Pudding: Hey, you know that Bush visited Albania a few months ago.
Bushy: Dunno.
Pudding: Anyways, rumor has it that his watch was robbed when he was deeply mired in the rapturous crowd. Come and watch this video. His watch vanishes within moments.
Bushy: (Looking at Pudding's computer screen.) Wow, that watch is indeed elusive. Maybe it is some secret service gadget that has a Mission Impossible feature: "This watch will self-destruct in ten seconds.”
Pudding: You know, you really are not as funny as you may wish.
Bushy: Alright. So it was swiped by one of the Albanians, maybe it is now sold on eBay, let me check.
Pudding: According to the White House, it was not lifted. They said that Bush took it off himself, and that it was put away safely. Bush wore it the other day to confirm that statement. But it does not prove anything. It’s only a fifty-dollar Timex, they might have just replaced it. No sweat.
Bushy: Hmm… (looking at the screen), maybe it’s this one. An austere Timex Indiglo sold from Albania, with an opening price of five dollars. That’s cheap… (placing a bid).
Pudding: Hey, check whether you can find a Super Bowl ring dubbed with 5 carats of diamonds.
Bushy: Ugh, I don’t want a gaudy bauble like that. Did Bush lose that one as well?
Pudding: No, the president of Russia, Valdimir Putin, pilfered it from Robert Kraft in 2005. Kraft owns the New England Patriots, the football team that won Super Bowl in 2004.
Bushy: Putin stole it! That's a smart move! The ring sounds like good stuff.
Pudding: Sure is. You can easily sell it on eBay at the cost of a small yacht.
Bushy: How did Putin pull it off? Weren’t there many journalists around when Putin and Kraft met?
Pudding: You bet, they even took pictures of Putin trying on that ring. Kraft only wanted to show off his glitzy ring when he gave the ring to Putin for a closer look. Unfortunately, Putin was too impressed. He thought it was a parting gift from the friendly American millionaire. After trying it on with a broad smile, he pocketed it and left.
Kraft's, oh no, Putin's
Super Bowl ring
Bushy: That’s smooth. And Kraft could not retrieve it because he did not want to be blamed for starting a World War by embarrassing Putin.
Pudding: Yes, he had to pretend to be exceptionally generous while he was agonizing inside.
Bushy: That’s the result of ignoring the standard advice for travelers: “Keep an eye on your personal belongings,” especially if you are a world leader or about to meet one.