Piracy offshore Somalia has been a major media story for the past couple weeks. What's the salt "angle"? It turns out that a Greek freighter carrying a cargo of salt was among the hijacked vessels, according to a December 4 report in the San Jose, CA Mercury-News .
We often describe bulk salt as "a heavy bulk commodity" and, indeed, that was the undoing of the freighter, the Centauri. The news report explains:
The Centauri sped up and began to swerve, trying to throw off the attackers. The Centauri was moving too slowly, weighed down by its cargo of salt. Within five minutes of the first sighting, two boatloads of pirates armed with rifles and rocket-propelled grenades had swarmed aboard on makeshift ladders.
The story has a happy ending: ship and crew were released unharmed ten days later.
Stories in the December issue of SI Report include the new History Channel "Salt" program, how the British Food Standards Agency set up a "straw man" to demonstrate population salt reduction when none really occured, a new study showing risks of low-salt diets....and more.
If you enjoyed the twice-issued, often-replayed History Channel "Modern Marvels" show on "Salt Mines," you'll want to tune in tonight at 8 pm for the one-hour sequel: "Salt " for which Mort Satin and I were both interviewed (No, we haven't screened it yet). With all the "holiday releases" from Hollywood, we hope this means the History Channel considers their newest creation a prime time feature. It will re-air four hours later, at midnight EST and next Saturday, December 6 at 7 pm. A great way to get the holiday spirit.
