Word: brigand
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...principal cause of the stealing is the booming art market, which by some estimates totaled a robust $5 billion in the U.S. last year. Increasingly, people are buying art works as hedges against inflation and a weakening dollar. Art prices have risen to levels that even the least cultured brigand can appreciate. Says FBI Art Thefts Investigator Thomas McShane: "Thieves read about these prices and they realize they can cut themselves in on some very valuable booty...
World War III has happened again, and as usual, the earth has been nuked to dusty desert ruled by violent brigand bands...
Raisuli, Sherif of the Berbers ("The blood of the prophets flows in me") kidnaps a beautiful American woman, Eden Pedecaris ("He is a brigand and a lout") and sweeps her off to his castle in the desert. President Theodore Roosevelt is outraged ("Arabian thief! I want respect!"), and the U.S. Government dispatches an ultimatum to the powers in Morocco: "Mrs. Pedecaris alive, or Raisuli dead." There follow fights, betrayals, skirmishes, duels, U.S. Marine action and a couple of full-fledged battles. Nothing much like it ever happened in history, but it makes for a lovely adventure...