Abandon all cash
To the editor, There should be a sign above the door leading into courtroom #2 in the courthouse on Spring Garden that reads “Abandon hope, all ye who enter here.” In this courtroom, cases on minor vehicle and lowly parking-ticket violations are heard. Have you contested a parking ticket recently? Here’s how it works. You…
Classical gets a pass
To the editor, You operate on the assumption that most of your readers are not interested in classical music and you’re probably right. Hence I don’t complain that you don’t review classical CDs regularly. And Sean Flinn did a great job on his story “Peter Allen’s brainstorm” (Sep. 25, 2008) about my friend Peter Allen’s…
Provincial insurance farce
To the editor, I enjoyed Bruce Wark’s “Auto correction” (Upfront column, Mar. 12), on auto insurance in this province. As consumers who purchase car insurance in this province know, especially in Halifax, there are no “real” resources to help you when there are major issues. The government did nothing for insurance buyers except let rates go up. There are…
Little Mysteries sale and anniversary
Little Mysteries Books (1663 Barrington Street) is turning 14. The spirituality, holistic health and personal growth store started a few doors down in 1995 and moved to its present location two years later. “We’ve seen a lot of changes,” says owner Venessa Smith of Barrington Street. “We’re doing fine, but we want to see the…
More on Fizz and new Agricola cafe.
Shoptalk reported that the Fizz champagne bar had been purchased by their neighbour, the owners of Bitter End. As they renovate, word now is that Bitter End will not be expanding into the Fizz space, but that in May a whole new establishment will be opening. We’ll give you the lowdown when we know more…
Veni Vidi O yeah!
This Saturday, 8pm at the Khyber ICA, you’re in for a real treat as the fourth Veni Vidi O, a free night of video-based art and performance, comes to Halifax. A creative project of artists Stewart Innes and Alison Kobayashi, the first three nights were hosted at Toronto’s Lennox Contemporary. Innes tells me that there…
These Eyes
I love it when I walk down the street and people will look in my eyes. If we connect and smile too that can make my day. Love is for everyone so share it. No need to get into a relationship or even know the person or ever see them again that split second can…
Big Glasses from the 80’s
I am talking about the glasses for daily use that are big and ugly and should not have come back into indie style. I just hate them and the way they make people look. They make me think that the person wearing them must never look in the mirror and that they are probably nice…
speed limits
So I know there are a lot of bitches about these stupid self proclaimed speed bumb people. Well this is to the jackass in the light gold malibu driving to bayers lake via the arm today. You were fucking driving 60 in an 80 zone and wondering why traffic was on your ass. Fuck you…
First report on Halifax Homeless released
The Community Action on Homelessness released its first report this week. (Read the full report here) The group found that last year 1,252 people stayed in a shelter at least once; that figure breaks down as 753 men, 340 women, 82 youth aged 16 to 19 and 77 children. The average length of stay in…
Atlantic Fashion Week hits Spring Garden
This weekend marks the second Atlantic Fashion Week. Scaled down from last fall’s inaugural event, there are two nights celebrating local fashion designers like Katrina Tuttle and Turbine, who will be showing their fall 2009 collections at the Olympic Centre on Cunard (Friday and Saturday, 8pm, $20). Then on Saturday afternoon, from 11:30am-12:30pm, look for…
Feline Renal Failure
What a horrible disease this thing is. Incurable, treatable to a degree but still unstoppable. I lost one of my favorite kitties yesterday to this relentless ailment. She was almost 19 years old, and I get the fact that 19 is a pretty good run for a Kittie,it still sucks that I and we had…
voice mail mumblers and speedy gonzaleses
i’ve been getting some vm from some people who cannot articulate well or speak so fast or too close to the receiver, that all i hear is a vocal blur. even the new lady at my bank does the same thing, and if i had not known the phone or business i would not have…
The not so Bright Haligonians
This goes out to all the dumb asses who think the following 1. When Halifax Women place a profile on a sex site, don’t expect to get other than emails from people just looking for that. 2. When placing a profile on a site, for some reason you get replies from people outside of this…
Its all about croissants!
to the bakery & pastry shop I like. you open at 9 am which does not suit my schedule. I work from home all the night long and around 8 am I get sleepy. so either open a bit earlier or bake more croissants so that I can get them when I wake up in…
Soy-Milk Blues
Dear little Seattle Coffee shop I used to love so much: I was terribly disappointed when I found out you have now started charging an extra fifty cents for soy milk. Not every one in this world can have dairy you know! Guess I’ll be going to that other coffee shop instead. They don’t charge…
Grow Op
Hey folks with the grow op near the Commons. It is starting to stink.Alot Cops have noses too. Might be moving time. —skunky
stop shoving safety down my throat. enough. seriously.
sorry but i dont think canada needs to institute a new&inproved safety standard for ski helmets because Natasha Richardson died. Also, CTV: your segment on the matter sucked. simply sucked. — rip N.R.
You don’t have all of us fooled
You hang out on the busses. You chat away to everyone who sits still long enough to listen. You give young ladies cab fare when they can’t get home and chat them up like a sweet old(ish) man. What a lot of people don’t know is that you are ignorant and racist. You start stuff…
Maple + Beer = Pure Deliciousness
Oh Garrison, just when I think I couldn’t love a beer company more, you create the new Sugar Moon Maple. It is very complex, subtle and refreshing. Way to go, thanks for making this spring far tastier than I could have hoped for. Mmm… —Sugar Moon Madness
Lazy Bus Drivers
To all the lazy ass bus drivers who can’t be bothered to check if they are giving out the right transfers. It’s bad enough that half the time you don’t even stop to pick me up; but to give me a transfer, that is supposed to be good for an hour and a half, that…
For Fuck’s Sake
I have been waiting for an important call from my doctor for the last couple of days. When I hear my phone ring while I am anticipating receiving said call the last thing I want to hear is a fucking telemarketer on the other end! Fuck off! Thanks so much for interrupting me while I…
Love the way you drive
I’ve been commuting by bike pretty much year round for about six years and I want to send some love out to the drivers here in Halifax. Thanks for being courteous and giving me the space that I need. Sometimes I get to work and the weather turns bad. I was riding yesterday during a…
I Hate Car Alarms
This goes out to the fucker who’s car alarm went off shortly after 7:00 this morning at the top of Spring Garden. The noise that hell-spawned thing was projecting must’ve woken or seriously pissed off a good thousand people. Seriously – there are at least a dozen houses and three apartment buildings in the area.…
Landlord or Cult Leader
To the Pastor that posted this ad for a one bedroom apt. in Halifax. What the f***! Do you really think you are going to get your very own submissive tenant. If your looking for a pet, maybe you should try a pet store not the rentals section of Kijiji. http://tinyurl.com/caruj4 —Tenant not a Pet
Landlord or Cult Leader
To the Pastor that posted this ad for a one bedroom apt. in Halifax. What the f***! Do you really think you are going to get your very own submissive tenant. If your looking for a pet, maybe you should try a pet store not the rentals section of Kijiji. http://tinyurl.com/caruj4 —Tenant not a Pet
Lawyers
This bitch is about lawyers, most of whom are the asked to fight for such a cause, their representation is dependent on how much money you can afford to pay them. So, what kind of social justice do you get for your money when you aint got none? Well, you can shop around for a…
who are you to decide?
To the people who read bitches before they are posted, who are you to say that a breakup story is “boring?” Just post the bitches as the writer wrote it and let the reader decide whether or not it is boring. I understand that you get alot of submissions about breakups, but that doesn’t give…
Running with River Water
“At the very beginning of the month,” says Josh Dean of this February, “I was waiting to pick up my fiancée. She got off in a couple hours, and in the meantime I wrote three songs and threw them on the internet. I didn’t post them under my name, and no one knew who it…
Outside the Lines Moving Down the Street
After four-and-a-half years, the Outside The Lines: Books For Critical Minds (6297 Quinpool, 422-3544) bookstore is picking up its political texts, guides, children’s books, quality fiction and free-thinking tomes, and moving a few doors east, to the former location of Kung Fu T-Shirts. “My lease was almost up, the building was sold, there was a…
Know-it-all Hippies
Yes, I’m talking to you, the person who reads conspiracy websites like gospel. Look, the government isn’t out to fuck us on a daily basis, despite what you may feel. I often wonder what colour the sky is in your world. Is it blue? Or is it green? Green would make sense, especially since you…
to the bitch working with my partner
fuck off bitch! failing marriages means you do shit in relationships so fuck off and stop giving my partner advices. we could do much better without thjem. P.S.: oral sex is not degrading to women. i27
why?
Why do guys always do the thing where they get all distant and weird when they wanna break up so that the girl breaks up with them first? Is it so hard to tell her how you feel? What would you do if she didn’t take the hint? Stay with her forever? —duuuuuurrrr
Holding the Door
I am sure this is not a new bitch but, what is wrong with holding the door for people instead of letting it slam in someone’s face or squeezing your body through the door just before it closes. And, while I’m at it… if I hold the door for you say “Thank you”!!! —Door Holder
Elaine McCluskey gets punchy
Last Thursday, Elaine McCluskey launched her new novel Going Fast, at the Ultimate Dojo in Dartmouth. This may seem like a bizarre location for a literary event, but McCluskey’s book is set ringside to Halifax’s lively boxing scene. Although McCluskey’s boxing club is a composite of many gyms she’s visited, there is one commonality: Her…
Disturbed drops into the Forum
photo Michael Montes Remember Disturbed? Relive your past on May 30 when the Chicago quartet rocks the Forum (nice to see shows there again!). Tix on sale Friday here and here.
John Fogerty ahoy
Those of you waiting on the big concert announcement this week can re-commence worrying about this alleged storm: John Forgerty will be in town May 18. Make it an early father’s day present, unless you did that last year when Forgerty played with the Eagles in Moncton. Tix go live Saturday at the usual places.
Who wears short shorts?
To the young adult in yoga the other week. This has been bothering me for a while. I was behind you in class. I know it is hot and everyone wears shorts, but could you not find shorts that didn’t expose your crack every time we went into downward dog or any other pose that…
Line-Jumping Scum
Hey, fucko. Yeah you. The one with your stupid face painted up all nice and green for St Patrick’s Day waiting outside The Split Crow. Guess what? We’re all fucking cold, alright? We all want to get another drink. But there’s a fucking line, and you’re behind me in it. You think you can sneak…
Sick and tired of popcorn
Is consideration really that difficult? I’ve spent so much time cleaning up garbage and careless messes because people are so frigging lazy that they can’t even carry their garbage to a garbage can that THEY HAVE TO PASS TO LEAVE THE THEATRE! It’s not that challenging. Why do you insist on making a bunch of…
TA OK
I just wanted to thank the students who actually talk in the tutorial I run – It’s nice to know that i’m not just talking to myself. —Jer
Bouncer Love!
To the bouncers at Peddlars Pub on Saturday night who went above and beyond the call of duty! I ended up being incredibly sick, but instead of piling insult upon injury or just kicking me out into the street as they would have been justified in doing, they let me use the staff bathroom and…
What the hell…
To the douchebags who live in the apartment below me…Turn down your fucking loud music. Some people have to work, and waking up out of a deep sleep at 430am is not cool. Get it through your thick skulls. Peace. —SleepingNeighbor
Fat Asses and lazy people get off the elevators!
It really pisses me off everytime I see a fatass or a lazy person using an elevator at the mall. I’m in a wheelchair and I need to use the elevators but half the time its full of fat bitches or just people who are too lazy to use the fucking escalator. Its a staircase…
Sick of Celebrity Babies
My bitch is simply this: Why the fuck do I care what Suri Cruise, Shilo Pitt, or any other celebrity baby is doing today? Why does the media force these children down our throats? I have children of my own that I love and care for, but I really don’t give a shit what dress…
Psst
Where the fack is the ‘Psst’ section?!?! I can’t seem to find it in the paper the past few weeks.. and definitly can’t find it on here… I LOVE that section! where the hell did you put it !!! Bring it back! Please 🙂 —Psst lover
Show Some Courtesy
Hello. That’s right Asshole. I said hello. I didn’t greet you, make conversation, or pick up after you because it’s my job. I did it all becuase I am a nice person. Jerk. I am a cashier and you Prick come in, in your big fancy suit on your telephone, throw your purchases down and…
What the fuck happened in elementary school?
I can’t stand poor grammar. Can’t fucking stand it. It’s alright to hit a key wrong or forget a capital letter every now and then, but c’mon, some of the latest bitches have been physically painful to read. Is it that these people don’t have the extra 15 seconds to review what’s been previously typed…
New Coast Website Sucks
Its been bothering me for a while… So here it goes. I often logged onto the Coast’s website to quickly check which bands are playing in town tonight, but since they changed their website, I have to click on a few dozen buttins, then specify ‘today’, and scroll through garbage that plays every week to…
say no to guns
dear parents, it is a horrible idea to go to any clothing or accessory store and let some 16 year old junior assistant but a piercing gun anywhere near your kids face let alone put holes in them with it, they do not have a special sterilized section used for only piercings,also you should never…
bar brawl
What the fuck was up with that bar brawl last night? it was fucked! I seen a girl get knocked out by a guy!!! I had to call 911 because of it! this chick coulda fuckin died after she got KO’d you guys kept fightin almst trampleing on her!!! YOU SELFISH FUCKIN PRICKS!!!and you and…
BASKETBALL
I THANK BASKETBALL THE GAME … BECAUSE IT BROUGHT ME AND MY MAN TOGATHER… —miSterious
DAMN HATERS:'(
TODAY WHEN I WALKED THE DOGS THIS ASSHOLE THOUGHT HE OWNS THE SIDE WALK WITH HIS DOG, I COULD NOT HOLD THE DOGS BACK COMMING OUT MY LANE AND LET GO OFF THE LEASH. IT BEGAN A ” FIGHT” I COULD NOT BELIIVE IT THIS ASSWHIPE STARTED KICKING THE DOG S I WAS TAKING CARE…
Bad Bus Manners
I’m tired of Bus drivers thinking they can psych. us drivers out. I was just barely accross the bus crossing and the bus driver turned abruptly to try and fake hit us. Not only was i scared he was gonna hit me, but i was concerned for the saftey of the people on the bus……
Thanks for such a wonderful job!
I’d like to send out a huge amount of love to the 2 wonderful women who interviewed me and ultimately hired me to work here because they thought I was good enough to be given a chance. I’d also like to thank God for lowly me even being considered. I’ve been at this job for…
Market People
I’m tired of politely asking you people who walk too slow, or who just stop for no reason, to please move so I can get by. It’s extremely annoying and frustrating. —Wants To Walk
Who Am I Now?
My son grew up and left home. Nobody warned me he’d take my entire identity and all of my happiness with him… and he’s so far away. What am I if not Mom? Nobody warned me about this. I hate my life now. Why don’t we hear about this from other women before we think…
Based on a Dream…
Some days I walk around grinning like an idiot…others I mull through like a zombie. What have you done to me? I’ve fallen hard…so hard I can’t find myself anymore. I wish we could drop the “ground rules” and start something else. I wish you could love me, my friend. —ALG
Point Pleasant Park dog insulter…
I met you at the park today, and all you had to say was. My isn’t he fat. Wow, he’s really fat. Man…. have you had him to the vet? I felt like I could punch you. yet I kept a happy facade. I know. We’re trying… Come on… give a dog a break. He…
take some responsiblity please….its time.
the cbc reports the coast is running evil cigarette ads in its paper. as far as im concerned go ahead coast. advertise away. i dont go and scarf on big macs or whoppers everytime i see a fast food commercial. i dont buy a truck everytime i see a vehicle ad. imo ads have limited…
Lonely traveller
I realize I am a female in her 20’s. I realize this makes me a target. That does not mean, however, that when I express my desire to travel the world on my own, you need to remind me about how I’ll get raped, robbed, and murdered. The world is a dark and scary place,…
Cranky Co-Workers
Stop this negativity…at least while your at work! Here in my 4×4 cubicle, all I can hear next to me is the cranky voice of my co-worker complaining to anyone about everything. Could be another co-worker walking by her desk or an innocent victim who dares to dial her phone number. The office is too…
I just hate my way of thinking!
In the last few weeks, I can focus on nothing but this silly question; “what defines me as a human being?”. has anyone a shortcut to the answer? I feel like everything I do/did is meaningless unless it was/is in the light of what makes it meaningful! and going to school or writing a thesis…
The Sidewalks Are For Everyone…
Regularly whenever I go to or from work I find myself and others being annoyed and inconvenienced by groups of people who choose to stand in the middle of the sidewalk conversing. Why are you so oblivious and unaware of the fact that you are being very selfish and rude to your fellow citizens who…
Leave the bus drivers alone!
Okay, I want to start off by saying that while I’m not a Transit driver, I am a frequent user of Transit and know many who do work for Transit and other HRM departments. I’m completely sick and tired of the way that the city, and Metro Transit in particular, are being portrayed in the…
Noisy dogs
WTF is it with you people that have dogs? You can’t take the time to teach them to shut the fuck up?? I have about 7-8 dogs living on my street, I rarely hear them, and when you do it is once and that’s it. I have great neighbours. But why oh why, when you…
It’s coffee bliss…
To the ladies who work at Robin’s on North Street, You ladies rule. Your service is fast, you never screw up my order, and you seem happy to be there. I couldn’t ask for anything more. For someone who hates mornings, knowing that I’ll have my coffee made perfectly makes it a little bit easier.…
Shut up in the quiet area
So out of all the places in the library you three girls could have gone to have your group study session/gossip festival, you chose to come to the table closest to me the SILENT STUDY area. Your three are dumb and pathetic did you not see the signs posted EVERYWHERE. — Inconsiderate people are idiots!
Norman Flynn Lights Up
Known for three things, its broad selection of paint, its gorgeous collection of interior lighting fixtures and its full scale renovation and interior design services, Norman Flynn Design (2698 Agricola, 420-0736) is stepping away from the paint to focus on the other two. “We are a European lighting boutique, and the lighting part of the…
Changes at Almon and Windsor
“In ’89, there wasn’t much going on here,” says Jeans and Gents Clothing Company (2816 Windsor, at Almon) owner David Kaulback about the corner where you can find his 20-year-old shop, just down from the Halifax Forum. “The original building owner said he’d give me a good deal on the rent and I could stay…
Topiary to Close
The good people of the north end have had five years to purchase the finest home, garden and cottage stuff at a Hydrostone Market store called Topiary (5513 Young, 446-4483), but, sadly, it’s closing April 5. “If we’re around a few days after that, it’s OK,” says proprietor Greg Morris, who runs the place with…
Halifax tales: Enter our postcard fiction contest
In the spirit of Paris, je t’aime and New York Stories, The Coast is looking for fictional postcard stories inspired by Halifax, its landmarks, people, mood, weather or style. Anything goes, as long as there is a connection to our fair city (of course, this contest includes Dartmouth, Bedford, Sackville, etc.) The winning entries, as…
Where’s The Coast
Fuck. Every Thursday between 2 and 4 I stroll out of my work to The Coast box to get my latest The Coast. Its not there anymore. Fuck. Fuck Fuck. —Cranky
Tabby Genocide
To the fucking twats that have hit two cats on Summit Street in the past 5 days- a big, fat FUCK YOU! Do you not have the fucking courtesy to at least knock on SOMEBODY’S door, or even to just fucking stop?! It’s a small neighbourhood- someone will know who’s cat you just massacred. And…
And did we mention…more wins?
That new president of theirs really is bridging the gap between our nations—despite the notable qualifier of being Canadian, three local dudes have picked up prizes in the 10th annual Great American Song Contest. David Myles snaked first place in the acoustic category for live clapganza/singalong “When it Comes My Turn.” Joel Plaskett was tops…
Nerd Army powers up
“I’m a pretty big video game junkie,” says James O’Toole, bassist for Nintendo soundtrack resurrectors Nerd Army. “I encouraged the guys to get into it and they liked how it was kind of challenging and bizarre. We started playing a few gigs and it snowballed from there.” That snowball picked up a self-titled 2008 record,…
Get Outta The Way, Lady
You’re attractive and relatively fit. We get it. Now get the fuck off the machine and take your cellphone with you. Now I know it may be hard for your brain to comprehend, but many of us pay for a gym membership to actually work out. Your loud chats with random girlfriends about getting drunk…
Mother Nature Wannabe
To the incredibly stupid bitch on the Bedford highway this a.m. who saw the enormous puddle on the side of the road, RIGHT beside the cross walk, where you just saw me push the bottom to try cross-THANKS FOR NOT SLOWING DOWN, AT ALL, BUT RATHER CHARGING THROUGH THE PUDDLE CAUSING IT TO RAIN ALL…
Bridge bottleneck
I thought Haligonians were a little smarter. I am so sick of trying to cross the MacDonald bridge at rush hour. Here’s an idea: if there are 3 lanes of cars trying to merge into one lane bound for Halifax, TAKE FUCKING TURNS, you morons! If you all try and jam your cars into one…
Diligent hottie
To the HOT bus driver of the Montebello Wednesday night, thank you for being the first driver to tell an asshat to turn his wreched music down. Thank you so much, that completely made my night! —AJ
Thanks for stealing from my 8 year old daughter
Yes you folks hate me, and I hate you. But I have to say this. My bitch is with the 40 year old woman, who took my daughter’s DSlite when she put it on the washroom counter to wash her hands. It took my daughter a few minutes to articulate what happened, so even though…
I want my 30 bucks back
So you turned out to be selfish, especially when it finally dawned on you that no in fact, we were never actually going to sleep together. You were inappropriate on so many levels and truly unsupportive. I want to tell you this to your face, but you already know it, and I don’t have the…
seriously fuck off
OK so here I am trying to enjoy a drink with my friend on ST Pattys day at maxwells and u sit next to me with your boring ass friends and start whispering in there ears and then your friends start staring at me and point at me….which is sketchy as fuck…ok so i’m now…
To the smoking (hot) scooter girl
To the girl on the Vespa, who smokes as she rides around town, I saw you this past weekend scooting about. It made me happy to see you out and about again, and made me think that spring must be coming. I just wanted to say that I am glad winter is almost over so…
Streetcar desires
“We can’t do the same things and use the same excuses that cars and roads work well,” says Patrick Klassen, a graduate student at Dalhousie’s School of Planning. He’s one of several students making an old idea new again: a Halifax Tram system. “We haven’t considered streetcars here per se,” HRM transit planning specialist Brian…
Safe words
Q:I met this girl on an “adult” website and we’re supposed to meet. We exchanged a few emails on the service and then got each other’s screen names. Then we chatted over IM twice, just basic small talk, before exchanging numbers. On the phone she told me about her rape fantasy: She has always fantasized…
2b, now and forever
It’s a sunny Sunday morning outside Neptune Theatre’s carpentry shop, an inconspicuous spot tucked away on Creighton Street in north end Halifax. With the smell of sawdust mingling with the freshness of spring’s potential, a group of volunteers work together lugging carefully crafted rectangular flats of wood—there are 52 of them in all, each 14…
U2
Once inspiring to world-conquering bands like Radiohead and Coldplay, U2 now has to work to keep up to its prodigy. The veteran rockers make it look easy with the risk-taking on this album, resisting the urge to rewrite either “Beautiful Day” or “New Year’s Day.” While nothing here will shock the faithful as much as…
The Creeps
p>Shortly after finishing their album last year, Creeps frontman Skottie Lobotomy was dwelling on the idea of a “dystopian future world” and wrote several songs which the band decided to record immediately and release on an EP. The result is less of The Creeps’ typical stab-happy lyrics, but more of a punk record that seems…
Andrew Hunter and the Gatherers
Andrew Hunter and the Gatherers’ latest EP gives these fellas the right to feel they’re on “On a Cloud,” as the fifth track enforces. The eight tracks on the album, recorded in Halifax at Codapop Recording Studios, definitely hint at Matt Mays’ strong guitar riffs, reflective lyrics of Neil Young and the heavy vocals of…
Fiction Family
The first release from Jon Foreman of Switchfoot and Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek proves that two singing heads are better than one. The album takes the folk instruments of Nickel Creek, including a ukulele on the lovable, almost vaudevillian “Look for me Baby,” and adds Switchfoot’s up-tempo beats and gusto. “Throw it Away” is…
Merritt Awards Results
I was worried the party atmosphere would be ruined without the cabaret-style seating of Alderney Landing, but the 10th annual Merritt Awards were equally as gala when set in the stuffier confines of the Neptune Theatre. This was due in part to some Coyote Ugly-worthy bartending by Neptune staff. (OK, there were no tricks, but…
Seaport looks for new markets
For anyone wondering how the Halifax Farmers’ Market will fill up its new 42,000 square-foot space seven days and seven nights a week, the seeds of the Seaport Market are germinating in a new project sponsored by the market, called community connectors. “Everything we do is local, personal and direct,” says general manager Fred Kilcup,…
Joel Plaskett
Sure as the heart is a muscle made up of chambers, valves and arteries, beating in all our chests, there will be artists singing from, of and to the hearts-symbolic in all of us. Before you groan, give a listen to Joel Plaskett’s Three. Each of the three discs clocks in around 30 minutes. Over…
Changeling
Some clarification: nothing supernatural or science-fictiony happens to the kid in Clint Eastwood’s Changeling. The film’s title, and the fact that it’s written by Babylon 5 and comic scribe J. Michael Straczynski, seems to have collectively misled my boyfriend and IMDB posters alike. Instead, the film tells the true story of single mother Christine Collins…
The garden
My boyfriend pointed out to me yesterday that my ever-evolving garden of plastic toys, trees and flowers was mentioned in a “love the way we love” about the North End a couple of issues ago. When I got home form his house there was a gorgeous note on my porch, signed by “Sarah and Rachelle”,…
The Best Worst Movie
In 1989, a group of Italian filmmakers set up in a small Utah town to film their version of a typical American horror film. They hired a group of mostly Mormon locals with virtually no prior acting experience. None of the actors spoke Italian, the director and crew almost no English. The director, Claudio Fragasso,…
Hurray for Metro Transit drivers
Lately Metro transit drivers have been taking a lot of flak. I would like to say thank you to all the much maligned drivers who do the very best job they can under very stressful circumstances. Dealing with the public everyday certainly must be very demanding, God bless you all. JK
The Last House
When Wes Craven made The Last House on the Left in 1972, he was a recently retired humanities professor who had barely seen any movies, much less directed one. Though the amateur quality and decadence of The Last House on the Left (renamed after original title Sex Crime of the Century failed to sell tickets)…
Miss March
An odd thing happens about 15 minutes into Miss March. The comedy, which until that point is desperate and met with uncomfortable audience silence, is suddenly funny. But it isn’t meant to last. Director/writer/star duo Zach Cregger and Trevor Moore (of MTV’s The Whitest Kids U Know) hit when the comedy is physical. But they…
Joy Ryder
Serena Ryder toys with rhetoric on Is It O.K., her latest release. She brings her pathos, ethos, logos and big voice to Halifax for a two-night stand at Casino Nova Scotia, March 20 and 21. “It’s an internal question. I’m kinda leaving it open to interpretation,” says Ryder, calling on her cellphone from the Rockies…
Kelly Joe Phelps
Kelly Joe Phelps has been travelling with the blues for over a decade and a half. Before that he was a jazz musician, bass player, music teacher and improviser. First and foremost, he is a songwriter and guitar player of both the straight and slide variety. Based in Vancouver, Washington—“Nowadays it’s a sprawling mess only…
Victims of the Herald
If not for the lousy weather, Jennifer Stewart would have been in a downtown courtroom this afternoon, covering the opening arguments in a high-profile murder trial. But thanks to the slushy, slippery conditions outside, the judge sent the jury home at noon. So Stewart had returned to the Chronicle Herald newsroom to write a nothing-much-happened…
Bad bus drivers
A series of bizarrely aggressive incidents involving bus drivers has led Metro Transit to step up its customer relations and diversity training. The wave of bad behaviour began Friday, February 27, when a courier illegally parked his van in a bus stop on Barrington, angering a Metro Transit driver. According to a Herald article citing…
Sit down
Men need to sit the fuck down when they pee. Stop spraying your piss all over every bathroom floor you go in, there’s no need for it and it makes bathrooms smell like the zoo. Maybe women should start standing up too, pissing somewhat in the toilet but also all over the floor and seat?…
Canada’s Next ….??
Thanks (TV Channel or Cable Provider) for ruining the show I have very much been looking forward to watching. First, the screen was black for 5 minutes or more. Then, the sound cut-out when the contestents were speaking, and finally, the screen was once again black RIGHT AT THE END! SERIOUSLY!! —Trying To Watch TV
Newsflash
Boys & men: If you say ‘banging’, ‘screwing’, ‘nailing’ or ‘tooling’ to describe how you make love to a woman, chances are you’re a shitty lover. (Maybe you should take up carpentry?) —bring love
Foul Play
To the soccer referee who proclaimed “Hey, that’s three times, I’m gonna start bringing out the cards now!” And to the referee who watched me get tripped on a breakaway, tear up my forearms and almost break my ribcage on the concrete floor of the Exhibition Park pitch – and then did NOTHING while the…
Crazy
FUCK!!! So my neighbor has been dumping trash on my lawn for the past eight years now. I haven’t said a word about it, filed not one complaint. She claims that it’s my trash that’s floating over to her lawn, even though I clearly don’t eat at either McDonalds or Subway, and I keep my…
Nobody here seems to give a damn about OUR money
Dear Editor Around the world people are furious over the platinum plated pension deals executives get. In Scotland it’s, “Anger as Sir Fred pockets tax-free nest egg of £3m”,( http://www.scotsman.com/latestnews/-Anger-as-Sir-Fred.5081669.jp) in the USA it’s AIG executives and, as one person put it, why are they getting my money like this, they ran the company at…
Going to the store
Why is it that every fucking retarded single parent who has like three fucking screaming kids thinks that it is a great idea to take them all at once to either the mall or the grocery store on saturday morning? It’s not. I don’t blame the kids, it’s just when I am standing line to…
Pontypool
Leave it to Toronto auteur Bruce McDonald–adapting the Tony Burgess novel Pontypool Changes Everything–to splice the zombie movie and a light comedy on communication into an entirely new monster. Using a single-location setting and a handful of performers–the community radio station, with a crusty on-air host and producers, akin to Oliver Stone’s Talk Radio–and adding…
Fizzy, fuzzy, big and… closed
Shoptalk has learned that the owners of Bitter End (1572 Argyle) have purchased their next door neighbour, the champagne bar Fizz (1566 Argyle), known as Bondi until recently. They’re in the midst of gutting the place. No word yet on what they plan to do with it once the renovations are done, but we’ll let…
