Dawn Sloane calls Bill Karsten out for repeated interruptions
Halifax councillors Dawn Sloane and Bill Karsten came tete-to-tete at Tuesday’s council meeting. Sloane had been recognized to speak by mayor Peter Kelly, and was explaining her views on a relatively mundane issue, sidewalk sweepers, when Karsten, as he often does, interrupted her with asides and mumblings. “Do you mind? I am talking; I’m sick…
Council OKs north end Business Improvement District
The north end business climate is looking up. Hundreds of new condos have been constructed on lower Gottingen Street, long-standing eyesore Mitchell’s Environmental Treasures has finally been torn down, Agricola Street has come into its own as the newest hip shopping destination and merchants are becoming organized and starting interesting projects. Among the latter is…
Roadside Gallery
I like art. But here’s the bad news: I’m not stopping. I have no idea what kind of “art” you’re peddling or what your price range might be and I don’t want to be embarrassed or cause embarrassment if I don’t like it or can’t afford it. I’m not going to hit the breaks, turn…
Throughsie Etiquette
So this has happened to me twice in the last week. I’m pulling into a vacant space in a busy parking lot and a car is entering the space from the other side using my space as a throughsie exit. Who has the right of way? I think the other guy needs to back the…
Motorcycle No-No
I saw you weaving in and out of lanes abruptly, speeding, and then passing several cars on the shoulder of the Circ between the left lane and the concrete median. You must be aware that is not a driving lane or a motorcycle lane. Next time you want to pull shit like that, remove your…
That’s The Wrong Handsign for ‘Thanks’
So, it’s 11pm on Jubilee (i.e. pretty damn dark) and as I’m approaching an intersection, I notice—really, just by chance—a couple nearly at the corner where they’ll cross at the crosswalk. So I stop. Not on a dime, I wasn’t going that fast. I just stopped. They got to the corner and started to cross…
Circle Gets a Square
Yeah, I know cyclists/car bitches are done, and I hate them too. But fuck it. For this summer I’m gonna post a bitch everytime some fucker pisses me off for no reason. Ok, #1. Rotary, dude honks his horn as he goes by me and his female passenger calls me an idiot. The only reason…
Steeped About Trendy Tea Tales
A certain specialty tea trend phenom is not as healthy an alternative as it claims (or shoves down your throat each time you enter the place). In its popular bestsellers, you’ll find this listed in the ingredients under “flavours” on their website, in tiny lettering they confess to using a toxin which they claim is…
ATTN: “Operation: Shadow Project”
I’ll get straight to the point. These messages around town will for the most part, get across to no one over the age of 16. If you’re really concerned about these issues, belittling the population is not the way to go (“Wake up”? Seriously?). Study political science. Volunteer. No one is going to listen to…
Get a Good Picture
If you want to be a professional performer, whether it’s music, comedy, politics, whatever, the first thing you need to do is get a god damn hi resolution photo of yourself. I make half the posters in this town and more than half of my time is spent scouring the internet for a picture of…
Calm Down
To the gentleman who bitched at me after I accidentally blocked him from making a right hand turn off of SGR, you need to relax. Here is the situation, I was heading up SGR and as I was approaching an intersection without traffic lights a car turning right onto SGR pulled out in front of…
MIX Fresh Kitchen relaunches
Chef Ray Bear and Chris Richards, the owners of MIX Fresh Kitchen (5171 Salter Street, 429-9571), are changing the style at their eatery. They describe it as “elevating the brand of [the] Salter Street establishment to a boutique dining concept.” “We’re taking it to the next level,” explains Richards, who’s reluctant to call it a…
Happy Birthday JA
Happy 30th. Miss you. Hope to see you at WetSpot. XXOO —SD
You are the Sunshine of My Life
There may be several tall Metro Transit bus drivers with red hair but there is one very special tall red haired bus driver that really brings sunshine into my life. He drives the bus with such ease and he turns that wheel with such strength. You can see the power in his hands. I guess…
Access Some Love
Hey, this could have been a Bitch, Access Nova Scotia out in the BLIP doesn’t have bike racks (insert obvious irony here) but when I was about to lean my bike against the wall out of the way, one of the desk dudes at the entrance told me to put it behind the desk area…
Mermaids!
To the mermaid at the Multicultural Festival you were wonderful! My kids loved you and you did so well with all the kids. They haven’t stopped talking about you and your message about the environment was great. Thanks for a really memorable trip! —Mermaid Fan
Otis & Clementine opens in Tantallon
Otis & Clementine Books and Coffee (5209 St Margaret’s Bay Road, 826-1823) is a coffee shop and a bookstore combo in Tantallon, formerly Books Galore. The new venture, launched by Ellen Helmke, carries all kinds of new and used books, with a focus on kids and young adult books and plenty of non-fiction, scifi, mystery…
Killing Me Slowly
For all of the health care workers who feel the need to clog up the clean air by smoking near the sidewalks outside the hospitals, get your head examined. Do you have any idea how repulsive it is to walk down the street and be engulfed by disgusting cigarette smoke by you- the very people…
Who Decided Seedless is Best?
Seedless Watermelons: You taste like nothing, you get mushy quickly, you make terrible slushies. I spend at least $25 every year trying to find one of you who doesn’t suck… with no success. Why does the general public accept these pale imitations? We need to revolt, and demand the seeded, delicious watermelons of our youth…
To the Parking Wardens in your Fancy Trucks
Dear private parking authority, if I am not allowed to talk on a cellphone while I am driving (which is fair) why are you allowed to almost kill me as I cross the street because you are playing on your LAPTOP that you use to find illegally parked individuals? You went straight through a red…
Blinds and Paint Stripper
Pretty girl, you left me in window coverings to find paint stripper. I found you in the main aisle and we found your product. I left you there and wished you luck. Now my regret is stronger than the chemicals eating the paint from your wood work. —Shy Handy Guy
Don’t Flick Cigarette Ashes
This goes out to the lovely lady who yelled at my friend and I on Quinpool a couple of days ago: you’re a huge bitch, like massive. My friend and I were walking down Quinpool, your driver friend pulled over her lovely white Sunfire beside us and you called out “HEY EXCUSE ME!” while my…
Have Fun On Warped Tour, We’re Doomed
While I spent most of this rainy spring sitting on the couch, eating chips, the hot youngprog-rawkers in We’re Doomed have recorded an EP, filmed a music video, played a whackload of shows and are now gearing up to hit the road as part of the Canadian legof the Vans Warped Tour. (You may recall…
Drive Smarter
I’m not sure if Halifax has a disproportionately higher percentage of colour-blind people than everywhere else, or if drivers think that stoplights are merely suggestions. But, within a 20min period today I saw two cars sit idly at greens, picking their noses. I don’t know how many people turning left well past the end of…
My Jaw Hurts
I’m basically a really nice person on the outside. I’m polite, friendly and I mind my own fucking business. But, to put it frankly, I’ve had it. My jaw actually hurts from walking around all day with this stupid fake grin. I’m sick of crazy ex-wives who never get over ex-spouses and use their kids…
Dear Other Drivers
Just because there is a temporary obstruction to the flow of traffic in your lane, be it a bus stopping to drop off/pick up passengers, a cab doing the same, or a city garbage truck doing its thing, does NOT mean you have the right to use the oncoming lane to get to your destination…
A Kitty Named Pumpkin
Just wanna say thanks to the guy with the pumpkin patch tattoo… You were super sweet to my friend when she was upset, and the random conversations and walking around Hali with you turned out to be a wonderful night. Much appreciated. XO —Ginger
Sorren
Danna Storey writes and curates the Youlookfiiine street style blog (youlookfiiine.wordpress.com)
Sidewalk Hijack
Can we get back to making developers build tunnels out of scaffolding rather than letting them take away the sidewalk in front of their projects for what seems like years? The new condos on Gottingen have had the front virtually finished for months. There can’t be more than a day’s work left on it, but…
Cover Up
Is there such a thing as public decency laws with respect to the way people dress? Young women should tone it down (a lot) and men need to wear shirts. Hems should be lowered to below the knee again. —Don’t Care How Hot it is Outside
A Little Female Perspective
While walking home Canada Day around 3 am alone a SUV stopped right in front of me, so I crossed behind it to the other side of the road. Then the guy asks me where whatever street is, and asked if I wanted a drive home. I said no, rudely because I was freaked out,…
Reserved For…
First, welcome to Canada. Congrats on choosing to move to our great country and celebrate our nation’s birthday. BUT you should learn that you cannot claim to have reserved a 12 foot by 12 foot section of the downtown Halifax boardwalk for your family of four at 8pm and then start lecturing people who start…
Medusa at the Self Checkout
To the lady who told me I cut her off at the grocery store on Joseph Howe when we weren’t even in the same line, F-you. I could understand you being upset if I had went to the self checkout that you were standing at but I went to the opposite side where there were…
Herohill’s Canadian Gift
The folks behind the wonderful local/Canadian music website Herohill have prepared a Canada Day treat for you. On July 1st, they released a Gordon Lightfoot compilation featuring a whole whackload of bands taking on the catalogue of this Canuck elder folk statesman. The list of artists is broad and varied, and includes A.A. Wallace, Quiet…
Dear Customers
If you’re not at a seat yourself restaurant then don’t fucking seat yourselves! Sitting down at a dirty table when I’m trying to clean isn’t going to make me clean it faster, it’s actually going to make me slower because I have to work around your stupid ass. Is it really that fucking hard to…
Will & Kate: No Detour to NS?
As a Monarchist I’m pissed off that W & K didn’t come to NS, but spent time in Quebec instead. We could’ve spruced the downtown shithole up, filled in a few pot holes, booted the scummy panhandlers off SGR and assembled a great riot squad to beat the shit out of the anarchist filth. We…
Nice People
What is the problem with this province? Why is it so hard to make friends?! It’s hilarious how people here claim to be friendly and they’re far from it! Nova Scotians are so delusional about their friendliness and actually talking to people, and I’ve heard this from so many tourists. Lots that I have met…
Road Rage
Dear Halifax’s motorists, you do not have full entitlement of the road. You are in-fact, a person much like myself. I would like to be able to bicycle through the city with my hand signals, lights, and helmet, without being yelled at to get off the road and to fuck off. I’m not sure what…
Shirtless Yoga
Hey shirtless yoga guy, I understand that it is hot in the summer, but yoga class is about positive energy and non intrusion on others’ personal space. Women don’t get the luxury of stripping it all down and airing their nipples and bellies to the breeze – really did not want to see that today.…
You Call Those Fireworks?
I travelled from Cape Breton to see Halifax’s Canada Day fireworks that everyone I know rant and rave about. That was pathetic, they started earlier than the flyer advertised, lasted 2 minutes, and it was just a sad display. The fireworks that spectators were firing off were better than the main attraction. It wasn’t worth…
Media mis-report “showdown” between Richard Butts and Harold MacKay over Metallica show
Under the headline “Concert promoter agrees to pay HRM thousands,” last week, CBC broadly implied that concert promoter Harold MacKay had paid back about $40,000 of the the $359,550 lost in the Common concert fiasco: The city had been trying to recover approximately $359,550 — a portion of a $400,000 advance issued to MacKay’s former…
I Wonder if this will Bring the Cat Bylaw Debate Back
The other day I went to downtown Halisux. I was asked to look at a building and give a friend a quote to help them fix a problem, or advice on how to proceed. Seeing as it was a Saturday, I figured ‘weekend’, it’ll be ok. MAN was I wrong! Trying to find parking on…
Drunk Idiots on Crystal Crescent Beach
First of all, you celebrate Canada Day by drinking a 24 and leaving your trash all over the beach, bravo! Then, you yell at people just because you’re some drunk idiots and to finish your day at the beach, in a fun way for you, you stole stuff from our car… I guess you didn’t…
Road Rules
To all the idiots out there, the middle of a road doesn’t constitute a drop-off location, nor does it give you the right to open your car door into traffic, cause my bike to almost smash into your door, because you’re too ignorant to consider other people around you. Who the fuck stops in the…
Meter Maid Ghouls
I attended a funeral today in a church by the armdale rotary. It was a very sad occasion where a young man’s life was cut short. The parking lot was filled to capacity and people parked anywhere they could. As I was leaving the church along with a couple hundred other mourners, I saw an…
Backwards Love
When I make up my mind that I don’t want you, you decide you want me. Every single time! Why don’t you just learn to trust me and then maybe this would never be an issue. Tomorrow would be the 1 year anniversary of the biggest mind fuck of a relationship I have ever dealt…
Uterus from Hell
I wish you would leave me alone. Actually, I wish I could reach in and rip you out every single month. You cause me so me much trouble, the cramps the lost sleep the ruined underthings. Why do you treat me so bad ? So what, I say bad things about you to my girlfriends…
I
To the lady who helped me carry my son’s stroller up the stairs on our way to the parade, thanks again! My son really enjoyed his first parade. —Proud Canadian
Fellow Drivers
When you’re going to make a turn don’t put your signal light on at the last minute. I mean, I guess you have more decency compared to the people that don’t even do that. Even worse is when you’re at a red light and you’re the first car ahead of everyone without a signal light…
All White
Hey Red: I saw you at the pow wow. Dressed in all white, tan skin. The most gorgeous butch I have ever seen. You had on your right wrist an orange bandanna! I’m too shy, I want to talk to you. —Femme Wants Butch
Hey Gang!
Miss me? ‘Cause y’know I miss you and stuff… looking forward to ‘contributing’ to rants very soon! Muwah! Love the Halifax Bitchers Society! —Rosie
Cancelled again… AGAIN!
Well, at least this time I found out about the cancellation the day before, and not hours before the show, like last time. Or the day of, like the time before that. I drove my ass downtown, drove around looking for a parking space for about a half hour, parked illegally on private property, (good…
Anger Doesn’t Compensate for Stupidity
Dear bouncer, seeing me downtown, calling me “cutter bitch”, and telling me to “go slit my wrists” makes you look just as stupid and ignorant as you did when you were caught knocking me down and taking my camera two years ago. This is pathetic. You are perpetuating the stereotype that bouncers are angry meatheads.…
You Were Rude Too
To the post-middle aged lady at the cross walk on the main street, I’m sorry that I misjudged and blocked the side street, making it difficult for the driver turning left. My main goal was making sure I was stopped at the crosswalk and I admit that I should have made a better decision and…
Lovin’ Spikey Monkeys
My son has loved his Ty monkey Spikefur for several years in a very Andy-Woody Toy Story way. That makes me and others love Spikefur. It’s nice to see imagination, loyalty and affection transferred so unapologetically. On Friday night in Dartmouth near the waterfront playground, Spikefur (wearing camouflage – really) was deserted in the Canada…
Lovely Chalk Artist
To the lovely boy who does chalk by the library – I love what you do! There are not enough guys out there who make such wonderful artwork and you’re so much nicer than that cranky old drum guy! Keep up the good work! Your work always makes my day a little brighter! —Chalk Lover
Do You Remember the Old Picadilly?
Was it you at the old Picadilly Tavern a long time ago on the last Friday in April of 1976? You asked me to dance and I was very honoured that you did but I couldn’t dance. You knew that but you did not embarrass me but you danced in front of me to let…
Baby Pooping Pooper
I love the way you can stink up the whole room. You come from a body so tiny and precious but you don’t let that stop you from being the biggest poop ever in the whole of mankind. Every morning before I get to enjoy my freshly brewed coffee and read my newspaper I get…
Mr. Airporter
To the airporter driver who always goes out of his way to drive me all the way home when it’s dark out so I get home safe, you are so kind and the gesture is always really appreciated! Stay sweet.—Halifax Lover
To My Saviour
Thank you for giving me the chance to write this instead of a strongly worded Bitch. When the idiot on the bus stole my phone yesterday and you, without hesitation, ran off the bus and down the street to get it back I did not even know what to say. Besides of course, thank you.…
Timara
An ambassador for PC Financial, Timara’s style is a mix of old and new, modern and contemporary. She likes to shop vintage and one look at Timara and you just know she’s got something to her. Timara doesn’t like going against the fashion current, but does take the time to appreciate styles from all different…
Sarah
I’ve always been a sucker for a nice and beachy shade of blonde. No surprise I wanted to talk to Sarah. I love her shirts and her over-sized top. Sarah is a sales associate at Lily’s Lingerie on Spring Garden, describes her style as comfy/casual and loves to shop online at forever21.com. Sarah keeps up…
Lynn
I actually saw Lynn from across the street on my way to work this morning, so, you can imagine how happy I was to be on her side of the street on the way home! Thank you, universe. It was Lynn’s skirt and how well she wore it that caught my eye. This style of…
Shannon
Well, it has finally happened. The iPhone has proved itself as a worthy sub for the ol’ DSLR. Thank God. I think I might have died if I couldn’t have photographed Shannon! Sweet hair and sweet baby blues, Shannon is just passing through Halifax. Punk rock and gypsy life inspire this 22 year olds style.…
Bluenose Sidecar Tours show Nova Scotia by motorcycle
Maybe you want the sea-salted air in your hair, or maybe you have friends and family visiting and want to show them the area in an unusual way. Consider Bluenose Sidecar Tours (902-579-7433, bluenosesidecartours.com), where you can ride in/on a URAL, a Russian-made motorcycle sidecar, which has been around since World War II. The tours…
Irresponsible Dog Owners
To all of the dog owners who can’t control their animals when out in public or that do NOT pick up after their dogs, you are ignorant pigs and should have your pets taken away from you. My friend had her dog attacked by another dog because the owner couldn’t control it. Get training for…
Dakini Silks moves, has sale
Dakini Silks and Things is moving its location from Brunswick Street to 1542 Queen Street, just above Sweet Pea Boutique. “I found that the small space at Spree just wasn’t big enough and lucked in to this new spot which is bigger and sweeter!” explains owner Katherine Munro. “I will honour all the Coastmart coupons…
Vile Passéist Theatre’s Bartholomew Fair gets dirty
You all know that those olde tyme courtesan types were totally filthy dirty, right? It’s common knowledge. The lawlessness of those Elizabethans is enough to bring a blush to Ke$ha’s cheek. Vile Passéist Theatre highlights the depravity with Bartholomew Fair, a comedy by Ben Jonson about “one hot summer day when puritans, pimps, and puppets…
Annoying Tween
Dear stoned tween who felt the need to annoy me on the metro transit today, no, I do not have any cigarettes. No, I do not have have any money to give you. No, I am not interested in your stories of riding your bike around the Commons while smoking a joint. I was listening…
My Doorstep is not your Ashtray
My house is a “smoke-free” zone. I know that cramps the style of my smoker friends and family. I realize it’s a pain in the ass to go outside for your fix. I provide a receptacle to put your butts in when I invite you over, and once you leave I flush the filth down…
Might Have to Squat in a Field
First, it takes 2 months to get in to see my doc for a routine prenatal. I could live with that. This will be my 3rd c-section, and I watch my friend who is pregnant with her first get an early ultrasound due to a date error (I have the same thing, but I’m only…
Civility and Consideration
There is an individual who gets on the #20 bus every day who is either drunk or loud, or a combination of both. Why do certain people believe that everyone else on the bus wants to hear their personal business? It is apparent no one on the bus wants to hear it from the looks…
Hey Jill
When are you due? AHAHAHA. —Turks
Mary Green’s Black Out zine alters alt-weeklies
Sometimes when it comes to print media, you need to read between the lines. Mary Green’s Black Out zine project guides you in the right direction. Green is a zine-maker, blogger, board president of Fredericton’s Gallery Connexion and government employee based in Fredericton who began self-publishing mini-zines called Black Out. The zines feature altered content…
Video games on a budget
Buying and playing video games can be so expensive—and so cheap. With $150 special edition retail games on one end and 99-cent apps and free-to-play online games on the other, there’s a wide range of playing opportunities for all budgets. Subscription fees, downloadable content, classic games and micro-payments are also vying for your hard-earned money.…
No Touching at All
No Touching at All is a one-volume manga about an office romance between a young gay man and his straight boss. While not a completely believable gay love story (it’s part of the “yaoi” genre in Japan that’s aimed at women, rather than gay men), the characters still ring true, being both selfish and selfless…
Monte Carlo not worth the gamble
This female buddy flick with elements of chaste rom-com and coming-of-age conventions teeters to the edge of decent escapist entertainment but doesn’t quite make it over. Teen queen Selena Gomez stars as Grace, a recent high school grad from Texas who’s been saving the money from her waitressing job for a trip to Paris with…
Pluto’s Ghost
When we meet Jake Upshore, the 18-year-old hero of Sheree Fitch’s Pluto’s Ghost, he is bleeding, handcuffed and desperately in love, and can’t quite believe the mess he has gotten into this time. When his girlfriend Skye runs off to Halifax, rumoured to be pregnant, Jake rushes off to find her, determined to do the…
The 10 best movies for Canada Day
If your July 1 weekend includes big, dumb laughs or chilling scares, you could do much worse than enjoy a frosty beverage and take in a few of these 10 homegrown semi-classics. Click into the slideshow at right for the movies with clips. The first six in the slideshow are comedies—“Party time! Excellent!”—then come the…
Fran Leibowitz: Public Speaking
Fran Leibowitz is one of those New Yorkers who got there at the right time, met the right people and stayed in the right circles. Last year she sat down for an interview with Martin Scorsese— pure stuntcasting, anybody could’ve directed this thing, especially with Ellen Kuras shooting it—and the result is Public Speaking. Intercut…
Anxious about the kinky gear
Q In response to a wannabe fister who hadn’t told his girlfriend about his kink, you wrote, “At three years, all your kink cards should be lying face up on the table.” Really? Then my husband and I screwed up. We’ve been married for 19 years, and he told me only five years ago that…
Osmos (Hemisphere)
With a deep sense of ambience and mystery, Osmos delivers a really cool, zen-like experience for gamers. You are a single-celled organism (“motes”) floating in open space. You need to consume your fellow motes—if you don’t, they will. The gameplay doesn’t get much easier; you tap the screen, which causes your mote to hurl in…
Kara Bargmann’s off on a Tangent
After Kara Bargmann’s father told her a story about a friend of his who had a geode that he refused to crack open, she got to thinking about nature’s mysteries. The element of wonder that made the geode so valuable to her dad’s friend piqued her interest in crystal specimens, which eventually led to her…
DJ Quik
With the smooth sounds of ’90s R&B and rap coming back in style, it’s the perfect time for west coast veteran DJ Quik to make his return. His first album in six years, The Book Of David sounds as if it’s been laying dormant in a time capsule since his heyday in the mid-’90s. Full…
Canada daze
We’ve searched coast to coast to find some of the true north’s strongest (albeit, not classiest) boozes. For a full day of toasting the country with Canadian drinks, wake up with a Caesar (using Dan Aykroyd’s Crystal Head vodka from Newfoundland) and have a hit of Glen Breton whiskey from Cape Breton as your nightcap.…
Chad VanGaalen
One of the great things about opening a Chad VanGaalen record is that you never know what to expect. You might hope for tracks like “Wandering Spirits” or “No Panic/No Heart”—two melancholic acoustic songs that strive to render the lonely comfortable—but his real knack is making “anything goes” feel truly remarkable. So it is with…
David Picco’s candid and personal show comes to Halifax
Though grief is about as universal a human experience as they come, everyone grieves a bit differently. Confronted by crippling loss, we usually resort to what comes naturally to each of us: talking, crying, retreating, reflecting, reminiscing. At home in his native Newfoundland last fall as his mother was passing away, Toronto-based singer-songwriter David Picco…
Gruff Rhys
If there were a chart for being popular in the UK and non-entities in North America, the Welsh band Super Furry Animals might be number one. Frontman Gruff Rhys steps out, leaving SFA’s rock conventions behind and bringing his vintage keyboards like the Moog and Korg, ideal for injecting serendipity into sweet pop. The compositions…
SoHo Ghetto’s transformation
f Halifax roots rockers SoHo Ghetto were an NBA franchise, they would be the Oklahoma City Thunder. Although they’re an upcoming band that plays lyrically driven folk—as opposed to battling the Mavericks—they’re run like a sports team, constantly changing and playing off each others’ strengths and becoming one of the city’s most exciting bands. Which…
Friendly Fires
After releasing its self-titled debut in 2008, Friendly Fires burst onto the UK music scene and became one of the hottest groups in England with its blend of house, electronica and funk infused rock music. But across the pond, the group is relatively unknown. This will change with the highly infectious sophomore, Pala. The album’s…
Sanktuary puts down roots
Last summer Sanktuary picked up and moved from Whitehorse to Nova Scotia—it’s ballsy, but the band’s singer and guitarist Alan Binger said it was time. “There’s only so much you can do up there as far as a band is concerned. We played for everyone, had done all the venues and festivals, and we just…
Old and Weird is new and awesome
Old and Weird could have been The Pen15 Club, The Wormers or Dessert Cereal. But instead, after toiling over the task of picking a name they arrived on one rather organically, and it just stuck. “One of us was telling a story about a person at a show who was old and weird and it…
Transformers 3 fails to excite
Mega-budget schlock director Michael Bay re-imagines the space race and historic moon landing not as products of a Cold War pissing contest, but rather a military mission to investigate the crash landing of an alien ship. That’s the lone decent idea in this otherwise formulaic and tedious sequel, which once again finds the good-guy extraterrestrial…
Free Will Astrology
Happy Birthday! CANCER (June 21 – July 22) Awhile back I asked my readers to propose a new name for your astrological sign. “Cancer” has a bit of a negative connotation, after all. Many people suggested “Dolphin” as a replacement, which I like. But the two ideas that most captivated my imagination were “Gateway” and…
Ali
Danna Storey writes and curates the Youlookfiiine street style blog (youlookfiiine.wordpress.com)
Laura
OKAY. No one freak out. This street style gem I found last week (on the one sunny day) has decided not to buy any clothes. FOR A YEAR. I am so totally into this resolution; I dig it, I think it’s commendable and even more so—what a commitment! When I meet people that do things…
Larry Crowne sweet, schmaltzy
Larry Crowne is very cute and very slight. Director Tom Hanks is also the titular Crowne, one of his typically effervescent-but-naive characters, a wageslave at the local big box suddenly downsized. His neighbour clues him into the possibility of adult education, so off he goes to community college, where the decades-younger students welcome him as…
Rename the school
Renaming Cornwallis Junior High is the right thing to do. Children, of all ethnicities, are attending or interacting with (via sports teams, for example) a school named in honour of a person who promoted racially based genocide. This is simply wrong. It’s wrong to subject Mi’kmaq children to this— honouring the murderer of their forebears is…
Introducing Wit’s End Theatre
Like most good (and bad) ideas in Halifax, we came up with ours after a long night at Tom’s Little Havana. We were partway through theatre degrees at King’s and Dalhousie and decided we could start a theatre company. The conversation went something like this: Liz: “We could do this. I’m serious.” Griffin: “I’m serious.”…
Tanya Davis: Artistic tractor
From my kitchen table, windows closed because construction (aka summer) has finally come to my neighborhood, I write these words, my first blog as Mayor’s Poet Laureate. I feel much more like Tanya Davis, however, than Mayor’s Poet Laureate. Or perhaps Tanya Davis acting as poet laureate, a hat on that could be a beret…
City embarrasses itself with Metallica fiasco
In a bizarre and inexplicable move, this past week the city of Halifax attempted to force the promotion company for the July 14 Metallica concert on Citadel Hill to pay the $359,550 bill for the Common concerts fiasco. With the advice and encouragement of Scott Ferguson, president of provincial crown corporation Trade Centre Limited, Halifax…
