Contented

I may do the four post-a-day thing to beef up the content, and also to keep with a bit of a theme I have going with this blog. Haven't entirely decided, as usual.

That's a pretty big curse...
Mon Apr 17, 2006 10:13am ET169

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian police are looking for two mystics who persuaded a student to part with more than $160,000 in exchange for lifting a curse, RIA news agency reported Sunday.

"Two unknown women, on the pretext of lifting a curse, stole $150,000 and some jewelry by means of deception. The total amount stolen is estimated at 4.48 million roubles ($161,800)," the agency quoted a police source as saying.

The victim is a female student at Moscow's elite State Institute for International Affairs, RIA said. Many Russians are highly superstitious. They spend huge sums each year on faith healers and alternative medicine.

Pretty wild that 4.48 million roubles only equals ~$161K. Poor Russia.