Week Around the Ists

Laura Stolpman/Chicagoist

• Chicagoist scoped out the spectacle, the crowds, and the madness surrounding Oprah's 24th season premiere, which shut down a stretch of the famed Magnificent Mile (aka Michigan Ave) and sent some residents and city officials into a tizzy.
• Gothamist had mixed feelings about a video showing a would-be bicycle thief getting a serious beatdown from the bike's owner and his friends—the lesson is: Do not steal bikes, bro!
• DCist captured images of the 22 "ghost bikes," bicycles that are painted white as a memorial to cyclists who have been killed while riding, that were placed by an activist around the same intersection where a previous "ghost bike" was recently removed by the city.
• Torontoist spent a night photographing the Canadian National Exhibition, the million-plus attendee fair that has concluded the summer there for 130 years.
• Seattlest looked over some of the seminal images of the 2009 Bumbershoot music festival.
• Bostonist watched a cow graze on Harvard Yard. We were assured that she is a good Baptist.
• Shanghaiist found China's most fabulous teacher, who was taped doing a sexy, sassy dance for his students.
• LAist, hungry to get to the bottom of the food truck craze, dared to ask "What Twittering Food Truck Cuisine is L.A. Missing?"
• Londonist questioned the eco-credentials of London's latest green tax.
• Phillyist found a reason not to hate Ashton Kutcher.
• SFist was sad to hear that Trauma, the San Francisco ER-ish drama, has been panned by some critics.