Watercooler Stories

Fines issued for 'planking' brothers

MANITOWOC, Wis., Dec. 22 (UPI) -- A pair of Wisconsin brothers were cited for disorderly conduct and slapped with fines for "planking" on a police car and a monument to fallen officers.

Ryan Hart, 21, of Wausau, and Alexander Hart, 19, of Manitowoc, were cited for disorderly conduct after they photographed themselves "planking" -- lying face down on a surface with a plank-like posture -- on a police car in Manitowoc and a Manitowoc County monument to fallen law enforcement officers and posted the pictures on Facebook, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Wednesday.

Municipal Court Judge Steven Olson fined Ryan $429 and Alexander was ordered to pay $303. The brothers, who claim the images were created via Photoshop, said they plan to appeal.

$88 million condo sets New York record

NEW YORK, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- A 22-year-old Russian heiress set a New York record for the price of a home when her father bought her an $88 million condominium in Manhattan.

Ekaterina Rybolovleva, 22, daughter of Russian billionaire Dmitriy Rybolovlev, set the record when a company associated with her signed a contract to purchase the 6,744-square-foot condo at Central Park West, the New York Post reported Wednesday.

A representative for Rybolovleva, whose father is worth an estimated $9.5 billion, said the heiress is studying in the United States and will be staying at the condo while in New York.

"Ms. Rybolovleva was born in Russia, is a resident of Monaco and has resided in Monaco and Switzerland for the past 15 years," the representative said.

The previous highest price paid for a home in the city was $53 million, which J. Christopher Flowers paid for a townhouse in 2006, the Post said.

Dem PAC offers to sell 'newtgingrich.com'

WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- Republican U.S. presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich didn't snatch up the Internet domain NewtGingrich.com and now it's been used against him.

And if he decides he now wants the Web site name it will cost him $1 million, or best offer.

America Bridge 21st Century, a Democratic political research group, owns the domain and has put it up for sale on Craigslist after pranking Gingrich, The Des Moines Register reports.

So why would Gingrich want the site? It seems Internet users surfing to the site Wednesday were re-directed to a different anti-Newt message each time. One time the site might go to a YouTube video of Gingrich's commercial with then-Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California.

Another time the Web site might bring up the Freddie Mac Web site, a Washington Post article about Gingrich campaign aides quitting last summer or the Web site for jeweler Tiffany & Co., where Gingrich reportedly had a six-figure line of credit.

Gingrich opponents claim he lobbied for the Freddie Mac, a government-backed mortgage lender, The Hill said.

"It's not that we didn't have our own ideas about what to do with the site. But in true holiday spirit, we figured it might go to someone with greater need than us," the Craigslist ad said. "Maybe someone trying to get that added edge going into 2012, or perhaps someone who may have been too busy earlier in the year to secure it on their own."

The Gingrich campaign's official Web site is www.newt.org.

Hotel holds Mayan calendar contest

LONG BEACH, Calif., Dec. 22 (UPI) -- A California hotel is turning Dec. 21, 2012 -- the end of the Mayan calendar -- into a marketing opportunity with its "The Year To Go Mayan" sweepstakes.

The Hotel Maya in Long Beach said the yearlong sweepstakes, which offers monthly prizes including weekend hotel stays and a grand prize of an eight-day vacation to Yucatan, Mexico, was inspired by the end of the Mayan calendar, which comes at the close of a 5,126-year era and some have predicted the date will be accompanied by a solar shift, a Venus transit and violent earthquakes.

However, most scholars dismiss the theories, the hotel said.

"We respect the Mayan civilization and people and want our guests to 'Go Mayan' while visiting the property and appreciating the culture," said Kristi Allen, general manager at Hotel Maya.

The hotel is asking entrants to the "The Year To Go Mayan" sweepstakes to post photographs of themselves living life to the fullest while holding an object bearing the words "Hotel Maya."