Editorial: Casual Fridays 1/11/13

#embarrassing

According to her Twitter, Emma Watson was mistaken for an unaccompanied minor at an American airport when she was traveling for the holidays. The TSA officer, who has presumably lived under a rock for the past ten years, asked Watson where her guardian was. Well, it could have been worse — a TSA officer could have found her searching for platform 9 3/4.

International cuisine

International arrest warrants have been issued for two British people who are suspected of smuggling more than a ton of garlic through several European countries. They allegedly took the garlic from China to Norway, and from there, they drove it over the border to Sweden in an attempt to evade massive taxes. While their apparent attempt to evade $13 million in garlic taxes seems to have proven unsuccessful, they have totally evaded any vampire problems.

Not a Cowart

A man in Florida, 29-year-old Charles Larkin Cowart, allegedly went horseback riding while under the influence — during a police chase. The police followed him at low speed because they were apparently concerned about the welfare of the horse. Cowart even caused a train to slow down when he crossed a set of railroad tracks. According to an ABC News article, Cowart was arrested while trying to run from the police on foot after his father pulled him from the horse. He was recently charged with obstructing an officer without violence and interfering with railroad tracks. Perhaps this is what happens when Wild West stories meet bath salts.

Upcycling in action

In Weidenthal, Germany, residents have come up with a creative tradition to recycle their Christmas trees: They have a Christmas-tree-throwing competition. Competitors bring their old trees and compete in three events: javelin-style, hammer-style and high-jump-style tree-throwing. This year’s winner threw his tree 22.45 meters total over the course of the three events. Finally, a sport the German teams can win in the Olympics.

Benefits of multilingualism

Brazilians — from politicians to construction workers — are frantically preparing to host the 2014 World Cup. The state Association for Prostitutes has organized Spanish, Portuguese and English classes for its members so that they can communicate effectively with clients and negotiate fair wages. Those seeking more proof that fulfilling that foreign language requirement will have real-life applications, look no further.