Out-of-towners visiting Austria for the Euro 2008 soccer competition will receive a free guide, which includes a few essential phrases (i.e., Do you have a sliced sugared pancake with plum compote?). I guess flirting with locals was deemed essential, because the books a phrase for picking up members of the opposite sex: “Servas, fesche Katz.” It translates literally as “Greetings, hot kitten.” I’m so adding that to my repertoire of pickup lines. [Reuters]

A girl walks into the wireless café that I frequent. She’s very pretty. I’ve seen her before, but never spoken to her. Today, the café’s pretty packed. The girl orders her drink. She looks around. Here is the big moment: Where will she sit? But what she’s clearly not factoring in to her decision, what I don’t think this girl realizes, is the fact she’s being monitored like a Russian agent walking through the Pentagon. Man, I think, this is so unfair. If she only knew …

If she only knew, there is a spy network of guys, regulars at this café, that have formed an unlikely bond based upon – what else? – the pretty girls that come into the café. I am, admittedly, part of this network. We are an organized and immature bunch. We watch the girls walk in. We discreetly glance at each other to make sure the others see, too. We wait for them to sit next to us. We talk to them. And when they leave, we talk about them. Not like a bunch of gossip girls, but like suspicious agents: We’ve got information to share and we are willing to share it, but only if you have some information to share, too, pal.

Seventy-percent of college aged women say they’ve had a man mistake their friendliness for a come on. (We speculate that by the time you hit 30, that could easily be raised to 100%.) What is it with guys?  Just because we’re trying not to be a bitch conductor 24/7, doesn’t mean we want them to ride our caboose. But then again the opposite problem is worse—when we’re trying to get it on with a dude and he just thinks we’re being nice. Ugh, so frustrating! Well, in either case, a new study has proven that it’s not your outfit, your make-up, or your personality’s fault.  According to the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, men have trouble reading non-verbal clues whether they are sexual or just plain polite. 

The Thai government is investigating claims that Buddhist monks are using the social networking website hi5 to flirt with women. Buddhist monks are supposed to be celibate, and even refrain from most contact with women, so this is majorly against the rules. “We urge people who use the site to tell monks to leave,’’ Chakrapob Penkair, a minister attached to the Prime Minister’s office, said in an AP article. “Other users need to show them that it is inappropriate for monks to chat with women online.’’ While the government is exploring the possibility of blocking hi5, it is supposedly the most popular social networking site in Thailand. Plus, they do not want to restrict monks from using the internet completely. According to a senior culture ministry official, “Cyberspace can be very useful for monks.” [Charleston Daily Mail]

Time‘s current special section, “The Science of Romance,” is available online, but if you’re too busy getting busy to read it, here are some highlights:

We love it when science supports our guilty habits. According to psychologists with the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, checking out members of the opposite sex (or same sex, if you’re gay) is totally natural at work—but controlling how far you take that urge to ogle is what separates humans from animals.

Forget batting the eyelashes or sending over a drink, Brit pop star and all around cutie pie Lily Allen takes a slightly more juvenile…err, scandalous approach to flirting with men she likes.

If I fancy someone I’m quite immature about the whole thing, and just punch them on the arm a bit. It certainly breaks the ice. And you keep punching lower and lower until you’ve got their d**k in your hand and then that’s it. You’ve got them.

Yowza! Her tactic has certainly worked, as Lily was betrothed to music producer Seb Chew for a few years and is now dilly-dallying with one of the Chemical Brothers. Wonder if Chew was equally as afraid of her aggressiveness during a breakup—many of the songs on Lily’s hot debut Alright, Still are revenge anthems that call out past loves for their bad bedroom behavior and small (below the belt) stature. Although, you think she would have noticed a guy was “Not Big” with that initial “I think I like you” punch… [Monsters and Critics]