With scrap metal prices going the same direction as the price of gas at the pump it's no wonder that thefts of metal have been trending up as well. Recently a disturbing trend has shown up in cities across the U.S. where manhole covers are being stolen and sold for scrap! This rash of heavy metal thefts has led some cities to begin welding the covers in place, which has unfortunately prevented the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from getting their fill of delicious pizza!

On a more serious note, the theft of manhole covers is not just only an expensive pain for cities to deal with -- replacement costs range from $200 to $500 -- but also a danger for pedestrians. In Philadelphia, where 600 covers went missing last year, two children have already fallen into the uncovered manholes. Thankfully they only suffered minor injuries. The missing covers have also done damage to many cars whose owners are asking the city to cover the damages.

With all of the problems these thefts create, and the fact that it takes quite a bit of work to replace a 200-pound manhole cover, you'd be surprised to learn that the manhole bandits only receive $10 to $15 per cover. Some of the blame for these rash of thefts lays with unscrupulous scrap metal buyers who don't understand that manhole covers emblazoned with "Property of NYC" mean exactly that!

Even if we take into account the diminished ethical capacities of someone who would steal a manhole cover weighing more than most men, the return on investment is horrible! Assuming the thieves drive to the manhole and then again to a scrap metal location, they'll easily use a gallon of gas, leaving a net profit of $6 to $11. Unless the thief is a body builder the final take will need to be split in half which leaves barely enough to order off the value menu at Taco Bell; let alone enough to buy a significant amount of drugs. With meth's prices starting at $20 for a 1/4 of gram, a team would need to steal four manholes to make a buy, and causing between $800 and $2000 in labor and materials for cities, not to mention any children or vehicles damaged due to the theft.

You saw the news. Now you can wear it.

A friend of mine forwarded me a link yesterday, and at first, I was sure I was looking at one of those fake news sites, or maybe some scam. It didn't seem possible. But there it was, right on a CNN web address. They're selling T-shirts with headlines on them, and while that doesn't necessarily sound like a bad idea, the headline I was looking at read: Crying 4-year-old found along highway.

Then below that, in small print, are the words: I just saw it on CNN. 08:56 a.m. 4.30.08

Now there's a feel-good T-shirt if I ever saw one. I'm being sarcastic, but the marketing department at CNN, I suspect, would say that it has a positive message: The crying 4-year-old boy is doing just fine. He was found in Cleveland, Ohio, roaming near a very busy freeway, looking for his lost dog when the police and local news crew found him. It's a nice enough story with a happy ending. And should you be interested, you can buy the T-shirt for $15.