Jockstrip: The world as we know it

Ringo Starr's house to stay for now

LIVERPOOL, England, July 11 (UPI) -- The birthplace of Beatle Ringo Starr has won a temporary stay of execution.

The house on Madryn Street in the Dingle area of Liverpool was one of 460 homes earmarked for demolition as part of $94 million regeneration plan.

The Liverpool City Council has voted to move forward with the plan but agreed to consult further about which houses to destroy, according to the Sun.

Starr, who turned 65 on Thursday, criticized the proposed demolition.

"Why are they knocking them down," he said. "They should do them up."

Students pan Gene Simmons at 'Rock School'

LONDON, July 11 (UPI) -- Students from one of England's oldest boarding schools were not that impressed with Kiss frontman Gene Simmons.

The singer-bassist of the rock band Kiss -- fresh from performing at the Live 8 concerts -- headed "Rock School," a television reality show that gave 10 gifted musical students the opportunity to learn from Simmons, reported the Sunday Telegraph.

"At times I got really annoyed by him," said a 14-year-old student from east London. "He said, 'Money is the most important thing and if you don't have it, you have nothing,' and I really don't agree with that."

Unlike the students in a recent poll of 2,000 British 5-to 10-year-olds conducted by the University of Luton who said "fame" came first in front of "family" and "soccer" as the best thing in the world, many of "Rock School's" students were not attached to the world of rock 'n' roll.

"I want to be a neurosurgeon or a pathologist," another student said. "If I did go into music, I think it would be something more relaxing like an orchestra."

Thousands evacuated over dud WWII shell

NISHITOKYO, Japan, July 11 (UPI) -- Thousands of residents were evacuated from western Tokyo suburbs Sunday after an unexploded bomb was found buried in a farm field.

About 7,000 people were evacuated as a precaution while a Ground Self-Defense Force unit was called in to dispose of the dud shell -- which is believed to have been dropped by the U.S. military during World War II, according to Kyodo News.

It took about 30 minutes to remove the detonator from the so-called "one-ton bomb," which was buried nearly 33 feet underground.

Man makes custom wooden iPod cover

NEW YORK, July 11 (UPI) -- A U.S. man is making everything on his desk match -- something he calls "Project Redwood" -- and that includes his iPod.

Joshua Driggs, also known as ZapWizard, customized his iPod by removing its cover and constructing a custom wooden cover out of African Padauk wood.

He said the wood was high quality and easy to work with, according to an account published on the online hardware journal Bit-tech.net.

"I have never liked the white finish," Driggs wrote. "I am also applying a wood finish to just about everything on my desk to have a matching set. And the iPod was not excluded."

Hollowing out the back was the hardest part he said.

Next, Driggs is making a wooden dock for charging, CNN/Money reported.