Jockstrip: The world as we know it

'LADDIE' MAGAZINE TARGETS SOLDIERS

A British publisher has created a new "laddie" magazine tailored for soldiers deployed in the Middle East, Asia and Europe, as well those stationed in the United States.

Beginning this week, the magazine Drill will appear in military stores, the London Telegraph reports.

Modeled after civilian magazines Maxim and FHM, Drill provides tips on the quickest way to get "six-pack abs" or "Sergeant Rock's sex tips: Yes-Fly Zone."

"Soldiers have the exact same interests as other men, but they have more money to spend," says Lance Gould, editor of Drill.

"Their average income is $42,500, but with the military covering housing and education, they have more cash for leisure interests."

CONSPICUOUS MAN ATTEMPTS ROBBERY

A New York City man attempted a robbery spree but poor planning, bad execution and flashy clothing did him in.

Eighteen-year-old Daquan Pitts entered a HSBC bank branch in Brooklyn and asked for someone's account number -- anyone's account number -- to withdraw $10,000, according to police.

To expedite the transaction, Pitts allegedly promised the teller half of the money, however she hit the alarm bell and Pitts fled without the money, the New York Post reports.

He then tried the same scheme -- with the same results -- on another bank, all the more noticeable in his bright blue suit and matching tie.

Afterward, he entered the Jenny Craig weight-loss center with a sign that says, "Lose 20 Pounds for $20." Apparently, he thought he would get $20 if he lost 20 pounds.

COW MANURE MAY FUEL CARS

Cow manure, agricultural crop wastes or municipal sewage could produce a clean, environmentally friendly form of natural gas to fuel cars.

Biogas is methane extracted from organic sources such as a cow manure, treated to remove impurities and then liquefied or compressed as a gas.

California-Sweden Biogas Initiative, a venture between CalStart, a Pasadena nonprofit that promotes advanced transportation technologies, and the Swedish group Business Region Goteborg is testing the fuel, the Los Angeles Times reports.

In Sweden, biogas has been used in cars and commercial trucks for several years.

LOUTISH MEN AT DINNER PARTIES

Accomplished women, including "The Official Preppy Handbook" co-author Lisa Birnbach and former Rolling Stone editor Loraine Alterman Boyle, are warring against what they describe as loutish behavior by men at dinner parties.

Boyle, the wife of "Everybody Loves Raymond" star Peter Boyle tells the New York Daily News, "In some cases, these guys are just self-absorbed and narcissistic."

Some men talk only to men at dinner parties while others seem to want an audience and do a monologue, not a dialogue, says Birnbach.

However, art consultant Barbara Guggenheim says, "If you look at an etiquette book, the traditional role of women at dinner parties is to draw out their partners."