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Thought this was pretty interesting. A group of robbers dressed as police officers snuck onto an airport tarmac in Brussels and stole $50m worth of diamonds. The way they did the whole thing reads like a plot to the next installement of the Ocean's series.
http://gma.yahoo.com/diamond-heist-nets-50m-worth-gems-155135405--abc-ne...
Sounds like it's out of a movie, however Ocean's Eleven was more crafty. These guys had sub-machine guns. I'd liken that more to the Joker in The Dark Knight.
When I read this I was thinking more Bond or Dark Knight than Ocean's. Interesting story either way.
It also sounds like the Lufthansa heist from the movie Goodfellas...which was based on a true story.
"What about security?"
"Ha. You're lookin' at him."
This is what I thought of too. The book version, Wiseguy, is really good too.
Wait aren't sub machine guns illegal there? OMG how did this happen? You mean people didn't obey letters on a piece of paper. Get outta here. I like you man but your crazy.
This doesn't shock me at all being a pilot I get to see full hand how bad airport security is. Other countries make it like a prison with high giant walls armed guards etc. Countries like the US and Europe it's so easy to breach an exterior wall because its a chain link fence or just breach TSA or whatever the security is.
No politics.
I wonder how much value stolen diamonds retain? 50%?
Whatever it is its money they didn't have before.
So I should ask my fence for 25 million?
Impressive heist, but how are you going to unload $50,000,000 worth of diamonds without attracting the attention of the authorities? Unless, of course, the purpose behind stealing them was to install them into a huge satellite laser that will allow some Bond-esque villain to hold the world's nations hostage.
And..the villain will detail his plan to Bond while Bond sits in cuffs and gags, seemingly helpless, about to be eaten by the villain's rabid spider monkeys.
Oh c'mon, now you're just being ridiculous....
Scott Evil: Wait, aren't you even going to watch them? They could get away!
Dr. Evil: No no no, I'm going to leave them alone and not actually witness them dying, I'm just gonna assume it all went to plan. What?
Scott Evil: I have a gun, in my room, you give me five seconds, I'll get it, I'll come back down here, BOOM, I'll blow their brains out!
Dr. Evil: Scott, you just don't get it, do ya? You don't.
There is an old SNL skit where a bunch of Bond villians are all on a talk show and one of them has written a book called "Just Shoot Him." (Myers might have been in the skit.)
They use the diamonds to buy some sharks with lasers on their heads.
so they were forced to utilize mutated sea bass. On the upside, they were ill tempered
If the thieves didn't plan for how to unload the diamonds before going through all the trouble to steal them..... then the authorities need to look in East Lansing for the "mastermind".
Could be a long term strategy. Divide them up, a few million a piece. Everybody goes their separate ways and sells them one or two at a time to jewlelers and pawn dealers in random towns. Never going to be sitting in the lap of luxury, but never work again or hurt for money either. And you can live 100% off the grid. Cash.
You seem like you've thought this through. In a completely unrelated matter, I may have a business deal to discuss with you. We will need a fleet of mini coopers and a team of savants with highly specialized skill sets.
Who has two thumbs and $50 million dollars? This guy...
Suck it, bitches. See you on the other side.
Diamonds aren't really worth shit. Their perceived value is mostly a marketing ploy by the diamond cartel to make every little girl believe that a diamond is the ultimate sign of love (or some such BS like that). Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if DeBeers didn't organise the entire heist themselves as a stunt to keep the hoi polloi believing that diamonds are super-valuable.
A gold heist, on the other hand, would be a far more interesting story.
Congratulations, you are now #1 on the Illuminati's Most Wanted list.
...but certainly the gentlemen behind the unveiling of the north sea scrolls are number one on the Iluminati's hit list.
who had to google hoi polloi?
For the folks who are as western and underlearned as me: it is Greek for "the majority."
Context clues confirm the hypothesis and result.
Thanks. Hoi polloi was in Sunday's News & Observer crossword and I had no idea what it was. I'm going to fill that in as soon as I get home.
Go to YouTube and search "Hoi Polloi." The result will be much more entertaining.
Historians and academics love to use obscure or lightly-used words.
Actually, diamonds don't really depreciate in value. You're talking about the over-inflated retail price, which is kept artificially high by DeBeers' monopoly on gems mined in South Africa. Prices have come down quite a bit since Russian diamonds started flooding the market, but they tend to be on the lower end (smaller size, less clarity). Since there are objective criteria in measuring the value of a stone, the prices set according to them remain fairly constant. $50M retail probably translates to about $5-10M wholesale value, which probably gets watered down further, depending on avenues of resale.
Another advantage of stealing diamonds over gold is easy concealment and storage. $50M worth of gold weighs almost a ton.
You really know your diamonds. I guess you are the Waldorf Wolverine. Do you have a monocle and a top hat? Are you smoking a cigar with John Jacob Astor? I hope so.
Because that would mean he is a ghost.
That Heiko stole those diamonds to continue to try and woooo Al Borges
In most instances I celebrate earned wealth and extravagance and the fact that we have a 1% or whatever. I am happy for them and admire those especially who have earned a fortune through their wits and hard work. However, the whole diamond trade is dirty and driven by stupid greed and vanity. The value is all perception except of course in industrial applications. And although these thieves are criminals I cheer their chutzpah and care not one bit for those who were robbed.
Who you think you kidnapped, Kelsey Clinton?
