The Associated Press had a story on a Nazi death camp. What was strange was that it was about a sign at Auschwitz that had been stolen.

The 16-foot sign said “Arbeit Macht Frei”…and really, who wouldn’t want those German words on a sign in their den.

It means “Work Sets You Free.” And, the criminals had to work pretty hard to get the sign.

They cut through rows of barbed wire and metal bars, and carried the thing out in the snow.

Over one million Jews were killed there during World War II, which I assume now is a big tourist attraction (in fact, the German government had announced it was donating $87 million to preserve the gas chambers and other areas of the camp).

The theft occurred between 3:30 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., when guards weren’t on duty.

And a $34,000 reward has been posted for info. I’m guessing that’s a lot more than someone would’ve gotten on eBay.

This reminded me of when I was in England and taking a tour of all the Beatles locations in Liverpool. On the bus down Penny Lane, the tour guide pointed out the fact that there were no street signs. Penny Lane was painted on various walls. And, I noticed the same thing on Abbey Road.

After thousands of street signs were stolen by Beatles fans, they decided it was too expensive to keep replacing them.

Nobody explained to me why the crosswalk where the Beatles so famously walked for their Abbey Road album cover, has a squiggly line painted across it. If it was done to curb the amount of tourists that hold up traffic while they snap photos, it hasn’t worked. People still do that daily.