Blackbeard, Long John Silver, Jack Sparrow: all big names in pirate lore. However, in recent years, a new type of pirate has emerged.

Somali pirates may not have wooden ships, flintlock pistols or razor-sharp cutlasses, but they are just as cunning and deadly when it comes to hijacking ships and stealing goods. In the lawless land of Somalia, piracy is a much sought after career.

Off the coast of Somalia, five men cruise along the sea, packed into a small motorboat, armed with AK-47’s. The prize is in sight as they near the starboard bow of an unsuspecting Russian trade ship. These men will hijack the ship, restrain the crew, and hold the vessel and its goods for ransom. This is not a high seas adventure reminiscent of “Pirates of the Caribbean,” it’s a way of life ...

Imagine you are a 10-year-old boy anticipating a day like any other when suddenly your village is raided by men riding on horses and camels, carrying machine guns. They ransack your home and drag your mother out by her hair, then beat and rape her. Moments later, planes fly overhead and bomb your village while unarmed people flee. Your three brothers and father perish in a blast that destroys your home.

Now you have no home, no food, no money, and no clothes but the ones you’re wearing. You just became a refugee and your only choice is to cross the border into Chad, a poor country neighboring Darfur, to find a refugee camp.

Children like Ibrahim Yousef from Kornol live this nightmare every day. He and his mother are just two of thousands that have become victims of the violence in Darfur, Africa, a region in western Sudan about the size of Texas ...

When Tiffany Lyons [not her real name] started dating, her intentions were to enjoy her youth and ride the wave of life which seems to sweep all teenagers up in the moment. At that time, Lyons met a drug dealer who infatuated her in many ways, she said.

“The DL Chronicles,” is a televison series that focused on the hidden lives of gay black men. (Photo provided by flickr.com) “I was a kid, and I cared about him, but it was just a time in my life I want to leave in the past,” Lyons said.

After two years, the relationship ended and shortly thereafter Lyons was diagnosed with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

“I was confused because there was nothing about him that showed signs that he was having sex with a man,” Lyons said. “I don’t even know when it would have taken place. I was with him every day and if it wasn’t every day then it was every other day.” ...

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also known as the stimulus package, attacks many of America’s current economic sore spots and aims to alleviate taxes, create jobs and save the health and education sectors from severe cut backs as a result of state deficits.

“In a time of great economic distress, when consumer fear reigns and consumer spending collapses, the big agent that can provide this capital spending is the government,” said DCCC’s Assistant Professor of History Anthony Makowski, who also has a bachelor’s degree in Economics.

Many Republicans, however, and some Democrats, have stated that the bill includes unnecessary government regulations and excessive spending that will put the country in greater debt...