This week in the Istaverse: Stressful West Coast cities; a Bush-family member is the focus of a protest; Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark's Paul Humphrey talks; a new haunted house in the Midwest; booze and brunch together at last; a horrendous example of human nature; and a plethora of Occupy Wall Street action from the movement's home city. more ›

This week in the Istaverse: Classist humor in action; mass transit rules of etiquette; civil unrest discomfits a police department; bicyclists behaving badly; more of the same for Occupy Wall Street protesters; and Texas students finally get the sex education they deserve. more ›

This week in the Istaverse: Public nudity legislation, Southern California city pride, charges of institutional racism on the East Coast, a huge Texas fire, criminal aggression aimed at bicyclists, patriotic Pledges and the Republicans who love them, Mid-Western weather whiners, and Greenpeace studies on Chinese produce. more ›

Hurricane Irene recovery efforts, the high cost of pot consumption, proposals to protect the aesthetically displeasing by the use of law, BART protests turn the page to BART anti-protests, crossbows replacing handguns and more in this week journey through the Istaverse. more ›

This week across the Istaverse: Sad flash mobs, anger aimed at bicyclists, presidential poking of New England Republicans, maps of stereotypes, paroled texting drivers, Anonymous disrupts mass transit, noodle diplomacy, and the baffling case of Rick Perry; all this and more just a click away. more ›

Music related folderol, the beginning of a new Jimmy McMillan meme, a bike ride with a Tour de France legend, mass transit possible misnomers, the end of the food truck era in one major metropolitan area, the onset of male hussy pride, a bus driver becomes the bully for once, and a presidential candidate has a home-constituent problem; all this week in the Istaverse. more ›

Asian Hallmark holidays, Lollapalooza preparations, curious prejudices about sidewalk cafe culture, Red Sox hero worship, angry cabbies, terrible constitutional stances and an unexpected spotlight on A&E's Intervention, all this week in the Istaverse. more ›

What's happening elsewhere in the Ist-averse? Sports, mostly. And lots of same-sex marriages in New York. more ›

Rahm Emaunel's matriculation choices displeases his constituents; high-speed rail collision; sad panda bear news; and negligent subway parenting all in this week's journey through the Istaverse. more ›

Pitchfork Music Festival suggestions, illegal acrobatics off of the Williamsburg Bridge, graffiti artist arrests, pro-athletes' perjury trials, and the trend in softness found in America, all within this week's journey through the Istaverse. more ›

A shocking murder, LGBT history made official, curfews, shiny new mass transit vehicles, DEA stubbornness, dead or undead ex-presidents, kittens surviving nefarious human actions, and chefs who explode onto the scene: All in this week's trip through the Istaverse. more ›

Bostonist, this week: Transporting James "Whitey" Bulger to court on a Coast Guard helicopter: $14,000; Senator Scott Brown piling on to Massachusetts' top bad guy: priceless! Oh, gay marriage in Rhode Island, and possibly, Maine, too. more ›

This week in the Istaverse: Chicago was all about Pride Week, PETA protesters and Manhattan Expats occupied DC, the arrest of a fugitive that had been on the run for 16 years in Boston, NYC celebrated the legalization of gay marriage, a pot dispensary hold up ends badly for the perpetrator in LA, families are leaving San Francisco in droves, heat averse 'dillos were found in Austin, and in Shanghaii, a food blogger met an untimely end after trashing a local restaurant. more ›

This week brought us sartorial crimes in SF, slurs fired by Safeway employees in DC, continued improvements brought to the mass transit in Chicago, teachers teaching spicy language to young Chinese students in Shanghai, Houston complaining about Austin, the Bruins celebrating in Boston, and the breaching of cell phone etiquette in New York. more ›

A misappropriation of the term "flash mob" in Chicago, burgeoning Red Sox fever in Boston, happiness is the focus in Shanghai, Austin celebrates the cell-phone abuser that went viral, DC recovers from a hectic political week, LA glorifies puns and SF gets Russell Crowe's all important opinion on circumcisions. Just your average week in the Istaverse. more ›

Civil unions in Chicago, tornados in Boston, Weinergate in NYC, LA bans access to tanning salons to its teens, and more could be found around the Istaverse this week. more ›

This week brings us extreme culture clashes in New York, circumcision angst in LA, Rahm's inauguration in Chicago, festival prep in Austin, sexist commercialism in Shaghai and fun with the Rapture just about everywhere else. more ›

Recapping the week that was in Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, Austin, Shanghai, Washington DC, New York City and Seattle. more ›

Seattlest is quaking in their boots (bought especially for the occasion) with excitement for this years SXSW in Austin, Tex. We're making our initial sojourn to the festival and are so pleased to see there will be a strong Seattle contingent joining us in Austin this year. more ›

http://seattlest.com/2008/02/28/foo_fighters_da.php">announced his presidential bid.

href="http://londonist.com/2008/02/air_bound.php"> remove one man from Gatwick.

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href="http://torontoist.com/2008/02/phototo_snowbal.php">photographing a big, organized snowball fight.

It's been a while since we've heard from The Forms. The Brooklyn four-piece put out their debut album Icarus in 2003 to widespread acclaim, with the Steve Albini-produced work earning an 8.5 from Pitchfork for its "wiry, punchy, indie pop with refreshingly un-hackneyed time-signature games and judiciously placed dissonant chords." more ›

Seattlest watches as a S.L.U.T. is born and Seattle Flickr users go nuts over a local art installation. A restaurant critic demands a Diner's Bill of Rights over a gnat next to her drink, and, in lieu of a Portlandist, Seattlest debates with itself over the identity of the Northwest's crown jewel. Seattlest also joins the guys from Fantagraphics for an ill-fated gun party in the woods. more ›

Londonist are starting to think their city is getting just a little bit too expensive, when even Christian Slater can't afford to go out there. And there's no escaping, as local singer Lily Allen discovered when she was barred entry to the US. The British mapping agency caused further bad karma, by blocking a 3-D representation of London in Google Earth. But the smiles returned to Londonist's faces as they interviewed Baroness von Reichardt, who has completely covered her house in mosaic tiles. more ›

It was a week of bizarre, embarassing headlines at DCist. The trial of the local administrative law judge who sued his cleaners for $54 million over a pair of missing pants left everyone shaking their heads. Then the capital city was nearly brought to its knees, twice, by poop. Finally D.C. contemplated taking Vermont's place as a state and marveled at the GOP lessons learned from the "Macaca Moment." more ›

Holy smokes! Giant fish on the MTA, Paris Hilton in jail, then out, then in again, Al Gore, goatses, blumpkins, Matt Damon, and baby art critics! It's been a busy week across the Ist-A-Verse, and here's a smattering of what's been going on. more ›

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All across the Ist-A-Verse (or at least the American parts thereof), writers and editors are in the midst of enjoying their three-day weekend. But after the week we've all had, we feel like the break is not only needed, but deserved. Just look at everything we've been doing! more ›