Our pal Matt over at Spud Art spotted someone's victimless urban prank, and wondered.... Heee. Looks like we've got landmarks to snowball, friends.......

Lots of Chicagoans haven't been to the Field Museum since elementary school. But guess what? It's just as fun now as it was then. And we were able to accomplish a life goal: Get all the mold-a-rama dinosaur toys from the food court. As we made our way from machine to machine, burning our hands on our newly-formed toys, a group of kids on a field trip started following us. "Are you getting the......

A 14-year-old Illinois girl was on a cruise off the coast of California with her family when her appendix burst. The USS Ronald Reagan was dispatched to rescue her, and they did--including a helicopter transport between the ships. [Trib] Mayor Daley says he had no idea his son Patrick had invested in a sewer company that did work for the City. Reading from a prepared statement, the Mayor said "I did not know about......

The clock is ticking, lovelies--get those presents purchased and fast. If you still need some last-minute help, though, take the Chicago bus to these three stores where we can practically guarantee you'll find something. We'll be running posts like this all week, so if you know the perfect store, drop us a line: tips@chicagoist.com You still need a present for: Your mom, your sister, some who recently moved, or someone who likes kitsch, quirky jewelry,......

We know what we're doing Wednesday: Heading to The Annoyance to see three of our favorite local comedy all stars. Jared Logan, Robert Buscemi and our pal Steve Delahoyde (of grumpy-curing fame in these parts) have teamed up yet again for the third installment of "Three Dumb Men," a variety show that features stand-up and video and probably other stuff. Special guests include Brady Novak and Kristen Studdard, both of whom we adored last......

Unless you stayed inside all day yesterday (and that wouldn't have been a bad idea, because it was dis-gusting out there), you couldn't miss the super-slippery sidewalks all around the city. An ice storm Saturday night made traveling around the city extra-treacherous due to the thin coating of ice on sidewalks. Chicago city officials, being their normal helpful selves, urged people to salt their sidewalks and walk carefully when it's icy. And also to look......

It's the most wonderful time of the year. Time to buy presents! Which means it's time for Chicagoist's annual gift guide. For 2007, we're looking at lots of Chicago-centric gifts (plus a few random goodies thrown in for fun). Tickets, memberships, art, decoration, kits, classes, clothes — we've got you covered.......

There are good ideas and there are great ideas. Doctors at Loyola University Medical Center have devised a way to make sure surgical sponges don’t get lost in people anymore. Hooray for medical technology! They’re going to put bar codes on the sponges, and a nurse will scan the sponge before it goes in and the system will tell the nurse if any sponges have been left inside. That all seems a little too complicated.......

Get ready for more fluffy white stuff. Our area's under a snow advisory until tomorrow, with precipitation expected this afternoon. Brace yourself for between three and six inches of snow today and tonight, plus more tomorrow. And it's time to bust out your for-real winter coat — the temperature will drop to 13 degrees tomorrow night. (Tonight should be a cozy 24. Get your cocoa/hot toddy/fancypants tea stuff ready.) Where's this weather system coming......

We’re dusting off our roller skates and sprinkling some glitter on them. We’re going to a place where nobody dared to go. The love. The echos of long ago. You need the world to know They are in Xanadu. Tonight, one night only, it’s Sing-along Xanadu at the Music Box Theatre for the midnight movie. Start warming up your vocal cords while practicing backwards, forward, and couples. Host Dick O’Day and members of Hell in......

But there are a bunch of cute links at the bottom as a brain cleanser. The body that washed up in Zion Wednesday has been IDed as missing kayaker Walter Doroba. The Gurnee man had been missing since October 28. A three-year-old in Kenosha shot and killed himself while apparently playing with his mother's pistol, which she kept in her nightstand. Sergio Chavez, 5, was killed when a television set fell on him in......

Alderman Howard Brookins Jr. of the 21st ward was hit with a lawsuit this week that claims he owes $41,819.18 in back rent for the Loop offices of his law practice. Brookins didn't know about the suit until the Sun-Times contacted him. Sounds like a fun phone call: S-T: Hi, this is a reporter from the Sun-Times. Brookins: [dryly] Grand. S-T: I'm calling about the lawsuit. Brookins: The what? S-T: The lawsuit? That your office......

The Blackhawks benefited from the return of Martin Havlat on Wednesday night. Havlat, who had missed 22 games due to a shoulder injury, scored Jjust 43 seconds into his return to action on a backhander to the upper-left corner of the net to give the Hawks a 1-0 edge on the Tampa Bay Lightning. He would go on to score again in just 12 seconds into the second period, scoring off a shot from the......

We HATE the term Black Wednesday. We hold it in the same regard as other made-up holidays like Sweetest Day and Bosses Day. Growing up, we always knew it as "the weekend everyone is in town at the same time and gets fall-down drunk." Kind of like New Year's Eve, with longer legs and slightly less puking. Here are five spots with terrific musical happenings where we think the displaced weekend warriors will be few......

Okay, we had so much fun with yesterday's things that were awesome, we figured we'd bust out another list for today. Plus there's a boatload of terrific stuff. Today in awesome: We were going to save this for our annual gift guide, but we couldn't wait. That ridiculously cool maps on the left is from Chicago's own Jenny Beorkrem. Typographic illustration + Chicago maps = time for new pants. We can't stop listening to local......

In a past life we worked as a talent buyer for a local club, and one of the pleasant surprises of our life at that point was bringing in bands from out of town that were so much better than their demos. The Milwaukees, out of New Jersey, were brought to our attention by a friend, and while their demo was so-so, we took a chance on them anyway and gave them a show. The......

The Empty Bottle just announced that Black Kids will be playing the club's New Year's Eve show this year. The band walked away from this year's CMJ as the clear winner of the "Most Breathlessly Admired by Bloggers and Mainstream Press Alike." However there's still no word on whether Black Kids will be this year's Arcade Fire (massive!), Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (petered out!), or Voxtrot (fizzled before anyone actually saw them!). We've heard......

Flurries possible tonight, but this weekend shouldn't be too, too chilly. Which is good because there's a ton of fun stuff going on tomorrow: Paula Deen has two live shows at the Chicago Theater tomorrow. BYO sticks of butter, we're guessing. Tickets start at $45 and are still available for both the 11am and 4pm shows. Not in the mood for angioplasty? Head over to the DIY Trunk Show, at Pulaski Park auditorium. We're starting......

Ah, it's like shootin' fish in a barrel over at Chicagoist EOYW headquarters. We know how passionate you guys can get about these things, so we'll cut right to the chase: If you've never at least tapped your foot along with the vapid faux-angst anthems of Avril Lavigne, you may have been living in a mall-less town in, say ... Canada. Oh, wait. We've seen her in concert before under the guise of "journalism," and......

Can Mike Madigan and Rod Blagojevich please, please get a reality show? That way, when they have a "nonproductive" meeting like they did today, we have a full serving of drama to go with our intense disappointment and frustration? Today's meeting, between Blago, Madigan, Mayor Daley and state legislative leaders, was an attempt to make progress on the state transit funding...oh, let's call it an "issue." (Clusterfuck? Mess? Problem? Bargaining chip? Dick-wagging contest? All......

We love Blur. And Super Furry Animals. And Happy Mondays, Pulp, and Supergrass. So it's not surprising that we enjoy Chicago-by-way-of-the-'burbs outfit Ultra Sonic Edukators. The group's writing style is firmly rooted in the mid-'90s British explosion; some fault them for that, but we are of the opinion that the world would be better off if more bands took their cues from that point in time. The group has just released the digital only Bad......

There's a fun little story that's been making it's way around the internet over the past few days. Blogger Rob Donaghue went to hear bigtime Chicagoist crush Anthony Bourdain speak last week in New York. Bourdain, ever-wry, suggested that the best way to find a great restaurant in today's internet savvy age, is not to read Zagat or Michelin guides, but rather, to provoke the nerds. He writes, His answer was to take the city......

Got the itch to do something fun tonight, given the unseasonably warm weather? We feel you. Options: One of Chicagoist's favorite charities, Mustaches for Kids, has its kick-off get together tonight at Jake Melnick’s Corner Tap, 41 East Superior St. The "growing season" starts Nov 19, so tonight's get-together is all about planning and making pals. 'Stachey! The International Interior Design Association has its Bizarre Bazaar in the Teknion Showroom on the 10th floor of......

Looks like NickD had some fun with shadow puppets this weekend. Ayeee! So cute!......

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2007 Recap from Super!Alright! on Vimeo. Austinist attended a town hall meeting about proposed noise ordinances that could undermine the city's future as the Live Music Capital of the World, and lamented the possible loss of Texas's only feminist bookstore. Throughout the week, they interviewed a bunch of indie fashion designers and D-I-Y websites—Etsy, Ornamental Things, 31 Corn Lane, and Aorta Designs—for the upcoming Stitch Fashion Show. They also did......

We know that we're unhealthy, and probably have all manner of toxic death chemicals kickin' it in our bodies. According to a recent study, though, everybody does, and that includes vegans and people who jog for fun. Environment Illinois and other groups released a report of a study that found at least three toxic chemicals used in everyday products were found in the bodies five Illinoisans and 30 other volunteers in a nationwide project. The......

Graphic designer, artist and Illinoisan Chuck Anderson has his very first solo Chicago show tomorrow at the newly minted Threadless gallery. Hotcha! Even if you don't recognize Anderson's name, you probably recognize his ethereal, surreal style: Or the billboards he's designed. The fun starts at 7pm, and a limited number of reprints of Anderson's Threadless select shirt--in new colors--will be available.......

BATTLES drummer John Stanier ...

So we just got word that Juliette and the Licks will be appearing at Reggie's on November 16. We saw this group, led by Juliette Lewis, at The Note over the summer and admit to loving her live show. Some have opined that Ms. Lewis is too busy ripping off Iggy Pop and PJ Harvey to be very interesting, but we suspect these folks have a) never seen her live and b) have not heard......

Londonist got the big scoop of the week with what may be the first images of notorious street artist Banksy in action. They also got on a runaway train without an operator provoking a response from the transport authorities. Elsewhere, London's answer to Central Station is about to open for business, and Londonist got a sneak preview. Meanwhile, spooky goings-on beneath London Bridge, where a cache of skeletons provided an apt story for Hallowe'en.......