"They will hear all of us soon."

Here's a story that will please your ear: When I first heard about the attempted terrorist attack on the cruise ship "Seabourn Spirit" off the coast of Somalia, I was told the ship was able to flee because its captain simply hit the accelerator. Another aspect of the truth that is now emerging is way more spectacular: When the "pirates" fired RPGs and machine guns (!), the ship's crew reacted - with a SONIC WEAPON! That cool gadget is called a Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) and according to AP was originally developed for the U.S. military after the 2000 attack on the USS Cole off Yemen as a way to keep operators of small boats from approaching U.S. warships:

The military version is a 45-pound, dish-shaped device that can direct a high-pitched, piercing tone with a tight beam. Neither the LRAD's operators or others in the immediate area are affected.

American Technology, based in San Diego, compares its shrill tone to that of smoke detectors, only much louder. It can be as loud as about 150 decibels, while smoke alarms are about 80 to 90 decibels.

That story somehow reminds me of my favorite cartoon: