Still Growing

In "'Scrap Yards Are the New Pawn Shops,'" "Barely Afloat," and "Thieves Expand Their Horizons," I noted the long and growing list of atypical items that thieves -- many of whom are likely acting out of desperation -- have targeted, including transformers, storm drain covers, railroad tracks, air conditioners, meat, cemetary mementos, church collection plates and crosses, newpapers, utility poles, hot air balloons, and embalming fluid. Time's Moneyland blog points us to a few more in "5 Weird Things People Are Stealing While the Economy’s in Bad Shape":

Hogs

Swine swindling! The fact that pork prices have soared to all-time highs must have helped enticed thieves to steal about 1,000 pigs from farms in Minnesota and Iowa. In one of the heists, 594 hogs, worth more than $100,000 disappeared. Apparently, the hog rustlers knew exactly which pigs to take: The stolen pigs were just the right size to sell at market, and the scale and planning involved show that this was a carefully planned operation. “You couldn’t just walk into a barn and take 150 pigs out in 10 minutes,” one farmer said. “It would take 30 to 45 minutes, at least, if you had a few people working the hogs.”

Human Hair

In a series of incidents in Atlanta, Chicago, and other cities, teams of thieves have broken into salons and beauty supply stores specifically to steal human hair, which is often imported from Malaysia and India, and is used for trendy weaves, wigs, and extensions. The criminals have resorted to smash-and-grab thefts, and even ramming trucks into storefronts in order to complete their hair heists. How much could the hair really be worth? In one instance, thieves made off with $70K to $90K worth of hair—which explains why they didn’t bother touching the cash register at all.

Any others to add to the list?

Comments

[Ed]

Ah, in Holland some thugs stole a Rodin from its base (in Laren at the Singer museum) and cut it up in order to sell a 1,5 milion dollar statue for scrap bronze (about a 1000's worth of it). And that is not an incident. No public art is safe anymore.

[Some thieves steal to survive but others to thrive]

In new bombshell story, "Bloomberg Markets" reveals that Koch Industries sold petrochemical equipment to Iran and paid bribes in six countries

This is Pulitzer-Prize territory. This article is destined to make large waves, not just because of the particular revelations, but also because of the highly impressive and almost surprising depth of reporting. It is obvious that no expense was spared for this article. Next to Jane Mayer's ground breaking piece about the Koch Brothers in the New Yorker, this article by Bloomberg Markets Magazine undoubtedly represents another PR-disaster for the Koch Brothers, and could also have severe consequences.

Bloomberg Markets Magazine reveals in this article for example that:

http://politicalgates.blogspot.com/2011/10/in-new-bombshell-story-bloomberg.html

[Desperate times for many people....and the numbers grow]

The Long Arm of Debt Stretches into Condo Fees, Car Repos

Hedge funds, private-equity firms and other investors looking for new ways to bet on the battered housing market are hungry for securities created by bundling hundreds of deficiency judgments at a time, say distressed-debt brokers.

But deficiency judgments aren’t just for soured mortgages.

Lawsuits are also piling up against borrowers who still owe money to the bank after their car is repossessed, according to lawyers for people sued by lenders. In addition, homeowners living in condominium complexes battered by foreclosures are going after unpaid condo-association fees.

Residents of Palm Bay Yacht Club, a Miami condo development, started volunteering in April to monitor surveillance cameras to spot neighbors who owe money, says 82-year-old Irv Levenson, a board member and longtime resident whose property values have fallen because of foreclosures at Palm Bay.

Then the spies summon a process server and bang “repeatedly on the deadbeat bum’s door” until they can deliver the lawsuit, Mr. Levenson says.

http://blogs.wsj.com/deals/2011/10/02/the-long-arm-of-debt-stretches-into-condo-fees-car-repos/

[sharonsj]

Several years ago, I thought the new industry would be second-hand stores, since nobody had much money to buy anything new. But it's turning out that even those kinds of stores lack buyers. I also spoke to people who vend at flea markets and they told me browsers only look for the cheapest bargains, taking time to think about spending 50 cents. No wonder the next step down is stealing. I've already had one tenant who stole the copper heating pipes in his apartment.

[This would help stop the stealing....across the board debt discharge through bankruptcy]

Consumer Debt

There's no need for a "grand haircut" - there's just a need for the government to quit allowing the lies to continue onward in the balance sheets of pension funds, banks and others.

You know, the "Kanjorski scam"? Yeah, that.

Reverse that and it's over.

Yes, we have to close banks if we do that. We have to admit the truth. We have to admit that pension funds who claimed 8% "growth" over long periods of time were pushing a pyramid scheme that was impossible to maintain and thus those "benefits" will not be paid.

We have to admit that the claims made to retirees and soon-to-be-retirees as a sop to allow our "2% inflation" were also lies, and that we thus must stop institutionalized inflation.

We have to admit that trees to do not grow to the sky and that the fundamental nature of exponents is that as long as debt grows faster than the economy you are in fact engaged in a pyramid scheme that must, mathematically, fail.

And we must demand that those so-called "economists", central bankers and media personalities who pushed this meme for the last 30 years come on-air, in person, and apologize for running this scam and the damage it has done to our economy.

Protect nobody except one group: Bank depositors under the FDIC limit.

Everyone else? You made your bets, you loaned money to people when you bought their bonds, and you should face the consequences.
The solution to this problem is simple, it is elegant, and it is mightily-resisted by the monied class, because they believe they're entitled to be protected from their own stupidity.
http://market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=195296

[Ugg Outlet]

Do you really have to? The study tentatively recommends that the life-saving kits be issued to “some first responders, health care providers, and other workers that support critical infrastructure, as well as their families.” Apparently medical workers aren’t too stupid to live, according to the Institute of, uh, Medicine. And neither are government workers – those postal workers, the cops that will have to accompany them, and anybody else in government who’s smart enough to call himself a first responder (want to bet that includes the Governor?).

[rjs]

Bold thieves steal bridge in North Beaver - As the value of scrap metal — including copper and steel — increases, thieves have been becoming more daring and less respectful of institutions such as churches and schools. But one group of thieves might have set the standard last week by stealing a 50-foot-long bridge. The bridge was made out of corrugated steel and valued at approximately $100,000. Police said the thief or thieves used a cutting torch to dismantle the bridge where it sat.

http://www.ellwoodcityledger.com/news/local_news/bold-thieves-steal-bridge-in-north-beaver/article_4a5ae43e-20df-5b6f-a732-9b33716e2b3b.html

[men wrist watches]

In a new trial led by Oxford University, a man was injected ten billion copies of the missing gene injected into his left eye on Monday. Jonathan Wyatt suffers from a hereditary condition that makes most people blind after they are 40. It is called by a missing gene and results in sight deteriorating from childhood.