Photo credit: sniderscion Torontoist spent its week uncovering who was behind mysterious ads for a drug called "Obay" that popped up across the country (Scientology? Frank Shepard Fairey?), first tracing them to an advocacy group called Colleges Ontario and then confirming their suspicions a few days later.Phillyist learned how to put on a puppet show – it's not as easy as you might think!Shanghaiist discovers that the average starting monthly pay for fresh graduates......

Having barely emerged from January’s wreckage of failed New Year’s resolutions, it was with a groan that we greeted the news that Lent arrives early this year. Questions of belief aside, Lent always seems likes such a promising self-improvement programme: give up chocolate, drink less, quit smoking. But didn’t we just make – and break – those same resolutions last month? We’re not such optimists to think we should try again so soon. Perhaps......

Is it just us or was January rubbish? Nice then that February, with its special extra day this year, commences with Brazilian Carnival, yummy pancakes and Chinese New Year... it's like a whole new start for 2008 and lots of it totally FREE! Monday: Get some Monday Love at the Inspiral Lounge, Camden Lock as UK Indymedia host their radical film, talk, and music night. Free entry for all those who still believe in......

The Chinese New Year Celebrations in Soho are undoubtedly one of the highspots of London’s cultural calendar, and this year there’s a load of extra stuff (some would say hype) going on ‘cos of the Beijing/London Olympic connection. Last year’s ceremonies were the biggest outside China, and this year’s look set to be even more impressive. So here’s a special Londonist round up of where to see and what to do…. 6th February: kick......

Perhaps your New Year’s resolutions have all made their way to the rubbish bin by now. You’re sneaking ciggies again, you’re spending more nights at the pub than not, and you’ve worked out exactly two times, despite the shiny new gym membership. Don’t worry, you’re in good company. The history of literature is filled with stories of writers and their vices. It may just be a sign of genius. Still, you can up your......

Three weeks into the New Year, probably one week until payday and telly's rubbish (except for new CSI), the weather's grey and the detox is wearing thin. Don't give in to those January blues! Here's what can get you out of the house for not a lot of wonga this week. Monday: This is the most depressing day of the year. We've said it before but we're going to say it again because we......

Jermyn Street Theatre is a tiny space. And when we say tiny, we mean tiny. We'd guess at 80-100 seats. And if you're over 5ft 10, you can forget about leg room for the evening. Luckily, Opera on the Run's delightfully light-hearted show, The Perfect Picnic should be more than enough to divert your ears and eyes away from any cramp forming in your legs. Recently-redundant David doesn't want to go the opera; he's......

The weather is just frightful. And likely to stay that way. At least Londonist can wear their new floral wellies. A growing lobby reckon they’d leave London if Boris gets in. Probably a similar lobby to the ones who are saying that they’ll eat their hats if he gets in. This could be fun. Asda get tough on rogue parkers. Rail firms are to pay compensation for all that New Year hassle and delay.......

Greetings, FOBGs (that’s Friends of the Book Grocer to the uninitiated), and a belated happy new year to you all! After an extended holiday slumber (bad, lazy Book Grocer), we return to bring you our weekly picks for the best of London’s literary(ish) events. And so, without further ado, let’s jump right in, shall we? Today: One too many spoonfuls of sugar this holiday season? Counteract it with a Spoonful of Poisoning at Rhythm......

Two weeks into the New Year and it's important to find things to distract yourself from the grey weather, gym timetables, failing diets and attempts to avoid alcohol. If you're still feeling the pinch post festive season then we've got some excellently cheap things for you to do this week to cheer, edify, inspire and amuse you. Monday: Happy days! The Fonz will be at Forbidden Planet for a book signing between 5-6pm. It's......

It was New Year's Eve. You stood looking up into the sky as the fireworks faded and the boom and crack of them rang faintly in your ears. That was it, you thought. That's the last party until spring time. But you were wrong! Because in London, you can have New Year's celebrations several times over before the clocks go forwards, starting with the Russian 'Old New Year' in Trafalgar Square this Sunday! And......

Londoners get quite passionate about music, it seems. But not always the right sort of passionate. A row over reggae music (too loud? wrong artists? Londonist would really like to know more about this) left one builder with a boom-boxed head and another with a bit of his ear missing. Neasden chef Michael Jenkins was on a, erm, ‘car-ear break’ working on a building site when he became embroiled in the row and bit a......

What was your New Year's resolution? Lose weight? Get fit? Quit drinking.... Same old, same old. Well, Londonist's former Editor, Mike Atherton got a bit more creative than that. He joined Semanal, committing to making one video a week in 2008. It's his first stab at vlogging (like blogging, but by video - geddit?) so he can certainly tick the resolution "try something new" and not have to buy an expensive musical instrument or enter......

The first full week back at work, and with that we start to get a few decent gigs happening. The Spice Girls continue their record-breaking run of nights at the O2 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Tickets are still available from See Tickets and Ticketmaster for all three nights, and for the rest of their shows this month in London. If you like your music a lot heavier than some camp pop, then you might......

This weekend column is brought to you by the founders of Niceties Tokens, Liz and Pete of Team Nice. 30. Office Politics New Year, and a for me a new job, new office and a load of new work colleagues. Within minutes of me being there I noticed something rather incredible. The IT chap came over to set up my PC then scampered off. I needed to ask him something so asked the girls......

January is a toughie. Torn between new year's virtue and that rebellious streak? Well, here are some things to amuse you that at least wont tug too hard at your purse strings. Monday: Witch hunts to start the week at Gresham College from 6pm. Free knowledge. Tuesday: Are you a tech geek? Are you interested in search engines, the internet and web technology? Do you need to make more friends? Well, pitch up for......

We celebrated the good guys of the London Ambulance Service and St Johns Ambulance looking out for us on New Year's Eve - but we're a little less jubilant about the crowd of cameras keeping a beady eye on us every day of the year. A report in September last year said there were 10,000 surveillance cameras in London recording our every move, and putting the UK into the highest ranking country in the......

While the crowds were enjoying the many splendid fireworks around London on New Year's Eve, there were some people not looking at the sky exploding with colour and going 'Ooooh!' but instead looking at wounds, blood pressure monitors and puddles of sick. The London Ambulance Service and St John Ambulance teams were working through the busiest New Year's Eve celebrations since the Millennium Eve night and between them dealt with 1,825 calls. With a......

In all our post new year haze, we almost forgot to wish you a very happy 2008! Whether you danced, drank, watched tv or slept through the whole damn thing, these are some of our favourite New Year Celebration photos. Fireworks as seen from Vauxhall Bridge......

The BBC are reporting that Liverpool Street station may be open this afternoon for mainline services, although it looks like local trains won't be running until Thursday morning. As we posted earlier, the station missed it's scheduled re-opening this morning. A "shortage of specialist engineers" is the culprit, apparently, presumably busy sleeping off their New Years hangovers instead of pulling down a railway bridge. Passengers are being advised to seek alternative transportation, so if anybody......

Move over Queenie. The Mayor has his own seasonal message. As you might imagine, it’s all good news. London is now the business capital of the world. Two million extra passengers a day are carried on the buses than in the 1990s. Crossrail funding is secured. Cycling has doubled. We’re chairing the C40 group of cities fighting climate change. And so on and so on. Although he begins by saying that 2008 will be......

Above-inflation fare rises and teeming queues at the ticket machine as people flock to renew their passes; January 2nd is traditionally not the best day for the rail industry. TfL may be harking about a single fare freeze (whilst downplaying the Travelcard fare increase), but for Londoners today the news in general is less good: two of the capitals busiest transport hubs are closed. Liverpool Street station, shut since December 23rd while engineers were......

Londonist asks that most pressing of daily concerns: where to go on your lunch break. 2007. What a year! We’re still stuffed and reeling over all the yum. Nevertheless, lunch must go on! In this new year, we’re hoping to visit some of our readers' most (and least) favoured lunchtime spots. So ... let the recommendations (via comments to this post) begin! We can’t promise we’ll get to every place mentioned but we’ll certainly......

Breakfast DJ Kevin Greening dies. Always seems that much sadder at this time of year. The New Year Honours List has been around for a few days now. When Londonist gets time, we’ll go through and pick out all the London noteworthies. There’s a surprise. Police think it might get a bit busy in London tonight. There’s hope yet that the airport strikes can be averted. New Year’s resolution? Let TfL show you the......

To brighten up the New Year the tube map has got a new look as of 2 January. Art on the Underground commissioned Cornelia Parker to create the new cover art which is rather like a pretty Rorschasch splodge that looks a bit like a butterfly or beetle made out of tube lines. While you're musing on it and wondering what it says about your mental state, don't forget that, although single fares have......

Well, here it is. New Year’s Eve. We’ve told you where to go for fireworks, and where to go dancing, but you may not be feeling up for the whole NYE hullabaloo. If that’s the case, or if you’re feeling very ambitious and hosting your own celebration at home and are in need of background telly, here are a few things you might want to take a peek at. On TV, Londonist likes: New......

Right, so you're either saving up to blow the last of the December salary on one helluva NYE out or you're just stony broke after Christmas/sales shopping. Either way, unless you're happy to simply hibernate for the week here are some ideas for New Year jollity on a budget. New Year's Eve: Follow our top tips and gird your loins for the massive fireworks display along the Thames, focusing on the London Eye and......

SFist saw Christmas Day turn tragic after a Siberian tiger escaped from her pen at the San Francisco Zoo, killing a visitor and mauling two others. Phillyist counted down the top ten items on Philadelphia's New Year's wish list. Gothamist looked at the wooden bikes being offered for NYC's first bike share program on Governors Island. LAist received a Christmas present in the form of a drunk Santa Claus in a g-string. Bostonist launched......

New Years Eve is a funny one. Some people think it's the best night ever, and those who don't are kind of forced into thinking maybe they should be thinking that and invariably end up having a rubbish night. But how about you just think about it as an excuse to go dancing - that's never a bad idea. Here's our favourite dancefloor happenings tomorrow night. If it's dance music you want, then absolutely......

The Christmas turkey is cold and in sandwiches. A few of us have struggled back to work, carrying surplus chocolate to the office in a desperate attempt to stop our expanding waistlines. Which must mean it's about time to start panicking about what to do on New Year's Eve. Aside from rammed pubs, pricey nightclubs and awkward parties in someone's frontroom, the main focus for London will be squarely on the London Eye. Since......