In March, a teenaged girl in St. John’s, Newfoundland, died from toxic shock due to, the coroner concluded, a nipple piercing. Following the tragedy, officials in Nova Scotia commented publicly on the need to bring in regulations, but Nova Scotia is still without formal rules governing the practises. “There been discussions,” assures Gord Mowat, a […]
Sean Flinn
Posted inNews + Opinion
Remembering Norma Verge
Along with posters announcing various cultural events, a Help Wanted sign and a notice reminding patrons of the cash-only policy, one announcement stands out in the curtained windows of the Ardmore Tea Room. Written in marker on a whiteboard – usually reserved for announcing specials or highlighting new and classic menu items (and there are […]
Posted inLifestyle
Little’s lone figures
Whether by choice or circumstance, some people live in isolation, but even these lone figures eventually find connection in, and to, this world. Linda Little’s second novel Scotch River offers readers a chance to contemplate this idea through her two main characters, Cass Hutt and Pipe Holmes. “For me one of the main themes is […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Inviting discussion
Everyone’s talking about the need to attract and retain, to quote the current shorthand, immigrants to Atlantic Canada. Last week, Halifax mayor Peter Kelly hosted his counterparts from across the region to noodle with ideas and egg each other on. Even the news media has packaged the issue up, asking and re-asking how Atlantic Canada […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Alone together
Solitary thinking, self-reflection, alone time: whatever you call it, you probably try to find it; moments where you can to take time for the big questions in life. Presented by Dalhousie University’s School of Public Administration, a new lecture series provides an opportunity for everyone to partake in mass self-reflection—communal alone time, if you will. […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Let me count the ways
Love defies definition. As one of those universal truths we all hold dear, it’s a huge concept that people, time and again, try to boil down or reduce to an easy and digestible idea. So why do people bother trying to nail it down? People try to define love for different reasons, although you can […]
Posted inArts + Music
Tower of song
At this point in time you could say Canadian song has reached a pinnacle—Leonard Cohen shedding tears as he considered his own journey up the tower of song during his recent induction in the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. It was a lovely moment for a highly deserving artist and exemplar to younger artists everywhere. […]
Posted inArts + Music
High fidelity
Gyms make a racket. Whirring machines, feet pounding, weights clanging and thudding on the floor, fans overhead. Few people notice unless they’re the few without the popular aural accessory, the digital music player. “I usually like to listen to more exciting music, stuff that pumps you up,” says Matt Conway, a 19-year-old kinesiology student at […]
Posted inArts + Music
Spaced out
At a Christmas party held earlier in December, hosted by the Cultural Federations of Nova Scotia, artist Jim MacSwain smiles and mingles with peers and friends. It’s a sharp contrast to his demeanour back in October, when he joined fellow artist Suzanne Swannie at her home to talk about the loss of their studios last […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Invisible city
Launched earlier this year, a slim volume of short stories and poems by local writers (or ones with Halifax connections), aptly called To Find Us, hit two important marks. First, thanks to the book’s editor Sue MacLeod, HRM’s inaugural poet laureate, the book proves new writing happens in this city, about this city. Second, the […]
Posted inArts + Music
A handmade tale
Darryl Besch’s Cool cars and motorcycles were part of Darryl Besch’s childhood, but they weren’t the wee Hot Wheels you raced across the kitchen floor. “My Dad does custom bike and car paint and one of his things is flames, so I grew up around ,” Besch offers, adding he takes inspiration from comics and […]
Posted inLifestyle
McGuire’s move
Anne McGuire wears red well. Dressed in an ochre suit overlaid with an autumn pattern, she offers a handshake. McGuire’s presence stands in direct contrast to the cold, wet inclemency outside. Like her suit on this grey November day, McGuire, the chief executive officer of the IWK Health Centre, recently stood out from the crowd, […]