Party Bus busted
The Utility and Review Board has quashed an application by Party Bus Atlantic, Inc. to operate in Nova Scotia. Party Bus hails from Newfoundland, where it operates four buses and where the bus industry is not regulated. Its buses there are known for their liquor sales and dance poles. Owner Rod Sheppard, a pharmacist, and…
Sour Milk
Why can’t I buy a container of coffee cream without opening it to discover clumps of stench floating in it? It’s not even near expiration!! Baxter is getting my money next time. —Floaties in my Coffee
Hip Hop From Away
kou cho ching Last week it was announced that a wide array of hip-hop artists and musicians —- including Pete Rock, Classified and Halifax’s favorite Beatnut, JuJu —- would both be performing at the rather cool-sounding Hopscotch Arts Festival (Sept 4 to 11.) While it gives us an undeniable thrill to be staring down the…
Here kitty, kitty
This is to the wonderful woman who stopped her car, put on her four way flashers, and got out of the vehicle to shoo a pretty black and white cat off of Vernon Street this morning. I appreciate your kindness towards our feline friends! —LZ
The flailing grab is not a dance move
Lady, I do not get you. There was more than enough room to navigate the dance floor but you grabbed people by the elbow and literally spun them or pushed them, and they weren’t in your way! It was like you were just grabbing who you could so they’d notice that you were going somewhere.…
Liquor Store Patrons
I just wanna say thanks, to the hundreds of people I see in a week who cheerfully show me their ID’s with no problem when I ask, and beyond that – THANK ME! Yes, it’s a pain in the ass, and yes it gets stuck – or you don’t have it cause you forgot but…
Buskin Love
Even though working at the buskers was incredibly tiring, it was well worth it too see and meet everyone. This shout out is for all the crazy dance parties, late night drinking, tango dancing with beautiful ladies, jamming out with statues, and wearing funky hats. It was a pleasure meeting you all and I look…
To the girls who found my iPhone, you rock!
To the girls who found my iPhone in the Sunnyside Mall parking lot: THANK YOU SO MUCH for 1) Not stealing my phone and 2) taking the time to bring my phone inside, drop it at the lotto place and even call my home number to let me know where it was. This makes you…
To Me
I’ve known you for as long as I can remember and I just think you’re the greatest! —Me
Franchement
To those Quebecers who become immediately irritated with me because they can tell by my accent that I am not from Quebec: I spent 12 years learning your language. I am a university graduate with a French degree. My French is technically probably better than yours is. Fuck you. You piss and moan that your…
Bad decisions?
Walking away from you, 2 weeks ago, after our tense meeting, brought a firm realization that I feel nothing for you anymore. You were still that immature, lost, confused, emotionally dead girl who ran like hell out of our relationship, our engagement, our future… relationships are two-fold. You give and you take. You took a…
Cancer mixed with Poop
To those who are putting “Bio Solids” in the HRM and around Nova Scotia: thanks a lot for poisoning everyone as well as the natural world while trying to tell us it is safe. WHO THE HECK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE??? Admit that this is HORRIBLE… other countries have completely banned it. I am…
Sandwhich Stackers
Look, I know your job sucks. I’ve done it and people are rude. But the we come there to have it ‘our way’ so if we ask for a little less pickles or expect our sub to be tidy and are nice and polite about it – you should just grin an bear it. I…
Classy move, bus guy
To the guy who let his backpack take up an entire seat on a crowded bus while a pregnant woman was standing right in front of you – classy move. Not that anyone else offered their seat until I did… I thought we were a friendly city!! —Seranada
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism — A Nationalist
Vehicle Bitch
What is it people like so much about: Dodge Neons, Pontiac Sunfires, and Chevy cavaliers? —Will we ever know?
Dickfaces
I really don’t understand why, every day, I see assholes at the gas stations who are too fucking LAZY to park in the designated parking spots to go inside and instead park right in front of the fucking door so that everyone else has to walk around their usually obnoxiously-sized vehicles. Seriously, if you can’t…
pur alternatives closing up shop
Last week Shoptalk provided details of a toxin-free soap from the fine folks at pur alternatives (Barrington Place Shops, 1903 Barrington Street, 407-3660), and sadly we have to report this week that the store is closing on September 4, as we have heard from manager/co-owner Christopher Galbraith. He asserts that the online venue for pur…
Fresh Prints kisses EC Lips
Shoptalk had reported it was an East Coast Lips location, but that was only partly true. “A couple of the guys in here are involved with EC Lips,” says Fresh Prints (2411 Agricola Street, 404-6468) co-owner Nigel Lutes. Though Fresh prints carries EC Lips product, it’s into other kinds of apparel, including dresses, ball caps,…
Closet cases
What is Halifax style? Halifax style is as diverse as its people. There is no typical distinct style that screams “HALIFAX!” but there are a few smatterings of looks around the city through its diverse neighbourhoods. First, there is the typical “north ender,” with their bikes, vintage glasses and clothing that is loved dearly and…
Best kids EVERRRR!!
Today I was on the #18 when 12 little campers and their MSVU camp counselors boarded the bus. I expected a rather raucous ride with this many young children, but wow was I impressed!! They were the best behaved kids I have EVER seen on a bus! We wouldn’t even have known they were there,…
Leatherface
You are the worst employer/ person I have had to encounter in awhile. Not entirely sure were you get off hiring on looks and not talent, enforcing a no shorts rule but still allowing staff to wear uber-short mini skirts. Employing people who do not have the provinces qualifications to work. Living in a ling…
No food on the bus
To the guy who asked me if we allow grocery bags on the bus: That depends. Are you going to eat your groceries on the bus? If yes, then no we don’t. Have you never seen the sign on the bus that says “no food”? Kids, and big people too, sometimes have a tendency to…
Harvest Moon
I started falling for you over a “harvest moon”, felt heavy and scared as the same moon spilled over the ocean, and blurted that I loved you in the following month. Love, the verb. It’s been a year and a bit since then, and, despite all of the shit that we’ve been in and through…
We met on the Hill
To those two lovely people, you seemed like hippies but that may have been the weed… I was feeling pretty down and was on my way home. I decided to walk up Citadel Hill to see if I could see any gay men having sex in cars to make me laugh, and it’s also a…
Haven love
To the cast and crew of the new TV show “Haven” based on Stephen Kings book “The Colorado Kid”… Hope you are all enjoying Nova Scotia. The show is FANTASTIC! —Hardcore Havenian
Frozen Mocha Graditude
To the girl who left me the thank you note on the table for the frozen mocha, thanks! I always feel like I screw those up but apparently not this time. You where super cute too! Thanks for the good vibes 🙂 —Morrisey
Surprise: cats feel pain, too!
I came in to get my cat’s spay incision wound re-stitched after she tore out the sutures, and you felt that you could sew her red, raw wound without administering anesthesia. I have never in my life heard a cat scream like that, and I am going to have a hard time getting the sound…
To My Sanctamonious, Condescending Sister-in-Law to Be
I realize you regard my boyfriend as your son, however the way you behave toward me is just plain ridiculous, childish, RUDE, and ignorant. You are literally insane. Thank you for making my life so difficult on a regular basis. Thank you for constantly forcing me to do favours for you without so much of…
Sick of the Trashing of Dartmouth by Haligonians!
I have grown up and lived in Dartmouth NS for most of my life and am very tired of the constant trashing of MY city by people in a city trying hard to be a Little Montreal. You have the Worst parking in Canada, Ticket Nazi’s, Little or No property on your $300,000+ properties… Women…
Bus Shelter Vandals
This weekend, I drove past 3 bus shelters that had been busted up… How low does your IQ have to be, that you enjoy breaking bus shelters (or anything else)? Seriously, are you idiots jealous that an inanimate object, like the bus shelter, clearly has a higher IQ than you do, or what? —BUSted up…
Christina Martin Can Too
After nearly a decade, Christina Martin is ready to break. Her third album, I Can Too, is set for release for September 7, and Martin is preparing for a national tour with Cuff the Duke on some dates (lap steel player Dale Murray co-produced I Can Too with Martin and is also Martin’s fiancee. Aww.)…
Chebucto Coffee opens
Now open in the old Milano’s location at the corner of Kline and Chebucto is Chebucto Coffee (6430 Chebucto Road, 404-5885) a warmly appointed coffee shop started by Mike McInnis. “The area needed a coffee shop,” says Katrina, an employee with whom Shoptalk spoke. She mentions that McInnis is big on fresh squeezed lemonade, baked…
Green Van hit and run
To the person who drives the old green Econoline travel van with the plastic owl fixed on the roof: You backed into my parked car on Fern Street on Monday morning August 16th. There were witnesses. The police are now looking for you. Fess up and email me to make arrangements to pay for the…
I won’t fear thee
Last night I heard someone screaming for help, I ran outside of my north end Darmouth apartment to see one girl on the ground getting beaten by 10-14 other girls – they were all younger. I ran up and yelled at them to stop and tried to break it up, there was a man trying…
Peanut Gallery is getting lame…
I’ve noticed that there is half a dozen or so people who comment on each bitch. After reading the bitches for a month (fairly entertaining) I’ve noticed a lot of comments about how there is no new-comers to the site. Very observant. I suspect this is because every time someone posts a bitch which is…
Scotia Square hot hand
It was sometime after 9 am this morning, I was sitting there sipping my coffee. You stopped by my table to switch hands as your hands were hot from holding your coffee. As you bent over suddenly I was thankful you were too preoccupied with a burning hand than to look up and see a…
Herman’s Hermit
Some days are harder than others but remember during all of ’em you are loved, and by far more than you would imagine. Hide when you need to, but ride when you can. Take some time for figuring things out and put plans to action. Some days will still suck but you’ll be able to…
To my bacon-loving friend
Thank you for the inpromptu surf/weather crash course at the beach. I’m so stoked to finally be out there on a reg. basis, and everyone tells me I’m really picking it up. Now I know what to look for, and how to look for it. Your messy handwriting is cute too; it’s a great memento…
Is it really just a joke?
I first saw your band play when you released your record. I instantly fell in love with your music, and yourself. We actually met and I finally had a chance to get to know you, but all I could say was ‘I really like your band’ (how original). I see you working at the nslc…
Schoolboy Jitters
It has been almost 5 months since school ended and summer began. Ever since then I’ve been waiting for you to come back. For that person I can hang out and be nerds with or maybe dinosaurs depending on the mood. Somebody to lay around all day with and party all night. I’m so glad…
Pool Party
Huge thanks to the for being so easy to get into on all those countless summer nights, and early summer mornings. You made coming back from the bar so much better, who the fuck wants to go home when you can go swimming? We hope you enjoy all the countless pieces of clothing we left…
Hit by a car on the way to work.
I was hit this morning in the mirror and handle bar of my bike when I was starting to go at a light. I was on the side of the road heading into Bayers Lake Park and an orange Pontiac G5 or G6 hit me and kept going. I saw it pull in near Kent…
HRM Roads
A passing lane 300 feet before a light? A 70 zone in front of a high school and a 50 zone in Burnside where there are nothing but trees? GREAT message that one sends, you fucks. —Wacko Roados
Conrad’s Beach Surf Students
Terrific… you all want to learn how to surf. That’s cool, but WHY must 40 or more of you impose yourself on the “family” part of Conrad’s Beach? Conrad’s is HUGE with more than enough room for you and your novice surfer friends just past the congested part. This Saturday past, you all attended a…
Subie Park Dog Walker
To the woman walking her two dogs in the off leash area of Shubie on Sunday night: Thanks so much for letting your large OFF LEASH Boxer(?) dog attack my small beagle mix dog. Thanks for not being able to get your dog under control. Thanks for not apologizing & simply asking ‘is he ok?’…
Is it because I live here?
What the fucks with the day old Donair & slice of pizza, I live across the street for fucks sake and 35 minutes for delivery to boot, shit I could have saved the buck tip bought a condom, banged the old lady and still went across the street and got some hot food. —Sucks to…
Could Canadians get ANY fatter?
Today was over the top; every second person looked like Chris Farley or Rita McNeil today… 300 pounds is the new 200, evidently! It is so fuckin gross to see a fat parent rolling down the street with a fat kid. They should be charged with neglect! —Sick of fatty
Tired
You’re a user. A supreme user. You’re also still boning your ex-boyfriend and bitching about it every step of the way. No, I don’t want to pick you up to hang out after you’ve just been “hanging out” with him. I’m pretty sure you do it just to get a drive to food and your…
The way it is!
I’m sick of hearing about men who have had affairs with younger women! ‘My man had an affair with a younger women, I cant understand why, we have children together, were married, we had a bond a life a promise…’ Get over it!!!! Here’s the kicker, do you know why? Because she goes down on…
Signs for Urban Wilderness Park go down
The signs announcing Dartmouth’s Urban Wilderness Park were taken down Friday, evidently in preparation for its bulldozing, which ought start towards the end of next month. People in the community have varying opinions about the lost of the park. I guess, in the end, I’ve come down in favour of its removal to make room…
Outcast Ink sets up shop on North
They used to be up on Titus in Fairview, then they moved to 152 Portland in Dartmouth, but that wasn’t quite the right fit for Outcast Ink. “Business wasn’t as good,” says Matt McNamara, an apprentice tattooist at the studio. “We had a lot of clientele, but this is a better spot. It’s a prime…
Theres some really good people out there…
This is a gigantic thank you to the girl who turned my wallet and blackberry into the police a couple weeks ago, seriously you fucking rock, definitely wasn’t expecting to see that ever again. The world needs more people like you, you’re awesome, keep on being awesome. —Hope you enjoyed the herb (:
Friends are the Most Important
This is to my friends: You stand by me when I’m an idiot. You pick my drunken self up off the curb/couch/wherever. You support me no matter what I do, and this year when I hit some major lows you were there with me as I struggled to make sense of it all, cope and…
Props to the prisoners!
I have to give some respect to the prisoners who exacted vengeance in that prison van the other day… The victims can’t get their revenge, but payback is still a bitch! —Sincerely, your friendly neighbourhood sodeypop
Buskers
I look forward every year to the annual Busker festival it is as old as I am. I enjoy watching all the street performers from fire shows, to the just plain enjoyable stunts. This past festival I was brought up on stage by one of the gentleman preforming, and it was just great to get…
Hey mom!
Just thought I should let you know that I love you… Even though I keep stealing your beer. —Havin’ a cold one
Let The Babies Starve…?
I have a baby. I breast feed him, because it’s the healthiest thing for my son. I’m sick to death of all the grossed out looks I get if I can’t get everything I need to get done finished in the 2 hours I have between feedings. It is a natural part of life, people.…
Legalize Marijuana?
Why not? …Please discuss—Mary Jane
Shut up and move on, tough guy.
You told a girl, 3/4 your size, and doing her job that the difference between her and a cop was something like “a gun, $30k a year, and a respectable job”. If I didn’t feel afraid of getting shived by you, vagrant, I would have pointed out that the difference between her and you was…
Grammar Police
Please people, it’s ‘couldn’t care less’ not ‘could care less’. If you say ‘could care less’ it means that you care a little and it’s possible to care even less than you already care. ‘Couldn’t care less’ means you don’t care at all. For example, “I couldn’t care less if all priests were castrated as…
Trash
To the car traveling down the highway in front of me a few days ago, I was not impressed: First a napkin came flying out the window, I thought OK, it’s a napkin, it could have been a mistake. Then two MacDonald’s cups, and the whole Happy Meal bag! What the hell?! If it was…
“Hali” famous fuckers.
Fuck you “Hali-famous” folk: Just because your “known” around the majority of Haligonia doesn’t mean shit in the rest of the universe. Get a life and stop being such egotistical, narcissistic jerks. There’s more to life then boasting about how popular you are through how many facebook friends you have and name dropping other “Hali”…
Dear meter maid bitch tit…
When I pull up to the curb for FIVE SECONDS to drop off my girlfriend at an appointment, it’s not an open invitation for you to come over and wave at me, telling me to move along because it’s not a parking spot, you rat. I guess you just have to over compensate with your…
Immigration
Immigration. —A nationalist
Wicked Witch of Windsor
This is to the crazy old bat that lives on the ground floor in my building and also the people that take care of her (I’m pretty sure it’s her children): I’m pretty sure you have some mental disability but that doesn’t give you an excuse to verbally harass me anytime I see you. The…
Ellen
Ellen and Noisy Ellen is another sister, living in Ottawa. We grew up there, so as Sue, Ellen and I drive out to Westboro and then IKEA it is Ellen who knows the way the best, and she calls out turns to take and lanes to occupy. Ellen is, I think, the sister most like…
Cute Puppy Interlude
I meet a cute puppy named Brandie. She has a little Newt Gringrich doll. Her mother is a lab and her father is a poodle, but the milkman is an Irish Greyhound. She’s going to weigh 50 pounds someday.
My Boys, My Troops
The next thing I rememberI am walking down the streetI’m feeling all rightI’m with my boysI’m with my troops, yeah —”Late in the Evening” by Paul Simon On a perfect Toronto evening for it, skies clear, the heat cooling to warmth, I go to see the Blue Jays play. It is my first time to…
Something fishy going on!
[image-1] People who catch fish and people who eat fish are hooking up in an interesting new way in Halifax. The Off the Hook CSF has been up and running for five weeks, and by all appearances is a great success. CSF stands for “community supported fishery,” analogous to community supported agriculture, and like CSAs,…
Tanya Davis isn’t alone anymore, she’s in the Guardian
After being the subject of Russell Smith’s bizarro feminist rant yesterday in the Globe, today, the video collaboration of Tanya Davis and Andrea Dorfman made the Guardian’s viral video chart, along with a legless cat, a kitten who can’t jump, Justin Bieber, a chimp and a frog. Watch for Davis, tonight on the National. Related…
The One to Watch
My heartfelt thanks and appreciation goes out to Halifax watch man, Sam, for the superb customer service. Guess you show those guys what “Charm” is all about. —The “Cardinal” Sinner
Bike Thief
I want to say FUCK YOU to the piece of shit who stole my bike and my girl friends bike yesterday. Your probably a piece of shit who traded it for a crack rock. The bike is the only nice thing I own and is how I get around/ enjoy myself. I hope the fucked…
FB
Just because you have someone in your friends list on Facebook doesn’t mean they’re your friend. —!
Security… MWAH-HA-HA (I saw you!)
To the guilty party who took, or rather stole, that couple’s cloth bag full of things they purchased: I saw you and I am THIS CLOSE to turning you in! I caught you with my phone’s camera. I did not say anything then. I was caught up with my screaming kids. Return it and save…
Ahhh BUH-BYE!
I am glad that I was the bigger person in every facet of this situation. I am glad that I am a better friend than you will ever be. I am sorry I wasted so much time trying to salvage something that you clearly couldn’t give a toss about. I had better things to do,…
Ignorance is NOT bliss
My job is enforcing policies, like 90% of the populations, so why is it that you feel the rules don’t apply to you? I am completely sick of seeing you (students-whose parents pay their rent & bills or anyone else out there who thinks they are the whole world revolves around them) unable to abide…
Your Youth is Returning to Haunt You
this photo makes me think “ride the snake.” and oils. lots of terrible, terrible oils. The Paragon has just tweeted that some guy from Our Lady Peace, Edwin from I Mother Earth, and some guy from The Tea Party have created some kind of thing called Crash Karma and this ensemble will be playing a…
Council size and voter turnout
In today’s editorial I argue that there is an inverse relationship between the number of people represented by an elected official and voter turnout— that is, the smaller the district, the greater the turnout. By no means is that relationship absolute—there are lots and lots of factors that help determine voter turnout, ranging from the…
Graphic nature
What makes a successful comic or graphic novel? There are plenty of reading options out there these days, but what draws readers towards one book over another? “Something that’s appealing to people, that makes them smile, laugh, feel something—whether it’s good or bad—something that has an effect on people,” says Calum Johnston, owner of comic…
Bawdy crimes
“I’m an organized criminal,” mutters Valerie Scott in utter disbelief. Scott, a sex worker and executive director of the Toronto-based activist group Sex Professionals of Canada, doesn’t see herself as your typical organized criminal. But new amendments to the Canadian Criminal Code are lumping sex workers in the same category as violent criminals. The Conservative…
Grave business
Holy Cross Cemetery was founded in 1843 and it’s been falling apart ever since. The Irish-Catholic cemetery lies in disrepair on a hill in the south end of Halifax. Tombstones have toppled over, sunk into the earth or lie in pieces on the ground like broken china. A sign near the entrance proclaims: “Warning: Gravestones…
The White Ribbon
Director Haneke (Funny Games) once again examines humanity’s capacity for cruelty with this story of a small village in pre-World War I Germany beset by unexplained accidents and violence. To his credit, and to the film’s immeasurable benefit, Haneke eschews his usual shock tactics for a more meditative approach, patiently showing how resentment, anger and…
The Halifax Alternative Arts, Craft and Fashion Show debuts
Stacy Lepage has never sold anything at a craft show, nor has she ever organized one. But the Saint Mary’s student is set at full steam ahead for Halifax’s first Alternative Arts, Craft and Fashion Show, which she has nurtured from idea to fully formed event. “It was kind of just a whim and it…
Eating Animals
After penning two acclaimed novels, author Jonathan Safran Foer writes his first non-fiction account, Eating Animals on, well, not eating animals. After learning of his wife’s pregnancy, Foer, faced with health and moral implications of feeding his then-unborn son, began more than a year’s worth of research into factory farming and vegetarianism. You don’t have…
White Rabbit Multimedia Festival
Take a trip down the rabbit hole this Saturday to see what 12 artists have been cooking up all week in Upper Economy. It’s the second year that the White Rabbit Festival has run, where artist Tom Young invites other artists to create installations on his land for the week leading up to Saturday’s unveiling.…
Hooked on Canadian Books
A journalist, teacher and writer, T.F. Rigelhof plumbs his undeniably deep knowledge of the CanLit canon to come up with his selections of “the Good, the Better and the Best Canadian Novels Since 1984,” as goes this book’s subtitle. (He covers 25 years of the Canadian novel, up to 2009.) Early on, Rigelhof defines these…
Urban potential
Before the noon cannon has had a chance to greet the day with its booming yawn, I walk up the stairs to meet a friend for an early lunch at Halifax’s latest bistronomique, Moda Urban Dining. Chic but casual, it’s a very pretty space. The sun is shining through a bank of windows that overlook…
The Authenticity Hoax
From Potter, co-author of The Rebel Sell, comes an attempt to explain our modern existential search for meaning in a hollow world. As I read Potter’s summaries of Hume and Thales I pictured my first-year philosophy prof—mad eyebrows dancing a jig on his forehead, who knows what in his Thermos—skimming the history of philosophy in…
Quaker Parents
This nine-song tape is the first release from locals Quaker Parents. Made up of members of the Gamma Gamma Rays and Long, Long, Long, Huge Mask starts off with a lo-fi sound recalling elements of various bands the three members have played in. The tape carries along with a catchy, math-rock vibe. The b-side is…
Krasnogorsk the great
There’s an older couple watching Krasnogorsk play. They don’t say much, but when the band finishes a song, they’re the first to applaud. They seem impressed, not just with the Roma-influenced, vaguely Eastern European music, but also Krasnogorsk’s entire image: their unshaven faces; rustic instruments and the dozen small gemstones covering their patio table. “I…
Bibi Tanga & the Selenites
Bienvenu (Bibi) Tanga plays bass precisely and lyrically, carrying the technical load and providing the tone and mood that help communicate the theme. Writing of peace, hope and celebration, he stumbles on the first two tracks, “The Moon” and “Red Wine.” Instead of writing and singing a whole lyric, Tanga’s best when he uses his…
Cochrane’s farewell
In a couple weeks Crissi Cochrane plans to bat her brown eyes at a train attendant so she can read to her cats, Conor and Jenny, in the cargo bay. She’s one of many caught in the annual ebb and flow between Nova Scotia and Ontario, so you could call her CD release this Saturday…
SISTER
Forget Scott Pilgrim for a second. Plumtree’s Lynette and Carla Gillis, wisely taking advantage of the big-screen boost, released their new EP at the Scott Pilgrim book launch in Toronto, but SISTER deserves attention on its own. Joined by Ryan Myshrall on bass and produced by Peter Elkas, the sisters (Lynette on drums/vocals, Carla on…
Swing battah battah!
Gallery tensions are running high this week as artist-run centres Eyelevel and the Khyber suit up for Sunday’s softball game. “Eyelevel hasn’t won a game all year and our Khyber team hasn’t either,” says Mat Dunlap, psyching himself up for this final game of the season. “One of us gets to snap our losing streak.”…
Fred Eaglesmith
True to the title, there is a Latin lilt to Eaglesmith’s latest, with soothing, swaying backup vocals from the Ginn sisters. They take the edge off a desolation and dissipation that can make Tom Waits sound like a boy band. Nobody does sad, mad and wounded like Fred. The words justify it, particularly “Shallow”: “I…
Exit Through the Gift Shop is all about the cash
Whether you are artsy or fartsy, you’ve heard the question: “What makes an artist?” Ever notice how these debates always come down to money? Who persists in that bohemian ideal of vibrant squalour; who is a sellout because they didn’t and who is a loser because they no longer live in poverty as a choice,…
Full Lecture Series: Michael Jackson
Don’t hide it. We know there’s a photo of you, somewhere, dressed in that red leather jacket and shoulder-shrugging to Thriller on the way to a Halloween party. Unleash that inner zombie this week at the Fuller Terrace Lecture Series’ final summer lecture, which has local folks getting up and talking about Michael Jackson’s influence…
East Infection
Featuring four of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick’s weirdest, coarsest bands, this EP hits like a Colt 45 hangover. A live, unedited recording from Sydney’s Mess Folk tries to capture the band’s live sound, louder and more abrasive than its lo-fi bedroom recordings. Halifax’s Meat Curtains’ “Get Rebel” snarls with raw, gruff vocals and heavy…
The Halifax Summer Opera Workshop
The Halifax Summer Opera Workshop For the past six years, the Halifax Summer Opera Workshop has been bringing young opera singers from across the country together for an intensive period of study that culminates in the staging of two full operas. This year, the offerings are Susannah, a modern opera set in the American South…
“Appalling” democracy
Bucking a relentless PR campaign from the Chamber of Commerce, last week Halifax council voted not to reduce the number of councillors from the present 23. But we haven’t heard the last of the issue. City staff is now preparing an application to the Utility and Review Board to redraw district boundaries to better match…
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is almost sensory overload…
An effects-laden action comedy for indie kids, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World hurtles along faster than the speed of critical thought. That’s probably for the best. The skeletal plot follows the title character (Michael Cera) as he navigates a gauntlet of video game-inspired battles against the former loves of his new alterna-girlfriend (Mary Elizabeth Winstead).…
Blackbird flies with honesty
If you like your theatre hard-hitting and thought-provoking, then Blackbird is the play for you. You won’t like what you hear and see‚ but you won’t be able to turn away. The set is a dirty, claustrophobia-inducing lunchroom (within the claustrophobia-inducing Living Room Theatre), and the action is viewed by the audience through Venetian blinds,…
Ship’s Company Summer Theatre: The Net
new review Ship’s Company Summer Theatre: The Net If you’ve never ventured out to Parrsboro to take in a show at the Ship’s Company Theatre, I can’t think of a better lure than Marcel-Romain Theriault’s The Net. This taut and suspenseful thriller centres on a wealthy New Brunswick family that made its fortune in the…
Don’t mind The Other Guys
NYC cops Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg are the bumbling other guys to the regular cowboys in the bullpen, personified by Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson. Ferrell is a prissy poindexter and Wahlberg shot Derek Jeter in the thigh (an apparent no-no in NYC). Ferrell and director Adam McKay’s indulgent, risque fly-paper narrative approach…
“No more than 10 times a day”
Q Longtime reader, first-time mailer. A long while ago, you wrote an incredible piece of general advice for teenage boys. The advice was so excellent that I clipped it out to keep in case I ever had a son. Well, years later, I have a son. But I have since moved a gazillion times and…
Winter’s Bones powerfully cathartic
A young woman, Ree (Jennifer Lawrence), takes care of her two younger siblings and an invalid mother in a tiny house on a rural clearing in the Ozarks. The town’s sheriff comes to the door to tell her that her meth-cook father has been released on bail and has put the family home up as…
Free Will Astrology
LEO(July 23-August 22) Paul, a fortune-telling octopus in Oberhausen, Germany, had an amazing run of success predicting the results of World Cup competitions awhile back. His technique? His handlers gave him a succession of choices between two tasty morsels, each representing one of the teams in a given match. The treat he picked to eat…
Step Up 3D all moves
The cloyingly sincere Pirate dance crew of NYC enters the World Jam dance-off against the evil Samurais in a last ditch effort to save their beloved, ramshackle dance studio. If you had to come up with a dance crew concept—evil or otherwise—what would it be? Mine would be the Grind-Haus, a collective dedicated to choreographing…
Pilgrim and a Plumtree
Recently, I was interviewed about the story behind the song “Scott Pilgrim” and as I explained its convoluted, not-especially-riveting genesis into the telephone receiver, I heard the female interviewer’s tone plummet from wildly enthusiastic to deeply disappointed. “Oh,” she said, after I was done. “I’d always imagined Scott Pilgrim was, you know, the great love…
Driving sex
When it comes to mainstream entertainment, we North Americans have two hang-ups: sex and sincerity. Take two big commercial films opening this weekend, Eat, Pray, Love and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Despite their stylistic and plot differences, both are standard Hollywood romances. Attractive people meet; they fall in love. Hardly an honest reflection of…
To the boy
I miss you already but that’s okay. You make me proud. Our home won’t be the same without your wicked sense of humour and the beating of drums. —Evil mom lady
Cranky old man
I know that the library is a quiet place, and I admit that my friend and I were being slightly (honest, only slightly) louder than is generally accepted and we apologized and then quieted down, however; when you lunged at the tiny adorable child who was of course (because he was small and adorable) making…
Watch out
Why don’t you cut down that noxious giant hogwart plant outside your townhouse? I’ve left messages on how poisonous that plant is, but no action… Maybe you don’t really care, but someone might get to close for their own good and receive a nasty case of burnt skin and possible blindness… Just thought people should…
Since We are on the topic of racism…
I thought the majority of Canadians had moved past this. I thought that there were a few hold outs, who were mostly older people, set in their ways who couldn’t accept that we are all equal. Apparently I thought wrong. In the last three months I have seen a disturbing amount of racism and prejudice…
Justice League
WTF, they are fucking prisoners, not clients. I couldn’t believe my ears (yeah I could considering where it came from) when I heard the prisoners in Prisons (not Correctional facilities) referred to as fucking clients. No wonder people are pissed off at the Legal System (I refuse to call it the Justice System). Man these…
Uncouth
Rude people, that’s what I see 80-90% of the time. No tact. No manners. Push your chair in when you leave, my shelf is NOT for your coffee cup, you throw a pamphlet down then pick it up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Maude, leave these in). Your snappy little comment about “I knew that” [then don’t ask nimrod] or…
Decision postponed on developing land earmarked as wilderness park
A wilderness jewel just 15 minutes from downtown Halifax has been spared from development, at least for a few years. At issue is the Birch Cove Lakes-Blue Mountain wilderness area, which has been designated as a future regional wilderness park in the HRM Regional Plan (see here). I’ve explained the development pressures on the privately…
Brad Johns wants to take back small council vote
Remember council’s decision not to shrink itself? Well, late last night, at the tail end of a Halifax regional council meeting that lasted until 11pm, councillor Brad Johns notified council that he will introduce a motion of rescission regarding that decision. Rules for motions of rescission are laid out in council’s rules of procedures: 56A…
