Jockstrip: The world as we know it.

Couple delays first kiss until wedding

CHICAGO, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- A Chicago couple say they followed through on a vow to not even kiss each other until they were officially married.

Claudaniel Fabien, 30, and Melody LaLuz, 28 -- both abstinence educators -- kissed for the first time Saturday at their wedding, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Sunday.

"It was surreal," Fabien said. "It was like, my other self came out and said, 'Look dude, you're kissing her!'"

Fabien works for the non-profit Confederation of Spanish American Families, while his bride directs the "What's Good" program for the LYDIA Home Association, a Christian service agency, the Sun-Times reported.

The two met on a mission trip to Uganda in 2006 but postponed dating while LaLuz completed a seven-year vow not to date until June 2007. LaLuz, now Mrs. Fabien, described their first kiss as magical.

"It feels like such a gift," said Melody. "When you value a kiss, it becomes something of worth."

Study says clean hands limit judgments

PLYMOUTH, England, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- Individuals who wash their hands before making judgments tend to offer more lenient rulings, a study at a British university has found.

Psychologist Dr, Simone Schnall of the University of Plymouth said his study focused on 44 people, half of whom were asked to wash their hands, who were asked to rate various actions on a morality scale, The Daily Mail said Saturday.

The study's 44 participants were shown the heroin addict-themed film "Trainspotting" before being asked for their judgments, Schnall said.

Participants were asked to rank each action on a 9-point scale of morality ranging from acceptable to very wrong.

Among the actions detailed on the study surveys were stealing a wallet, abusing a kitten and eating the family dog.

Schnall said while all 44 participants negatively judged such actions in their corresponding rankings, those who had washed their hands prior offered less strict judgments.

The researcher said the implications of such findings had several real-life applications, the Mail reported.

"This could have implications when voting and when juries make up their minds," Schnall said.

Blow-up doll causes bomb scare

HALMSTED, Sweden, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- Police say a blow-up doll left by men after a stag party triggered a bomb scare in Halmstad, Sweden.

The doll, found bound and gagged, apparently was jettisoned by the partygoers as they left a bar, the Swedish news agency TT reported Sunday.

Police evacuated a restaurant and cordoned off the area while bomb technicians investigated the scene, TT reported, noting the area was reopened an hour later once police determined the doll posed no threat.

Coyote becomes unofficial mascot

FARMERS BRANCH, Texas, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- Residents of Farmers Branch, Texas, say they're torn over an injured coyote who has thrived in their midst for nearly three years.

Dubbed "Limpy," the coyote brazenly sunbathes in driveways, roams the local country club and easily evades animal control officers, despite his injury, The Dallas Morning News reported Sunday.

Limpy is one of several coyotes roaming Farmers Branch, a city near Dallas, but most of the 39 coyote sightings reported in October have been attributed to him, the Morning News reported.

"Everybody kind of knows him," said City Manager Gary Greer.

No one has seen Limpy snatch small pets, though there have been reports of missing cats in the neighborhoods frequented by Limpy.

Limpy does, however, provide a public service -- he's been seen picking up dead squirrels on local roads, the Morning News reported.