So, it’s - sorry, it be - the 7th International Talk Like a Pirate Day today, if you’d some how managed to not notice yet. Once you’ve found your eye patch (what this old thing..?) and got yourself a new Pirate name (I’m now “Disembowlin’ Helga Straw” apparently.. Try saying that after a barrel of rum!) You’ll be more than ready to join in - or you could keep it simple and just ‘Arrrr!’ and ‘Ahoy me hearties!’ a bit at appropriate times…

While it could be getting a bit tedious for those of you Landlubbers who’ve been online all day, reading all the various reports/hilarious antics people are up to, etc, imagine the freedom you have if you get into the spirit of it - as Pet Rock suggests:

Feel free to call your boss a scaliwag. You know that co-worker you hate? Plunder their desk. Take what you can, give nothing back. You’ve got carte blanche on Talk Like a Pirate Day.

I’m not sure I second PR here… Depending on who you are and where you work carte blanche might not apply. But if you can’t get into the pirating spirit at work there’s always tonight and this weekend - the ITLAPD team have been hard at work this year and there are Piratey events all over the place this weekend. It’s inescapable - brands all over the place have been finding their peglegs including iphone apps and ‘pirate’ radio (har har), even GeekDad & co. got into the spirit early with Pirate Week on Wired blogs.

Also, some believe there could be a connection between the decrease in the numbers of Pirates over the past few centuries which is the real cause of global warming..

If they’re right then I think it’s our duty to dress up and take part this weekend. But, in case they got it wrong, why not also check out Sandbag a new online organisation trying to make a big difference to global emissions:

Thanks to policy makers in the UN and Europe levels of pollution are now controlled. Permits must be bought by polluters to let them keep polluting. But there is a finite number of them in circulation and the good news is anyone can buy them. So by taking a permit out of the system we can reduce the amount of pollution taking place and force industry to invest in cleaner technologies. One less permit means one less tonne of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere.

It never hurts to have a plan B, eh?  And on that note, I be off.. Arrr, hoist the Colors & have a good weekend! Aye.