Obesity – even though I know we’re all sick of it…
Ok, I know this may be an unpopular thread given the back and forth regarding obesity on other threads, but I’m so mad I have to vent. My grandmother is 84 years old, has terrible osteoporosis, and is in dire need of a hip replacement. But the waiting list is OVER 18 MONTHS LONG. Her…
Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, If the federal government marked United Nations Day by flying a US flag instead of a UN one, we’d question it. If Ottawa celebrated the Olympics by unfurling the flag of Greece and not the Olympic flag, it would be puzzling. Yet, to recognize Commonwealth Day this Monday, the government didn’t ask federal…
The Last Taboo
I would like to officially ask the women of this world to stop vilifying me for being attracted woman who are thin/athletic. I know women ( and Men ) come in all shapes and sizes. I know for every body shape a woman has there are tons of guys out there who are into it.…
Rental Bitches
Love the way you gave our apartment to someone else the day after approving our application! Esp. loved that I had to call your fat asses to find this out! You didn’t even have the balls to inform us about it. Saggy tits you are!! Pissed off without an apartment!
rat bastard.
Being a tattle tale in your mid 40s is really quite something. Especially when you tell on someone that is one of your ONLY friends left at work. I even bought you a little something when you were gonna be away for a while. Boy, was I a sucker. Everyone is fed up with your…
To that crazy obsessive ex girlfriend of his
Seriously, why are you so crazy? He broke up with you almost a year ago, so why don’t you move on? Stop parking in his driveway at night, don’t break into his house, stop calling and harassing him and his new girlfriend. He broke up with you because you’re a lying manipulative bitch. He got…
Hate myself for saying this….
Happy almost spring everyone! Ok, I don’t want to sound like an ignorant asshole…. I really don’t, but something has been bothering me and I would like to make a observation and then ask a few questions regarding Halifax’s blossoming Lesbian community. I work at a retail store downtown Halifax, one that (not by my…
Get some damn sense!
To my neighbours with the black lab: I hope that dog eats your face off someday. All you fucking do is put the poor dog outside (at night, mid day and even morning). If you have no room for a big dog GIVE IT THE FUCK AWAY! I wish that someone would put you outside…
thieves on the bridge
what gives with the dudes working on the Macdonald bridge? the other day I went to retrieve change from the coin return and a dude working for the bridge comes yelling at to give it to him! what the eff? that’s stealing, right? jennie on the bridge
Letters to the Editor
I was glad to see Tim Bousquet’s column on Nova Scotia Power in last week’s Coast. With respect to greenhouse gas emissions, and the company’s ecological footprint in general, we should also take into account the source of NSP’s coal over the last several years. Even though we have shut down coal mines in NS,…
Letters to the Editor
On Sunday the Bluenose Marathon organizers used the north-east quadrant of the Commons as an entertainment venue. Today mud ruts gouge the entire area. Large tracts of grass have been compacted or torn up. It is a disgraceful, unsightly mess. Even partial restoration will be expensive. The promised Commons rejuvenation after last fall’s Rolling Stones’…
Letters to the Editor
To the Editor; As a student of a downtown college, I see and interact with a lot of the homeless people that frequent Spring Garden Road. I give them whatever small change I can spare and will stop and talk with them in the mornings on the way to class. I have developed an acquaintance…
Letters to the Editor
ms lowe’s article “chasing amy” totally killed me. i had to stop reading it at the ardmore because i was crying too much, even for a diner. lowe’s writing was brilliantly heart wrenching and empathetic without ever straying into romanticism or pity. she should be very proud of this wonderful work on such an amazing…
Letters to the Editor
On Sunday May 27, oh what a glourious day to be outside basking in the summer warmth. We spent the morning in Point Pleasant Park, biking through the trails, eating breakfast by the sea. We stopped, rested and lingered on a little while. When all of a sudden, we were stopped by the park patrol…
Letters to the Editor
I feel compelled to comment on Lezlie Lowe’s recent article, “Chasing Amy.” The writing, at turns soporific, at others infuriating, exhausted me so completely I felt afterward as if I should confine myself to bed. I will mention at the outset that Amy’s life, and the fateful barrage of obstacles she faced, deserve avowal; and…
Obnoxious Rainmen Whistler
To the bitch that ruined my nite by whistling in my ear at the Rainmen game. My seven yr old son and I will never go to another game again, you whistled so loudly in our ears we had to move, then your fat husband draped his legs over ere un occupied seats we paid…
Letters to the Editor
Lost in HRSBs new website The Halifax School Board has a new website. (www.hrsb.ns.ca). There are good intentions here, however the site is unfortunately worse than it was previously. It is too busy and overly intricate. Under the heading STAFF you will be directed to programs and search engines. Under the MEET THE SCHOOL BOARD…
Letters to the Editor
Greetings to the editor: Kudos for the excellent editorial, “Road to Ruin” in the May 31-June issue. However, I’m wondering if the irony was intended that overleaf was a full page colour ad advertising four (count ’em) large sports ute vehicles, with one of those obnoxious personal watercraft thrown in for good measure. Regards, Paul…
Letters to the Editor
The Coast: I address this tirade to the hundreds of insensitive people who passed by a street kid wrapped in a blanket sleeping on the Quinpool Road sidewalk during Monday’s suppertime rainstorm. Have you no compassion? Did you even give him a second thought as you scurried home to dryness, warmth and dinner? Did you…
Letters to the Editor
Stick with me on this. I wanted to say something in response to the “Gentrifuckation” cover story a few weeks ago but, frankly, realized that I was more confused by it than anything. (With its barely veiled endorsement of half assed graffiti campaigns and simultaneous acknowledgement of the need for neighborhood improvement I wasn’t even…
Letters to the Editor
To the Editor – This letter is written in my capacity as President of the Bide Awhile Animal Shelter. My contact information is found below. I can reached at my home telephone number at 479-3535. Many thanks for your consideration. June 22, 2007 Letter to the Editor Exponential Growth of the Fertile Feline One unspayed…
Letters to the Editor
Dear Mr Bousquet, Thank you for your timely and well researched article. I wish your research could be presented to metro and provincial government in a way that would put to action some of the changes you propose.but I have some comments on your piece. I realize I have a role to play in my…
Letters to the Editor
(*note to the editor; I recently sent a letter to the editor, but believe the conclusion was ill-phrased; here is a new version. If you choose to print anything, please ensure that it contains the final paragraph of this submission*) In his article “land of the flee”, Mr Bousquet was right to point out many…
Letters to the Editor
I enjoyed the article on the cover this week, about Stephen Harpers love affair with George Bush, the senseless wars he feels the need to engage in for the simple sake of being remembered, even as a tyrant, and the general American Hipocrisy as a whole. After reading the article, a friend and I went…
Letters to the Editor
To the Editors of the Coast: re: “Land of the Flee” Like many of his equally uninformed counterparts on the right, Tim Bousquet conflates the reasons and goals for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. President Bush uses the slogan War on Terror, Bousquet responds with an equally useless slogan: the War on Muslims. According to…
Letters to the Editor
The Power of protest is a myth. As the industrial age developed and workers demanded new rights from employers, so began what could be called the dawn of protest in our collective memory. These highly effective strikes always included a high degree of violence and destruction. Picture in your minds eye an angry stick-wielding mob…
Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, Some folk offer opinions filled with too many words and not enough substance. There is something to be said for the clarity and sometimes elusiveness of a verse or two. Perhaps this notion has been lost… perhaps not. I do not offer Canadians an opinion but a feeling… meant not to anger or…
Letters to the Editor
Harper has joined a war against Muslims? Mr. Bousquet, I think you have read too much into a few misplaced cultural gestures. “Onward, Christian Soldiers” was played at a war veterans gathering, and Mr. Harper has said on occasion, “God Bless Canada”. Umm, I guess that shows insensitivity, and I bet one could find even…
Letters to the Editor
Bruce Wark gripes a lot. But, for the most part, I understand his frustrations with the city and province and hope his negative perspective inspires some positive change. But his recent gripe about alcohol consumption misses some basic sociological facts. Restriction of supply creates more demand. This is especially true of regulated items like alcohol.When…
Letters to the Editor
To the Editor: I find it odd that during Live Earth when people were being urged to reduce their “carbon footprint” the largest contributor of methane emissions – which cause nearly half of the planet’s human-induced warming – was not mentioned. Animal agriculture is the largest destroyer of our earth, spewing over 100 million tonnes…
Letters to the Editor
As a past resident of the Arklow Drive area, of which I spent the first 26 years of my life living, I was terribly disappointed to see in the recent media the issues about the tree removal along portions of the walking paths in behind Arkow Dr and Almora Crt in Forest Hills-Cole Harbour. For…
Letters to the Editor
Hi,(letter originally to transit) I was wondering who I might contact re: enforcement of the no smoking rules in and around the transit terminals? I have never actually seen theses rules enforced but I’m pretty certain they exist. I seem to be the only one though, as the bus drivers, security guards and random transit…
Letters to the Editor
Shannon Hardy wrote about the lack of enforcement of the no-smoking rules around transit terminals… right on! Lately, when I’m waiting for a bus at the Mumford Terminal, not only are the passengers standing around smoking – but the bus drivers as well!!! What on EARTH is the point of having the rules if NOBODY…
Letters to the Editor
I’m so mad at Metro Housing , who have been aware of bedbugs in Gordon B building for well over a yr. Instead of telling tenants and handling the problem with a total blitz, have been treating one apartment at a time and not telling neighbors there is a problem. They have been chasing the…
Snooze
To the neighbour in my apartment building who likes to let their alarm beep very loudly for 2 hours, starting at 5:30am: FUCK OFF!!! I just want to sleep in!!!
Letters to the Editor
My neighbour wanted me to submit this as well as the letter I sent in previously, today, as she found it had more punch: We now live in Victoria, in a pleasant townhouse on the Lochside Trail, and I’d like to tell the Halifax people a thing or two about how to make a city,…
Letters to the Editor
Please feel free to edit this. I have noted the comments in the Chronicle-Herald of Sue Uteck on the trials of dealing with lot infills … As the former owner of a property on Beaufort Avenue now undergoing an infill process, with significant loss of trees which we cared for , and apparently photographed by…
Letters to the Editor
Dear editor, I have this idea for a column that I think would fit perfectly in an alt-weekly format, and I’m poking around to see if I can find a partner somewhere, a newspaper that might be interested in getting behind the idea and working with me to syndicate it. The idea is weekly fiction.…
Letters to the Editor
In Sept of 06, the provincial government of Nova Scotia eliminated ALL funding for animal control and wildlife rescue. The reasoning was that Nova Scotians did not want to pay for such services, or didnt care enough about animals to keep the program in place. The only thing that the province will do now is…
Letters to the Editor
Heroin Influx Accountability Recently the RCMP released a warning that Afghan heroin is making its way into Canada, and is becoming an increasing threat to our people. Must we forget that the coalition countries have occupied this territory since 2001? These findings released by the RCMP are very interesting to those who understand the 2006…
Letters to the Editor
To the Editor,Tim Bousquet’s articles have turned your newspaper into a highpoint of my week. He very powerfully describes the province’s Climate Crisis, highlighting both the complacency and ignorance of our Provincial government by telling the community what needs to be done. Bousquet has become our own George Monbiot. He is empowering us to take…
Letters to the Editor
There has been news reports within the past year about accidents in crosswalks, global warming, etc. One area of concern for a lot of people including myself is the lack of safety in shopping malls and plazas. In the Summer time, during storms or other times when shoppers are lazy, we see cars parked in…
Letters to the Editor
Dear editor, I have just finished reading Tim Bousquet’s excellent article Save our Shores. We are not only gating off the coast to the general public, we are also allowing our precious coastal regions to be ‘infilled,’ paved over, ‘developed’ and generally destroyed. Coastal ecosystems play an essential role in maintaining the healthy watersheds that…
Letters to the Editor
I was just out for a walk not far from where I live, and came across Seamore the Turtle, ‘created with fun by the HRM horticultural staff’. And the thought came to me…why not have a ‘municipal wonder’ in the Coast each week? And while we’re at it, why not a ‘Gee thanks!’ as a…
Letters to the Editor
Today while reading your paper I noticed the headline about Dartmouth North teens having nothing better to do than be gangsters (or assholes, as some of us call them.) This is bullshit. I grew up in Newfoundland, Canada’s poorest province, in a town with less than 900 people. There was nothing for us to do.…
Letters to the Editor
The job developement centre on gottingen St wont help because I’m on income assistance. She said that I had to go see a career counseler at income assistance My casework at income assistance says I’m not eligible for a career counseler. Just like I’m not eligible for a bus pass. I suppose you just can’t…
Letters to the Editor
To the editor, I’ve got a large bag of old batteries and a few buckets of paint. I’d like to get this “Household Hazardous Waste” to the appropriate facility, but apparently I’ll need to drive out to Bayers Lake on a “selected Saturday” (which by the way, isn’t the coming one, because of the long…
Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, Many recent articles and letters remind me that The Coast has a social conscience.If that’s the case, why don’t you put your money where your mouth is and follow the example of the Big Issue (www.bigisssue.com) in the UK? I’d happily pay $2 or so to read this fine paper and I’d be…
Letters to the Editor
Is anyone else miss the Music Stop Grafitti Wall? You can find a digital version @ http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=FAJ2bV7rNEM By jenny from the block
Letters to the Editor
To the Editor: I am greatly disappointed by the restructuring of the Halifax Refugee Clinic. Two of the three full time employees have been let go with what appears to be no sound reason. I have volunteered at the clinic for a number of years and have seen the amazing work that these individuals do…
Letters to the Editor
In your recent poll on garbage bags you should have allow for 1 or less per week. I and many other single house / apt. dwellers only produce a full size bag a month. One of my pet peeves is that I see many of my neighbours put out 4 to 5 bags a week…
Letters to the Editor
Dear Coast, I’m a long time reader and fan of not just The Coast, but many of its staff. I love and appreciate all you do and have done to bring a truly local perspective to the world of Haligonian print media, which is why I was disappointed in last week’s Stephen Kimber article, The…
Letters to the Editor
I encourage Coast readers to check out the responses on thecoast.ca regarding Liz Feltham’s recent review of The Mongolie Grill, and I encourage The Coast to post some in their next issue, as well. Don’t be fooled and miss out on the possibility of a fantastic meal, based on the unfounded opinions of Liz Feltham.…
Letters to the Editor
Greetings, kudos to The Coast! What about an online forum that would be suitable for posting whatever, lots of people have shown interests in discussing things instead of bitching about things. Thank you! Sincerely, Vidya By Vidya
Letters to the Editor
Why am I always so disappointed with The Coast each week? As the city’s “alternative” publication, you are supposed to provide insightful, leading edge coverage of news and culture from entertaining and educational journalists. Instead we are bombarded weekly with the horrific “writing” of hacks like Ian Gormley and Shannon Webb-Campbell. These people are not…
Letters to the Editor
The Coast readers seem to care about homeless people, what about setting up The Coast Adopt-A-Homeless Fund? Homeless people said organizations are slow in helping them. The fast ones, such as HCAP are short of people and funds. The Coast Adopt-A-Homeless Fund can then donate to HCAP and HCAP can find mentors, temporary apartments for…
Annoying classmate!
To the annoying, unprofessional woman in my class: I am so sick of listening to you whine and complain about it NEVER being your fault! I have to put up with your f***ing bullshit every single day! You misplace something, but oh, it’s not your fault. You forgot an assignment, but it’s not your fault.…
Mr Dixon charged with threatening Community Service Minister
It is a sad state of affairs when an ordinary person like myself, sides with the criminals. I would advise to go the election route, but this department of provincial government needs reform , big time.They treat the people they are suppose to care for like garbage, I don’t know the details of Mr Dixon’s…
Don’t like what someone looks like then don’t look
I’m sick of all the fucking bitches that bitch about someones, weight, their nose booger, their hair, their eyes, their crocs, their pj pants etc. If you don’t fucking like what that person has on or looks like then don’t fucking look! We are all made differently for a reason and that is to have…
Bullshit
Sick of people foisting their bullshit this way…take responsibility for your actions….don’t blame anyone else but yourself. Stop lying and acting like children, don’t blame me for your actions you are all fucking adults. I don’t force people into making decisions they don’t want..I hold no guns to no heads. You do things because something…
Day Three: Halifax the Music Week menace
“A menacing snowstorm” (TM Weather Network) kicked the shit out of Toronto yesterday, reminding me again why I don’t like to travel to central Canada in winter (or summer, now that I think of it). As I trudged up to the Rivoli, tripping over streetcar tracks and climbing tiny curbside mountains, I thought about all…
Sure sign of Spring…
Sigh, the end of winter. The snow is beginning to melt (except for the freezing rain part). Grass will soon be struggling to reach the sun. Or at least it would if it weren’t for ALL THE FUCKING ‘ROLL UP THE RIM’ COFFEE CUPS LITTERED ALL OVER THE FUCKING CITY!!! What the hell is wrong…
one step leads to another… fuckup
so… fuck. midterm worth 40% of an entire term mark. Two questions… second question: 6 steps, each step builds up from the last. second step: forgot the goddamn fucking piece of cuntlicking square root! there goes my fucking term. TWO QUESTIONS, worth 20% of a term EACH… WHAT THE FUCK DO PROF’S THINK WE ARE!?…
Just tie yourself a noose already.
You probably don’t read the coast. Given the way you present yourself in public, i’d have a hard time believing that you even have the attention span/brain power it requires to read at all. This morning, myself and several other people stood in the sportsplex bus terminal shelter, and listened for 20 minutes while you…
7 Minutes
To the EFFING company I am leaving soon: I think it might be a human rights issue that you have decided not to pay us for the time we have to use the bathroom. I know that some people abused the 7 minute grace time, but now we feel like we are going to be…
T’aint the Season
To every single person in Halifax who still has a Christmas wreath up on their front door, steps, garage, whatever. TAKE IT THE FUCK DOWN ALREADY! Its March you know…and leaving these things up for 3-6 months of the year tells people one of two things. First, youre lazy Second, you dont consider the Christmas…
Things I Am Sofa King Sick of Hearing:
“At the end of the day” – “That being said” – “Intuitive” – “On a going forward basis” etc etc People, PLEASE stop using these overused words/ phrases and just let the DIE already!! People who hate people are the crankiest people
Dear Blue Bag Pirates
I see you trolling my neighborhood at 6 AM, your stolen grocery carts laden with envirobooty. And while I used to applaude your industriousness, I’ll be fucked in the ear with a pointy stick before you get any more of my recyclables. It’s not that I mind you taking them. I have neither the time,…
@!$% on the bus
The two morons on the bus friday morning that couldn’t stop swearing every second word, your so tought that you have to curse as you talk about girls like they are objects. Grow up and learn more words Learn More Words
some friend
Am I crazy to think that it’s a dick-head move to bail on plans with someone (without telling them) to hang out with other mutual friends but not invite that person either? You could have just told me you couldn’t go out with me- it’s not like I would have pressured you into telling me…
Day Two: It’s like rain on Alanis Day
Friday’s day schedule was cleared for any and all Alanis-related activities, though I would get shut out of all but one. I didn’t get to see the show – fine in the end considering it was a half-hour set at a win-to-get-in fan event – and didn’t bother trying to get into the interview since…
Watch out for buses
So with all the talk about how dangerous it is to drive while talking on a cell phone, what the hell is my Metro Transit bus driver doing on his phone? The entire time from Penhorn Mall to Barrington he was chatting away on his cell phone. Not only was he steering a giant bus…
tap, tap, tapping
Hey guy sitting across from me doing the crossword while listening to your iPod. Nobody wants to hear the incessant tapping of your pen as you ponder five across. This is a cafe, people come here to study and relax, perhaps engage in quiet conversation. Do you not feel the razor sharp stares of death…
Turn, dammit!
People who drive… listen up… it is LEGAL to turn left from from the left hand lane of a one way street onto a one way street!!! LEGAL! I promise. Look it up! I get stuck behind people at Duke and Hollis constantly. And why won’t the city post some signs or something?! Argh! :P…
Greed Bag!
Ok Barrington Superstore, we get it. You’re putting on some good PR by replacing plastic bags with the reusable “green bags”. Sounds great! But where the hell do you get off charging people a dollar for this? If you really gave a damn about the environment, you would not be expecting your student-ghetto university patrons…
Superstore enviro-whore
Good job Superstore! You’ve taken the “green” fad and capitalized on it. I would not have a problem if you supplanted plastic bags with cloth ones, or if you sold the cloth ones at cost, but it is clear you are making a profit from the moral panic of global warming. Those dinky little “green”…
Atlantic Superhypocrite
If the superstore really cared about the environment, they’d start using closed-door refrigerators. The power that is wasted to operate an open refrigerator is astronomical compared to the closed type. So, stop going on about your “green bags” and start changing your refrigerators! I’m boycotting superstore. fuck them frigid refrigerator bitch
Metro Transit
Metro Transit is absolutely amazing. I have never come across a company so devoted to hiring incompetent assholes to run a business. Metro Transit bus drivers know some really neat tricks. Showing up late? Showing up early? Child’s play! Metro Transit bus drivers have figured out how to not show up at all! I gotta…
how big is reallllllly big? size 10 , 3 inch?
Can’t help to notice that the most response are about OP and what people wear. Are you gals and guys so obsessed with size? If so, here’s one for your pleasure. Why does it have to be 12 inch to satisfy your desire. 3 inches is too small, 7 inches is good enough if it’s…
Day One: Of sinkoles and idols
Because it’s Halifax and because half of the city is headed there, Sean MacGillivray and Glen Nicholson, two of Jenn Grant’s band The Night Painters, are on my flight. Left to Right: Glen and Sean. Sean has brought two bass guitars with him, except one is an electric upright without a proper flying case, and…
High School censorship
To who ever is in charge of the computers and their annoying censorship program that blocks everything. I’m tired of looking at the “HRSB This website has been blocked as journals and blogs, hate speech, course language ect. I can understand blocking porn msn and facebook but this is getting ridiculous. I have heard the…
Make ‘Come From Away’ go away, N.S. Grits say
Great, so now the CFA’s want us to change what makes us unique, our dislike of people who come here and want to make our place look/feel like where they came from. Fuck off. cranky
an-nun-ci-ate
I do not know if this is somewhat of a bothersome issue with others, or some sort of local pride, however it just bugs the fuck out of me. I am not Nova Scotian, my husband is, and we moved here some six months ago. I work in retail and have to listen to fucking…
Broken and mangled walkway in the Common
Remarks: The nicely paved asphalt walkways on the perimeter of the Common give you false sense of security to walk across. As you do so, a large mugger jumps out. You run away with confidence you can outpace the bad guy, but whoa! you stumble in the hole, falling to the ground, and then the…
WTF? i don’t get it
Im just one of MANY Nova Scotian’s that only have a high school education (that are actually TRYING to go back to school) and HOLY FUCK the government makes it so HARD to go to BACK to school…………. first My dad Makes TOO MUCH money for me to get a student loan and he should…
Panhandler Wannabees
To all the school kids that think they can make a quick buck on Spring Garden, the gig is up. You’re pathetic and transparent. I know the regulars on the street and you just don’t make it believable. Get an education and stop leaching off the hard working. Senor Campana
New Brunswick Drivers
What is up with New Brunswick drivers? They are honestly some of the worst drivers I have ever seen! Like most people who will be reading this, I live in Halifax. So why is it that almost every time I nearly get run over in a marked crosswalk, see a car all the way out…
Q = 1 ‘ol bore
I remember now why I bailed on the local rock station. My painful reminder came today when I changed over to the former self proclaimed “Rock of the Atlantic”. To enjoy a few afternoon tunes at work. Sadly, I can not access internet radio here. I understand the popularity of Classic Rock but for the…
Bubba Ray’s
Filling the void left when the Peel Pub (5650 Spring Garden) packed up shop and took its delicious wings with it, the folks behind Bubbles Mansion will open Bubba Ray’s Sports Bar in the space soon.
Musicstop mural
Wondering what happened to that music-themed mural that used to brighten the side of Musicstop (6065 Cunard)? Turns out “the mural removed itself,” according to Brian McConnell, Musicstop’s district manager for Atlantic Canada. Staff discovered water leaking behind the mural and “then the whole wall started coming down…it became a safety issue,” says McConnell. The…
Bike and Bean
Are you passionate about coffee, cycling and intriguing-sounding muffins? Wait until mid-March—then, get your legs pumping and head to Tantallon, to new cafe/bike shop The Bike and Bean (5401 St. Margaret’s Bay Road). The shop, housed in a historic former train station, is owned by Marilou Levangie and Dana Gallant, who also own Pedal and…
Cafe Istanbul
Meanwhile, in another former Soup Sergeant space (5986 Spring Garden), Erkut Surmeli is preparing his newest restaurant, Turkish eatery Cafe Istanbul, to open sometime this month. Surmelis no stranger to the restaurant game: hes the original owner of two of the citys most popular Turkish joints, Anatolia Turkish Cuisine (1518 Dresden Row) and Turkish Delight…
Quinpool gets Steamys
Two weeks ago, Shoptalk published an earnest plea for information about the new business going into the old Soup Sergeant space at 6300 Quinpool. One tipster rose to the challenge, informing me that “Steamys” is the nickname used for Montreal-based hot-dog joint the Montreal Pool Room, renowned for its steamed franks. Saved from sadness and…
Queens OTSA?
Queens of the Stone Age are playing in Halifax for the first time, Tuesday, May 13 at the Cunard Centre (all ages with a licenced area). Tickets go on sale March 8 at 9am, at the Ticket Atlantic box office in the Halifax Metro Centre and participating Atlantic Superstores, by phone at 451-1221 and online…
Genetic Angry
Genetic Angry are a crazy-good punk band from Truro and they’re making a rare appearance in Halifax to play a free show at CD Heaven on Saturday. Joining them is CI (who are also planning an upcoming tour for April), Eyesore, Envision and Cross. GA is promoting their soon-to-be-released, artwork-free, two-song 7” record (on Sewercide…
Ryan Cook and Sunny Acres
Ryan Cook and Sunny Acres are fitting in yet another show in their very busy schedule to release their hotly anticipated CD, Hot Times (No Scene). With the help of Jon Mckiel, Quiet Parade and Grass Mountain Hobos, this Saturday at the Seahorse should turn into a country, death-metal party the likes of which Halifax…
Clinic Purgatory
With every doctor’s visit I increasingly question the rational behind making an appointment. You arrive on time, yet end up waiting hours before you reach your position in the cue. So what’s the point in making an appointment anyway?!!? The fact that these clinics aren’t appalled with their despicable service disgusts me! If doctors were…
Superstore bag policy
I just can’t believe your Shoptalk, T.C. Demaresq and yourselves, being a community paper would even publish such B.S. on the Quinpool Rd Super Store being eco-friendly. If the Super Store and this David Primorac ( who probably doesn’t even know where Halifax let alone the store is located ) want to be serious and do something…
Daily News Closure, Moirs, Superstore
I couldn’t agree more with Bruce Wark’s editorial on the closing of the Daily News (“Bean counter B.S.,” Feb. 21). It’s another hit for the Metro area. But Bruce did not go far enough with these companies and their greed. First we had greedy Hershey (Moirs) pulling out for a cheaper labour market and laying off…
Bag ban banter
To the editor, There has been a lot of controversy about the local grocery store that has eliminated plastic bags (see Shoptalk, Feb. 28). People say it’s a small action and if they care about the enviroment they would reduce packaging. Others said the store is trying to save money by passing on the cost…
Ticket scam
Reacting to a Elton John concert scandal in Sudbury—city councillors there scalped their freebie tickets—mayor Peter Kelly put out the word: Halifax councillors shouldn’t expect free tix if John plays here. Where did they get that idea? Never previously reported: all 23 councillors received two free tickets to the 2006 Rolling Stones concert. Now: can…
City keeps secrets
A couple of months ago, Halifax council was considering entering into a contract with a vendor to provide some service or another—I forget the particulars. But one of the councillors wanted to discuss it, a request that threw top bureaucrat Dan English into a logical conundrum. “This is a contractual matter, which should be discussed…
Missing banner at Dartmouth ferry terminal.
Remarks: Once upon a time, if you wanted to go to Dartmouth, you’d wander down to the ferry terminal and figure out which boat to take by looking for the “Alderney Landing” banner hanging from the ferry terminal across the way. Alas, a November storm ripped down the banner, so now you’ll have to familiarize…
A shitty situation
On Thursday, August 17, 2006, I was shopping in a grocery store, in the bakery department, when I noticed what I thought were mouse droppings on the shelves with bread, rolls and other baked goods. I was disgusted!!! On Sunday, August 20, again, I was in the bakery department of the store. Again, I saw…
Healthy Street Beggars Can Screw Off
Yep, I’ll say it. I hate them. It bothers me that some people have mental issues that can place them in these positions, etc and I do believe they need help but the rest of you can f*ck right off. I almost hate to say it but GET A F*CKING JOB! When I get approached…
Bottomwriting in The Coast
Let us not lose sight of the bottom line. Email your ideas for what you think we should do with the bottom-writing. Put bottom-writing in the subject header and send to arts@thecoast.ca.
Ha!ifax Comedy Fest
Organizers just released the lineup forHa!ifax Comedy Fest, which runs April 19 through 26. Rich Hall’s coming. Apparently he has two shows on BBC4—Rich Hall’s Cattle Drive and Rich Hall’s Fishing Show. But you may remember him from such earlier comedy sketch and variety programs as Saturday Night Live. The material that guy came up…
No NS Genie Awards
Alas, Nova Scotia-related film productions were shut out of the Genies, handed out in Toronto the same night as the Merritts. Marc Almon and Nona McDermid’s imaginative, kerosene-lit short The Wake of Calum MacLeod didn’t take the prize for Best Live Action Short Drama, but the film about the power of storytelling to preserve the…
Night nurses from hell
I work as a housekeeper for Capital Health. I am sick and tired of nurses looking down on us because we are “housekeepers,” worthless, invisible, except when we’re needed to assist one of you evil trolls. Some of us are in SCHOOL, working at this crap-ass job to pay tuition. Perhaps you should sit down…
2b Theatre on top
The 2008 Merritt Awards were handed out on Monday, March 3, celebrating the best in Nova Scotia’s theatre. Halifax-based 2b Theatre won four of the seven categories it was nominated for, including Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for Stephen McCarthy, who played the Storyteller in 2b’s Revisited, and Outstanding Direction for…
Canada’s Gone to Hell
Watching the news now makes me fucking sick. What the hell has this country become? We are taxed to death on everything. As if the rising price of gas isn’t enough…now the price of milk goes up AGAIN??. The government has us by the BALLS…taxing necessities to DEATH. I would like to know why gas…
MSI cards
Hello there Halifax, As a person who works in the health care industry with patients I ask you to please bring your health card to every visit when you know you are coming to a hospital, we are required to ask for it (every visit) and check it to make sure it’s valid. I cannot…
FUCK YOU TO THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM
The state of the health care system is so fucked, I can’t even put my rage into words other than, FUCK!! My cousin has a brain tumor, but they can’t do the surgery to put one shunt, oops sorry now two becasue of how much time has passed, to relieve the pressure and fluid on…
Customer Service
Dear douchebag who works at a certain CD store on Barrington (not the one beside Pogue Fado): I was in your store last night looking to buy some local music to support our wonderful local music scene. Not only did you respond to my request for information without so much as looking up from what…
Semi-Pro
A lot of bile is directed at Semi-Pro because it’s another sports comedy with Will Ferrell. This isn’t a significant problem. If it was, people would also make note that co-star Woody Harrelson has been in White Men Can’t Jump, Kingpin and Play it to the Bone. Ferrell is in a slump because he’s stopped…
Jack Johnson
Jack JohnsonSleep Through the Static(Brushfire/Universal)Sleep Through the Static, the latest release from Jack Johnson, is a return to form after he moved away from the quiet, introspective sound of Brushfire Fairytales and On and On to the more commercially accessible In Between Dreams and the Curious George soundtrack. You can hear hints of the singer’s…
Penelope
As the titular Penelope, Christina Ricci sports a Miss Piggy snout, an approachable fairy tale-deformity. But fairy tale conventions also blight this movie’s integrity. A shut-in, for fear of terrifying others and traumatizing herself, Penelope knows her appearance is just a curse that can be reversed if she manages to find true love. That same…
Ridley Bent
Ridley BentBuckles & Boots(Open Road)Halifax-born Bent grew up in western Canada and quickly reveals there’s a lot going on under that big black hat of his. “Nine Inch Nails” is the cutest song about records in years. It’s a rousing two-step about a break-up with hasty allocation of assets: “She got my Tom T. Hall,…
Kathleen Edwards
Kathleen EdwardsAsking for Flowers(Maple)On her 2002 debut, Failer, Kathleen Edwards introduced herself as a mouthy boozehound with an alt-country bent. On Back to Me, she reflected on a life changed by success. Asking for Flowers, co-produced by the artist and Jim Scott (Tom Petty), sounds bigger and smaller than both. Bookended by epics Buffalo and…
Hawksley Workman’s a tough gig
Beauty seems most attractive when it’s unattainable. The unknowable and unachievable are always alluring. Hawksley Workman has experienced his fair share of longing. After more than a decade in music, he still feels in between things, he says. “The title suggests I’ve realized I’m never going to be satisfied with anything,” says Workman, calling from…
The Whigs
The WhigsMission Control(ATO Records)If a sequel to the 1992 movie Singles is ever released, Mission Controls opening song, Like a Vibration will surely be found on the soundtrack. The Whigs sound is a throwback to the down-tempo grit of the grunge days. What makes this album fresh, though, are the idiosyncratic guitar sounds and hooks…
Justice League: The New Frontier
Justice League: The New FrontierDirected by: Dave Bullock(Warner Home Video)Mainstream superhero comics tend to exist in a bubble. While the form uses metaphors to comment on current events, superheroes and real-world politics are generally kept separate. (Superman villain Lex Luthor was once elected US president; Bush is nowhere to be found.) But in his critically…
Dan Savage says take only photos; leave only footprints.
Dan Savage says take only photos; leave only footprints. Open marriages—do they ever work?After 16 years and one kid, my husband and I are considering an open marriage. Over a year ago, I met another man who I was attracted to and wanted to fuck. I had met men like this throughout our marriage, but…
Ryan Cook & Sunny Acres
[image-4]Published March 06, 2008.Ryan Cook & Sunny AcresHot Times(No Scene)Cook and friends (including John Campbelljohn on C6th pedal steel and Jon Landry, from Folds of Policy, on electric guitars) show themselves to be sure hands on honky-tonk numbers (“How Drunk I Get”), brooders (“…Between the Buried and Me”) and old-timey waltzes (the closer “Little Doves”).…
GPI Atlantic report
The recent release of the GPI Atlantic report, whichasked “How Educated are Nova Scotians?” reminded me of my favourite quotation from communications guru Marshall McLuhan. “School is the advertising agency,” McLuhan wrote, “which makes you believe you need the society as it is.” I learned the truth of McLuhan’s saying during a full year of…
The Mountain Goats
The Mountain GoatsHeretic Pride (4AD)Mountain Goats frontman John Darnielle is known for his inventive, imagery-laden lyrics. On Heretic Pride, the Goats’ latest, Darnielle’s got a pile of odd, compelling stories to tell you—tales of lake monsters (“Tianchi Lake”), martyrs (the album’s titular track) and sad bathroom hook-ups (“Marduk T-shirt Men’s Room Incident”). But Pride’s “Lovecraft…
Ray Davies
[image-4]Published March 13, 2008.Ray DaviesWorking Man’s Café(New West)On his second solo album, recorded in Nashville, Davies tries to slip into the American landscape and is still instantly identifiable. “Morphine Song” would fit on any Kinks album with its character-filled take on his hospital stay after getting shot in the leg. An understated beauty graces “In…
Grand Theft Bus
Grand Theft BusMade Upwards(Forward Music)After experimenting with a more commercially palatable sound on their sophomore effort Flies in the No Fly, Fredericton four-piece Grand Theft Bus follows up with Made Upwards. Hope for a return to the addictive jazz-infused pop/rock of their debut, Birth of Confusion, remains unfulfilled. The opening chords of Do I Have…
The Trews
The TrewsNo Time For Later(Universal)Arguably the hardest-working band in Canada, The Trews continue their upward climb to stardom with their latest release. No Time For Later has edgy moments (Gun Control criticizes the American thirst for war) and a heavier feel, but the overall sound remains planted in the realm of accessible rock. Theres no…
Shobha
ShobhaWork in Progress(indie)Shobha (pronounced Show-BAH), a Halifax native but Toronto-based singer-songwriter, just released her debut album, Work in Progress. Comparable to Nelly Furtado and Alicia Keys, Shobha’s style mixes urban, pop, jazz and ska sounds. For the first single on the album, “Always on Your Feet,” the artist won a regional (Toronto) award for the…
City and Colour
City and ColourBring Me Your Love(Dinealone/Universal)Dallas Green’s solo debut Sometimes was something of an unexpected hit, the success of which inevitably drove up interest in its follow-up. While his debut album was a sparse, minimalist effort, Bring Me Your Love tries to maintain the minimalism at its heart, but adds a much warmer, lusher sound…
The Gutter Twins
The Gutter TwinsSaturanalia(Sub Pop)You can’t stay angry forever but you can get asphalt-dark or swampy. This is the tale former Screaming Tree vocalist (and Queens of the Stone Age and Isobel Campbell collaborator) Mark Lanegan and Greg Dulli (Afghan Whig, Twilight Singers) tell in the bones of their first record together. Like a pair of…
Bob Mould
Bob MouldDistrict Line(Anti)On Bob Moulds seventh solo release—and its hard to believe there have been seven —the dance/electronica influences have continued from previous LPs Modulate and Body of Song. You can hear the dance-floor groove on Shelter Me and youll find the rockers on tracks such as Stupid Now and The Silence Between Us, to name…
Rock, Paper, action!
Lisa and Bart are having an argument. They decide to settle it via Rock, Paper, Scissors.Lisa’s thought: “Poor, predictable Bart. Always picks rock.” Bart’s thought: Good ol’ rock. Nothin’ beats that!” Bart: “Rock!” Lisa: “Paper.” Bart: “D’oh!” “It’s a universal game. If you’re three or 103 you know about it,” says Tim Doiron, the writer,…
Monade
MonadeMonstre Cosmic(Too Pure)Unfortunately for Laetitia Sadier, she has one of those instantly recognizable voices. The (dare it be said) brand recognition is so strong a listener forgets this is Monade and not Stereolab—the singer’s usual band. This is reinforced by other elements: Marie Merlet’s plonk-plonk bass, Rachel Ortas’ ba-ba-badah-aaaaah-type vocal counterpoint, frequent time changes within…
Backspin: Charles Crosby’s new novel
Chances are you’ve never met anyone like Ollie Wood.In his former life as a Canadian sports hero, Ollie was the toast of the professional tennis circuit. Back then, he enjoyed all the perks that go with the job—the money, the limos and Lear jets, the drugs, the sex with models, movie stars and other hot…
Jim Lauderdale & the Dream Players
Jim Lauderdale & the Dream PlayersHoney Songs(Yep Roc)Renowned Nashville tunesmith Lauderdale sings 10 new numbers, backed by veterans of Elvis Presley’s and Bruce Springsteen’s bands and the likes of Emmylou Harris and Buddy Miller singing harmonies. With a background in bluegrass, Lauderdale keeps the arrangements simple and the themes uplifting. “I Hope You’re Happy” is…
Wealthy tax cuts
Owners of high-valued properties will receive massive tax breaks if a city council subcommittee has its way. The Tax Reform Committee hasn’t yet adopted final figures for its recommendation, but draft numbers bandied about by city staff suggest that the owner of a $1 million house on Young Avenue in the south end could see…
Hawksley Workman
Hawksley WorkmanBetween the Beautifuls(Universal)Evolution is crucial to an artist, but Workman’s taken it too far. Unlike the provocative poetics of For Him and the Girls and (Last Night We Were) The Delicious Wolves, he’s crafted a heavily radio-friendly marriage between the whiskey-soaked Lover/Fighter (2003) and the acoustic striptease of Treeful of Starling (2006). Between the…
Going green?
In a decade when you canbuy free-range eggs, organic hair gel and eco-handbags, the mind begins to turn to “greening” your final, inescapable purchase: your funeral. Each year, traditional funerals result in more metal being put in American soil than was used to make the Golden Gate Bridge and enough concrete to build a two-lane…
The Superfantastics
The SuperfantasticsChoose Your Destination(indie)Popular Halifax pop-duo The Superfantastics enjoyed an awesome and, by all accounts, busy year last year. They released Pop-up Book and toured like mad, documenting their travels on a video blog. Matt MacDonald and Stephanie dEntremont were even shrunk down, animated and stuck in plastic cups for their ECMA-nominated video for Tonight…
Two paws up!
Three Dog Bakery is for the dogs
Let Lezlie Lowe talk dirty to you.
Have you ever stopped to contemplate really bad sex? Nah, I don’t mean, like, too short, too long, getting crushed, getting a tongue inside the ear, getting a phone call, being walked in on. I mean bad in the moral sense. Oh wait, no, no, no, not pre-marital, or extra-marital (I never realized, until this…
Chad Hatcher
Chad HatcherTunnels and Pathways(HalfLife Records)Classified protege Chad Hatcher’s catchy debut screams lazy summertime patios, tall drinks and fat smokes. Fans of Classified’s Hitch Hikin’ Music will recognize Hatcher’s Common-smooth vocal style from “All About You.” An easygoing, light mix of R&B, reggae, soul and hip-hop, Hatcher is completely comfortable as an acoustic guitarist—even the whistling…
Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day
Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day is never very funny and for a while it looks disastrous. The film’s 1940s screwball antics seem not so much breathless as out of breath. The score by Paul Englishby takes no prisoners in underlining every gag. Eventually, the film develops authenticity. It still isn’t funny, but director Bharat…
Eels
EelsMeet the Eels Vol. 1, Useless Trinkets(Geffen Records)Being an Eels fan is like belonging to a secret society: With every release you wonder how much you want to share your band. Well, it’s out of your hands. A two-volume set—five discs in all—of essential tracks from albums released between 1996 and 2006 (Meet the Eels,…
