STATUS UPDATES

A week in which a serial stowaway is grounded and Peppa Pig is criticized over the word ‘fireman’

GROUNDED:

A woman dubbed a serial stowaway. Marilyn Hartman, 67, was sentenced to 18 months of probation after pleading guilty to sneaking past Chicago airport security last year and flying to London without a ticket. She’s been nabbed in airports dozens of times.

STEPPING OUT:

NFLer Haloti Ngata. His retirement after 13 seasons was announced in style — from the peak of Kilimanjaro. “Just a man standing on top of the world with a heart full of gratitude,” said the 35-year-old defensive tackle. He was most recently a Philadelphia Eagle before “retiring on top.”

TARGETED:

Parents in Nigeria who refuse to send their kids to school. The education minister is warning parents they’ll be prosecuted, BBC reports. Many parents can’t afford to pay for schooling; an estimated 10.5 million Nigerian children ages 5 to 14 are not in classes.

PROMOTING SEXISM:

Peppa Pig, at least according to London’s fire service. The London Fire Brigade criticized the children’s book character for “outof-date stereotypical gender specific wording,” to wit, an episode of the cartoon that referred to a firefighter as a fireman.

CORRALLED:

A robbery suspect who was not dressed to blend in. Maryland police say a 28-year-old wore a pink unicorn costume as he smashed a convenience store register with a crowbar. After a getaway car crash led to serious injuries, a discarded unicorn costume was found in the bushes.

KICKED OUT:

Danish MP Mette Abildgaard. She brought her baby to parliament when her child-care plans changed, and was surprised when the Speaker asked her to take her daughter out, the Washington Post reports. She gave the baby to an assistant and returned for a vote.

PROTECTED:

A raised middle finger, as free speech. A court ruling allowed a driver who gave a police officer the finger to sue. A middle finger salute by Debra L. Cruise-Gulyas in Michigan, to a cop who’d written her a ticket, led to a new ticket — which courts said was unjustified.

PROMOTING EQUALITY:

A leading actress’s idea for redressing the balance in acting history. Gemma Chan ( Crazy Rich Asians, Mary Queen of Scots) says actors of colour should play white historical figures, à la Hamilton. “If John Wayne can play Genghis Khan, I can play Bess of Hardwick.”