Letters to the Editor
Policing the Square? What’s with the police occupation of Uniacke Square? It seems ridiculous 2 me to have a sattelite office set up 2 blocks from headquarters. It’s totally redundant, unless (of course) Hrm wishes to send out the message that there is a disproportunate amount of crime occurring there. I mean, every time i…
The Johnson boy
This news dropped just as we were going to print last Wednesday—oh, the trials of living a weekly existence—and though our kudos are late, the sentiment remains the same. Congratulations to Halifax painter Jonathan Johnson, named a semi-finalist last week in the RBC Painting Competition. The lone Haligonian is up against a wave of Montreal…
Scarlet letters
Most buzz bands come and go, but Toronto’s illScarlett are hoping they’ll beat the odds. The quintet fuses reggae, ska and rock a la Sublime, Planet Smashers or early No Doubt and is sure to resonate with the young crowd. They currently have a top 30 single (“Heaters”) in Toronto, and will be the first-ever…
Summer rain
Rain nightclub at 1661 Argyle has undergone renovations and will open a new lounge later this month. The pm lounge (as in “post meridian”) will encompass half the club and will open at 5pm from Tuesday through Saturday. The main club will open at 11pm Thursday through Saturday. pm lounge will feature a world tapas…
No small fleet
More than 20 Metro Transit buses will be replaced after city council approved spending almost $9 million to pay for 25 new mass transit vehicles. Paul McDaniel, general manager of Metro Transit, said the aging bus fleet is in dire need of the upgrade. The oldest Metro Transit buses, some of which have been in…
To serve and protect
To the editor, I think it’s time for citizens of Halifax to patrol our own streets. Armed with cell phones, whistles and digicams we should group and wander in the late hours. If anyone is interested, e-mail ourhfx@yahoo.ca. By BM
To serve and protect
To the editor, I am writing in response to your article about crime in the city. Mostly I would like to comment on the reaction of our men in blue—what is wrong with our police? There have been two separate occasions when I have been literally half a block from my house on Falkland Street…
To serve and protect
To the editor, I have just finished reading “Where the sidewalk ends” and find myself angry and frustrated all over again. In August of last year, I spent an early morning pacing my apartment, worried about my husband who had spent that evening at a bachelor party pub crawl. Even though I was eight months…
To serve and protect
To the editor, Reading the article “Where the sidewalk ends” shocked me. I was shocked not so much by the crimes described, but the attitude of the police officers involved who refused to protect the individuals assaulted. I know that under the law the police are allowed to question people if they believe them to…
To serve and protect
What the fuck is up with the HRM police showing up at the Superstore to measure floor area to ensure all floor space is in compliance with legislation? Do we not face a bigger concern with the violence occurring all over this fucking city? This province is lost in a time warp—policing supermarkets, no Sunday…
To serve and protect
To the editor, As the debate over Sunday shopping rages on, I can’t help but wonder where the priorities of our lawmakers lie. After your recent cover story about the ongoing violence we find here in Halifax, I continue to be surprised that premier Rodney MacDonald would rather fret over people’s right to shop on…
To serve and protect
To the editor, I just finished reading Bruce Wark’s article “Where the sidewalk ends” (June 22). Thank you for making this story available to your readers. I do not understand why our present provincial government is not jumping on the issue of violence and crime prevention in our communities with the same enthusiasm they show…
Think Linklater
For a generation-defining film, Slacker is a bit of a bore. The meandering, aimless, over-philosophizing tone of the film doesn’t resonate now as it would have in 1991, when Richard Linklater’s debut feature—with its endless characters, car crash and Madonna’s pilfered pap smear—quietly revolutionized independent filmmaking, for better (structural risk-taking) and worse (unknown writer-director as…
Gas puzzler
Imagine a big glass of beer. No, bigger. This thing is a litre, about three bottles worth of beer. Can you see all that delicious amber liquid, bubbles dancing to the top, the glass breaking out in a cold sweat, sitting on the table in front of you on a hot July day? Now how…
Last house standing
Beholding 5517 Spring Garden invokes that Sesame Street song: “One of these things just doesn’t belong.” The old Victorian-style house has pink, purple and blue chipped paint on its original wood facade and is squeezed in between big box record store HMV and the wholesale optical chain Hakim Optical. It’s the only homey looking house…
What a croc
Crocs weigh less than a toasted bagel. They’re cheap like borsch, don’t grow mould, come in delicious colours and—here’s a little secret—they’re machine washable (no tumble drying, please—I shrunk my first pair two sizes when I accidentally tossed them in with the dark load last Christmas). These bulky, foamy kinda-clogs aren’t just our current summertime…
Triumph of the Wilco
Insincerity in art is transparent. And this recognition, from day one, has allowed Chicago-based Wilco the justification to make difficult decisions in the name of staying fresh and consistently producing relevant music. As the longtime collaborative friendship between founding members Jeff Tweedy and bassist John Stirratt has committed cardinal sins—including perpetually altering the band’s genre…
Turn down the hype
There’s a great moment in Superman Returns, a variation of an effect that opens Robert Zemeckis’ Contact, that’s an unintended summary of the present blockbuster season. The Man of Steel looks down on Earth from outer space, and is inundated by a cacophony of the planet’s sound waves. So many movies emit so much loud…
Placing Bette
The bilingual duet Bette & Wallet have brought their kitchen parties into the living room, and the two will take their traditional down-home party to Ginger’s Tavern on July 6 with Ruth Minnikin. “We’ve been performing our living room tour—the venues have ranged from student dwellings to my parents’ house,” says Mary Beth Carty, calling…
Tasty morsel
Tucked in the Hydrostone Market, the sedate storefront of Epicurious Morsels only hints at the delights to be found inside. A chalkboard outside advertises the daily specials, and if you allow yourself to be lured in from the sidewalk you’ll find yourself in a small, elegant dining room decorated with rich colours, wood trim, plenty…
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Put away your sneakers, Capricorn, because Rob Brezsny says it’s time to flip-flop yourself.
SAVAGE LOVE
Dan Savage implies that love is blind. And, maybe, stupid.
