THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE... - AT 5:44 P.M. ET: 

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Now that the captain and crew of the Maersk Alabama are back home, Congress wants to hear about their ordeal firsthand as lawmakers consider new ways to combat piracy on the high seas.

Outreach to Capt. Richard Phillips and his crew is just beginning, say congressional aides. But the Senate Foreign Relations and the House International Relations committees want to hear the harrowing story of the pirates' methods and operations firsthand -- and soon.

COMMENT:  We are a service-oriented site here at Urgent Agenda, and one of the services we provide is translations into English.  We therefore provide the following English translation of the above AP selection:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- With the 2010 congressional elections coming up, members of the House and Senate strove desperately today to set up photo opportunities with the captain and crew of the Maersk Alabama, recently hijacked by pirates off Somalia.

Some members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee are now carrying 3x5 cards with the name of Captain Richard Phillips, so they can remember it.  Other senators are trying to find any family links they may have with Phillips or members of his crew.

Hearings will be held about the harrowing ordeal of the seamen.  Members of Congress will be alerted to come to the hearings for the exciting parts.  They will then be allowed to sneak out during the boring moments, about foreign policy and how to solve the pirate problem.

Speaking truth to power.

April 17, 2009