Fifteen-year-old Abigail Hernandez was reunited with her family Sunday evening, nine months after she disappeared from a small New Hampshire town in Mount Washington Valley. Hernandez was last seen leaving her high school in October of last year. Authorities are still investigating the circumstances of her disappearance.

Hernandez's family has yet to comment publicly on their daughter's return, with Attorney General Joseph Foster telling the Associated Press that they have requested privacy as the investigation continues.

According to police, Hernandez was walking home from school on her usual route when she disappeared. It was believed that the last her family had heard from her were text messages she sent the day she disappeared, October 9, 2013. But apparently, Abigail had written a letter to her mother while she was still missing. From the Associated Press:

Police did reveal several months ago that she had written home to her mother. When the letter surfaced, FBI Special Agent In Charge Kieran Ramsey said there was the possibility that Abigail had run away but that someone could still be coercing her into staying away from home.

"This was a 14-year-old who went missing for nine months. She did not do this on her own," Associate Attorney General Jane Young said. "This is still a child. This child did not have the ability to survive on her own."

According to a release from New Hampshire State Police and the state's attorney general's office, more information will be released "once it has been determined that releasing additional information will not compromise the integrity of the on-going criminal investigation."

[Image via Conway Police Department/WMUR]

A lot of you have been eating Chipotle lately. Lots. The fast-casual burrito chain posted a 26 percent hike in second quarter profits and same-store sales (or locations open at least a year) are up 17.3 percent. And that was after the first price hike at the company in three years. But who is buying all that Chipotle? Millennials, says founder Steve Ells.

Really! From USA Today:

Never mind that in April, the chain announced menu price hikes for the first time in about three years. Sure, that helped drive up the comp-store sales numbers that boosted the size of the average check. But more important, says Ells, was a jump in traffic during the period. Consumers, particularly Millennials, are attracted by its healthier food offerings and relatively modest prices. And the chain, increasingly, has pushed its catering business, too.

Reuters would tend to agree:

The better-than-expected results prompted Chipotle to boost its full-year same-restaurant sales forecast, and its shares rose almost 10 percent in after-hours trading to $648.80.

Chipotle is known for serving antibiotic-free meats and organic produce, which appeal to trend-setting teen and young adult diners. Investors love the chain because its restaurants crank out more and more sales without increasing costs.

And it would appear that these same Millennials are very patient people who will wait in long lines to eat their Chipotle. From Bloomberg Businessweek:

Chipotle restaurants posted an increase of eight transactions during peak lunch hours and eight additional transactions during peak dinner hours compared to last year. Co-CEO Monty Moran credited improved speed, saying during Monday's earnings call: "These are customers that might easily walk away from our long lines to dine elsewhere except that they know that our excellent teams are geared up and ready to serve them a delicious meal quickly."

Chipotle. It's what's for Millennials' lunch.

[Image via AP]

A man pets a horse at La Exposición Rural in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday. The annual agricultural and livestock show draws breeders from all over the country. Image by Natacha Pisarenko via AP.

Earlier this week, Kid Rock peered at his glass dildo and nodded solemnly, his eyes welling. He knew this day would one day come, but he was blindsided nonetheless. If the young blonde in his bed saw the tear roll down his cheek, she wouldn't have known why. Kid was keeping this secret deep inside: he had been notified via a subpoena that he must present the crystal clear sex toy, gifted to him by an employee of Insane Clown Posse, as evidence in a sexual harassment trial.

That trial regards the case of Andrea Pellegrini, a one-time publicist for America's foremost rapping adult clowns. According to Pellegrini, the glass dildo is one example of the sustained harassment she endured as an employee of ICP's Psychopathic Records. In her lawsuit, she alleges that she was gifted the dildo by a human named "Dirty Dan" Diamond when Diamond noticed that she had changed her relationship status on Facebook.

Pellegrini turned down the glass dildo handed to her by someone named "Dirty Dan" Diamond, as would any person. Any person, that is, except Kid Rock, who was presented with the opportunity to procure a glass dildo from someone named "Dirty Dan" Diamond and thought "Well, I can't pass this up."

Diamond admitted under oath that he verbally harassed Pellegrini at work, which is extremely surprising given that his nickname is "Dirty Dan." This might be the low point in Diamond's life, but he will always have a friend in Kid Rock.

[via SPIN / image via Getty]

Ingeniously dumb comedian Nathan Fielder has returned with season 2 of Nathan For You, the show where he very awkwardly attempts to rehabilitate struggling local businesses, and it's off to a great start. He's already helped a liquor store reach a huge untapped market: Underage suckers.

Nathan's "cool and legal" plan (disclaimer: may not actually be cool or legal) comes with a huge catch, but he's in the selling-liquor-to-minors business, not the giving-a-fuck business. And in the selling-liquor-to-minors business, there are no refunds.

[H/T Comedy Central]

Today is National Hot Dog Day! Unfortunately, the president of the National Pork Producers Council is unavailable to celebrate, since he was arrested this afternoon in Washington trying to enter a Capitol complex office with his unlicensed 9mm pistol. He's probably being grilled by police.

Yesterday evening, Ashton Kutcher tweeted out a photo of a "brain sensing headband" called Muse, telling his 16.3 million followers that he was: "Excited to learn from this incredible technology." Kutcher didn't mention that he's an investor, or why his name appears to be photoshopped onto the product.

Day 1 with @ChooseMuse . Excited to learn from this incredible technology. http://t.co/XTd78ByMtx pic.twitter.com/KweXLy8ZJG

— ashton kutcher (@aplusk) July 22, 2014

Our esteemed art director Jim Cooke could not say with 100 percent certainty that the image was doctored, but he did point out that by brightening the exposure, one can clearly see the letters "going over the headphones, or whatever those are." (Muse is a personal EEG device that sends readings to a user's phone or tablet because: "With a calm mind, you can do more in life.")

Cooke also said the angle of the text didn't seem right. Even if "Ashton Kutcher" was italicized, the those would have some perspective and shouldn't be perfectly parallel.

In response to questions, Jocelyn Umengan, senior manager of PR & Events at InteraXon, the maker of the Muse device, said the photo he tweeted "was all Ashton's initiative."

Hello there,

Thanks for your message.

We had nothing to do with the image.

This was all Ashton's initiative.

If you have any other questions please don't hesitate to give me a shout.

Warmly,

Jocelyn

Jocelyn promised to forward our questions to Kutcher, who cofounded the prolific venture capital firm A-Grade Investments with Madonna's manager Guy Oseary and billionaire Ron Burkle. We will update the post if we hear back.

Kutcher name-dropped his portfolio companies on "Two and a Half Men," years ago without disclosure. According to Fortune, he tried to do something similar with Muse:

The company has raised about $7.5 million to date, [CEO Ariel Garten says]. It closed a $6 million round last year, on an offered $5 million. One of its investors is the actor Ashton Kutcher, who worked references to a company resembling Interaxon into an episode of the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men.

Pimping a product is the raison d'etre for celebrity startup investors. But couldn't Ashton fulfill his business contribution without scrawling his name on the "brain computer interface" like it was a 4th grade lunch box?

To contact the author of this post, please email nitasha@gawker.com.

h/t @pessimism

[Image via Getty]

When Singapore legalized casinos back in 2005, it also established a National Council on Problem Gambling to produce educational messages about the devastation gambling addiction can cause to lives and families. Leading up to the World Cup, the Council released a heartbreaking PSA to discourage football fans from betting on the event.

As John Oliver points out, it might have worked, too, if it weren't for one teeny little detail. This could have been avoided if the writers had followed the World Cup odds a bit more closely, but I'm given to understand they're not big gamblers.

The ad has since been rewritten to make sports betting seem less awesome.

[H/T Reddit]

Over the past twelve years, we've seen tens of thousands of tornado warnings across the United States. Almost every major city east of the Rocky Mountains has seen a tornado warning at some point since 2002, and the resulting maps are pretty cool looking.

The National Weather Service began issuing "storm based warnings" in 2007, which limited the scope of tornado, severe thunderstorm, and flash flood warnings to the immediate areas that were impacted by the warning. Before 2007, warnings were issued on a county basis, even if only a small part of the county was affected by severe weather.

These maps show all 38,728 tornado warnings issued between January 1, 2002 and around midnight on July 23, 2014. Over that twelve-and-a-half year span of time, there were three states that saw every square inch of land go under a tornado warning at least once: Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee. Arkansas and Indiana came very close to complete coverage, but there was one extremely small area (about a few square miles each) that didn't go under a warning in each state.

Be sure to expand the maps using the link on the top-left of each image, as compression distorts the details.

Northeastern United States:

Southeastern United States:

Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee with 100% Coverage:

North-Central United States:

Central United States:

Southwestern United States:

Northwestern United States:

Hawaii:

Puerto Rico:

Although there have been two recorded tornadoes in Alaska since 1950, the National Weather Service has never issued a tornado warning in the state.

For the heck of it, here's a count of all the tornado warnings issued by each National Weather Service office since January 1, 2005, proving once again that Dixie Alley is alive and well:

[All marked warning maps by the author, total tornado warning count map by IEM]

[Correction: The NWS started issuing storm based warning polygons in 2007, not 2002 as I originally stated. I've fixed the error.]

You can follow the author on Twitter or send him an email.

Paget Brewster, always intense, finally returned to Drunk History last night, for a mesmerizing take on the story of a failed attempt on Abraham Lincoln's life starring Charlie Day, Bill from Freaks And Geeks and Tyra from Friday Night Lights, among others. While it's not quite as rip-roaring as some of her previous work on the show, Brewster's sage wisdom and dark sensuality may well outweigh those of show creator Derek Waters himself.

Morning After is a new home for television discussion online, brought to you by Gawker. Follow @GawkerMA and read more about it here.

Is platinum-certified, platinum-haired Australian rapper Iggy Azalea a racist, or a harmless drag queen? Is she a racist drag queen? Are all drag queens racists? Are all racists drag queens? Who knows! Well, one man does, certainly: Roots drummer/author/curator Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson. Questlove is just about the wisest music expert pop culture currently has, and in an interview with TIME, he weighs in on the woman who has set so many social-justice-inclined fingers aflutter this summer.

In response to interviewer Nolan Feeney's question, "Are you pro- or anti-Iggy Azalea?," Questlove delivers reasonable paragraph after reasonable paragraph:

Here's the thing: the song is effective and catchy as hell, and it works. Just the over-enunciation of "hold you down"? [Laughs]It makes me chuckle because all I can see is my assistant holding a brush in the mirror and singing it.

I'm caught in between. And I defend it. I see false Instagram posts like, "She said the N-word! She said the N-word!" I'll call people out — "Yo, don't troll." I know you're ready to give your 42-page dissertation on theGrio about why this is culture vulture-ism. You know, we as black people have to come to grips that hip-hop is a contagious culture. If you love something, you gotta set it free. I will say that "Fancy," above any song that I've ever heard or dealt with, is a game-changer in that fact that we're truly going to have to come to grips with the fact that hip-hop has spread its wings.

And to tell the truth, I was saying this last year, I don't think it's any mistake that four or five of my favorite singers are from Australia. Like between Hiatus Kaiyote, there's a bunch I can name for you right now, but I don't think it's a mistake that a lot of of my favorite artists are coming from Down Under. A lot of them more soulful than what we're dealing with now. When you think soul music and Aretha Franklin and the Baptist-born singer, that's sort of an idea in the past. As black people, we're really not in the church as we used to be, and that's reflected in the songs now.

I'm not going to lie to you, I'm torn between the opinions on the Internet, but I'mma let Iggy be Iggy. It's not even politically correct dribble. The song is effective. I'm in the middle of the approximation of the enunciation, I'll say. Part of me hopes she grows out of that and says it with her regular dialect — I think that would be cooler. But, yeah, "Fancy" is the song of the summer.

The man is fucking flawless.

Also, I'd like to direct you to what Quest told Vulture last year about another white girl that had Twitter whiners screaming, "Devil!" after she acted like an electrocuted imbecile at last year's Video Music Awards, Miley Cyrus:

You know the best thing about this whole ordeal? I instantly knew that Twitter was going to be just dominated by this. As a publicity stunt — yeah, that was a win for Miley.

As for the minstrelsy in the performance: To me, it is literally impossible for any form of black music to not have the stain of minstrelsy on it. Minstrelsy is like the great stain on a nice white shoe. I don't think Miley Cyrus is really aware of the deeper offense of it. To her, it's like, "I'm having fun. I'm 20. I want to fuck up, mess around." She's been a role model all her life. But using black minstrel images to accomplish that is a little dangerous. I frowned on it when Gwen Stefani did it with Asian people.

The larger problem is that most people are unaware of what minstrelsy is. They don't know the history. I think a lot of black people are upset because they saw her using black people as accessories. I'm all for Miley finding herself. But she should be aware of the power of the images she's using.

Look at how sensible, sensitive, and knowing this guy is. Everyone: aspire to be this.

[Image via Getty]

Ira Glass is a writer, producer, storyteller, performer, and a familiar voice. His show This American Life has set the contemporary standard of nonfiction radio shows, and has influenced and inspired countless others to grab a mic and give podcasting a try.

But business as usual is apparently not enough for Ira. Earlier this year, he and his team produced an ambitious live theater show, with musicians, comedians, dancers, and other artists collaborating to create an eclectic performance. Meanwhile, This American Life has also gone independent from its longtime distributor, PRI, and they are also launching a new podcast in the fall called Serial—which, yes, will present a long serialized story over the course of a dozen or so chapters. Ira is certainly not afraid of a challenge.

We spoke with Ira to learn about his workflow, how he crafts his stories, and which tools he uses to produce compelling shows every week.

Location: New York
Current Gig: Host and Executive Producer of This American Life
One word that best describes how you work: Unrelentingly
Current mobile device: iPhone 5 (and Anker Astro Slim3 battery for when it runs out of juice)
Current computer: MacBook Air, the smallest one, and a Mac desktop at work. I prefer reading books on an iPad mini. Movies and TV shows I watch exclusively on the iPad mini, never on a TV.

What apps/software/tools can't you live without? Why?

On the tech/app side I keep things unsophisticated. Pro Tools to edit sound, Microsoft Word for writing. This American Life runs on Google Docs. Before Google Docs existed, those rare times I met software engineers, I'd ask them to please create software so two people in different locations could edit a document together online. God bless Google Docs.

We use Google Docs so much at the radio show because we edit and re-edit each story many times before it gets to air. At each edit, we add at least one producer who's never heard the earlier versions.

Editing a radio story goes like this: The reporter reads the script out loud and when it's time for the quotes, we play those from the computer. Someone times how long the story is. We all take notes. If you'd stuck your head into the office, you'd see four of five of us scribbling away furiously and noting what we'd change. Lately we've been buying Muji notebooks and .38 Muji gel ink pens at the office for this purpose. They're pleasant to touch and make the world seem like an orderly place. I number and date my notebooks in case I need to go back to them later.

Then we all rewrite the script together on Google Docs, on MacBook Airs purchased for this purpose. We're also big users of Google Calendar at the radio show. The desktop interface for that is good but the Google Calendar iPhone app is just fucking annoying and really should go to hell. Here are two annoying things it does: 1) Every day (and after every time you close the app) it asks you to log in again with your name and password, which is a pain in the ass. 2) After you log in, a little blue box appears saying "Install this web app on your Phone: tap on the arrow and then 'Add to Home Screen'" which irritates me because the app should know that it already IS on my home screen. It already is on my iPhone. Where does it think it's living? Anyway, after a couple of years of getting mad every time it asked me this, I finally decided this was unnecessary anger to have in my life and switched to the iCal app that comes with the iPhone.

As far as audio gear, the recording kits we use in the field for our show are Marantz PDM661 digital recorders, whose controls and displays are beautifully designed and wonderful to use, and Audio Technica AT835b shotgun mics. I've used the 835b since I was in my twenties. You can spend more for prettier sound but I think it's a great-sounding general-purpose mic, good both for interviews and for recording ambient sound. Shotguns are better for interviews because they isolate the voice of the interviewee better than omnidirectional mics. You just have to be careful about handling noise, but that's not hard.

I'd been doing radio over a decade when I discovered the world of wireless lav mics, which you pin on your interviewee as they teach in front of a classroom, shake hands on the campaign trail, go about their lives. Most radio people don't use these but they're like a crazy magic trick. The interviewees forget they're wearing the mics, or get tired of remembering, and you get incredible stuff you wouldn't get if you were standing there sticking a footlong mic a few inches from their face. I prefer the Lectrosonics wireless rigs though they're insanely expensive. The first one I bought—for $2000—was the most expensive thing I'd ever owned. I paid more for it than I'd paid for my car. There are good ones for lots cheaper but you definitely hear the difference when you spring for the extra money.

Okay warning: this is going to get a little wonky. I give a lot of speeches, easily one every two weeks, and in those speeches, I like to recreate the sound of our radio show. I narrate live, and roll in quotes and mix music, all live. For years, I needed a mixing console and CD players to do this. But now I can do it with an iPad mini. The tech isn't complicated. I run Ableton Live software on my MacBook Air. The Air plugs into the house sound system out of the regular headphone jack. (You need to go through a direct box to push the sound up to proper levels for a professional P.A. system but direct boxes are cheap.)

Then on the iPad mini I use software called TouchAble that controls the Ableton Live software that's on my Mac. It gives me all my quotes and music and a full mixer, right on the iPad. So I can hit music and ride levels up and down, all live. I travel with a wireless router, a robust one, to create the wifi network that lets the iPad mini talk to the MacBook Air.

What's your workspace setup like?

I have a computer with nice Genelec 8020B speakers and Dorrough 12-AES digital audio meters, which is what we all have at the radio show. I'm not fussy about where I work. In fact, kind of the opposite. I can write anywhere. Desk, diner, airplane. If anything, I write better on planes and away from the office because I'm not interrupted by anyone.

What's your best time-saving shortcut/life hack?

I've got nothing. Reading other people's answers to this question on your website today made me realize I live my life like an ape. I eat the same breakfast and lunch everyday, both at my desk. I employ no time-saving tricks at all.

Though come to think of it, I guess my biggest life hack—and this is the very first time I've attempted to use the phrase "life hack" in a sentence—is that my wife and I decided to live just a few blocks from where I work. We did this because of our dog. Since I spend at least an hour every night walking the dog, I didn't want to spend another 60 or 90 minutes a day commuting. I don't have the time. Like lots of people, I work long hours.

What's your favorite to-do list manager?

Wunderlist. I keep two lists: a to-do list and a list of stuff that's just books and movies and articles that people mention, that I hope to check out. I like Wunderlist because it's so simple.

I'm okay but not great at managing my time. In addition to being an editor and writer on my radio show, I'm also the boss, and deal with budgets, personnel stuff, revenue and spending questions, and business decisions. My worst habit: when I should be writing something for this week's show, I'll procrastinate by looking over some contract or making some business phone call or doing something else that actually isn't as important as writing. Which is to say: I procrastinate by working. I wonder if that's common.

I also find that somehow, the way I'm built, the hardest part of my job is simply to shift from one task to the next. The new task is like icy water you have to dive into. The old task is a warm bath. It's especially hard when I know the new task is going to be really difficult, as half of them are. I always have to brace myself.

Besides your phone and computer, what gadget can't you live without and why?

I'd be lost without a toilet to dispose of human waste.

What everyday thing are you better at than everyone else? What's your secret?

I don't think I'm better than everyone else at anything, but I am very quick at organizing a big mass of interview tape into a structure. I learned my technique from a great print editor named Paul Tough, who was at the New York Times Magazine and Harper's, and worked with our show a lot in the early years. It's so basic I worry it doesn't bear going into here, but just in case it's handy to another writer or editor, here we go:

When I come out of an interview, I jot down the things I remember as being my favorite moments. For an hour-long interview usually it's just four or five moments, but if out I'm reporting all day, I'll spend over an hour at night typing out every favorite thing that happened. This is handier than you might think. Often this short list of favorite things will provide the backbone to the structure to my story.

Then I transcribe the tape or have it transcribed by someone. Getting every word right isn't as important as having something on paper for each sentence that's been said, because to make radio stories, you edit by the sentence. For some reason in the radio biz we don't call these transcripts, we call them tape logs.

Then I print out the log and mark it up. Every possible quote I might use, I write a letter next to, A, B, C, etc. As I do this, on a single piece of paper, I make a list for myself of the quotes. So when I'm done, there's not just the tape log, there's a piece of paper with tiny handwriting on it, listing the quotes "A - he describes the old house, B - what it was like the moment he came home, C - his sister warned him," etc. Any quote that's especially promising gets an asterisk. Any quote I'm sure I cannot tell the story without gets two asterisks.

The point of this is that it gets all this inchoate material—the sound you've gathered—into a form where you can see it all on one page. You see all your options. It's in a form where your brain can start to organize it. Also, writing the list sort of inserts all the quotes into quick-access RAM memory in your head in a helpful way. I find that the important first step to writing anything or editing anything (half of my day each day is editing) is just getting the possible building blocks of the story into your head so you can start thinking about how to manipulate it and cut it and move it.

Listing the quotes this way is also important because a radio story, unlike other kinds of writing and even other kinds of journalism, is usually structured around the quotes. You organize the beats of your plot around the most compelling moments you have on tape. (Though I learned this from a print journalist so I guess it's applicable there too.)

Next I stare at my one-page list and think about what would be a fun or compelling beginning. (Okay, I've been thinking about that since I decided to do the story but now it's down to brass tacks: what actually works on tape and what are the many things that I tried that failed?) Usually there are two or three decent options for the beginning of the story and one or two obvious possibilities for how to end it. Then I think about what really are my very favorite moments and what doesn't need to be in the story. And then I sketch a structure based on my letter code: okay, F is the opening beat, then do C and D and then jump to M and N and end on G. And then I write. Usually my list will include a few extra beats that I'm not sure if pacing will permit. When I get to that spot in the writing, I'll know whether to include them or cut them.

This technique lets you go from many hours of interview tape to a concise, workable structure very quickly. It's hard to imagine how you could do it more efficiently.

What are you currently reading?

I just finished Elizabeth Kolbert's Sixth Extinction (which I loved if you can say "loved" about a book that's so grim) and Dan Barber's book The Third Plate which is a surprisingly well-reported Michael Pollan-ish book written by a professional chef. They are amazingly similar books, about what we're doing to the natural world. In Barber's case, not to be too glib about it, this has consequences for what he can cook. His stuff about fish is some of my favorite reporting I've read this year. Molly Ringwald did a story on our show and now I'm reading her novel. It's deeply relatable and pretty sad. I'm also slowly working my way through all the Lemony Snicket books which seem like works of pure genius to me. The word "genius" is used here to mean works of complete originality in content and voice. Snicket readers know what I'm talking about.

I don't read many books that aren't for work. I don't have time to read much for pleasure. I do read the New York Times and the New Yorker, exactly like you'd expect of any glasses-wearing East Coast public radio employee. I read Rookie to see what my wife's up to; she's one of the people running the site. Fortunately, it's great: soulful and entertaining and continually surprising. Unfortunately, it's totally reshaped my music listening so now my playlist at the gym is that of a 15-year-old girl's. Lots of Charli XCX lately.

Are you more of an introvert or an extrovert?

I am a noisy introvert. My sister Randi made up that phrase and it describes lots of people I know. Lots of writers seem to be introverts who love to now and then be on stage. Lots of radio people too. I covet large amounts of time alone, and I'm most comfortable and very happy when I'm alone, but obviously there's another side to me because true introverts don't end up with their own national radio shows.

What's your sleep routine like?

I'm nothing. No routine at all. Productive thinking or working can happen late at night or early morning. I generally go to sleep at midnight or 1 a.m. and get up at 7 or 8 a.m. To be truthful, I handle this terribly. By the end of every week, I'm just getting five hours sleep so I can get into the office at 7 a.m. and write. By the end of every week, I'm sleep deprived.

Fill in the blank: I'd love to see _________ answer these same questions.

Jay-Z, Malcolm Gladwell, Tavi Gevinson, Shonda Rhimes. Seriously, Shonda Rhimes, how does she do it? How many TV shows is she writing and producing now? What's Jay-Z's day like? Does he work, like, ten hours a day, or just two? What's his home stereo system like? Does Malcolm Gladwell set aside time in his week to look for stories? If not, where do they come from?

What's the best advice you've ever received?

"An explanation is where the mind comes to rest." This wasn't said to me. I read it in Michael Lewis somewhere. Sometimes when there's some uneasy truth about my life that I don't want to admit, I will notice that my mind will keep insisting on that truth and this quote will come to mind.

Is there anything else you'd like to add that might be interesting to readers/fans?

I'd just say to aspiring journalists or writers—who I meet a lot of—do it now. Don't wait for permission to make something that's interesting or amusing to you. Just do it now. Don't wait. Find a story idea, start making it, give yourself a deadline, show it to people who'll give you notes to make it better. Don't wait till you're older, or in some better job than you have now. Don't wait for anything. Don't wait till some magical story idea drops into your lap. That's not where ideas come from. Go looking for an idea and it'll show up. Begin now. Be a fucking soldier about it and be tough.

Title photo by Stuart Mullenberg. Additional photos by Adrianne Mathiowetz/This American Life.

The How I Work series asks heroes, experts, and flat-out productive people to share their shortcuts, workspaces, routines, and more. Every other Wednesday we'll feature a new guest and the gadgets, apps, tips, and tricks that keep them going. Have someone you want to see featured, or questions you think we should ask? Email Andy.

Reuters reports that Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal is ready for a cease-fire in Gaza. But he says his acceptance of any proposal depends on an end to Israeli attacks. He also wants to open Gaza's borders and end the seven-year blockade by Israel and Egypt.

This doesn't change much. Citizens in Gaza have been pushing to end the blockade throughout this bitter two-week conflict, and Israel and Hamas haven't come to any agreement. Meshaal, speaking to reporters from exile in Qatar, said today he wouldn't accept a deal without negotiating first. "Everyone wanted us to accept a ceasefire and then negotiate for our rights, we reject this and we reject it again today."

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon wants an immediate cease-fire and then a discussion about opening borders. Secretary of State John Kerry made a surprise visit to Israel today to meet with Ban, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. All Kerry could say about the meetings so far is that "there is still work to do."

[Image via AP]

We've been getting a lot of tips lately, which makes sense because we are seemingly pleading for them. Some of them are good, and of course most are bad and you should be ashamed, but lately, what with the Brooklyn Bridge being adorned by two new white flags, you're showing a different side to you, friends of Gawker: a theorist side.

So far, we've got two solid theories as to why and how two bleached American flags made it to the top of the Brooklyn Bridge on Tuesday. Normally both towers of the iconic bridge fly our beloved stars and stripes, but construction workers noticed early Tuesday morning that something had changed. Instead of the standard patriotic flair, the bridge had two white flags. But why?

We begin with Rob Freedman:

dear gawker,

the brooklyn bridge white flag appeared on (or within hours of) the anniversary of the apollo 11 moon landing. it is speculated that the american flag erected on the moon on that date has been bleached white by the harsh conditions there. ot the 365 days that could have been chosen for the brooklyn bridge white flag raising, odds are that I am spot on with my deduction. I am surprised that no media outlet has yet made this connection.

best,

rob freedman

Historically sound, though it seems like kind of a big risk all to simply commemorate a trip to space.

Then there's a tipster who asked to remain anonymous, speculating about who the suspect in the case is. Anyone got anything on this besides "anon"?

Supposedly one of the "suspects" has an NYPD father in a high position. Emphasis on the word suspect.

This "suspect" also has tons of appearances fighting other skateboarders at les park and on straightwhiteboystexting.tumblr.com

So the perpetrator (or one of the perpetrators) is a likely asshole.

One of you—another no-namer!—is even a rumored daredevil yourself.

There's going to be a lot of interest in the Brooklyn bridge with the flag stunt.

A few years ago I climbed the Williamsburg and Brooklyn bridges, and got arrested for it.

What do you think the flags are supposed to represent? All wacky and weird ideas are welcome in the comments, as well as rational and smart ones. If you have a real tip on this story or otherwise, please feel free to email us at tips@gawker.com.

[Image via AP]

Chris Pratt, the Guardians of the Galaxy star who will always be Parks and Rec's earnest Andy in our hearts, is probably sick to death of answering questions about his physical transformation into a superhero. But just when he's about to fall asleep mid-interview, someone brings him an intern's hair and asks him to French-braid it.

See, there's an imaginary Chris Pratt French braid truther movement that doesn't believe Pratt actually does his wife Anna Faris's hair, despite a photo he posted on Instagram in April. Surely Entertainment Tonight's live test of Pratt's hair-specific manual dexterity can lay this unfortunate controversy to rest (until Trump demands to see the longform French braid, anyway).

[H/T Vulture]

John Walsh looks and sounds like a senator. The Democrat, who replaced retiring Max Baucus earlier this year and is running for reelection this fall, leans on his 33-year as a decorated combat soldier. But like a senator, he may have cheated and stolen to keep that career on track.

Walsh, who earned a Bronze Star in Iraq and also served as the general in charge of Montana's National Guard, lifted at least a quarter of his Army War College master's thesis from internet sources. That would be significant, since an Army officer's promotion to major commands is predicated on passing a staff college curriculum.

Jonathan Martin at the New York Times explains:

Mr. Walsh completed the paper, what the War College calls a "strategy research project," to earn his degree in 2007, when he was 46. The sources of the material he presents as his own include academic papers, policy journal essays and books that are almost all available online.

Most strikingly, each of the six recommendations Mr. Walsh laid out at the conclusion of his 14-page paper, titled "The Case for Democracy as a Long Term National Strategy," is taken nearly word-for-word without attribution from a Carnegie Endowment for International Peace document on the same topic...

About a third of his paper consists of material either identical to or extremely similar to passages in other sources, such as the Carnegie or Harvard papers, and is presented without attribution. Another third is attributed to sources through footnotes, but uses other authors' exact — or almost exact — language without quotation marks.

Martin details a few key passages and their sources, making clear that they found their way verbatim into Walsh's final paper.

This isn't the first time Walsh's military service has been questioned. In 2010, Army inspectors criticized him for using his rank and position to pressure subordinate soldiers into joining the National Guard Association at the same time he was running to be vice president of the private group.

As a result of that brouhaha, the federal government never approved his promotion to become a general, even though commanders of state National Guard units usually serve as two-star generals. (Walsh eventually retired in 2012, having been granted temporary one-star general status by the state's Democratic governor.)

Confronted by the Times with his copied passages on Wednesday, Walsh denied there was "anything intentional" in it. An aide who later talked to Martin "did not contest the plagiarism but suggested that it be viewed in the context of the senator's long career," adding that the senator had been stressed when he was at the Army War College, owing to a recent suicide from his Iraq unit two. Accountability, it seems, is for more-junior soldiers.

But perhaps not entirely. Plagiarism is a no-no as far as the War College is concerned. It's possible the institution could review Walsh's academic record. As the College's academic handbook puts it: "Sooner or later, academic dishonesty will be discovered."

[Photo credit: AP Images]

Welcome back to Midweek Madness, in which in which we gleefully wallow in the filth contained within the pages of Star, Us Weekly, OK!, Life & Style and InTouch. This week: Kim and Kanye are already falling apart, causing her to eat pasta on top of ice cream; Kate Middleton is pregnant again; and Charlize Theron was rude to Tia Mowry at SoulCycle.

Star

ALONE & BINGE EATING

Kim and Kanye are already on the rocks and thus Kim is "turning to food to dull the pain." Cool and fresh take on this Kimye situation, guys. Anyway, Kanye is apparently at once controlling and neglectful (Kanye contains multitudes), and Kim has gained 22 pounds — some of it in her elbows, which is apparently a place where weight accumulates now (Fig. 1) — because feelings. "She'll eat a whole bowl of pasta and ice cream in the middle of the night when she can't sleep," says a friend. Pasta mixed with ice cream: a classic comfort food. Elsewhere in the magazine, Zac Efron is using Michelle Rodriguez for money because I guess Zac Efron hasn't been in a million movies in the past year or something? And Michelle Rodriguez has her Fast and Furious fortune, which he is mooching off of? AS IF M-Rod would ever be duped by a pair of sunglasses atop a pile of abs like that. In other news, Star did an interview with LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian which was very boring and asinine. At one point, LeAnne and Eddie were asked if it was "awkward" that she has a job and stays at home. Uhhhhh. Moving on, we have the weirdest article I've ever seen printed in a tabloid: an exclusive about how Matt Damon is a really nice and supportive step-dad and how his step-daughter's biological father respects Matt Damon for providing for her and treating her wonderfully. WHO LET THIS RUN IN STAR, OF ALL PLACES? Don't get used to it, though — on the very next page, the editors have despicably printed the "crazed prison rants" of a mentally ill inmate in Pennsylvania who has a vendetta against Bachelorette Andi Dorfman, whom he's never met. The whole thing is disgusting: they gleefully reprint some of his horrible claims about Dorfman and state that he is both "dangerous" to her and her "stalker," even though he's not eligible for parole until January 2021. Ugh.

GRADE: F- (if Circe turned everyone you dislike from your high school graduating class into pigs and they showed up at your wedding, where they repeatedly requested that the DJ put on Train)

InTouch

IT'S OVER AFTER 58 DAYS!

After but 58 days, the Kimye marriage is... not over. ("Kim is hell-bent on keeping up the charade for as long as she can," says the mag.) Uh, ok! Thanks for the update. Other tired bits rehashed within this story include: Kim was SO BORED in Ireland on their Honeymoon; Kanye sees Kim as a fame-prop; remember when Kim was married for 72 days lol wacky. Moving on: Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi are having a baby to save their marriage. Ellen did not want to have kids, says a source, but Portia convinced her by playing her a montage of children who have appeared on her show (feat. Sophia Grace and Rosie) and then whispered, "You'd be the best mother ever." Which just sounds like something one would encounter in a haunted house, but all right. Next: Tia Mowry says that Charlize Theron was rude to her at a SoulCycle class. Now THIS is some celebrity gossip I can get behind! "I said 'Hi,' and she actually rolled her eyes and said, 'Oh my God,'" alleges Mowry. Maybe she was just coping with the existential dread of being in a SoulCycle facility? Or maybe she likes Tamera better? Finally, inTouch has published a 2-page spread on "Eek! FREAKY CELEB BODY PARTS," featuring Steven Tyler's toe, supermodel Karolina Kurkova's bellybutton, and one of Angelina Jolie's veins (Fig 2). Great stuff from a top-notch news magazine.

GRADE: F (that horrible viral picture of a pig who has defecated onto its own testicles)

Us

A PARTY FOR THE PRINCE!

Prince George, the imperial regent-baby of England, continues to lose the futile battle against the indifferent sands of time, as we all do. He turned one! And there was a party to commemorate the occasion! Fun facts about the one-year-old: he received "wooden toys and clothes" from his parents (little overalls made of wood, probably); he has a "big personality"; he is not yet speaking human but can already "do a 'wo-wo' for the sound of a dog." In other news, Jennifer Aniston and Sandra Bullock are hanging out now and excited about their burgeoning friendship, which is nice. ALSO: did you know they both used to date Tate Donovan??? Get it, Jimmy Cooper. Elsewhere in the mag, Scott Disick is not drinking after being hospitalized for alcohol poisoning, which is good news. And, finally, Adam Levine and Behati Prinsloo had a very Adam Levine-y wedding, by which I mean that Adam Levine performed "What I Got" by Sublime after the reception and also Behati Prinsloo sang him "First Day of My Life" by Bright Eyes.

GRADE: D- (a millennial remake of Babe the Gallant Pig entitled Bae the Gallant Pig to pander to teens)

OK!

SPLIT!

Today in "slow news week," Gavin Rossdale and Gwen Stefani are sleeping in separate rooms. There is literally no new information contained within this article: Courtney Love admitted to having slept with him in an interview in 2010! He found out that he had fathered a love child in 2004! Gwen and him have three kids and she also works hard at her job! Thank you so much for the recap of Gavin and Gwen's marriage ups and downs, guys. In other news, Kate Upton went on vacation without being a size 0 and was unbothered by the mewling idiots on the Internet that took issue with her body, probably because she's extremely beautiful and famous and successful. Moving on: Justin Theroux and Courteney Cox's husband (OF THE MID-AUGHTS BAND SNOW PATROL) hate each other. Snow Patrol thinks that Theroux is smug; Theroux smugly thinks he's too good for Snow Patrol. Will the cosmos ever be at peace? Next: Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling are having a boy, conjectures the magazine, because, uhhh, they bought blue toys and an airplane mobile. Also, within a 2-page article we are told that the wall will be painted neutral-colored and that they will be covered in images of monkeys. "Monkey" is not a neutral shade!! Get your story straight!!!!

GRADE: F (a hog wallowing in the Swamp of Sadness)

Life & Style

IT'S A GIRL!

Kate Middleton is reportedly pregnant, for the five-hundredth time, and it's gonna be a girl in this iteration of the rumor because why not. Life & Style reports that Kate's "childhood pal Jessica Hay — who first revealed Kate's pregnancy with George" confirms the state of her womb. Jessica Hay, what's your problem. Anyway, the Royal Family is babyproofing their house, as one does, by putting a $850,000 clay roof on it and buying cozy new fireplace fixtures. Hoorah. In other news, Khloe Kardashian is NOT pregnant. This sentence was published on the matter: "That meant double the heartbreak for the star: Not only was she not expecting, but she couldn't blame the pregnancy for the return of the 30 pounds she'd lost over the past year." Uhhhhhh. Excuse me? She's reportedly "taking diet pills" out of "desperation" now. Moving on, Nikki from the Bachelor is fed up with Juan Pablo, who is womanizing a lot even though they're still "together." The magazine says that she "wanted to badly to believe in the fairy tale." You know, the famed old story about the lonesome oaf rolling around in a hot tub with a pack of women who tolerate his presence because they're surrounded by a film crew. Finally, Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux are having issues settling their $170 million pre-nup, $150 of which is hers. The crux of their argument is regarding who gets to keep their two dogs, which is nice (Jen wants them both; Justin wants one and joint custody over the other).

GRADE: D (the mini-pig Paris Hilton had as a pet, who is probably really condescending to other mini-pigs at their lil' tea parties because he thinks he's famous now)

Addendum

Fig. 1, Star

Fig. 2, inTouch

According to the Hollywood Reporter, CBS has officially announced its plans to keep the Late Show in New York's Ed Sullivan Theatre, after David Letterman hands it off to Stephen Colbert in 2015.

Although there was some speculation—or, probably more accurately, unnecessary worrying—that the show would move to LA under Colbert's reign, it never seemed particularly likely. CBS Corp. president and CEO Leslie Moonves calmed that fear today in a statement about the show's future:

"We're thrilled to continue broadcasting CBS's Late Show from New York and call the Ed Sullivan Theater its home. David Letterman has graced this hall and city with comedy and entertainment that defined a generation. When Dave decides to pass the baton next year, we look forward to welcoming Stephen Colbert, one of the most innovative and respected forces on TV, to this storied television theater. I would also like to applaud Gov. Cuomo for all that he has done to keep New York a vibrant and attractive location for all forms of television production. We're excited to be here in late night for many years to come."

The Hollywood Reporter reports that, with this decision, CBS will be eligible to receive at least $11 million in tax credits over five years and up to $5 million in grants to offset renovations of the theatre. New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo also issued a statement about Late Show staying in the city:

"Today, I am pleased to announce that the Late Show will stay in New York, where it belongs. New York has long been an international entertainment leader, and with this commitment from CBS we are beginning the next chapter in that proud history. The television and film industries are thriving in the Empire State – creating jobs and fueling dozens of other sectors across the state. Les Moonves and CBS have made the right decision in choosing to continue investing in New York, and as David Letterman passes the baton to Stephen Colbert, I look forward to watching The Late Show from the historic Ed Sullivan Theatre for years to come."

[image via Getty]

Finally, there are answers to the question that inevitably comes up when I watch Little Women L.A. with someone else and one of the cast's average-sized boyfriend's comes on screen: How do they...you know?

Not differently at all, it turns out. Well, not much, depending on the position ("When it's, like, face-to-face, sometimes I gotta stand on the bed and he is standing on the floor...for some things," reports bombshell Elena). And if you like being picked up during sex and just happen a little person, well, you're in luck!

Amazing that this show isn't on TLC because I am learning every week.

You're looking at the face of a guilty bear. Cute and innocent though it may appear, last night, the villain shown above burglarized a pool deck in Central Florida, in search of the only things thirsty bears ever really want: beer and/or daiquiri mix.

Ultimately, the beast left without taking anything. Earlier this week, the Lake Mary, Fla. home's inhabitants weren't so lucky. On Saturday, someone, something — the same bear? probably the same bear — mad with desire for a cold Coors Banquet, tore into the house's screened-in pool, ransacking the booze fridge and leaving poked-through beers and open bottles of cocktail mixers strewn about the floor.

Tom Carbone, our source, obtained the following photos from Lisa, a friend of his mother's who did not want her last name mentioned or to be interviewed for this post.

Lisa was on the lookout after Saturday's booze-soaked break-in, and had a camera ready when the alcoholic monster returned yesterday. Again, it went straight for the beer-filled mini fridge — Lisa's family doesn't even keep food on the pool deck, she notes — and when it noticed her snapping photos behind a sliding door, it slapped the glass with its paw.

We interviewed Carbone just after a phone conversation with Lisa. Bear sightings are relatively common in Lake Mary, he says she told him, so she wasn't worried at first, but never before had one "banged on the glass, then looked her in the eye, as if to say, 'I'm here, and I'm not leaving.'" With that chilling gesture, it was clear this bear meant business. Beer business. The bear wanted the beer.

She turned off her lights and retreated.

Later, Lisa returned to the porch and found a surprise: nothing was missing. Why didn't the bear take the beer? We may never know.