How the FBI Monitored Crusty Punks, 'Anarchist Hangouts,' and an Organic Farmers' Market Under the Guise of Combating Terrorism

John Cook · 03/13/12 03:19PM

The FBI conducted a three-year investigation, dubbed "Seizing Thunder," into a animal-rights and environmental "terrorists" in the Pacific Northwest that devolved into widespread—and seemingly pointless—surveillance of activists for no apparent reason aside from the fact that they were anarchists, or protested the war in Iraq, or were "militant feminists." Here's the file.

Washington Post Event Has #Hashtag Name Just to Be #Cool

Hamilton Nolan · 03/13/12 02:19PM

Put on your thinking caps, go into active listening mode, and stretch out your inside voices, Washington Post employees: it's time for a good old-fashioned in-house daylong corporate brainstorming session. No idea is too wacky to win the $1,000 prize! Looking at you, Hipness Desk. So remember to RSVP for this big event, #PostDisrupt. Is it on Twitter? No, there's just a hash tag in the name. For reasons of #Disrupt #Journalism #Hipness #BobWoodwardIsDoneAndWeNeedSomethingBig. The full email is below.

Win a New Kindle Touch and Give Your Books a Vacation

Studio@Gawker · 03/13/12 10:59AM

There's nothing wrong with a regular old book, unless of course, the book is too big and heavy, or gets boring, or ends halfway through your six-hour flight. Because then, you're going to be cursing your book and making vague threats about using it as kindling—and that's no way for a literate, book-lover like yourself to sound in public. You're going to wish you had the Kindle Touch eReader. And right now, you can win a free Kindle Touch by clicking here and answering this short survey. Just don't be surprised if you find yourself making excuses to spend more time traveling.

The Internet Is The Biggest Threat to Publishing Since the... Xerox Machine?

Hamilton Nolan · 03/13/12 10:02AM

Harper's Magazine publisher John R. "Rick" MacArthur is a man who was born wealthy and has used some of his wealth to publish a great magazine. That's good. Where he pays his staff notoriously meager salaries and fights against their efforts to form a union. That's bad. Rick MacArthur, though, has one overriding redeeming aspect: he is fucking hilariously dumb when he talks about the internet.

New Hampshire Town Divided Over Renaming of 'Jew Pond'

Emma Carmichael · 03/13/12 09:38AM

There is a very rural New England debate raging in the small town of Mont Vernon, N.H. (pop. 2,400), this week, as residents prepare to vote over whether or not to change the name of a local, manmade body of water named "Jew Pond."

Which Actress' Fiance Is Already Sleeping Around?

Brian Moylan · 03/13/12 09:09AM

This recently-engaged actress might be pissed when she finds out her new husband-to-be has more than one piece on the side. This actor is falling back into bad habits and this actress neglects her children. Can no one stay faithful anymore?

Rebekah Brooks Arrested Again

Hamilton Nolan · 03/13/12 08:16AM

It looks like the biggest guillotine thus far has fallen (again) in the News Corp phone hacking scandal: British police have reportedly arrested Rebekah Brooks—former editor of the tabloids News of the World and The Sun, as well as former CEO of News International, News Corp's UK newspaper division, and a close friend and confidante of the Murdoch family. Brooks resigned from News International last year and was arrested last summer in the earlier stages of the phone hacking investigation. She was given a hefty going-away package last year.

Stephen Colbert Deconstructs Romney's Southern Strategy

Matt Toder · 03/12/12 11:02PM

Too bad it is little more than saying "y'all" and mentioning eating grits for breakfast. As a proud Southern gentlemen, Stephen Colbert finds this about as hard to abide as anything else in Romney's campaign.

This Is By Far The Grossest Fetish Discovered This Week

Danny Gold · 03/12/12 10:16PM

Vice published a story today that they are referring to as the "chain pub piss dungeon." It is not for the faint of heart. You would think with all of the weird Internet fetishes out there, we would be used to them by now but for some reason this one seems to have struck a chord. This perhaps trumps even the eel sex documentary they did in Japan.

A Runway View of Paris Fashion Week 2012

Nilina Mason-Campbell · 03/12/12 10:00PM

Paris Fashion Week, with its flurry of models, luxury brands, fashionistas, onlookers and press, has now drawn to a close. During the course of its final days, we stalked around many of the shows and parties to capture a view of the atmosphere in the City of Lights. Scenes of the past week include glimpses of the runway, the outdoor scenes before and after the shows and backstage areas abuzz with activity to spy models in their natural habitat.