Watercooler Stories

Dad names girl 'Sarah McCain Palin'

ELIZABETHTON , Tenn., Oct. 14 (UPI) -- A Tennessee man says he named his newborn daughter Sarah McCain Palin Ciptak in honor of the Republican presidential ticket without telling his wife.

Mark Ciptak of Carter County said he and his wife had planned to name their child Ava Grace, but he "secretively went and got another set of forms" for Social Security officials and the Tennessee Department of Health to have his daughter named after Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the Republican presidential nominee, and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the Kingsport (Tenn) Times-News reported Tuesday.

Ciptak said when he broke the news to his wife Layla she did not seem to take his claim seriously.

"I don't think she believes me yet. It's going to take some more convincing," he said.

He said the name was chosen "to get the word out" about the McCain campaign.

"I can't give a lot of financial support for the campaign," he said. "I do have a sign up in my yard, but I can do very little. Is this going to change the course of the election? I doubt it. But it's something that I did to help out the campaign and the cause."

Airline: Sexism boycott 'storm in a D cup'

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- A spokesman for Swedish discount airline Ryanair described a feminist politician's call for a boycott over alleged sexist advertising "a storm in a D cup."

Ryanair spokesman Stephen McNamara said the company will not be swayed by Liberal Party politician Birgitta Ohlsson's call to boycott the carrier after it refused to apologize for ads deemed "offensive to women in general" by Sweden's Trade Ethical Council against Sexism in Advertising, or ERK, The Local reported Tuesday.

"This really is a storm in a D cup!" McNamara said of the boycott call. "We're sure that Boring Birgitta will be overrun by the flood of right minded, liberal, people who support Ryanair's determination to defend the rights of girls and boys to get their kit off -- if they want to."

Ohlsson's call for a boycott came after ERK condemned a Ryanair ad campaign that featured a woman scantily-clad in a schoolgirl outfit.

"It's my duty as a feminist politician to name and shame companies like this," Ohlsson said.

Hoax bigfoot corpse for sale on eBay

ATLANTA, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- A hoax Bigfoot body that caused a stir when a former Clayton County, Ga., cop and a friend claimed it was the real deal is now being sold on eBay.

The listing says the fake Sasquatch body, which was listed by a group called Shadowbox Enterprises, comes complete with a personal visit from the hoax perpetrators, Rick Dyer and former police officer Matt Whitton, WGCL-TV in Atlanta reported Tuesday.

Bids for the phony man-ape had reached $200,300 Tuesday evening. The auction ends Thursday.

Two rare bongos born at Virginia zoo

NORFOLK, Va., Oct. 14 (UPI) -- The Virginia Zoo has announced the births of two baby eastern bongos, an endangered variety of antelope.

The first bongo, Jasper, was born Friday and his half-sister Bella was born Sunday, less than a month after a third adult female bongo gave birth to a daughter, Eva, Sept. 23, The (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot reported Tuesday.

All three calves were sired by the zoo's sole male bongo, Thunder.

"He exceeded our expectations this year," said Greg Bockheim, the zoo's executive director. "We have become bongo heaven."

Eastern bongos are considered extremely endangered, the Virginian-Pilot said.