It must be true...

I read it in the tabloids

■■ A district in northern Thailand has found an effective way to promote Covid vaccination—giving those who get a shot a chance to win a free cow. The district will soon begin 24 weeks of weekly drawings in which vaccinated villagers are eligible to win a young cow worth around 10,000 baht, or $319. After the program was announced, vaccination numbers went “from hundreds to thousands in a couple of days,” said district chief Boonlue Thamtharanurak. “The villagers love cows. Cows can be sold for cash.”

■■ A Ukrainian couple who chained their wrists together on Valentine’s Day have broken the world record after 100 days, and vow to continue to be physically stuck with each other until they get married. Viktoria Pustovitova, 28, and Alexandr Kudlay, 33, bound themselves together after a rocky period in their relationship. “We used to break up once or twice a week,” said Kudlay, a car salesman. “When Vika once again said that we had to break up, I replied: ‘Then I will attach you to myself.’” The couple claim they’re using the stunt to raise money to buy an apartment, and admit that enforced togetherness is not easy. “We are a bit fed up with each other,” said Pustovitova.

■■ A 111-year-old who is Australia’s longest-living man attributes his longevity in part to eating chicken brains. “You know, chickens have a head,” said Dexter Kruger, a retired cattle rancher. “And in there, there’s a brain.” He says each brain “is only one little bite,” but adds, “They are delicious little things.” The manager at his nursing home says whatever Kruger is doing is working. He’s “probably one of the sharpest residents here.”