Jockstrip: The world as we know it.

Campuses vie for vegetarian honors

EVANSTON, Ill., Oct. 30 (UPI) -- An animal rights group has nominated 40 U.S. colleges for a vegetarian cooking prize.

Northwestern University outside Chicago, where one out of five dishes served on campus is now vegetarian or vegan, is among the group, The Chicago Tribune reported.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals selected its list of finalists from online gossip on FaceBook and MySpace, from e-mailed comments sent in by students and by looking over campus menus. The nominees include the University of Montana and Boston University.

Northwestern's contract with its catering service, Sodexho, requires at least one vegetarian and one vegan choice at every meal. Vegetarian means no meat or fish, while vegan cooking bans animal products like eggs, milk and cheese.

Sam Berry, a sophomore, said she often goes for vegetarian meals because she keeps kosher.

"At a lot of places, when you say you are vegetarian, they try to feed you eggplant. I don't like eggplant," she said. "Here they'll have veggie burgers, or they'll replace normal meat with vegetarian options."

Girls' costumes so skimpy they're scary

WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- As U.S. trick-or-treaters race to Halloween, costumes have become racier, moving from spooky ghosts and goblins to more skimpy fare.

Joe Thaler, head of TransWorld Exhibits Inc., said more provocative costumes for girls became popular about three years ago, The Washington Post said. Thaler, who runs the annual Halloween Expo for big-box retailers, says this market segment has become so big that he's had to create a separate fashion show.

"They're just good sellers," Thaler said.

Boys can still disguise themselves as ninjas, doctors and mad scientists.

Kathy Grannis of the National Retail Federation lays some blame for the loss of Halloween innocence on baby boomers who can't relinquish the holiday since they've become adults.

"Halloween is no longer a child's holiday," Grannis said. "It's no longer about handing out candy and putting on a witch's hat and walking down the street hand in hand with your kid."

Teller helps nab would-be robber

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Oct. 30 (UPI) -- A teller in Florida ended her day by helping capture a man who allegedly first tried to open an account and then rob the bank where she works, police said.

Daytona Beach police said the Sun Trust bank branch teller was leaving work Monday afternoon when she spotted the would-be customer-robber, the Orlando Sentinel reported Tuesday. The man was arrested and booked for attempted armed robbery under the name John Doe.

Earlier, the man had tried to open a bank account only to leave after being told he lacked proper identification, authorities said. He returned to the bank and handed a note with a phone number on it to a teller.

Not understanding the man was trying to rob the bank and unable to read what the note said, the teller asked the potential thief if he wanted her to call someone for him. He told her he wanted money.

Police said the man then apologized to the teller, explaining he was on medication and asking her to return the note. He never displayed a weapon.

Human heads found in back of truck

ROYSE CITY, Texas, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- Police in Royse City, Texas, discovered about two dozen embalmed human heads in the back of a truck that was pulled over for speeding.

The driver was detained until the company he works for, which was not identified, faxed police paperwork documenting why the heads, which had been used for medical training in Fort Worth, Texas, were being transported, the Dallas Morning News reported Tuesday.

"It really turned out to be much ado about nothing," Royse City police Lt. Jim Baker said. "When you are carrying human body parts, it's good to have some documentation that they are legitimate."

The heads were found in plastic bags and containers in the back of the truck.

"This is in the top five of the strangest things -- maybe the strangest -- that I've ever encountered," said Hunt County Justice of the Peace Aaron Williams, who was called to the scene when the heads were discovered.

The driver and the heads were allowed to continue their journey back to the company in Little Rock, Ark.