Week Around The Ists
It was all about "Blizzaster 2011" at Chicagoist this week, AKA "Tuesday." 20.3 inches of thundersnow fell on the city. Staffer Benjy Lipsman wrote of his four-hour bus ride on Lake Shore Drive during the height of the storm. Motorists and buses were stranded on the Drive, which led to questions about why it wasn’t shut down before the storm hit and why Mayor Daley went missing the day after. Side streets were slowly being cleared by the city and volunteers. Readers have been sharing their best blizzaster photography and a DIY "I Survived the Blizzaster" t-shirt decal was created to commemorate the storm.
- Shanghaiist was encouraged by the power of microblogging this week, whether it be used to find love or to help parents find lost children.
- DCist was taken aback when Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder -- hardly a popular figure around town -- decided to sue the Washington City Paper, claiming that a November 2009 cover story defamed him and included an anti-Semitic illustration. So far, the lawsuit has been a massive PR disaster for Snyder (who, rather hilariously, has claimed he "loves the media"), as City Paper has gained near-universal support, notably from one network television sportscaster, a legal defense fund, and, of course, on Twitter.
- Seattlest visited two opposite ends of the film spectrum, cringing at the cheesy trailer for the upcoming Amanda Knox movie on Lifetime, and celebrating the fact that a gritty, low-budget film like Winter's Bone, which has strong Seattle ties, can rake in four Oscar nominations.
- SFist reported that GLAAD (the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) demanded an apology from Saturday Night Live for a skit that made fun of transgendered people.
- Gothamist watched the city move a step closer toward a complete ban on cigarettes when City Council voted to prohibit smoking in city-run parks, beaches, boardwalks, and pedestrian plazas. Which will hopefully put an end to all the smoking-related violence.
- Bostonist reported on the Celtics epic win over Los Lakers, and the political dealings of Scott Brown - he even got musical on us - and Mitt Romney. But, this was the week of roof collapses at Bostonist. Schools and hangars and businesses. We even have video of one going down.
- We were impressed with, and amused by, Moby's reaction to waking up and finding an intruder on acid in his living room.
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