IT MUST BE TRUE…

I read it in the tabloids

The genteel sport of bowls is being threatened by hooliganism. Shropshire Crown Green Bowling Association recently issued a new, strict code of conduct, after a series of matches, including the county final, were spoiled by loutish behaviour from spectators. Incidents include “effing and blinding”; Welsh teams being described as “sheep shaggers”; larger players being mocked; and even green invasions. “It is not wanted in bowls,” said Mike Caddick, the association’s outgoing president. “It is not what bowls is about.”

A South African pig saved from an industrial farm has hosted its very own art exhibition. The three-yearold porker, dubbed “Pigcasso”, was rescued by an animal rights campaigner, Joanne Lefson. After Pigcasso began playing with some old paintbrushes, Lefson gave it paint and canvas to work with. The resulting paintings, which went on show in Cape Town, sell for up to £3,000. “Her artistic style,” says Lefson, “is probably what you’d call expressionist.”

In South Korea, which has the longest working hours in Asia, stressed-out workers can check into a mocked-up prison to relax. Prison Inside Me is a meditation centre in Hongcheon, in the country’s mountainous north. Guests are dressed in blue uniforms and locked in one of 28 cells, each with a small window, a basin, a lavatory, a yoga mat and a panic button. Meals are passed through a door slot. “I’m overworking. That’s the main reason I’m here,” said one inmate. “Today, I feel more refreshed. My mind is light.”