Jockstrip: The world as we know it.

Motorcyclist hit in the face by golf ball

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, March 3 (UPI) -- A motorcyclist was hit in the mouth by a golf ball while riding near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Cheong Tuck Sang, 49, said he was surprised to find a golf ball in his motorcycle basket after the blow nearly knocked him of balance, The Malaysian Star reported.

Sang said the manager of the nearby Public Services Golf Club was reluctant to admit the ball came from the course, the newspaper said.

"When the manager took me round the compound, I discovered there was no safety net around the third hole of the golf course to prevent these heavy golf balls from going out of the course," Sang said.

Sang, who was given more than 15 stitches after Saturday's incident, reportedly consulted with Datuk Michael Chong, head of the MCA Public Services and Complaints Department, about seeking compensation for his medical costs.

"We will immediately inform the relevant authority, the MBPJ, before someone else gets hurt or killed," Chong said.

'Da Vinci Code' a boon for chapel

EDINBURGH, Scotland, March 3 (UPI) -- For a historic Scottish chapel, an appearance in "The Da Vinci Code" book and movie has meant a lot of pennies from heaven.

Only 30,000 visitors made their way to Rosslyn Chapel near Edinburgh in 2000. In 2006 and 2007, there were 176,000, The Scotsman reported.

The steady stream of Da Vinci fans willing to pay 7 pounds ($14) for admission has given the chapel a surplus of 1.35 million pounds ($2.7 million). The money is being used to speed up an expensive renovation project, which includes a new visitor center.

Colin Glynne-Percy, the director of the chapel, said there are signs that the tide has begun to recede. But he says the renovations will be completed within five years, a span that would have been much longer without the influx of cash.

Author Dan Brown made the chapel the resting place of the Holy Grail, putting his own spin on the patterns carved on a series of 213 stone cubes.

Beijing campaign wants nice cops

BEIJING, March 3 (UPI) -- Beijing's traffic management bureau wants its cops to be friendlier, even as they are enforcing traffic laws.

A new regulation mandates all Beijing traffic officers are to start each traffic stop by saying: "Good Morning. You have violated the traffic rules. Your driving license, please," China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Sentences such as "Please abide by traffic rules. Thank you for your cooperation," would be the ideal way for those officers to end their traffic stops, officials said.

Designated supervisors are to monitor to make sure the traffic cops are being nice enough and those unable to force a friendly smile can be fired.

Xinhua said the new regulation comes after last year's new rules forbidding the traffic cops from smoking, eating or chatting while on the job.

'Erotic' online ad leads to robbery

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo., March 3 (UPI) -- Three Missouri men who answered an online advertisement for an "erotic dancer" got more than they bargained for when armed assailants arrived instead.

Police said after the robbery victims had answered a listing on the classified advertising Web site Craigslist Friday, a 27-year-old woman arrived at a home in Maryland Heights, Mo., with two armed friends in tow, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

The assailants proceeded to rob the men rather than provide any "erotic" services, but one victim managed to call police.

Responding officers stopped a vehicle nearby and arrested 27-year-old Jessica L. Blackburn, along with two men, ages 20 and 21. Police allege two guns and stolen merchandise were found in the car with the trio, leading to charges of robbery and armed criminal action.

At least one poster on Craigslist responded to the news of the ill-advised online rendezvous, the newspaper reported.

"Anyone that meets anyone off Craigslist is brave!" the unidentified poster said.