Vanessa Romo

The high price of gold and other precious metals is encouraging a new breed of gold diggers — traveling estate buyers who temporarily set up shop in hotels. They offer to pay cash on the spot for gold, diamonds, old Rolexes and collectibles.

Walking into one such event at a hotel, it all seems very professional: A fancy conference room with a 20-foot conference table, with soothing bossa nova music playing overhead.

This spring and summer, scantily-clad women, and some men, are taking to the streets in what are called "SlutWalks." They say they're protesting a culture in which the victim of a sexual assault is blamed, rather than the perpetrator.

Hundreds of women in skimpy outfits — plunging necklines and the shortest of shorts — disregarded the overcast 60 degree weather and marched down the streets of Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood last weekend.

Protester Monica Thomas explained why she came out for the walk.