Jockstrip: The world as we know it

No bail for Swedish nose biter

VAXJO, Sweden, June 25 (UPI) -- A Swedish court has decided against jail time for a Dutch national accused of being a cannibal after biting off another man's nose in a fight.

The Local said prosecutors in Vaxjo agreed to probation for the unidentified defendant who will be formally sentenced July 3.

The 44-year-old man was arrested in March after a brutal fight with a truck driver whom he had hitched a ride with from Holland to Sweden. The brawl ended with the trucker's nose bitten off and the suspect hospitalized, as well.

The Local said the biter likely will be placed on probation and sent back home.

Spanking foes target paddle purveyor

NEW KENSINGTON, Pa., June 25 (UPI) -- An anti-spanking activist is taking her battle to the suburbs of Pittsburgh where a man mails out paddles to parents claiming he was ordered to by God.

Susan Lawrence of Massachusetts, director of Stop the Rod, says she's appalled by someone making money by selling items that hurt children.

But contractor Joey Salvati of New Kensington told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review he isn't in it for the money and sends out his handmade wooden paddles free of charge -- only asking for $5.75 to cover shipping.

Salvati told the newspaper he was moved to become a paddle provider during a prayer session in 2002.

"It came, 'Make paddles. Give them away,'" he said. "I blew it off. The fourth time, it came real hard."

Although Silvati urges restraint and demonstrations of love to go along with his corrective swats, Lawrence says her group is urging city officials and Silvati himself to give up his calling.

Missouri monkey caper ends with a sandwich

ST. CHARLES, Mo., June 25 (UPI) -- A Missouri couple's pet monkey is back home after five days on the lam thanks to an alert motorist and a well-placed sandwich.

Tobi, a capuchin monkey, escaped last Tuesday from Earl and Shirley Wipfler's place in St. Charles and had the run of the area until late Sunday when Paul Corley spotted the wayward monkey perched on a fence.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch said Corley, who had been driving around diligently looking for Tobi, called the Wipflers with the news. They arrived at the scene with a cage and a peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich and watched as a hungry Tobi scampered back to her human pals.

Shirley Wipfler told the newspaper Tobi was "ecstatic" to be home.

Club's noisy smokers a public nuisance

EDINBURGH, Scotland, June 25 (UPI) -- The noisy cigarette smokers who hang outside the Cabaret Voltaire nightclub in the Scottish city of Edinburgh have begun to drive away local residents.

While those who live near the nightclub have consistently complained to club and city officials about the noisy smokers, two residents in the neighborhood recently revealed they are simple moving away to be rid of the nuisance, The Scotsman said Monday.

At any given time during a busy night at the club, neighbors allege, nearly 100 people stand outside the club smoking and talking loudly with one another.

One of those residents fleeing is Jamie Curran, who told The Scotsman his decision comes after he created a Web site about the noisy smokers and unsuccessfully attempted to comprise with club officials.

He said that the club's owners, who are being investigated by the Edinburgh city council, should have taken action long ago.

"It shouldn't take people coming along and criticizing them before they do something about it," the 23-year-old told the Scotsman. "It's all about social responsibility and having respect for other people."