Edible Matters coming soon to Hammond Plains
More and more of us are interested in where our food comes from and the new restaurant, Edible Matters (1345 Hammond Plains Road, 446-5588), is taking that interest to the next level. Not only are almost all of their products grown in Nova Scotia (and sometimes, from just down the street) their entire kitchen is…
Forbidden in the city
If those two crazy kids Adam and Eve have taught us anything, is that there’s something undeniably appealing about the forbidden. It’s hard to imagine an artist in existence who wouldn’t do a silent, ecstatic fist pump if their art—be it theatrical, musical or literary—was deemed too dangerous for the public good. Taboo Theatre makes…
Indie Boutik to close, designers have a sale
We’d reported on changes happening at Indie Boutik Collective (1542 Queen Street) last week and recently, indicating that things were in flux at the Queen Street shop, a great retail idea that allowed for storefront visibility to a collection of talented designers. Unfortunately, the experiment is coming to an end. “I really wanted to see…
Sueno swimwear at Love, Me
Want to get your tan on and support a local artist at the same time? Joanna Tranter’s got you covered. The couture fashion grad has only been whipping up her Sueno line of swimsuits since January, but is already preparing to start selling them at Love, Me Boutique (1539 Birmingham, 444-3668) next week. While Tranter,…
Raymond Taavel vigil
Tuesday night, 1,000 people filled Gottingen Street in front of Menz Bar to remember and celebrate the life of Raymond Taavel, the gay man who was murdered outside of the bar in the early hours of the day. Here are some of the images from that remembrance. I’m sure I’m getting some of the names…
Accept the oil, embrace the oil, make the money
Oil permeates every aspect of our lives, and Canada has a lot of it. This is not a bad thing for us. Goodbye, backwards province full of zombified socialists. I’m off to help fuel that hydrocarbon addiction you’re in denial about. —Thermodynamics
Taking pictures of your food
Yay!!! You can cook/order off a menu!! We are all very proud. And thanks to the wonders of social media, you get to share these daily accomplishments with the world… but, fah god sakes, your meal at Whatever Run Of The Mill Franchise Restaurant You Go To is not share worthy. Were you so amazed…
Atlantic Film Fest hires new executive director
Wayne Carter is the new executive director of the Atlantic Film Festival. Carter comes to the position, previously filled by Gregor Ash, with a wealth of professional experience: “A native of Miramichi, New Brunswick, Carter began his entertainment associations early as a young singer and theatre manager,” explains the press release bio. “In the grand…
Ch-ch-ch-changes
I can’t believe how stupidly happy you’ve made me. I’m always smiling for no reason, I get that ridiculous fluttery feeling in my stomach when I’m around you, and I grin like an idiot whenever I think of something I can do that might make you just as happy in return. The other day you…
Holy pedestrians, Batman!
Not once, not twice, but THREE times now I have been driving and almost HIT BY A PEDESTRIAN. I understand that walking around Halifax with drivers who would rather bruise themselves from slamming on the breaks than not give you the right of way has made you complacent to the fact that cars are very…
Saving the world six inches at a time
It started out as a joke. A light-hearted argument among friends. That contentious debate about what really makes an artist. But when Jake MacDonald told his friends you could “put your penis in some paint and slap it on a canvas,” and that could be considered art, they didn’t exactly expect him to, um, follow…
Not a bank
To the childish young woman who requested cash back from our store: Don’t stomp your feet and roll your eyes because we’re having a bit of trouble fulfilling your request. First of all, no, you can’t get cash back if you don’t buy anything. What planet are you from? So you grab a pack of…
You’re so nerd
I’m so relieved that immigration wants you here as much as I do. —Fork
Don’t quit your day job
To the dark curly-haired lady server working the graveyard shift at a certain pizza and beer joint: fuck you. We were a party of 9 and we sat on the only side of the restaurant (the dining side) that could actually accomodate us. You didn’t smile or even say hello when you walked over, and…
Norex gets a Webby nod
Nerds of Halifax, prepare to be proud of your city. Norex (211 Horseshoe Lake Drive, 444-3335), a Halifax based web design and development company, has been nominated for best law website by international award giver-outers, the Webbys. “We have a proven process that allows us to think inside, outside, through and around the box to…
4 ignorant punks
To the 4 punks (3 guys, 1 girl) coming out of a residence on South Street, across from the soccer field yesterday carrying bags of your crap with you. Wow, you 4 must feel pretty good about yourselves. An older man, with a clear mental health issue stopped to ask you how exams were going,…
Stop killing us
Great! Another psycho comes to town to kill another member of our community. And why? Because some idiot refused to keep him locked up for administrative or budget reasons. Or maybe someone couldn’t bear to call the authorities on him. Either way, another one of us gets killed. Yeah, gay community come to Halifax! Enjoy…
Still grieving
On Dec 2, 2010 someone broke into our south end home and rummaged through my underwear drawers to steal all my family heirlooms (relatively worthless to anyone but my family) and the strongbox with our birth certificates, marriage certificate, and the newborn baby bracelets and clothes our infants wore home from the hospital. I hope…
The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs
One of the things I’ve learned while searching for the perfect occasional chair for my home office is that the phrase “Our furniture is Canadian-made” actually translates to “This costs three times what you’d reasonably expect to pay.” The reason I bring this up in relation to the Shakespeare by the Sea production of The…
For Raymond, and for all of the Raymonds, which is to say: for everyone
There are words that spring to mind like sadness like violence like senseless crime like how this affects all of us like how every tear in every eye falls from all of us and today Halifax is an ocean of anguish a sea of angry beside the Atlantic. And how do we handle this what…
NSCAD film students screen their year’s work
Nova Scotia College of Art and Design film students will have the chance to share their cinematic creations in a series of public film screenings on Thursday, April 19 at the Empire 8 Park Lane Theatre (5657 Spring Garden Road, 423-4860) at 7pm. Don’t feel like watching movies in which crazed teenagers find inventive ways…
The Halifax Really, Really Free Market takes place Sunday
The first one was a hit. The second one should prove even more exciting, and just as priceless. The Halifax Really, Really Free Market is back on Sunday, April 22 (12pm-5pm) and has relocated to the Halifax Common from last month’s at the Khyber. Organizer Sarah Ovens says the outdoor spot is a tribute to…
Sculptura Fitness opening soon
Hey ladies! Looking for a women-only gym that offers more than ellipticals and judgmental stares? Put down that dumbbell, we’ve got something just for you. Kinesiology grad Essa Horvath has opened the doors to Sculptura Fitness (2827 Isleville Street, 209-3412) this month and promises to offer three things that traditional gyms are lacking: an intimidation-free…
Mr. Cute Stranger
Even though I was texting the wrong number, I was glad to find out you were a sweet guy. I hope we keep talking about our, and playing “Guess Who” over our phones. Text me again, you speed nerdiness reader, I’m eager to keep talking to you. —Girl in the WoW Shirt
Distraction not funny
We were enjoying Jerry Seinfield’s comedy performance on Saturday night at the Metro Centre – it was a privilege to have him here in Halifax. Then, some idiot way in the back of the seating area started yelling something, very loud. This was most distracting to me, as well as to Jerry, I’m sure, because…
Raymond Taavel killed on Gottingen Street
Developing story Raymond Taavel, a long-time and respected fixture in Halifax’s gay community, was killed last night outside Menz Bar on Gottingen Street. As of this writing (noon on Tuesday), Halifax police have only issued one statement, saying that a 32-year-old man is in custody. A CBC news report, however, describes circumstances that suggest Taavel…
Film classification board
Back in November, as soon as I saw the pertinent ad, I made an attempt to get ”appointed” to the film classification board. I submitted a resume and a cover letter. Heard nothing, as I predicted, for several months. Then, out of the blue, I got a phone call from someone connected to the process:…
Halifax’s secret police
To the much more aggressive of the two members of Halifax’s finest who assisted me with my little car trouble. At least your partner saw the humour in my e-brake releasing and my car sliding 50 meters causing no damage or difficulty to anyone else. It was an interesting moment when I told you that…
WTF is going on?
I’ve recently changed my computer security software. Because of this change all my usual internet haunts require me to sign in each time. Ok, I’m good with that if it keeps my system safer fine. My bitch is WHY OH WHY is it that a Facecrack window comes up for me to sign into before…
Colorful Fruits sets up at Plan B
The Japanese are known for jumping on North American trends. Now, Ayaka Yoshioka is bringing Japan to Halifax. Plan B’s (2180 Gottingen Street) newest member brings a young, feminine vibrancy to the co-op. The Colorful Fruits cubby at the back of the shop is petite, but its contents live up to its name. Yoshioka orders…
Tiny little pills
You lost your birth control pills at Penhorn Terminal. They are now at lost and found at Metro Transit. —Embryo
Handsome reno man
I met you a year ago, we had a thing, way too short… now I see you at the gym and we talk…. you rock my world in a crazy way… I just want to hold onto you and kiss you so hard. Maybe someday we can go for that road trip or park in…
Oral sex should be reciprocated!
Listen here, Mr. FWB. Lately I’ve been performing the unmentionable act on you without you returning the favour! You used to do it, but you’ve stopped. Why??? I am clean, hairless, and STI-free. So WTF is your problem! You can’t even bother to trim yourself up and sometimes you smell like goat cheese in that…
Internet manners
Just a tip to the world – it would be great if you could maintain some level of politeness while you use the internet. Specifically, when you’re trying to buy something from someone over the internet. Don’t ask someone to hold a piece of furniture for you for 3 days, keep in constant contact until…
Goof in the city
One of the best moments the city ever gave me: I was walking around downtown, planning to check out a new store. My mom called so I was hanging around outside ’til I was done before going in. I got to talking about you, and just how lovely you are, and as if I conjured…
You’re not gonna get the ‘breast’ of me!
I noticed recently that my chest seems to have inflated so I decided to buy some new bras. I went into the middle price, low quality bra store at the mall and tried on quite a few DD bras. As I was exiting the fitting room a clerk was measuring a visibly very less busty…
Sexy Chakat
God, boy. You are scrumptious! Every time I think about you, it makes me warm from the toes up. I love your hair and your manly army jacket. I can’t wait for you to come home, so I can get lost in your blue eyes again. Be mine, forever? —Accidental Blondie
Abstainers > Drinkers
What is with Nova Scotians and drinking? It’s all about going out to pubs and having parties around here. And the next person who says to me, “Oh, you’re not drinking? Aw you’re no fun!” is getting slapped upside the head! Why do you feel the need to drink every weekend? How about spending your…
Sweet goof
You gave us almost a decade of your unconditional love. Our hearts are heavy but you are running free and unfettered. Goodbye pizza crust boy. —Sad Mom
It’s an elevator not a two door clown car
Some ignorant people in this town need to learn elevator etiquette. When waiting for an elevator you do not plant your butt right in the doorway and then immediately begin to lumber inside when it opens. People inside may be trying to get out and when they see you looming there they’ll definitely want off!…
It’s enough to give you gas
When I left for PEI 2 weeks ago on business, gas was already an outrageous $1.39/liter in Halifax so I figured I’d wait to fill up in NB before crossing the Bridge, where it’s usually a little cheaper. It was $1.35. Guess what it was in PEI – the place with all the refineries to…
Up arrow means up
I work in a tall building, and use the elevator frequently throughout the day. What seems like a petty and minor thing, has begun to irritate me irrationally. And I don’t think I am completely off-base. The elevator cannot stop at a floor, it would seem, without somebody being confused about the most basic an…
Cafe-go-round
It all started in a friend’s living room. Daina Tavenier and Sam Kinsley came up with the idea of setting up a makeshift cafe in their friend’s apartment in February. The General Cafe was a name the two had been thinking about to call their novel idea, although it didn’t hurt that their friend’s apartment…
Suspect device
iPhones. iPads. Everyone’s got ‘em. Well, almost everyone (admittedly, iDon’t have one, but I think people like me are few and far between). And if you’re not in with the Apple crowd, you’re at least hooked up with something smart—a Blackberry, Android or anything else that keeps you connected. But a new play put on…
Horn tootin’
By day he’s our Senior Production Designer, but feed Loukas Crowther after midnight and he becomes Loukas Stilldrunk (not Lookas, as the video may otherwise suggest), DJ to the stars. Last weekend he went to Moncton for the RedBull Thre3style qualifiers with T-Woo, IV, Plaeboi and more. It looked awesome. Here’s a wee bit of…
Yay for Mae on her ECMA
Exciting times were had at East Coast Music Week in Moncton last night. Amid the winning of awards, the spotlight fell on one of Halifax’s own. The Trews took Rock Recording of the Year for Hope and Ruin, beating out Jenn Grant’s Honeymoon Punch, among others. Catherine MacLellan’s Silhouette came out on top as best…
Some local rag
In a certain local paper it sure would be nice to see some balanced coverage of the current choices for Mayor. I realize that Savage has his hands in your pants but really – let’s be fair to the other players! —Journalist with Integrity
Judging someone is much worse
To the woman who left me a note instead of a tip at my restaurant because I was saying “hey guys” or “thanks guys” to some customers of both genders… please be a human being and politely point out (to my face please) that YOU are offended by my use of gender specific titles for…
Recline your seat one more time
I’ve got a gripe that is really getting under my skin. Namely when I’m flying somewhere and the person in front of me decides that it’s their right to recline their seat against my knees. Just because there is a recline button doesn’t mean you can forgo all manners for your fellow passengers and ram…
Transit transformation
To the person/persons unknown who transformed our bus stop into a corner of contentment, thank you! Arriving morose and sleepy at 7:15 am, what a delight to find the table, bench, nicely arranged reading material and welcome mat you left to get us started for the week. And how much fun to see the reactions…
Good morning Halifax drivers
Please find enclosed some tips regarding your spatially challenged driving skills: If you’re making a righthand turn on a red, the person to your right making a lefthand turn on a green has precedence for space in the intersection. It’s beyond idiotic to advance into an intersection when it’s clear you will be stuck there…
HRM planning and development
Dear HRM, you told me my property was residential use after I applied for commercial use. I sold the property at a reduced value as residential. Now there is a big ugly business there? Please explain. Are they blowing the right person in there? —No BJs From Me
Boutique Joliette showcases bridal jewellery designers
Brides-to-be, get your wallets ready. Boutique Joliette (1870 Hollis Street, 405-4057) owner Alexis Mahoney has rounded up two local designers to showcase their bridal wares at her shop on April 21. Tara Andrews of Vive Jewelry will be presenting the sparkly side of bridal bling with a variety of items made from products such as…
Heartbroken and heartfixed
With all the drama, heartaches and messed up relationships I have been through, I lost all hope in ever being happy or finding someone that I could love, trust and actually see myself growing old with. You came into my life unexpectedly but now I could never imagine it without you. You accept my baggage…
Second Cup takes former Perks space
People were saying—maybe even hoping—that Starbucks would take over the space on Quinpool vacated by Perks. But, in fact, it’s Canadian coffee giant Second Cup that’s moved in there following a big renovation. The cafe is open now.
Pigz
I was given a ticket $141.16 yesterday for biking from where I was parked, to the other side of the road. First of all this officer was very short, sour, uptight, and extremely rude! Then went on to explain why there would be no point in fighting the ticket because it would be too expensive??…
Cafe svp
Why can’t decent local coffee shops be open when the coffee chains are open?? Buy local… where?? Such good local coffee in this town, for god sakes, open before 7am for the working class!! —Jonesing
To the duck assassin
What the fuck is going on here? Yeah, I’m referring to the nimrod who seems to think it is a good idea to dump literally bags and bags of bread and hamburger buns in the public parks for the birds. Thanks for ruining Victoria Park for a week, asshole. Just what a person hoping to…
Asshole with a problem
Oh! You said you’re not into “fat chicks”? I’m sorry that’s your poor excuse for not being able to hold a boner. I am a confident, beautiful young woman, and I don’t think I’m “fat”. Have you ever seen “My 800lb Life”? So maybe I don’t like pompous assholes who can’t hold a boner! Fuck…
Free Will Astrology
Happy Birthday! ARIES (March 21-April 19) Some people misunderstand the do-it-now fervor of the Aries tribe, thinking it must inevitably lead to carelessness. Please prove them wrong in the coming weeks. Launch into the interesting new possibilities with all your exuberance unfurled. Refuse to allow the natural energy to get hemmed in by theories and…
A poke in the eye for The Three Stooges
A lot of people are hit on the head in the Farrelly brothers’ contemporary update of The Three Stooges. When Moe (Chris Diamantopoulos), Larry (Sean Hayes) and Curly (Will Sasso) learn the orphanage they grew up in is set to be sold, the three morons set out to raise money and buy it back. Diamantopoulos,…
Get outta the StreetDance 2
A stumbling sequel to StreetDance 3D, itself a vehicle for winners of Britain’s Got Talent, this newest dance film falls flat on its face. The stakes can’t possibly be lower when street dancer Ash assembles a team of misfit European dancers devoid of anything close to characterization, all so he can get back at a…
BA Johnston’s ‘80s music
Consummate showman BA Johnston (born Christian Johnston) has never shied away from his love for the past. On his 2010 release, Thank You For Being a Friend, Johnston posed on the cover with animated versions of John Candy, an evil gremlin from Gremlins and the Hamburglar (he even sang about Police Academy’s Steve Guttenberg). But…
Lockout has the action-flick key
An ex-CIA operative’s only chance for redemption is to rescue the president’s daughter from rioting inmates inside a high-tech prison. In space. Luc Besson co-wrote this high-concept action flick, which aptly blends its futuristic setting with tense action scenes. Thankfully, the movie about a space prison doesn’t take itself too seriously. Murderous inmates and secretive…
Where Baby Eagle dares
Baby Eagle’s known to be Steve Lambke, and Steve Lambke’s known to be many things: a founding member of The Constantines, co-owner and operator of indie label You’ve Changed Records and construction worker for a builders’ co-operative. Before that, he was a physics major at the University of Guelph, but is uncertain how his science…
Dreamy Jiro Dreams of Sushi
David Gelb’s unassuming little documentary works itself into you with gentle insistence, its hypnotic effect as subtle as it is inevitable. The subject is Tokyo’s master sushi chef Jiro Ono, an 85-year-old whose dedication to the job is so total that his middle-aged sons, well-trained sushi wizards in their own right, seem destined to forever…
Get Wrecked get gone
Watch out Halifax. Punk rock lovers will descend on Michael’s Saturday night for Get Wrecked’s last performance—ever. “I don’t think it was ever really like a ‘Let’s do this, let’s break up,’ or ‘I can’t do this anymore,'” says drummer Tasha Gobeil. “We just stopped jamming and we started jamming with other bands.” The band…
Our newest movie reviews
Here are links to all the new movie reviews in one place, for an opening weekend that features, from the top down: a great documentary about sushi, an alright action flick about a space prison, and a race to the bottom between a Stooges remake and a Britiain’s Got Talent spinoff. Jiro Dreams of Sushi…
Life as he knows is
What do they say again? Experience is the teacher of fools? While Olivier Jarda ain’t no fool—hello, Rhodes scholar—he certainly attributes where he’s at today to his experiences. Releasing his second solo LP on April 10, Jarda says Good Luck Cartel tells the stories of his experiences over the past four years. From attending Oxford…
Galley view
If you live in Halifax, you know all about the Titanic. On April 14, 1912, the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank. Many of Halifax’s buildings became ersatz morgues and mortuaries as the bodies came here from what is considered to be one of the worst disasters at sea. Here in this city, we capitalize…
Acres and Acres looks ahead
“We try not to play in Halifax too often; only a couple times a year to keep it special,” says Dave Scholten, one half of Halifax duo Acres and Acres, who are on the tail end of two years of touring their 2009 debut album All Nations nationally. Special it will be. Scholten and bandmate…
The Boxing Girls of Kabul screens at Viewfinders
When Ariel Nasr was asked to film his first feature for the National Film Board, he packed his bags and moved to Afghanistan for what he thought would be a short trip. “I really wanted to tell a story about Afghanistan and decided to move there for six months, which seemed like a long time…
The rudeness of nudeness
Q My fiance and I have been together for six years. We’re both 27. About a year ago, he admitted to me that he is bi—which I was surprised about. I told him that I was bi-curious. We have had talks about meeting with other couples. I am very insecure. I have been with very…
Shipping news
The word “celebrate” is most often used for happy occasions, but it can also mean “to observe with dignity.” This April, Halifax is playing host to events celebrating and commemorating the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, including two plays, Titanic: The Untold Story and Titanic: The Fated Voyage. Though these productions differ…
Fashionable Paper Threads
Argyle Fine Art’s found an interesting angle to approach next week’s Titanic anniversary from: fashion, baby. If you dig through the gallery’s steam trunk you’ll find assortment of locally made paper dolls donning duds from the ill-fated liner’s era of the early 1900s. “I’ve always had a real soft spot for paper dolls, I played…
One night at HOTEL/MOTEL
You’ve all seen them. Hanging on the walls of your parents’ homes, in your great-half uncle’s living room or even in your cousin’s grandma’s best friend’s hallway. They aren’t pretty. Maybe one day they were, but these days those out-dated prints in the beat-up metal frames can be considered anything but art. Until now, that…
Map of notable Titanic sites
View Titanic sites in Halifax in a larger map Related Stories
Titanic: A Fated Voyage a class act
It’s hard to believe that a play about a horrific tragedy could make for a fun outing, but Titanic: The Fated Voyage pulls it off. It’s a lively piece of theatre that deals right off with the sinking, and then flashes back to acquaint the audience with an interesting bunch of characters who come together…
Love the boat
Last week, James Cameron’s Titanic was re-released in theatres sporting a new 3D look. This makes sense, because it’s the 100th anniversary of the Titanic’s sinking and because it’s a great way for a studio to make gobs and gobs of money off a movie that’s already been produced. I can’t argue that this strategy…
Occupy first class
The biggest name associated with the new miniseries, Titanic, airing now on Global and due on DVD later in April, isn’t Lyndsey Marshal, whom you’ll recognize as Cleopatra from HBO’s Rome, nor Maria Doyle Kennedy, familiar from her work on The Tudors, or Toby Jones, who played Truman Capote in 2006’s Infamous, but rather the…
Keep it together
De-amalgamating the Halifax Regional Municipality is the worst thing we could possibly do for this city. I don’t want to re-fight the 1996 forced merger of the cities of Halifax and Dartmouth, the town of Bedford and Halifax County, except to note that while it was heavy-handed and rushed, it was an attempt to address…
Where the bodies are buried
Pigeon Forge is a small town in Tennessee, close to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Savvy development has helped the town become a full-blown tourist mecca, offering a range of diversions from the Dolly Parton-themed amusement park Dollywood, to indoor skydiving, to shopping in umpteen outlet stores. Pigeon Forge is the sort of place people…
New sushi choice in Dartmouth
Genji Sushi (184 Wyse Road, 452-3761) has set up shop just across the bridge in Dartmouth, and they’ve got plenty to get you squirming in your sushi-loving boots. The Japanese restaurant features an all-you-can-eat buffet with dozens of sushi varieties, fried rice and udon soup for $21.99. They’ve only been open for a month, but…
Big stink at Halifax city hall
Big odour problems at the Otter Lake landfill are at the heart of a nasty bureaucratic showdown in city hall, with a city commission charged with overseeing landfill operations taking the unusual step of hiring a lawyer to fight CAO Richard Butts. Back on Sept 28, 2010, city council agreed to a no-bid contract worth…
