Letters to the editor
Comments on all aspects of the paper’s performance and city life.
ANABLOG
The craziest statistic we read this time last year was over 1,000 magazines launched in 2004. Most of them didn’t make it, of course. But we’re still here, a year and change later, and it’s been quite a freakin’ year. Like every other overpaid columnist in every publication in the world, we will now offer…
2005’s Emergency exit
If you ask Joel Plaskett the best way to ring in the New Year, you’ll likely get the answer an increasing number of people are saying themselves. Plaskett and the Emergency’s New Year’s Eve bashes have become tradition and the 2005/06 edition is his most ambitious yet. “Dave Marsh, Ian McGettigan, Joel Plaskett and Welsh…
Music: Idea moves west
Idea of East recording studio closed its doors on September 1 after a decade in business at 3250 Barrington. “It’s been a fabulous place to do work,” said owner Laurence Currie. “But after 10 years the building is being turned into condos, and there’s not a lot you can do about progress I guess, if…
Snow day
Peninsular Halifax is catching up with the Joneses. For years, Haligonians on the peninsula and in parts of Spryfield and Armdale have been hacking away at their sidewalks with shovels and picks, while their Dartmouth and Bedford neighbours wait cozily inside for city staff or contractors to come clear the way for pedestrians. But that…
Vote for Pedro
To the editor, I’m just writing in response to Matthew Campbell’s letter (“Canadian politics 101,” Dec. 15). It’s totally biased and doesn’t help much with voting. All that he says about the Conservatives is negative crap and mostly great things about the Liberals. I’ve read enough about politics, and all three parties are so crappy…
Blueberry capital blues
To the editor, Oxford, sweet Oxford. I have been plotting my escape for some time. Since 2001. I regularly depart to Halifax for relief (desperately hoping to move there, or at least closer, as my job improves). And like the Hunsleys who wrote a letter in this week’s Coast (“Oxford defined,” Dec 15), I don’t say…
Now look up “endearing”
To the editor, I am writing to you in defence of Mike Drake at Strange Adventures and the accusation in the Nov. 24 issue that he has an “endearing curmudgeonly streak.” I looked up curmudgeonly on dictionary.com to ensure I was up-to-date on the definition of this slight (I also looked up the word “slight”…
Big empty Tory
To the editor, In the recent leader’s debate, Conservative leader Stephen Harper, when speaking about the challenges of governing this country, said that “Canada is a big, empty country.” It struck me as an odd thing to say, but somehow appropriate for the leader of our country’s right-wing party. I know what he meant; that…
Indietown
Two thousand five has been a year of opportunity for independent theatre artists. With the launches of so many new companies, the sudden growth of indie productions proves that even with obstacles like few venues and small budgets, for our theatre community, the shows must go on. In March, one of Halifax’s few full-time veteran…
SAVAGE LOVE
Dan Savage tells a mistress to knock it off.
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Wrap up all your unfinished business, Capricorn, says Rob Brezsny.
Film flam
Production boom “I did various commercials,” says Shauna Hatt, a film production coordinator who works on a contract basis in film. “And I did two CBS TV movies back to back.” She’s referring to the Tom Selleck movies, sequels to the popular movie of the week Stone Cold, based on the Robert B. Parker novels.…
Picture show
Every year, critics complain how it was a bad year for movies, and then I point out that that they’re paying attention to the wrong ones. This year is a different matter. Big movies came from directors like Roman Polanski, Tim Burton, Hayao Miyazaki, Terry Gilliam, Cameron Crowe, David Cronenberg, Jim Jarmusch, Richard Linklater, Deepak…
Movie report card
This is an ordered ranking of every feature length 2005 movie I saw, prior to December 23. Movies first released in North America in 2004 that didn’t open in Halifax until 2005 (eg. Hotel Rwanda) are not counted. Nor are foreign movies released domestically in 2005 that were counted on last year’s list (eg. Oldboy).…
Signs of the times
The best thing about 2005 was there was no nuclear war. But there were lots of worse things, including the earthquake in Pakistan that killed 80,000. That quake was a natural disaster. But the record number of hurricanes that brought death and destruction to Central America, the Caribbean and the US in 2005 were, at…
Big talk
The past year saw quite a few changes planned for HRM. From immigration to public transportation to harbourfront schools, a great deal of development was proposed and implemented. Immigration In June, the Atlantic Immigration Conference, hosted by Halifax mayor Peter Kelly, investigated what could be done to attract immigrants to and encourage them to stay…
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…
The local playlist
Jam band of the year After months of speculation, our fair city—once dubbed The Next Seattle—got a taste of the old guard as west coast grunge gods Pearl Jam rolled into Halifax on September 22. While “cross-country tours” often end in Montreal, this month-long trek actually earned the title, visiting 15 major cities between Vancouver…
Fun with Dick and Jane
Jim Carrey, as everyman slob Dick, stands on top of a table in a high-class bar, ranting wildly about how the patrons (corporate employees) are just puppets. His wife Jane (Tea Leoni) tells off the bartender for serving her husband so many drinks to allow him to make such an animated fool of himself. The…
The eat beat
Two thousand five might well be dubbed The Year of Bad Service. From fine dining to fast food, I encountered servers with attitude ranging from obnoxious to indifferent and novice servers who had no idea about the menu and were unable to answer even the simplest of questions. I’d like to blame the restaurant owners…
Hung up
Finding the perfect hangover cure can be a greater challenge than usual around the holiday season. It’s not unusual to wake up on a typical Sunday craving a big hot plate of French fries and bacon, and most of us in Halifax are lucky enough to be within stumbling distance of a diner. But between…
Art and soul
At the end of the year, most of us aren’t think-ing about anything more intellectual than peeling the foil off the last chocolate ball. In other words, the state of the city’s art scene is probably not your biggest worry. But it deserves some thought. In the city’s excitement over its bid for the Commonwealth…
