Why did Michele Bachmann hire an accused terrorist and ex-spy who pals around with a central figure in the Ugandan effort to make homosexuality a crime punishable by death?

Anonymous has hacked an exec at Vanguard Defense Industries, a Texas-based defense contractor, and reportedly stolen a gigabyte of data. This follows earlier hacks on federal contractors HBGary, and more recent attacks on San Francisco's BART system.

The New York Times sent James Oestreich to review a free Mozart Concert at Avery Fisher Hall a few weeks ago. How was the concert? Don't ask James Oestreich! He spent the bulk of his review complaining about the presence that some selfish jerk with an oxygen tank.

The reaction to the Obama Administration's decision to send Vice Talker Joe Biden to China on a supremely delicate diplomatic mission was pretty universal: Fuck! Please please please tell us that he didn't terrify them with awkward jokes about their large holdings of U.S. Treasuries?

There aren't too many things that offend us here at Gawker, so when something does offend us, it's pretty serious. This week we're banning someone who dared to use the F-word. No, not "fuck." The other F-word.

A tipster spied this September 11th memorial wine special at a New York City restaurant.

Here's a supremely creepy clip of a Bank of America executive — perhaps, say, its director of public policy? — walking up to Rick Perry at a New Hampshire event on Wednesday and saying "Bank of America. We will help you out." Well, we know that the governor appreciates a nice gift.

It is important for everyone to express their creativity and sense of humor. But does asserting your individuality really need to involve giving your wifi network a wacky name? And do you really need to call it "FBI SURVEILLANCE VAN?" You're freaking me out.

Americans: what are they fed up with now? Mexicans? Thuggish pro athletes? All those potholes? Well, let's see, sez here... America itself.

Announcement: The "next Harry Potter" is going to be The Night Circus, a historical fiction series about dueling 19C circus magicians written by a never-before-published writer named Erin Morgenstern. The Night Circus is happening, whether you like it or not.

In your finally Friday media column: Michael Daly is leaving the NY Daily News, NewsBeast is a revolving door, Greta Van Susteren bolsters her "Fakest Journalist" credentials, a reporter quits in style, and something notable printed in The Daily.

We here at Gawker have embarked on a journey to discover America's worst state. We began yesterday, profiling the eight least-worst states in the union, and today we continue on our journey to the bottom of the heap.

Indie band Explosions in the Sky is performing at Boise's Egyptian theatre on September 11th! You can tell because there's a big marquee outside that reads, "EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY CONCERT SEPT 11." Oh, shit.

Frances Berwick, the president of Bravo, confirmed today that the network would re-edit the second season of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills after the suicide of Russell Armstrong, whose wife, Taylor, is on the show.

The penal codes in Florence, Italy, are different from those in America, so it appears that a set of twins engaging in intercourse with the same man is not only legal, but encouraged. But with these Terrible Twins, it seems the crew of the most important sociological experiment of our time has finally met its match.

Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley Jr., the so-called "West Memphis Three" who were wrongly convicted in 1994 of child murder in West Memphis, Arkansas, and whose case became a cause celebre, were freed this morning.

Texas is a wonderful place to govern for 11 years, as it turns out: there's no ban on receiving gifts.

AOL chief Tim Armstrong could certainly be forgiven for handing off control of the company. The problems at AOL were largely his creation, and recently growth largely that of his lieutenant Arianna Huffington. Pressure from the press is mounting. And, we hear, he has political ambitions.

According to Mexican news outlets, the hysteria around Justin Bieber's upcoming Mexico City concert has reached such levels that a girl has even offered to trade her virginity for a ticket. Ladies, it's not worth it!

No matter how many billions of dollars he accumulates, private equity billionaire Steven Schwarzman will never live down his ultra-lavish 60th birthday party in 2007, which now stands as one of the ultimate symbols of the excesses of the pre-recession gilded age of finance, and also of how Steve Schwarzman is a pretty unwavering prick. How are the finance titans of these post-recession times demonstrating that they learned their lesson. They're not! Trick question.