve orchids growing over three metres in height. Follow the path past the Garden Cottage and deep purple ground orchids flank the walkway.

Continue on down towards the swimming pool and you are once more confronted with  a mass of two to three metre high flaming orange orchids.

Walk down on through a tropical garden area and more sprays of mauve and white orchids hang high over your head.

Ask the owners Rick and Wendy what their secret is and with a grin Rick will answer, “We just happen to be fortunate enough to live on a tropical island in the South Pacific.”

When Rick and Wendy purchased the property in 2002, it was a run down private home. Today it is a thriving boutique holiday accommodation business.

“The orginal owner must have been a keen gardener, judging by all the wonderful fruit trees all over the property and the well placed retaining walls. By the time we took over, there were no gardens at all,” explains Wendy. “It has taken four years to see the gardens come to maturity.”

Today exotic tropical plants greet you at every turn, from high on the road right down to the lagoon edge.  An acre of landscaped land surrounds the lodges, tucking each one away behind walls of natural greenery to maintain privacy.

“Wendy used to trawl the markets every Saturday looking for plants. I would have trouble finding her in the car when she finally came home,” Rick laughed. “She would then spend the rest of the day planting. I have seen her shift a plant up to five times before it found a home that was suitable. Now the head gardener takes over the maintenance of the gardens and does a really great job.”

Even if you are not staying at Seachange Lodge, as there are only six self-contained units, it is well worth a visit, just to walk through the gardens. It could also be your Blue Moon Opportunity to get set free.

If you would like to know how you could retire to a tropical island take a few minutes to visit Win A Resort

The silly season of Christmas is just around the corner. You are all asking where has the year gone to and what kind of Christmas is it going to be? There is no doubt it will be a much quieter Christmas than we are used to. The experts say unemployment is looking to head to the 10% level, with the largest financial hub in the world in total crisis. Established banks are going broke. Wall Street is as shaky as pile of half set jello. Even when the government bails Wall Street out, someone has to pay the bill, (like you the tax payer). Interest rates will go up. More and more homes will be repossessed, with people out of jobs. The future looks all doom and gloom.

The key to survival in these times of financial crisis is to take stock of exactly where you are at and DON ‘T PANIC! It you never bought any more clothes, replaced the car or didn’t buy expensive presents, you would still be fine. Like Wall Street being cut back, it is a matter of simply going back to basics. There was a time not so long ago when Christmas presents were hand made. Gifts were simply what you could do yourself, instead of buying ready-mades. You might be surprised with what great gift ideas you could come up with.

We have come to rely on a consumer society instead of making do with last year’s model. ‘It’s more expensive to repair than it is to replace’, kind of mentality. Me thinks that is all about to change. Convince the teenagers they won’t die if they don’t have the latest outfit, or pair of fad shoes. Stop listening to the advertisers. Their job is simply to sell you.

We found a way to escape the RAT RACE and moved to a tropical island paradise in Vanuatu, in the South Pacific. A place where you have room to move. Room to invest. Room to breathe. We live in the Happiest Country on earth and love it. Life here is down to the basics, particularly when you take a look at the locals. They live with only the simplest of possessions. Family relationships mean far more to them than possessions. Maybe we all need to take a leaf from their way of life.

You can survive the world financial crisis, so long as you keep your cool and pull your belt in a little. Take time out this Christmas to enjoy relationships more than gifts. It can be a good Christmas. It’s up to you.

You can  find  out more information about the author and a genuine Blue Moon Opportunity  at http://winaresort.com

Killer Lion King is on the prowl in the tiny tropical island South Pacific nation of Vanuatu.

Killer Lion King finds his first victim  (’ No, Please! I will do anything you want.‘)   Too late! He’s dead! He died of fright.

Urgent Notice:

Anyone sighting the Killer Lion King please contact Rick or Wendy at Seachange Lodge, Port Vila, Vanuatu. The Victim is our guard dog, ‘Police’. So beware for those unexpected callers to Seachange Lodge, there may be a Killer Lion King lurking in the bushes. Maybe you know his name.

Our gardener has just informed us of a rumour, that the Killer Lion King is about to attack the wild geese in the orchid garden. We will keep you updated as this blood thirsty saga unfolds.

Perhaps you could help us by suggesting some names for our Killer Lion. I kind of like Leon. what do you think?

You can find  out more about the author and a genuine Blue Moon Opportunity take a few minutes and go to http://winaresort.com

It seems Killer Rabbits keep surfacing, even in the tropical island nation of Vanuatu, in the South Pacific.

The original ‘Killer Rabbit’ was a fictional beast created for the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail. This was followed the President Carter’s incident when the Killer Rabbit decided to take a swim.

In Monty Python and the Holy Grail , Bors, one of knights of King Arthur’s round table, boldly approached the innocent looking Guardian Beast, known as the White Rabbit. Bor’s head is chopped off by the White Rabbit, to the sound of a tin opener at work. The knights then attacked in force, only to be driven off by the ‘Killer White Rabbit’.

The Killer Rabbit made its next appearance in a musical, Spamalot, inspired by the Monty Python movie, which in turn was inspired by Shakespeare’s, Hamelot. Since then there have been many Killer Rabbit products: ‘Killer Rabbit slippers’, ‘Killer Rabbit dolls’, ‘Killer Rabbit Tshirts’, even a Jimmy Carter Killer Rabbit attack.

President Jimmy Carter, on a break from the pressures of office, was fishing in a pond in a canoe, when he saw a desperate looking rabbit swimming straight for him. “It’s nostrils flared, hissing menacingly, with its teeth flashing, it was frantically struggling to reach a safe haven,” was the report from one eye witness. No doubt it brought back many memories to the President, of tales told in his childhood, of killer rabbits in the swamps. The President’s Secret Service men were caught flatfooted.

As he was without a weapon of any kind,  the President  was forced to use the oar against the monster rabbit, in an attempt to defend himself. Fortunately for (we are not sure who), the rabbit decided to turn tail swim for the shore line. It was thought, a photo taken of the incident by a White House photographer, suffered the fate of all ‘Killer Rabbit‘ photos. Flushed down the Presidential toilet, never to see the light of day again (until now).

Then Dean Hunt’s killer rabbit surfaced and ran riot on the social network, hitting the front page of DIGG.
Rumour has it that Dean’s Killer Rabbit has a Killer Rabbit mate who has immigrated to Vanuatu, a tiny tropical island nation, that is the travel adventure destination of the South Pacific. It has been reported that Dean’s Killer Rabbit may be holding a secret tryst with MKR-Vu (Ms Killer Rabbit, Vanuatu) later this year, at Resort, Vanuatu. Stay tuned as we bring you more in the ‘Killer Rabbit’ series.

You can find  out more about the author at http://winaresort.com