Jockstrip: The world as we know it.

Thirteen digits one too few on debt clock

NEW YORK, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- The growing U.S. debt is too big for the National Debt Clock in New York to handle, prompting debt-watchers to get creative to accommodate the 14-digit debt.

The U.S. IOU recently hit $10 trillion, a 14-digit number. The clock near Times Square has 13 digits plus one for the dollar sign, creating a quandary about how to express the debt, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Debt minders at The Durst Organization turned the digital dollar sign into a "1" and had a dollar-sign sticker mounted as a temporary measure.

"Seymour Durst was a visionary. He began thinking and writing about the national debt long before most people," said Jordan Barowitz, spokesman for the real estate firm.

Durst, who died in 1995, erected the sign in 1989, when the national debt was a mere $2.7 trillion.

The company plans a more permanent replacement next year that could be more telling, the Tribune reported.

Pizza champ downs 45 slices in 10 minutes

NEW YORK, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- The world's hot dog eating champ picked up a new title by winning the pizza eating competition in New York's Times Square.

Joey Chestnut downed 45 slices of pizza in just 10 minutes to become the new world pizza eating champion, the New York Daily News reported Monday.

"I might be on a liquid diet tonight," said Chestnut, 24, of San Jose. Calif. after winning the Famiglia pizza-eating contest Sunday.

Chestnut beat 10 other contenders, including the previous record holder, with a technique that gives new meaning to the expression "fast food," the newspaper said.

He folded slices of pizza quickly and then shoved them into his mouth, appearing not to chew.

Chestnut said his breakfast before Sunday's contest consisted of coffee and a gallon of water to stretch his stomach muscles.

Chestnut consumed 11,700 calories and 450 grams of fat to win $5,000.

Confederate vets put up larger flag

TAMPA, Fla., Oct. 14 (UPI) -- Members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans have replaced the world's largest Confederate flag in Tampa, Fla. with an even bigger one.

The new flag flying on private property at the junction of Interstates 4 and 75 is 10 feet longer than its predecessor, the St. Petersburg Times reported Monday.

The newspaper says the Confederate veterans group plans to cut up the old flag and sell the pieces on eBay to raise money for a $100,000 granite monument.

The 15-ton monument will be adorned with brass plaques honoring Confederate veterans, said a spokesman for the group.

Duke of Westminster fights for phone booth

ACHFARY, Scotland, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- The Duke of Westminster, Britain's biggest landowner, says it's vital to save a pay phone located outside his remote estate in Scotland.

Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor says he opposes a plan by British Telecom to remove the outdoor telephone in Achfary, which is believed to be the only phone booth in Britain to sport a black and white paint scheme, The Times of London reported Monday.

In a statement issued by Grosvenor's community-run Sutherland Partnership, the duke said the booth is vital for walkers because there is no mobile phone signal within a six-mile radius of the Reay Forest location and the next closest pay phone is 10 miles away.

The Times said BT claims the booth was used less than 30 times last year and is among the 61 percent of its Scottish pay phones that are unprofitable.