An operative from deep inside the bowels (sorry) of 1775 Broadway, aka 251 West 57th St., recently received the following email from HR:

Subject: yes, it smells like crap
There's a clog in the pipes from the 18th floor, they're working on it.

Several different companies reside in that building, including some Viacom properties (Comedy Central!) and the Agency Group. But the building is also known as the Newsweek building—and they have the 18th floor. We understand that there are a bunch of business-side-types on 18, so unfortunately we can't pin this one on Jonathan Alter or Fareed Zakaria. But anyone in the vicinity is advised to give the building a wide berth, as our correspondent reports:

You walk over to the reception area of our office and it's like someone's cleaning a septic tank. I can't even imagine what it smells like in the actual bathrooms. I'm doing my peeing in Starbucks for the rest of the day.

Does Alterman hate Newsweek too? Maybe he dropped a cherry bomb up there.

Oh, nothing's beyond the pale for Eric Alterman. —Doree