May’s Day in Copenhagen
Elizabeth May will fly to Copenhagen tomorrow, and she knows what to expect. “I haven’t attended every climate change conference but I’ve attended quite a few,” she tells me. “They are always very intense.” As Green Party of Canada leader, May has access to all negotiations and plenaries, though the plenary rooms are often too…
2009 State of Nova Scotia coast report
Sea levels in Nova Scotia are expected to rise sharply over the next century —- anywhere between 70 and 140 centimetres. (Or between two feet, three inches and four feet, seven inches.) Those figures are contained in The 2009 State of Nova Scotia’s Coast Report released today in Halifax. The report says global sea levels…
In your face, art
Last week’s news of NSCAD student Tyler Mumford’s photos of bouncers at the Halifax Alehouse (look for a news story tomorrow) has drawn a lot of online discussion about public space and privacy. But if this was, as what is being suggested by Mumford’s schematic illustration on a Facebook page, intentionally meant to provoke and…
Summit talk starts to heat up
Negotiations are heating up in Copenhagen. Tuvalu has demanded that any agreement coming out of negotiations be legally binding. Their reasoning: they’d prefer not to sink. Back in 1992, at the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, parties signed a treaty called the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Signatories agreed to create protocols setting…
To my dark-rimmed, lovely, nunchuck friend!
The last 2.5 months you know I have been a zombie me walking on the wrong side of happiness…so when you caught up with me and brought me to a movie out of the blue it was a much bigger deal that you realize! Thanks for letting me not open up at first and letting…
Ticket for blocking my own driveway?!
So I decided to come home for lunch today, and guess what I find, some asshat has parked their car in my, yes, my driveway. No note, no explanation, I don’t even know anyone with that model of car. I went in to eat lunch, a little annoyed, I came back out to drive back…
No I dont have any spare change or a smoke for you
To the guy on spring garden, the bridge terminal, mumford, or just about any god damn bus stop/area were people walk. STOP asking me for money or a smoke. I have told you off many times, and every time you see me you walk over super straight backed, chin in the air asking me for…
Mumford Icon
To the older woman at Mumford bus terminal who does circles around a pole with (and without) her walker rain or shine, you are an inspiration to many! You truly are a role model for all those who are encouraged to keep exercising to keep their mobility.—Chebucto Place fans
Oldest to Newest Please!
I hate reading coments Newest to Oldest! The new comments are spoiling the old comments I’ve not read yet! Why is the default setting Newest to Oldest for showing comments! The logical way is Oldest to Newest! Who the heck scrolls up a screen? Bah!—Picky Bitch Reader
Slippery When wet sign
The slippery when wet sign in the entrance to quinpool blockbuster makes me laugh every time I see it. The cartoon man on the warming sign in the throes of slipping with outstretched ” jazz hands” in the air is too funny to be accidental. Who ever deigned that had a sense of humour for…
Video Difference Staff
I love all of you. Always helpful and in good spirits. You guys make shelling out for a night in worth the trip. Just wanted to let you guys know its always pleasant to walk a few extra steps past the “other” video chain and into your knowledgeable and welcoming arms.— AFI
Chicken Suit Guy
To the guy in the chicken suit who stands outside the Oasis and gives out free handshakes. First of all, good grip. Not too firm but not a dead fish either. Secondly, you are under appreciated my friend. Keep it up and don’t let the eye rollers get to you. Its not you its them!…
Food Court Loners
Just wanted to send a big warm hug to all the sad faces who sit in the Scotia Square food court and eat their lunch alone. You all looked so isolated today as I strolled through.—Hug Master General
Guys jewellery buys at Trinity
Are you a dude, a dude who wants to get something special and shiny for your significant significant? Trinity Jewellers (6226 Quinpool Road, 446-7901) is holding its annual Guy’s Shopping Night for Y chromosomes only, on Thursday, December 10 from 6pm onward. Buddy, it’s gonna rock, with tax free-to-50-percent-off savings. “Along with these excellent promotions,…
Futuristic Climate Advice
Copenhagen is a beautiful city. It’s the best place I’ve ever ridden a bicycle. The lanes are massive and there is a city-sponsored bike share program. It’s home to the famous Christiania Bike, a three-wheeler for the whole family. And there’s a city policy that every citizen must be able to reach a park or…
Elizabeth May will deliver your mail to PM
Green party leader, Elizabeth May is carrying dozens of letters from Canadians demanding that Stephen Harper agree to reduce Canada’s greenhouse emissions. May says she plans to personally deliver them to Harper at the climate-change summit in Copenhagen. “I don’t know if he’s ever read anything about climate change,” May told the Coast from Sidney,…
Glee
Dear, Glee, no matter how shitty my week has been, or how much work I have to do, I know I can count on you to both entertain me and warm my heart for an hour every Wednesday. From jokes to songs, my day just get’s that much better when I know that you’ll be…
I love Atlantic strippers
Chalk one up for Ralph’s for proving that some great times aren’t that expensive in a bar full of sins and naked women. Thank you Ralph. And thank you Atlantic strippers for keeping me quarter chub all night.—-Man of Prairies
Fuck Call Centres
What the fuck is up with the government giving another fucking call centre more fucking money?!? There has to be a better way to use $2 million! Call centre jobs are not the solution to employment issues in Nova Scotia! They’re shitty low-paying jobs with few benefits and zero room for advancement. And they offer…
Warmer, Schmarmer
Apparently the world is getting warmer, but I can remember not needing a parka to brave January and February in NS until the last 4-5 years. I remember never needing a winter jacket to trick or treat when I was a kid. I can remember not having winter boots for my entire Junior High School…
No lights on the tree this year…
There are no breaks with NSP. Period! After battling a rediculously high power bill for years, and always chasing our overdue bill, we finally got it paid down, and what does NSP do? They suddenly decide to charge us a damage deposit of $800!!!! Are you kidding me? I finally get my payments up to…
Real Stars
We I got screwed by a large rental property company in Halifax. After living in their building for almost two years, being quiet accommodating tenants and paying rent on time every single month, it was time to move out. We went to the rental office to give our notice and were told by the rental…
Where is it?
`Where are we supposed to look for on-coming events? You have to look page to page to find what your looking for. Would it really hurt if you had a event page? That is my BITCH. HA!—plokking
Damn Undergrads
Seriously? How cussin’ hard is it to write a report, especially after I’ve explicitly told you how several times now? Maybe if you actually committed yourself to learning and read a journal article once in a while, you might actually figure it out. Maybe if you actually looked at my comments in addition to your…
Keep it up, Dynamo
You. That’s right, You! Thanks for just being there for somebody. You’re the constant inspiration and joy for someone in Your life. Keep being good to them and making them feel that life is worth living. Having You in their life keeps them on track and makes Our lives that much richer. Rock on You,…
HOLIDAY HAIR gone WRONG…
If there were awards given to local hair salons and a category for “a place you should never set foot in,” this hair salon would without a doubt be the recipient. With an owner who claims to have 20 years of experience, you would think he would have learned a thing or two about how…
halifax crafters fair
I’ve been going to the halifax crafters events since the holiday 2007 event, and they just keep getting better — this past weekend has topped them all. The Olympic Centre was a great venue, there was enough room for all the crowds of people, and so many people had amazing things to sell. I love…
Vampires made my mom stupid.
I’m so fucking sick of Vampires! Vampires used to be badass now they’re lame. I understand that when a book/movie becomes really popular that spin-offs and extra shit inevitably pop up to scavenge. But why, of all the vampire lit and media out there to choose from, did that TERRIBLE book by that AWFUL writer…
Enough
To the, at most, 14 yr old boy who called after me “yeah yeah, f@%k you and all you hoes” on Sunday as I was walking to a December 6th event in memory of women who have lost their lives to violence: I am a woman. I have worked with survivors of sexual assault. I…
Ellen Page hearts Cisco?
Easy, breezy, beautiful commercial girls. Remember how shocked people were when Bob Dylan showed up in a Victoria’s Secret commercial? That was awkwardly weird, but not as gross as one I heard this week: Fine Young Cannibals’ song “She Drives Me Crazy,” on a cough syrup commercial, where sick people hack up flem on command…
Ikebana on Quinpool
A genuine cultural gem has arrived right on Quinpool to help us all feel a little more connected to the east, and when we talk east we’re talking far east. The Ikebana Shop (6417 Quinpool Road, 407-0487 ) is all about the traditional art of Japanese flower arrangement and other things Japanese. Look within for…
Five questions with Stop Motion Massacre
Stop Motion Massacre: Beings of pure light Stop Motion Massacre play manic punk rock, that, in my personal experience, usually involves one of them taking off their instruments and rolling around on the stage. They have my vote for most compelling vocal performance in Halifax. See them play at Gus’ Pub on December 10 with…
DD/MM/YYYY play all ages show in Halifax Friday at Studio A Cafe
DD/MM/YYYY wind down a rather eventful year with an all ages show in Halifax on Friday, December 11 at the new Studio A Café on Quinpool Road (with Cold Warps and Windom Earle). The band toured extensively, released a split 7” with Child Bite and their acclaimed album Black Square. But it wasn’t all good…
Tribute to the Clash at the Paragon December 16
The album in question The Clash’s London Calling enjoys it’s 30th anniversary on December 14, and while that means we can no longer trust it, we can also enjoy a tribute show to the album at the Paragon on Wednesday, December 16. “I’ve been thinking about doing this show for the last five years,” says…
Tune into CKDU 88.1FM to win tickets to see Henry Rollins
You and a friend could be in that audience (or a reasonable facsimile) for $0! Henry Rollins wouldn’t want you to spend your hard-earned money on a ticket to his show March 19 at the Rebecca Cohn, especially not if you could win tickets instead.
Halifax
We met almost a year ago, but I’m getting to know you so much better lately, and I’m starting to fall for you. I’m ready to break my ties to the mountains and forests of my homeland and jump into my new life with you with both feet, and I’ve never been happier. I love…
You almost killed me
Who knew walking across an intersection with the walk sign lit up meant having to fucking JUMP out of the way of an incoming car who clearly saw me walking but did not slow down in the least bit. WHO KNEW??? If I had not jumped in the fucked up direction I did in the…
Metro Transit publishes stroller rules!
Not so much a bitch but a followup to an issue that seems to come up every month or so. I like the rule about operator discretion to deal with SUV-sized models blocking the aisle. Taken from the current GoTimes issue: Baby Stroller Guidelines For the safety and well-being of babies & young children, other…
Parking ban scammers
Let me start by saying that I am not an entitled, drive-everywhere car-owner. I walk, bike and take transit most of the time. I have a run-down old beater, basically for weekend use to enjoy the outdoors (and yes, for now it’s cheaper than CarShare). So the winter parking ban is a pain for me,…
To the grinch who stole the Christmas penguins from our yard
We don’t know why you hate Christmas. Is your head not screwed on right? Are your shoes too tight? Maybe your heart is two sizes too small (or maybe you don’t have one at all?). We wish you the Christmas you deserve.—The Whos
Toss your cookies somewhere else
To the person who barfed at my bar on Sat, thanks! Nothing tops off a ten hour shift like cleaning up your puke that you apparently just couldn’t save for a toilet, outside, or anywhere besides the chair cushion next to you. Next time make it to a toilet, asshole.—Cleaning up after you sucks
Father, son, chess, Perks, Sunday
Thanks to the father and son combo who made my day at Perks Vernon this Sunday. I don’t know what it is, but there is something about your interaction that just brightens up my day. (The son being cute likely helped, but I digress.) Father-son moments like this seem to be increasingly rare these days,…
Prospect Players put the “community” in community theatre
I’ve come to know and love Dartmouth Players, Bedford Players and Theatre Arts Guild, our local community theatres, but until very recently, I didn’t know there was a fourth to add to that group. Prospect Players has been producing plays for several years in Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church Hall in the lovely little…
The circus comes to town
Wanna run away and join the circus? Most of us have at one point or another. If you do, you’re going to need some prep. Halifax Circus will be offering professional circus classes from January 16, 2010, including Beginning Balance, Intro to Circus and Aerial Basics, and to three age groups, including 18+. Classes will…
Review: Madonna: Songs of Mary by Xara
I don’t know a lot about music, but I know what I like, and I like the otherworldly sound of Xara. The Christmas offering, Madonna: Songs of Mary was performed in front of a packed house (500 people!) in the gorgeously ornate St. Patrick’s Catholic Church. The audience let the last stunning note hang momentarily…
Old Man Luedecke at the Rebecca Cohn April 30
Old Man Luedecke transforms people. He has the power to unite the most diverse crowds and after his shows everyone calmly looks at each other and realizes that we aren’t so different after all, and maybe with a little love we can work it out, and so on and so forth. Experience this love of…
It’s a Christmas Miracle!
I have TWO people to thank on this post: #1. My friend who tipped me off to a free Jyske bookshelf #2. The young man who, upon going up to pick up the bookshelf, gave us an amazing black couch free of charge. I hope he reads this and knows that we’re truly thankful for…
Moose-love
To the couple who gave us free tickets to the Mooseheads game on Thursday, you guys rocked our socks! We had a wicked aweseome time and you restored our faith in humanity. Thanks a bunch!!—Two poor hockey fans
Screw You 80!
Why do 4 buses travel on Glendale Ave in Lwr Sackville, but only the 80 goes up and down Sackville Drive? Everything in Sackville is on Sackville Drive, the only thing on Glendale is the godamned Sports Centre! Who’s designing these routes, a blind tourist? WTF!—You Win This Round Metro Transit!
Moving ON
Dear Hali, Thanks for 30 years. You were always good to me (even when I was a drunken teen and peed or puked on you). They say if you love something you should set it free. I see the difficulty in this, so it’s probably easier if I go. Thanks for the memories and good…
Signs on bus about religion. DUHHHH!
I can’t remember the campaign’s exact handle except it made people aware that there may not be god. Good on ya. Let’s not piss on people and tell them its raining. The truth is the only truth and nothing but the truth. Keep it up the good work. Eventually kids figure out there’s no man…
Loud & Lewd
Dear tenant, We would collectively like to congratulate you on your mind-bending orgasm received last night. We would also like to congratulate you on the many numerous renditions of various Kelly Clarkson songs that you have decided to share with us over the past couple months, in such a comical manner. Good job. Please buy…
Dear Roomie
I will post this here so I don’t destroy our friendship: Pay me my cash back before I move out, Bitch. I will seriously sell everything you have while you’re at work. Kijiji ads go up Next Saturday. You have one week. PS: Get your old cat off my couch…that’s right. I hate that I…
Spittoons need to make a comeback…
To the disgusting people who stand around the entrance to the college on Leeds St.: Why the hell do you nasty jerks need to spit so much? There’s only one entrance, everyone has to walk through your mucus to get to the door. Couldn’t you at least try to find a bush or something? You…
Ebay is great. When it doesn’t suck.
So I’m a frequent seller and occasional buyer on ebay. I swear to god though, about one of every ten people I deal with I with nearly ruin any good that comes from it though. News flash people- I do not set the prices of shipping. That would be Canada Post. Once it leaves my…
A real “Pet” Peeve
I can’t stand it when I am walking my dog, and she steps in another dog’s crap! Why can’t you lazy rats pick up after your dogs? It is totally disgusting. The next time I see someone letting their dog poop and then walk away from it, I will gladly pick up your dog’s poop…
X-MAS IS FOR THE CHRISTIANS
if you don’t go to church year round, but celebrate christmas your just showing people how selfish and greedy you are…only in it for the gifts. not the birth of the sun. if it was about family you’d celebrate this holiday weekly…or do you? we need to remove gifts from x-mas, and just be this…
Bad Review
Brutal review posted this week in the Coast for a band with “aggravating pitch”. I can’t believe he went on to say they are better than the base screaming that pigeonholes them, when your review just pigeonholed them completely. I feel this review is probably not written by a metal fan. I doubt many metal…
Dio Mio Dartmouth closed too
Shoptalk has learned that following the shutdown of the Brenton Street location a few weeks ago after 20 years in business, the relatively more recent Dartmouth Crossing location of Dio Mio (21 Logiealmond Close) has also closed up shop. Gelato-lovers everywhere are weeping. Related Stories
Dear people with the 3 year old
Wow. I cannot believe that you put your child to bed every night at 1am, when the rest of the world is trying to sleep. You running in and out of your childs bedroom every five minutes for two hours and screaming at them was a really nice way for me to get to sleep.…
Superior customer service from your favorite national airline
Our flight to England was booked way back in July for travel on December 24th. It was a coveted direct flight. We are travelling with a 19 month old and the direct flight was the ONLY reason we decided to book with Canada’s national airline. We actually paid EXTRA for the advantage of this direct…
i will most certainly not be having a third cup. the first one was a mistake.
I dont expect you to know I have 2 exams this week, 2 critiques, a paper and 2 assignments all due before I go away on Monday. I don’t expect you to know that caffine after 4pm is a surefire way to make me stare at the ceiling all night. I don’t expect you to…
Secret art installation, Saturday night
This Saturday night at 8pm, artist Jyelle Vogel has taken over the vacated upholstery shop at 5682 North Street for an installation. This is the third and last showing before she gives up the space. She describes the candle-lit installation: “There are four mobiles hanging from the ceiling. They are made from bicycle rims and…
Periodic Disappearances
Girly emergencies occur occasionally, so I keep some products in the bathroom cabinet at work. Lately I have noticed that they’re disappearing at an alarming rate, and not during *my* cycle. I don’t know who you are… but I *will* find out – it’s not like there are a lot of females in the office.…
Here is my antidote against Xmas music and the season in general
this likely won’t get posted but what the HeLl http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CivYJ-79JFQ—if I’m 555
Oh, also
Thanks for the Christmas Tree this year, guys.—Dino (in Boston)
Please Smoke Away from Doorways
Hey there Halifax smokers (I used to be one of you), when I smoked, I gave absolutely no-shits about smoking wherever the fuck I wanted because I was a smoker and no one was going to infringe on my rights to smoke wherever the fuck I wanted. Well. Now that I’ve quit smoking, I realize…
Invictus
Better not suck. I’m counting on you Clint Eastwood. Come December 11th I’ll be in the theaters quicker than you can say jinglemeister, so this better be GOOD. I love rugby, I love South Africa, and I fucking love Matt Damon. Beat All Blacks…—Dino
To Mother Nature
Thank you for the awesome rainbow you provided us with today! I was having a bit of a bad day, and as I finished a pile of the most annoying work I had to do, you made the rain stop, and the sun come out, and then to make it even better you gave us…
post office on gottingen
dear employees at the post office on gottingen & cornwallis : please smile once in awhile, or at least look me in the face when I’m asking you a question. I come in almost every day to send or receive packages! jeeez. such a downer.—punk post
6th Annual JazzEast Gala Fundraiser for Music Education is in it’s blue period
Laila “Yowza” Biali Feeling blue? JazzEast brings the Laila Biali Trio back to Canada after recording and touring with (the one, the only) Sting overseas for An Evening In Blue: 6th Annual JazzEast Gala Fundraiser for Music Education (Sunday, December 6, The Lord Nelson Hotel Ballroom, 6pm, $125. A receipt will be issued for $60…
Merchant’s Seafood & Chop House closes
After just three months of business, Merchant’s Seafood & Chop House (1580 Argyle) has closed. The restaurant opened in August and shut down about a month ago due to, according to a former employee, a lack of business and just plain bad luck. She said Merchants failed to rake in many customers on the tough…
Starfish Releases Development Plans on Barrington Street
Shoptalk has learned that a development plan for the former Sam The Record Man property and the buildings adjacent, owned by Barrington Street supremos Starfish Properties, is ready to go ahead. The plans indicate the building facades will be maintained, with interconnected office and ground-floor commerical space behind, linked to Argyle Street properties. Also planned…
Gerry Ferguson memorial this weekend
Gerald Ferguson, 11,000 Grapes, enamel on canvas, 54″ x 55. Courtesy of Gallery Page and Strange. Friends, family, students and colleagues of Gerry Ferguson will have a chance to remember the enigmatic artist and professor on Sunday afternoon, 3pm, at NSCAD’s Port Campus. It’s an appropriate location for a memorial: Ferguson, who passed away in…
Screw Christmas!
Yes, I said “Christmas”, but I mean any of the ridiculous retail-driven holidays where people think “This is the time to be good to one another” and turn into assholes as soon as they’re in a retail environment. This holiday originally had nothing to do with a big fat guy in a red suit or…
Idiots
This is for all you drama lovers: Why..WHY must you tell everyone about what’s going on in your personal life?? Its’ really not anyone’s business in the first place, but you insist on updating your statuses filled with your drama. You are obviously looking for someone to give you their opinion but when they do,…
Read ALL Your Bloody Comments!
Why does news media put up those stupid Facebook pages or comments sections on their websites and then only selectively quote shit? I’ve been checking out various websites all scandalised and shocked by Tiger Woods. Then I check the comments. 75% of them are begging the news media to stop talking about Tiger Woods. 20%…
Be your own damned social secretary
I work 3 jobs. I don’t have alot of time on my hands. However, you, the guy who is off work by noon most days sitting around on your arse, can’t be bothered to do your own scheduling, so you ask *me* to make some phone calls. Because you grate on peoples’ nerves on a…
I double dare ya- raise the GST
I hear that some in want to raise the GST by as much as 5% to pay for the massive federal debt. created by the stimulus package…..go ahead and do it….betcha won’t get that long dreamed of and hoped for majority government…..luv ya Steve…not http://thechronicleherald.ca/Canada/1155863.html—tax this
Glad to see new ethnic food at Quinpool Superstore
Thank you to the Superstore on Quinpool Rd. for finally getting some much needed new “Foods of the World”. I’m glad to see someone finally seeing the is much more to eat than the regular items on the grocery store shelves. Hope to see more and keep up the good work.—Tired of KD
Bad Water
What the fuck is in the water? And the smell in the air? Anyone else notice?-QueentofHearts
PINK HAMBURGERS?
I hate going to south end halifax burger joints, having to politely send back a pink burger, only to go again and experience a pinker scarlet burger when you’re just too damn hungry and fundless in the first place! turn up the gd grill—KS
crappy dog(owners)
This is for any irresponsible dog owner who brings an un-trained, aggressive dog to an off-leash park. If my dog is ever attacked again I will shove a bag of dog shit down your throat. For real.—ruff
Hali-Nostalgic
Dear Coast: I no longer live in Halifax. I now live in Nunavut which, has been great, but it is no Halifax. I miss the city dearly. Thank you for keeping me updated on all that is ‘cool’ and what has been going on the in my most favorite city in the country.—It’s frezzing and…
Daltastic
Thanks to all the students, faculty and staff who have made my first term at Dal so enjoyable (if exhausting!). You’re a pleasure to work with!!—Newbie prof
Plump personal trainers
Umm….aren’t personal trainers supposed to be fit and trim? Isn’t that the whole point of going to the gym? Then “Y” does a certain gym in Halifax have clumpy, mis-shapen personal trainers teaching classes? I don’t want to exercise to become a ‘shape,’ I want to be fit, thin, and lean. Are you a reminder…
Holiday Season
Does anyone else not enjoy the Christmas season? I feel as if I have to put on a fake-smile all too often during this time of the year. I am just reminded that I do not have a family, nor a successful relationship. Perhaps watching some dvds and blocking out the world will be the…
What do you mean I can’t use my re-usable mug?!
I tried to buy a coffee in my re-usable mug at a local outlet of the “billions and billions” served chian. They told me they don’t accept reusable mugs anymore — you have to get coffee in their paper cup.—No morning Joe
Free music from Divorce Records to you
Run! Don’t walk! (To download the Mess Folk EP) Divorce: The label that keeps on giving! From their site: “Freewave is a new series of FREE digital EPs from DIVORCE. The albums are exclusive to the series and cost you $0 to download. Merry Xmas! These releases will only be available until the next round…
Evolve 11 dates announced: July 23, 24, 25 in Antigonish
Evolve Festival 2009 from Hemmings House Pictures on Vimeo. If you’re looking for a fun, laid back festival this July 23, 24 and 25 (as the video above, made by Hemmings House, can attest to) head to Antigonish to enjoy Evolve 11. And if you’re looking to play said festival, submissions are being collected now…
Steve Miller Band at the Halifax Metro Centre: Saturday, June 5
Steve Miller Band may not appear exactly as shown This has to be the best press release I’ve read in a while: “GET READY FOR THE STEVE MILLER BAND… ‘It’s just one of the best concerts I’ve seen in my life. It’s classic Steve Miller. The shades, the guitars, the riffs, the endless hits, some…
Three itty bitty lanes on Robie Street.
What’s wrong? Three itty bitty lanes on Robie Street. Who’s responsible? Ken Reashor, god of traffic, 490-6637. REMARKS Robie is a problem from one end to the other, with too-narrow lanes and unpredictable intersections. Here at South Street, buses spill awkwardly into adjoining lanes. Reashor says a third lane allows traffic to flow more smoothly.…
Unschooled children
I want my grandson to attend university. I taught in one for 30 years. Now that my grandson is in junior high school I have been interested in his preparation, particularly in mathematics and English. He is an A student with an occasional B. Early in grade 7 he received a B on a math…
Holiday parties: Drinking on the company’s bill
Trying to find the right place to drink too many rum and eggnogs and sloppily make-out with that guy from accounting? Whether you have a small crew or a full staff, consider these places for your next drunken rendition of “Frosty the Snowman.” –Kyle Wells Victory Arms Pub This Lord Nelson Hotel bar can hold…
Blood: The Last Vampire
Blood: The Last Vampire is a live-action adaptation of an anime of the same name. The movie expands on the anime’s plot but fails to add any deeper meaning or themes to the story of Saya, a half-human, half-vampire demon killer. Then again, when the main selling point of a film is the “kickass schoolgirls”…
The Best Books and Comics of 2009
BOOKS Boy in the Moon, Ian Brown (Random House) The old cliche of “you’ll laugh, you’ll cry” stands true for Ian Brown’s essays on his son, who was born with a rare genetic defect. Brown lets down his macho journalist persona and delivers an incredibly honest reflection on manhood. —SCF February, Lisa Moore (Anansi) I…
Glorious gift-giving and other wonderful holiday stuff
For the fantasy nerd It’s a fair bet that most local nerds will want to catch the release of the new Jim Cameron science-fiction feature Avatar later this month. Help them do it by giving an Empire Theatres Gift Card. Until December 24, if you put $30 or more on a gift card, you get…
All Tomorrow’s Parties,
Unless the Hells Angels are involved, music-festival documentaries usually aren’t worth the price of a ticket stub, but this mesmerizing film, following the experimental British fest, is an exception. Jonathan Caouette (Tarnation) compiled footage and photo stills from over 200 professional and amateur sources (HD, DV, 8mm, cellphone), and edited them together in gorgeous, inventive…
The Wild Things, Dave Eggers (McSweeney’s)
Filling out the storyline of Maurice Sendak’s childhood book Where the Wild Things Are is an uphill battle from page one. The original book is less than 20 sentences and owes its success to vivid illustrations that leave the plot almost entirely to imagination. Dave Eggers’ The Wild Things, written on Sendak’s suggestion, is a…
Good Food, indeed
I was almost ready to believe The Cure’s Robert Smith had somehow looked into a crystal ball and forecast this rainy week in 2009 when he wrote “Monday you can fall apart,” because the events of Tuesday broke my heart. Tuesday was the sad day that two of my pals and I decided to head…
Gregor Ash’s passion
When Gregor Ash was a kid in Newfoundland, he and his fellow film junkies would head to the Caribou Lounge Saturday mornings, where they’d endure the stench of cigarettes and stale beer for a chance to catch flicks that weren’t on CTV and CBC, their only two channels. Despite the smell, the Atlantic Film Festival’s…
East of Berlin’s guilt complex
We witness events. We live much longer in their aftermath. This idea underpins East of Berlin, the Governor-General Award-nominated play being presented by Halifax’s 2b theatre company, directed by Christian Barry (see review page 52). “I was interested in talking about the fallout of the Holocaust,” says 31-year-old playwright Hannah Moscovitch on the phone from…
Lisa Phinney Langley, Dance Artist
The best Christmas gift I received recently was from my now-hubby, the first year we were living together. His gift was his old badminton racquet, beautifully wrapped. He had just found out that I hated badminton in school, so he gave it to me as a joke but it made me realize that he would…
Vocal hero Sean MacGillivray returns
Tofu, watermelon, peaches, plums, strawberries and beans—just a few of the foods that nearly ended Sean MacGillivray’s music career. Beginning in early 2008 and lasting six months, the top end of MacGillivray’s vocal range started disappearing. “Honestly, I was working on exit strategies,” says MacGillivray, en route to Montreal with Jenn Grant. “I’ve been singing…
Glen Matlock is not Pistol-whipped
The most musically accomplished member of the Sex Pistols, founding member Glen Matlock, left the group in February 1977, about eight months before Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols went down in history. Depending on what you read, Matlock either left of his own accord, sick of the bullshit of manager Malcolm McLaren,…
Early risers jump the gun at the Farmers’ Market
Christina Blenkhorn is talking to Phil Davis like everything is 100 percent normal. And that’s even though it’s 6:23am, still dark, and Davis—awake since 5am—is perusing packages of Fox Hill Cheese House’s hot jalapeno gouda, to which, he says, deadpan, he is addicted. The Halifax Farmers’ Market doesn’t officially open for another 37 minutes on…
Off Mother Mother’s tongue
In interviews, Vancouver’s Mother Mother rarely discusses influences besides The Pixies and The Beatles, but its sound is too much of a cocktail to limit to a list of bands the band liked while growing up. What is always present and undeniable in the sound is emotional conflict. “A lot of the heartache out there…
Cheated by the opposite of love
Q I’m a longtime reader who thought I’d never have a reason to write since I’m universally known as the “good girl,” but I’m not sure who else I can turn to. I have a close male friend. Even though I knew he was dating someone else, we became friends-with-benefits several years ago. Because of…
Screaming mad on national day of action
December 6 made Jean Steinberg want to scream. So, last year, to mark the anniversary of the Montreal Massacre and the National Day of Action and Remembrance on Violence Against Women, she did. Steinberg and a friend planned a moment of screaming—not silence—on the corner of Spring Garden Road and South Park Street. “It was…
Kimber: police chief’s explanation fails
Tom Martin had it wrong, Halifax Police Chief Frank Beazley told CBC Radio’s Information Morning on December 1. In my story for The Coast (November 19, 2009) on the city’s striking number of unsolved homicides, I’d quoted Martin, a respected retired homicide detective as saying: “To my knowledge, the cold case unit has not laid…
Darrell Dexter, Premier
For me, it’s not material things that I find the kind of gifts that move me. I’m a person who’s been away over holidays like Christmas, so the best gift that I’ve received is to be home with family and friends. At home we have a get-together on Christmas Eve. It’s interesting because a lot…
Little Girls
At the start of the album, the music feels as if it is revving up for something, and then there’s a shift. Left with only the beat for a moment, you’re greeted with background talking and the sound of a singing voice with no discernible words, only to realize the “rev” has already happened and…
R.E.M.
R.E.M. remembers with this two-disc live album (plus DVD), recorded during a five-night stand at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin in 2007, before the release and tour for the outstanding Accelerate. Along with strong, strident versions of the new songs, they dig deep into album tracks from the first decade of the band, especially the…
Halifax environmentalists prepare for Copenhagen
Haligonians are preparing for the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark next week. The meeting of world leaders is being billed as the last chance for humanity to implement meaningful policies to avert cataclysmic climate change. Lil MacPherson, owner of The Wooden Monkey, leaves Tuesday to attend the conference as an observer with…
Sagittarian Freedom Fighters, prepare!
Sagittarius (NOVEMBER 22 – DECEMBER 21) “Dear Rob: I love to be proven wrong. That’s not an ironic statement. I actually get excited and feel creative when I acquire new information that shows me I’ve been operating under a misunderstanding. One of my very favourite life moments occurs when I am convincingly liberated from a…
Newcomer support groups merge
Beginning this week, recent immigrants to Halifax can look forward to new and improved support for their newcomer needs. Two organizations committed to helping people settle into their new lives are officially amalgamating to better serve under one name. The Immigrant Settlement and Integration Services (ISIS) was formerly spread over two shops—the Metropolitan Immigrant Settlement…
PR ranks swell as journalism suffers
Where’d all the reporters go? That was the question I asked in an email to many of my media colleagues last week. I was wondering what happened to the dozens of reporters who were laid off from the Chronicle-Herald in February and from the closing of the Daily News last year. It was impossible to…
Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes wilderness threatened
A group of four landowners is pushing for land designated as part of the Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes wilderness park to be re-zoned for residential housing and apartments. The proposed park is a chunk of land the size of the Halifax peninsula, stretching from the Bayers Lake Industrial Park to Hammonds Plains. It includes a…
The Banana Story of Agony, Lesley Johnson (Conundrum)
Not quite a children’s book and not quite a graphic novel, Sackville, NB, artist Lesley Johnson creates strange vignettes illustrated in loose, fluid watercolours. Her themes range from a persistent Santa who a suspicious boy won’t let into the house, to a girl who ignores her family’s warnings that there’s a chicken on her butt,…
John Dunsworth was once a Mall Santa
You probably know him as Mr. Lahey, the tipsy trailer park supervisor from Trailer Park Boys. But perhaps you once sat on his jolly ol’ lap at the mall and put in a special request for an Atari and a Lite Brite. Actor John Dunsworth reigned the red velvet chair in Halifax’s West End Mall,…
The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History, John Ortved (Greystone)
Even those tired of The Simpsons will enjoy and gain great insight from this oral history (blocks of quotes broken up by the author’s narrative connections between topics and speakers). Sure, the book’s about the collection of cartoon characters, whose kooky lives and chaotic world we witness for a half-hour every Sunday night (innumerably in…
Can social media be an agent for change?
What if Facebook wasn’t just for gawking at pictures of now-pregnant acquaintances from high school? Or your Twitter feed wasn’t just for following Tracy Morgan’s day-to-day musings? What if the internet and its addictive spawn, social media, could be harnessed for loftier purposes? That’s the sentiment behind ChangeCamp Halifax, a one-day “unconference” bringing together creative…
Ox
On leaving BC to return to its Ontario roots, Ox releases this assortment of tunes and guitar squiggles. The band is playful, hoping to engross you in its experiments, varying distortion as if musing about Les Paul in his basement 60 years ago. This may appeal to gearheads and Deadheads, but the songs seem half-written.…
Amy jones, writer
I’ve received some really great gifts over the years, but the one that stands out in my memory as the most exciting was (and I’m exposing myself as a huge geek here) the Apple IIe my parents bought for me and my sister when I was in sixth grade. Up until then I had been…
We, The Undersigned
It’s a shame We, The Undersigned’s vocal default is scream—its metal and ’80s thrash guitars are fierce enough. This is some killer stuff from Fredericton, but as soon as you start wailing along on your air guitar, the screaming lyrics (all delivered at the same thoroughly aggravating pitch) ruin the party. This is extra grating…
Buy Nothing Season in Halifax
If all of the gift-giving at Christmastime gets to be too much, you might want to consider having a Buy Nothing Christmas. Buy Nothing is a movement started by a group of Mennonites in Western Canada in 2001 as a way of saying no “to the patterns of over-consumption of middle-class North Americans,” says its…
Ingrid Michaelson
Often lost in the influx of mainstream folk-pop acoustic girls, Ingrid Michaelson is best known for an Old Navy commercial and her soundtrack contributions to Grey’s Anatomy. But her fourth album demonstrates this multi-talented artist’s resilience and consistency. More mature than her previous records, Everybody blends a feel-good beach singalong vibe with simplicity and a…
Jackie Torrens, Writer-Actor
I’ve been given many nice things over the years: good books, straight talk from someone who loves me, one time a stranger gave me money to cover a prescription when I was young and broke and crying in a drugstore…but one of the nicest gifts anyone has ever given me had to do with my…
Holiday fashion special
Cute as an Elf? Buttoned up like Scrooge? Before you head out, click through our slideshow for local styles that reminded us of our favourite holiday films.
Peddler’s Closes for Renovations
Feel like a pint at Peddler’s Pub (1880 Granville Street, 423-5033)? Sorry, you’re gonna have to wait awhile. The pub closed down just this morning for a gutting and renovation. General manager Brad Hartlin says he “can’t give any details” about what the renovations will include, but he looked to be pleased about the upcoming…
Khyber and the city: public consultation!
It’s no secret that the Khyber ICA and HRM have endured a rocky relationship, but today feels like the beginning of a whole new love affair, or the most passive-aggressive Sid and Nancy-style punch-up around. Today, And Still Counting an exhibition of paintings by Garry Neill Kennedy, in collaboration with the Khyber, opens at City…
