- A CREATIVE MIND HAS NO LIMITS, THEREFORE WITH ACCESS TO ANY MEDIA THERE IS ENDLESS WAYS TO EXPRESS YOUR SENSES, EMOTIONS AND INTELLECT. THERE IS NO WAY TO FULLY DESCRIBE SOMETHING WITH ENDLESS POSSIBLITIES WITH A LANGUAGE THAT DOESNT HAVE AN ENDLESS SUPPLY OF WORDS.

18 MARCH, 1990 TWO MEN DRESSED AS POLICE OFFICERS KNOCKED ON THE SECURITY ENTRANCE SIDE DOOR OF THE ISABELLA STEWART GARDNER MUSEUM AT 1:24AM. THE POLICY HAS ALWAYS BEEN THAT YOU DONT OPEN THAT DOOR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT FOR GOD, WHY ON THIS ONE NIGHT THEY OPENED THE DOOR NOBODY CAN EXPLAIN. THE TWO MEN MANAGED TO OVERPOWER THE MUSEUMS GUARDS WITH NO WEAPONS AT ALL AND LEFT THEM TIED UP IN THE BASEMENT. IN FEWER THAN 90 MINUTES THE BANDITS WENT THROUGH THE MUSEUMS DUTCH ROOM ON THE SECOND FLOOR AND STOLE THREE REMBRANDTS, A VERMEER, A CHINESE BRONZE BEAKER, A GOVAERT FLINCK, FIVE DEGAS SKETCHES AND A MANET PORTRAIT. IT WAS RUMOURED THEY HAD TRIED TO STEAL A FOURTH REMBRANDT BUT WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. TO THIS DAY THE SMALL MUSEUM ISNT ABLE TO COLLECT INSURANCE. SINCE IT CARRIED NO INSURANCE POLICY AT THE TIME OF THE HEIST.

PERHAPS THE MOST FAMOUS CASE OF ART THEFT OCCURRED ON AUGUST 21, 1911, WHEN THE MONA LISA WAS STOLEN FROM THE LOURVE BY AN EMPLOYEE VINCENZO PERUGGIA (1881 - 1925) AN ITALIAN IMMIGRANT WHO LIVED IN PARIS. PERUGGIA WAS NEVER APPREHENDED UNTIL 2 YEARS AFTER HE STOLE THE PAINTING. HE RETURNED THE MONA LISA TO FLORENCE THROUGH AN ITALIAN ART DEALER, CLAIMING HE STOLE THE PAINTING TO RETURN IT PATRIOTICALLY TO THE ITALIAN PEOPLE. HE STOLE THE MASTERPIECE BY SIMPLY WALKING INTO THE MUSEUM ON A MONDAY WHEN THE LOURVE WAS CLOSED FOR CLEANING. HE WAS DRESSED IN A WHITE SMOCK AND THUS BLENDED IN WITH THE OTHER WORKERS. THE THEFT WASNT DISCOVERED UNTIL THE NEXT DAY BECAUSE THE LOURVE GUARDS ASSUMED THE MASTERPIECE WAS WITH THE MUSEUM PHOTOGRAPHER. ONLY WHEN THE PAINTINGS EMPTY FRAME WAS FOUND ON A SERVICE STAIRWELL, DID LOURVE OFFICIALS BEGIN TO SUSPECT THE WORST. SOME 60 DETECTIVES SWEPT THROUGH THE MUSEUM. DESPITE THE FACT THAT PERUGGIA HAD LEFT A GENEROUS AMOUNT OF FINGERPRINTS ON THE GLASS THAT HAD COVERED THE PAINTING, THE LEAD WAS NOT FOLLOWED UP.

SO RECENTLY FRIDAY THE 13TH PAST AND IVE NEVER REALLY BEEN A BIG HORROR MOVIE FAN OR ANYTHING AND I JUST ASSUMED THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE CAUSING A FUSS OVER A NUMBER WAS BECAUSE OF SOME HORROR MOVIE OR SUPERSTITION, SO I LOOKED INTO IT AND I HAVE BEEN PRETTY FASCINATED WITH HOW MANY DIFFERENT MEANINGS CAN COME FROM ONE NUMBER..

THE NUMBER 13 IS CONSIDERED TO BE AN UNLUCKY NUMBER IN SOME COUNTRIES. FEAR OF THE NUMBER 13 HAS A SPECIFICALLY RECOGNIZED PHOBIA, TRISKAIDEKAPHOBIA, A WORD WHICH WAS COINED IN 1911. THE SUPERSTITIOUS SUFFERERS OF TRISKAIDEKPHOBIA TRY TO AVOID BAD LUCK BY KEEPING AWAY FROM ANYTHING NUMBERED OR LABELLED THIRTEEN. UNLUCKY 13? OR LUCKY 13?