Jockstrip: The world as we know it

BOARD GAMES HOT IN CLUBS

New York City's nightclubs are known for being on the cutting edge of new trends, and the latest is board games.

Old-fashioned board games such as Monopoly or backgammon, as well as modern video games are a hot item in some of the city's trendiest hotspots, the New York Post reports.

The Social Club of Manhattan offers Connect Four and Chutes and Ladders and a pair of PlayStations running through 50-inch plasma-screen TVs with vintage arcade games like Frogger, Donkey Kong and Galaga.

The Social Club's VIP rooms offer a king-size bed on which partiers can play chess with sets custom-designed by award-winning artist Karim Rashid.

JUDGE ORDERS VOODOO DUST VACUUMED

A Florida judge had to order extraordinary security measures during the trial of Juan Carlos Elso after the prosecutor said his clothes were being ruined by voodoo powder.

Prosecutor Richard Gregorie complained his dry cleaning bills had become onerous as the trial progressed and alleged Santeria dust was being left on his chair and files, the Daily Telegraph reports.

Santeria dust is used in the animist religion. Judge Patricia Seitz ordered the Miami courtroom vacuumed and locked during recess.

Elso was found guilty on three counts of laundering hundreds of dollars for cocaine-running clients.

DRIVERS CAN'T SEE WHILE BACKING

In 2002, 58 children were killed when the driver of a vehicle was unable to see them while backing up.

Tragically this often happens in a parent's or relative's own driveway, according Janette E. Fennell, founder and president of the safety group Kids and Cars.

Safety advocates say drivers should check and look behind a car before pulling out and be aware they have a blind spot, ABC News reports.

The 2003 Acura MIX provides a fisheye camera that allows drivers to see what is going on behind their vehicles but currently the technology is only available in a few high-end vehicles.

GOOD LUCK CHARMS WORK FOR SOME

Good luck charms such as a rabbit's foot, horseshoes and four-leaf clovers really are lucky for those who believe in them, a British study finds.

University of Hertfordshire psychologists asked 100 people in Britain to take a supposedly lucky Victorian-era penny coin with them for a month, and keep a diary as to how their fortunes changed.

They found no measurable difference in how fate had actually favored the sample, but 30 percent felt their luck had taken a turn for the better, Sky News reported.

"When it comes to totally chance events like the lottery, it made no difference, but when it comes to luck in life, it made a real difference in terms of opportunities and confidence" says study leader Professor Richard Wiseman.