It must be true...

I read it in the tabloids

■ A German artist creates detailed paintings of the Bavarian rural landscape using cow dung as his pigment. “Through this technique I bring in beautiful depth and sharpness,” said Werner Härtl, who hatched the idea while working as a farmhand. “Around two bowel movements deliver enough for half a year of creativity.” He waters down the dung to achieve varying shades, and says there’s no smell once it dries. Working with cow poo “has a serious purpose,” Härtl said. “I want to sensitize [people] to appreciate their environment more.”

■ A 50-year-old Chinese man became the toast of the nation’s social media after he was photographed chain-smoking his way through a marathon. Chen Bangxian, completed the Xin’anjiang Marathon in Jiande in under 3.5 hours—an hour faster than the average worldwide finishing time. Chen also ran marathons in 2018 and 2019, and his ability to puff away while running 26.2 miles has led fellow runners to dub him Uncle Chen and Smoking Brother.

■ A woman in Gainesville, Texas, claims erotic ghosts have driven numerous tenants from a home she rents out. The ghosts are “sexual,” said Linda Hill. “There’s no other way to put it.” She initially was skeptical of claims from male tenants who felt a presence seductively stroking their faces or arms. But while showering in the empty home she heard a man say, “Looking good,” she said. “It was like, ‘Oh my God, it really is haunted.’” Hill now offers the home, which she believes used to be a brothel, to paranormal investigators.