On 21 May 2004 15:58:08 -0700, (Rusty B)
wrote:

$5M Moon Rock Stolen From Malta Museum

$5M Moon Rock Stolen From Malta Museum

POSTED: 10:49 am EDT May 21, 2004

VALLETTA, Malta -- A tiny moon rock believed to be worth about $5
million was stolen from a museum in Malta, 30 years after President
Richard Nixon donated it to the Mediterranean island nation.

The theft from the Museum of Natural History in Mdina was discovered
Tuesday during a routine check, officials said. A protective cover of
plastic had been forced open to take the rock, which was the size of a
raisin.


snip

I used to be a regular visitor to Malta, and have stood in front of
that very rock. When I last saw it, about ten years ago, it was under
a plexiglass case on a plinth in a corridor.

I looked at it. It looked at me. There was nobody about (there never
seemed to be anyone in the museum whenever I visited). I considered
how easy it would be to steal it - and came to the conclusion that it
would be spectacularly simple. If I wanted to actually *plan* to steal
it, then it would be very easy to make a small fake to leave in its
place; I doubted that anyone would notice for a very long time.

Of course, I left it alone - much as I'd love a piece of moon rock, I
didn't fancy one I couldn't tell anyone about, or sell, and which
could land me in a lot of trouble. But were I to have a good reason to
steal a bit, I couldn't think of a better target.

R