Blog Archives
Hobby Lobby Paying For Stolen Iraqi Artifacts Is Not The Best Look
Arts-and-crafts chain Hobby Lobby has agreed to hand over thousands of illicit Iraqi artifacts and pay $3 million to settle a civil forfeiture action brought by the Department of Justice, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday.
The crafts retailer began to collect “historically significant manuscripts, antiquities and other cultural materials” around 2009, according to prosecutors.
In October 2010, a lawyer warned Hobby Lobby that “the acquisition of cultural property likely from Iraq, including cuneiform tablets and cylinder seals, carries a risk that such objects may have been looted from archaeological sites in Iraq,” the feds said.
But just a couple months later, Hobby Lobby agreed to buy over 5,500 ancient artifacts, including cuneiform tablets, clay bullae and cylinder seals, for $1.6 million — even though the purchase was “fraught with red flags.”
The packages were sent to three corporate addresses in Oklahoma City with misleading shipping labels that described them as “ceramic tiles” or “clay tiles (sample),” the feds said.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the items were from the area of modern-day Iraq and had been smuggled into the country through the United Arab Emirates and Israel. – Market Watch
Live look at Hobby Lobby’s CEO.
Not great news for all you Hobby Lobby fans out there. Turns out that authentic Iraqi tablet you bought from them was a little too authentic, and on top of it you’re probably helping fund terrorism. Ok maybe the funding terrorism argument is a little strong, but it’s well known that ISIS is looting Middle Eastern countries that they invade and selling the artifacts to fund their terror group. The most damning part of this story is that a lawyer warned Hobby Lobby 7 years ago that they were most likely buying stolen objects. Hobby Lobby’s response? Spend $1.6 million on those same objects. Why is that the response? Why didn’t they, I don’t know, not buy $1.6 million worth of stuff? This is definitely only the beginning of this story, and I won’t rest until the truth is uncovered. And when I say I won’t rest, I mean I’ll patiently wait until more dirt is uncovered and then I’ll write about it online.
-Ryan
David Bastar Got Arrested Because He Loved Delivering Baked Goods And That’s a Damn Shame
Yeast – A man stole a New York City bread truck and began delivering loaves of savory baked goods to random businesses, the bakery’s owner said Thursday.
David Bastar hopped into the Grimaldi’s Home of Bread truck on Manhattan’s Upper East Side early Monday while the real driver was making a delivery at a pizzeria, according to police.
Reportedly wearing only his underwear, Bastar then allegedly began dropping off baguettes, whole-wheat rolls and sourdough bread — but not to the bakery’s customers, said Joe Grimaldi, the owner of the baker in the Ridgewood neighborhood of Queens.
“The bread was left somewhere. Where I don’t know,” he said. “He dropped a lot of bread.”
Grimaldi said about $5,000 in bread was taken. The bakery later was able to accommodate all its customers.
“It’s a bizarre incident but nothing happened to the truck. No one was hurt. There was no damage. I got my truck back,” said Grimaldi.
Bastar, of Nanuet, was arrested later at LaGuardia Airport, where police say he wound up after tailgating a driver for several miles.
The driver became concerned about being followed and called police, said Erica Dumas, a spokeswoman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport.
Police determined that the truck had been stolen that morning.
Bastar, who was taken to a hospital for evaluation, was charged with criminal possession of stolen goods and driving without a license.
Grimaldi said a shuttle bus driver who witnessed the arrest called the bakery and said, “If you need a driver, I’ll work for you.”
Undapants! I don’t like this one bit. David Bastar obviously has a passion. Is delivering baked goods to unsuspecting customers in your underwear a weird passion? Yes, but I don’t think it’s right to deny this man his destiny. No one was hurt, there was no damage to the truck; David Bastar saw an opportunity and took it. He has probably been dreaming of this day since he was a small child. If we’re going to blame anyone here, it should be the driver. You can’t just leave your truck unattended, especially when passionate men like David Bastar are roaming the streets searching for opportunities. This feels like a win-win situation to me: David Bastar got to live out his fantasy and a lot of people got free baked goods from a guy in his underwear. The more David Bastar’s in this world, the better.
– Ryan
On the List of Bad Ideas, Robbing a Professional Axe Throwers Home Is Close to the Top
Generally speaking, breaking and entering isn’t something one should ever do.
That said, if you’re dead set on burglarizing a house, you’d be well-advised to make sure it isn’t currently owned and occupied by a professional ax thrower who goes to sleep with a tomahawk by her bed.
Robin Irvine, a pro ax thrower who lives in Hemet, Calif., taught two men that lesson the hard way early Saturday morning, when they sneaked in through her window while she was sleeping. She woke up when one of the men tried to take the watch off her wrist, and proceeded to scream, startling the men.
She then grabbed her trusty bedside tomahawk, and — wearing only her underwear and a T-shirt — chased both men out of her house. She says she could’ve easily paralyzed one of the men but chose not to, telling the Los Angeles Times it took everything she had not to throw her ax. -HuffPost
WHAT IDIOTS! Burglary 101 right here. Looks like this duo forgot to do their research, or if they did do their research they are horrible at doing research. When it comes to breaking into homes I am no expert, but I would like to think that if I ever hit rock bottom and started robbing homes, I wouldn’t do something like this. “Ok, Matt, probably shouldn’t break into this house. Robin Irvine lives there, and she would carve my ass up with a hatchet if I was to try anything funny.” And that’s it, i’d move onto the next house.
Just to make everything worse one of the guys tries to take the watch off of her wrist? Really? There is nothing else in the house you want more than her watch? That’s just greed and stubbornness right there. Unless the other guy dared him to do it. In that case you snatch that watch right off her wrist, no questions asked. Everyone knows you’re not a man if you turn down a good dare. Although you should probably remove all the hatchets from the room before you do.
Even Burt Maclin knows that.
-MattyV
If You Steal and return a 255lb Pumpkin, It’s Because You Had No Where to Put It, Not Because You’re a Nice Guy
YORK, Pa. — YORK, Pa. (AP) — A thief has returned a 255-pound pumpkin that a central Pennsylvania boy won by correctly guessing its weight — along with a note apologizing for the theft.
Nine-year-old Jaiden Newcomer of York won the pumpkin at an Oktoberfest celebration in Windsor Township. He had displayed the giant pumpkin on his family’s porch until it was stolen last week.
But the York Dispatch reports (http://bit.ly/16pZ6hd ) the pumpkin was back on the family’s porch Sunday evening after it returned from a weekend trip.
The thief also left a note saying: “I’m really sorry about taking your pumpkin, it was wrong of me, you earned the pumpkin, I didn’t think my actions through nor realize who they were affecting. Sincerest apologies.”
Amy Newcomer says her son is “very excited. He’s beside himself.” -HuffPost
I’m gonna let you in on a little secret. No one steals a 250+ pound pumpkin and gives it back, with a note, unless you had no where to hide it. I picture this scenario like the movie The Barbershop. When Anthony Anderson and his bonehead cousin steal that ATM, but they have no way of opening it or storing it so they are constantly pushing it around town.
I guess I should give the thief some credit though. If that was me with an oversized pumpkin, i’d probably just leave it somewhere. No way the oversized pumpkin pie I had floating around in my mind was worth that hassle. Even though that would be all kinds of delicious
-MattyV
PS- 250lbs? That’s rookie pumpkin weight. Check this guy at the Durham Faire. Photo Credit…YA BOY
