Should Have Seen the One that Got Away

A years-old Russian joke sent in a dispatch to Bonn from the German Embassy in Moscow has taken on a life of its own, with newspapers in several countries printing the joke as if it had actually happened. The joke involves a Russian military plane transporting several stolen cows. During the flight, the cows become restless and have to be thrown overboard “to avoid a crash”. Meanwhile, a fishing boat is sunk, and the fishermen explain the accident by claiming they were hit by a flying cow. After hearing their story, authorities commit the fishermen to an insane asylum. The legend, bolstered by the newspaper coverage, has spread to the Internet, bringing it to a gullible worldwide audience that is lapping it up as true. It isn’t. “This is sheer nonsense. Not a single word is true,” says a spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry. “It was meant as an internal curiosity,” said the German diplomat who sent the dispatch. “People in Bonn have the right to a good laugh too.” (Reuters) ...Funny how everyone’s ready to believe silly stories like this, but no one seems to have noticed the lapse in the security of diplomatic pouches.