From Selfie Sticks to Stolen Jewels?

I still remember standing in that endless sea of people back in 2016, shoulder to shoulder, with both my phone and Nikon in hand, just trying to take a half-decent photo; without someone’s selfie stick hitting me in the face. The security guards were shouting this like “pas trop près!” “no flash, madame, monsieur!” while most of the crowd collectively ignored them.

Every corner you turned, there was at least two guards, but near the special exhibits, like the Crown Jewels... there were even more.

I managed to get this shot below, which I find amusing. You can barely see me, and although I managed to crop out 95% of the crowd, believe me, the space was full. Then there was the Mona Lisa, just sitting there behind her glass, calm as ever, watching everyone lose their minds.

Now, October 19th, 2025 at the Louvre, the same one where I could barely move an inch without getting hit with someone's selfie stick, has been robbed in broad daylight. A team of thieves dressed as construction workers broke in with a lift truck and escaped with royal jewels. Somewhere between Mission Impossible and Paris Fashion Week gone rogue, they pulled this off so easily - while visitors were even still inside.

Apparently this happened around 9:30 in the morning... a time where people are mostly concerned with making the most of the last day of the weekend....like heading to church or visitng a museum....there was another group of adults casually carrying royal jewels out of one of the most highly-surveilled museums in the world (or at least it was supposed to be).

It’s hard to believe that when I was there, the biggest “crime” would be someone using their phone or camera flash...certainly nothing to do with construction workers; especially ones doing extra "construction" on a Sunday. CBC reported it took place “between six and seven minutes." How someone hasn't already made a TikTok or something on my feed about the whole 6 7 to make some type of funny reference, is shocking…you know I’m going through teaching junior and high school withdrawals on this teacher strike, when this is where my mind immediately went.🤦🏽‍♀️ 

But anyyyyway, that’s an impressive amount of time to accomplish something that no one else has (stealing the Crown Jewels) in plain sight. Then on the other hand, I have seen people on my feed saying that this must be AI… I think it's safe to say it's not AI, but it almost seems like it would be for how crazy it is to believe- oh what a time to be alive.

Maybe the real art is learning to see the beauty before it disappears. That, or maybe I’m just hoping for a sequel.

If you haven’t seen the story, check out the articles from The Guardian or AP News for a better and fuller description.