A couple of more on the Bavarian beer-hall theme:

Bavarian government cuts grants for families to purchase traditional Oktoberfest garb. I think it's fun that there is a "Bavarian Livery Association."

NM student fined for beer glass theft in Germany. I remember a drunken German lad stumbling through the crowds at Oktoberfest yelling (in English, for some reason): "I stole a mug! I stole a mug! I stole a mug!" I guess it's quite an accomplishment.