Piracy as financial independence

Regarding , be glad that you have some financial freedom of choice, because people in other places, like Somalia, don't have access to such things. Somalia has been home to over ten years of near continuous civil war, and it isn't likely to let up anytime soon. Industry and development have been slow in the war-torn country, and there isn't a great deal of social mobility, unless of course you happen to be one of the local warlords.

Some citizens have found a way to make themselves a good living in these times of trouble by turning to one of the worlds' oldest professions, but it isn't one you're likely to see an ad for in the paper, and there isn't a benefits package, retirement, or even much job security, but many people have turned to it at times – that is, piracy.

Yes, Virginia, pirates. Now when most people these days think pirates, they conjure up images of Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom, but that isn't what pirates in the modern world are like. Modern pirates use high speed boats, AK-47s, RPG launchers, and GPS equipment. In recent months, a Ukrainian vessel carrying military equipment and a Saudi ship carrying about 2 million barrels of oil have been captured and their cargo and crews held for ransom. This is one of the primary ways for ordinary citizens to achieve some financial independence in that area, and foreign militaries are starting to send in their navies to fight off the pirates.