Crazy? You Couldn’t Make it Up: Season 1 Episode 3

Have you heard the one about Russian townsfolk finding almost a hundred T80 battle tanks seemingly abandoned in the woods near their village? Someone from Yekaterinburg, a city in the Ural Mountains came across the tanks, covered in a thick layer of snow, near the railway station of Elanovskaya just outside the city. The tanks had been parked alongside the track next to the woods, and covered a large area. Video footage made by the person discovering them showed no sign of a military presence and he even quipped on camera, “If you want a tank come and get one”.

The T-80

A spokesman for the local military command said there was nothing unusual in the situation. The tanks had been parked there awaiting transportation to a storage depot. According to the spokesman, there was an armed guard at the site, but I guess they must have been in the local pub when the tanks were discovered. It seems quite possible the ‘missing’ guards will be in for a tongue-lashing when they get back to base. Ah! The life of a soldier!!!

It seems 200 passengers on an Air Canada flight from Ottawa to London Heathrow had a nasty surprise just before take-off. As the plane was taxiing a large rat was seen in one of the overhead luggage compartments. The Captain was informed and the aircraft returned to the terminal  and the passengers disembarked. Air Canada staff tried to locate the stowaway but to no avail. Passengers were put up in a hotel for the night before boarding another aircraft to complete their journey the following morning. As for the rat, it has not been seen since, but security experts believe it was trying to enter the UK illegally as it did not appear to be carrying a passport when seen!!!

You have to admit, bad luck can strike anywhere at any time. A German speed skater called Patrick Beckert will rue the day he switched off his mobile phone at the Winter Olympics. He was fourth stand-in for the final of the 1000m speed skating event when twice world champion Enrico Fabris dropped out one hour from race time. The three skaters on the list above Beckert could not be contacted and so he was called to replace Fabris in the final. When German officials heard of the situation all the stops were pulled out to contact the young man, but by the time he returned the 17 missed calls, there was insufficient time to reach the stadium from the Olympic Village. His chance of Gold  had slipped by on silent wings!!!

Currently the Art World is in raptures over a Romanian tramp who turned out to be something of an artist. Ion Barladeanu, a 63 year-old former tramp on the streets of Bucharest has been hailed for his collages of Romania during the Ceausescu period. Discovered in 2007, he managed to exhibit his work in Romania before eventually travelling to Paris. Here the fancy-pants ‘oh-so-chique’ brigade took one look at his work and were swooning left and right. I don’t go much on the self-important and pompous ‘artsy’ folk of Paris, but I am very pleased that Ion Barladeanu got his moment of fame and no longer has to sleep rough. He should however not read too much into the acclaim he currently receives from the flitsy art crowd of Paris; with them its here today and gone tomorrow.

I seem to remember them having egg on their faces very many years ago when they were in raptures about a new unknown artist. It turns out the ‘new genius’ was a monkey!!!

Have fun, and whatever you do, enjoy life!

Roy.