Gift Certificates at Saskia Roch Aesthetics
If you’re starting to think, hey, I need to be hotter for the holidays, or for any reason at all, right now gift certificates are available at Saskia Roch Aesthetics. Roch is located inside the Foxy Moon Hair Gallery (2725 Agricola Street, 444-7675), and offers hot stone pedicures and all-natural, heated soy treatments. Now you…
Dolly Parton and Halifax friends together again
Can’t get enough Dolly Parton? Me neither. Lucky for us, The Book Lady is airing for the first time on Canadian television, on CBC TV, Sunday at midnight.
Theatre Review: Extinction Song is hilarious and frightening
Plays like Eastern Front’s Extinction Song make it very difficult to write without cliches. Phrases like “tour de force” and “an emotional rollercoaster” jump immediately to mind. But this play deserves much better than that. Its writer, Ron Jenkins, never resorts to cliche, despite writing about the oft-explored dysfunctional family. This is James’ story, son…
closet guy
to the only fellow who works in the closet..u know who you are…this is just a simple way to say we are watching your every move & would like you to say hi some time. dont be so shy.—mystery mamas
irony
So we can’t use facebook at work but now work is on facebook?…isn’t that ironic… :P—work bitch
good girl!!!
to the lovely lady who gave the homeless man mac/cheese last week on the corner of barrington and inglis your are a great inspriation.—better citizen
thank you!!!
I just want to thank “blake the lawyer” for helping me out! he’s lawyer with a heart and an all around good guy!!! your kindness did get noticed….. thank you!!!—jax
to my buddy
to my buddy I still miss you man and can’t wait for the day you come back I might be twenty you might be 16 but your still my best friend for life………. you made me realize the best things in life aren’t things………. miss you 🙂 and I never lied my days and weekends…
Flame Thrower Upper
Here is a bitch topic for people to bitch about the coming traffic snarl that entails sending the Olympic Torch up Quinpool at 4-5pm on a weekday. http://www.vancouver2010.com/more-2010-information/olympic-torch-relay/olympic-torch-relay-interactive-map/—Cranky
How the hell is a married student supposed to get a student loan in this idiot province?
Thanks student loans, for suddenly deciding that I owe you $1200 that just one month ago you awarded me and my wife due to financial need. Now I can’t afford to fucking eat. Married students without children get FUCKED by NS student assistance. Rot in horrible hell, you make life miserable.—fuck
Loveley ladies
To my over the top generous neighbors who even though I didn’t pass by your house halloween night just gave me a treat bag with great gifts. I will always be thankful! :)—Hope you receive this thanks
Bus criminal?
Okay so yea it was about a month ago I was on the #1 bus heading to my buddy’s house. When, all of a sudden, a cop car from the other lane of Barrington st. cuts in front of our bus with all its lights flashing and its siren blasting about. Cop cars surround the…
The Blondie Show
The show started, and all we wanted was to dance! Sadly, we were trapped in lame rows of lame chairs in the lame Schooner Room. I thought I could see Debbie and the band exchanging disappointed looks, but maybe it was just my brain being ashamed of Halifax’s poor showing. Then, a few people began…
REAL ANNOYING.
I have been to several locations of both grocery chains in Halifax that start with the letter S and have been unable to find 2 items that were on sale one in each store… eggs and toilet paper. Why bother having a sale flyer if you are not going to have the sale items on…
No Bike Parking
Help ! Where am I supposed to park my bike on Spring Garden, Barrington, or Quinpool when shopping or visiting one the businesses on these streets ! Even finding a parking meter, steel pole, or tree to illegally park your bike is tough. HRM, Go visit Burlington VT or Portland OR and see how they…
Darrel Dupester
What is up with this let’s just raise taxes idea any time there is a area of concern in our province? To many overweight people, let’s raise the tax on junk food. Too many smokers , lets raise taxes to convince them to stop. To many drunks , lets raise taxes. To many cars on…
To that idiot who ran out in front my car
What in the heck were you thinking!?!? It was a 70km zone stretch of road AT NIGHT and you seemed to be wearing all black as well. Drivers have enough things to worry about on the roads without little idiots darting across. You weren’t just risking your stupid life, you were risking mine. IF I…
All dogs go to heaven, idiots do not..
To the moronic runner in the purple shirt who gave me shit at Point Plesant Park today… you’re an idiot. You yelled at me about not wanting my dogs to jump on you, which they hadn’t… You took time out of your pathetic, ugly life to stop your run, turn around and get in my…
Vented And Contented
I love how, I love you, but in a way I’m not used to. I love being with you, thinking about you, everything that has to do with you, and I’m not even jealous of your boyfriend. I don’t necessarily want to steal you, and ‘make you mine’, I just want to see you smile.…
I think you meant “Hypocritical Oath”
There are signs everywhere in the medical clinic stating that due to H1N1, they no longer have magazines available, you are to remove any brochures you read, you need a mask if you’re going to cough, and you’re expected to use hand sanitizer when you approach the reception area to “protect yourself and our staff”.…
CBC.ca & Censorship!
What’s wrong with CBC.ca? Every time they put up an article online that people feel strongly about, they close it for commenting and post “This story is closed to commenting.” The latest deals with the 16-year old who stabbed another student at the Citadel High. CBC, gets your damn act together and allow the public…
Monotonix give Halifax another whirl
Chilled out Monotonix take it easy After a failed attempt in May to come back after their memorable Halifax Pop Explosion show last year, Tel Aviv’s Monotonix are slated to play the Paragon Theatre on January 16. Tickets on sale Thursday at noon, $10 in advance, $15 at the door, available at all Ticketpro outlets.
Grande lids kindness
I was at Starbucks in Dartmouth Crossing and couldn’t get the lid on my coffee because their lids are stubborn. I only have one arm, and you moved forward and helped me. That was so kind of you. I can tell you’re the type to do what’s right regardless Thank you. It might seem like…
Tired of the stupid Bitches
Why is it the dumbest bitches on here get the most fucking comments, and the most attention? while the Bitches that have legitimet complaints and Bitches, get next to no attention.—Tired of lame Bitches including this one
pretty things makes me pretty
I just really want halifax to know that Pretty Things Boutique on Cunard St is the staple this city desperately needed. It is the most fabulous little shop to ever grace my life. And the owner really show a interest in everyone who comes into the shop, her customer service is the bees knees. it…
time to open our eyes and see the discrimination
and im not talking about people. this is about dogs. i recently was looking over the tenants rights of canada (not nova scotia) and it says landlord cannot declare apartment complexes as non dog housing, a landlord must determine if a certian dog is not right for the apartment, and take it to court and…
2009 Downtown Shopping Promotion
Its official name is the 2009 Downtown Shopping Promotion, but here at Shoptalk we like to refer to it with a nickname that carries a little more pizzazz: A Cowabunga Shopping Holiday Extravaganza for The End of the First Decade of the Millennium! (No, not really, but it is cool.) From November 23-28, participating downtown…
Council’s secret “public meeting” on tax reform
Today, Halifax council met for a “workshop” on so-called “tax reform,” a proposal to jettison the time-honoured system of assessment-based property taxes and replace it with a fee-for-services system. When the workshop was discussed by council last month, assurances were given that it would be open to the public. And it was, nominally. Only problem…
Tongan Death Grip!!! TOMORROW!!
Why would you even think of staying in tomorrow night? You must go out. Here are ALL THE DETAILS: Gus’ Pub, Tuesday November 17, 10pm (done by 1am), $5. Tongan Death Grip: Holy crap, I figured I’d never get to see them again. Tuesday night is the new Christmas Day. Why am I so lucky,…
The Bitch Section
What’s with EVERY SINGLE BITCH being behind a cut today? Is it necessary? On a 5 line bitch? REALLY? ANNOYING and Unnecessary. Just fuck off. Hell, even 2 paragraphs doesn’t need to be cut. —Bitch Reader
The English Beat does not go on
Look at those cutie pies You knew that putting ticket sales on hold couldn’t have been good, right? The “more information to follow” never followed and we were told by the Paragon today that the English Beat concert, scheduled November 26 at the Paragon, has been canceled. Get your money back at point of purchase,…
Oh Shut Up
So a few weeks ago when I had H1N1 and took some time off work I nearly lost my job for missing time… and no one seemed to think H1N1 was really a big enough deal for me to be off sick. Now I am sitting here listening to you talk on the phone to…
Everything Sucks
My teachers told me to go to university. I spent years working and going to school part-time. I ended up with a huge student loan and credit card debt. I cannot get a job better than what I had without a degree. Only temporary receptionist, call centre, or data entry jobs. Some jobs turn me…
One cranky bitch!
I know people tend to have bad days and sometimes take it out on others, but I think she just took it a few steps too far. OK, the dude with the cell phone ring tone was pretty annoying, but she didn’t need to break his phone. Be the better person! Did she really need…
Ever walked out to your car?
Have you ever walked out to your car in the morning and noticed that you had left your door unlocked? And as you get closer to your car you hope that everything is still where you left it? Well this afternoon I was walking to my car and noticed the door was unlocked and wondered…
Why Cant I find A Roommate!!!!
OK, I have been looking for a Roommate to share my 2 bdrm on Quinpool for EVER!!!! rent is 500 bucks a month and includes everything, sure, people message me, but they are never meeting up to my expectations, so I am bitching and asking, wanna live with me?!!? 24 year old gay male, the…
Subway Bus Stop On Spring Garden Road
Is it necessary to stand all over the sidewalk so that people walking by need to feel like they’re walking through an obstacle course to get down the street? I realise you all want to get on the bus as fast as possible to get those great seats but come on, have some courtesy.—Alex Chilton
Hawksley Workman at the Rebecca Cohn Friday, April 9
Hawksley’s sassy fashion JUNO Award-winner Hawksley Workman returns to Halifax to perform in support of his two upcoming releases Meat and Milk at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium on Friday, April 9 at 8pm. According to the press release, Workman will release Meat on January 19, while the songs from Milk will be released “via a…
Fireworks In The Commons
This is directed to the three idiots who are setting off fireworks in the Commons as im writing this as well as all the previous idiots who do the same thing every weekend…why? What are you celebrating every single weekend that you need to yell like children and put on the worst fireworks show in…
Onelight Theatre set to take you on a journey
There’s something very satisfying about seeing a play that does more than simply entertain, one that exposes people to new ideas and stimulates conversation. Onelight Theatre’s upcoming production of Return Ticket: Halifax-Abadan-Halifax has all the earmarks of that kind of play. The show explores the choices civilians in war zones have to make: Do you…
you have no conscience
Don’t borrow money from your friends of you don’t want to pay to pay it back. Saying you don’t have it, or are so far behind on bills that you can’t pay it back just makes you look disgusting when you’re out shopping every week or going out to dinner-every week. I’ve learned my lesson…
this whole cab company is out of order
so i called a dartmouth cab company for my friend and they first ring, then i hung up i said wow that was fast the awnserd cab probably wont take long, then we looked out the window and there was a cab in the driveway, my friend scrabbled for her things and when she ran…
CSI MIAMI FUCKING SUCKS
fuck you Hirashio. you are the worst character/actor EVER. and you make everyone who has to act around you just as lame, if i hear “here’s what I’m gonna need you to do” in that monotone voice i get so angry. i don’t understand how this program is still aired on several channels. i wanna…
Sure Thing?
WTF? The coast advertises sure things, yet you fail to mention the best show of the night, Grady! Sure, not many people have heard of them, but this is Gordie Johnson the man behind Big Sugar, producer of the trews and Joel, the coast’s darling. However is in charge of the music at the coast…
Persistent Jehovah’s Witnesses…
To the Jehovah’s Witness who showed up at my door with her son: I was preparing dinner for Mother’s Day and did not have the time to chat. I opened the door and in kindness took your fucking literature. Since then you have shown up time and time again. I see you coming up the…
Yielding. Tough concept. I know.
To the Asshat in the black Mazda RX-8 who cut me off on Chebucto Rd: Yes, that funny little red and white triangle sign means you YIELD to oncoming traffic. Apparently you grasped that for a second… because you did stop… but then figured “F*ck it… I’m done waiting” and cut me off to the…
Prank Phone Call
To the guy who prank phone called me at work on Friday Night. You are frickin hilarious! You have no idea what stress I went through that night. Taking all these phone orders, working around the clock. My head was about to explode. Your hilarious antics made me laugh so hard, and I realized how…
Atlantic Film Fest director Gregor Ash sets sights on federal politics
Having worked in the non-profit arts sector, I can tell you that good administrators are magical beings that can turn dust to diamonds. Well, almost. But it comes as no surprise that the director of one of the city’s highest-profile arts organizations, the Atlantic Film Festival, is making a move to politics. On Thursday, the…
Dio Mio cafe location closed down
Shoptalk spoke with Jed Roche, one of the owners of Dio Mio (Dartmouth Crossing, 21 Logiealmond Close, 469-0187), about the closure of their Brenton Street café, a longtime destination for lovers of homemade gelato and other tasty gourmet snacks. “We owed the landlord rent and he closed it,” reports Roche, simply, adding, “We’d like to…
Brussels Beerfest Imminent
Octoberfest may be gone for another year, but don’t despair, beer-lover. This Wednesday evening, November 18, Brussels Restaurant & Brasserie (1873 Granville Street, 446-4700) is hosting a Belgian Beerfest Dinner. Beer expert Roger Mittag will provide some beer insight, plus there’ll be a reception with mussels followed by a three course dinner paired with unique…
Slayer and Megadeth rescheduled
HORRIBLE FEARFUL HEAD OF RESCHEDULING! As previously reported, Slayer and Megadeth cancelled their Canadian Carnage tour due to Tom Araya’s back injury, but have no fear! The show is back on for Tuesday, February 23 at the Halifax Metro Centre, as stated on the GEG website (see bottom of press release). Testament will open. The…
Alehouse mustache
To the Alehouse bartender who has recently grown that hilarious mustache, you are the reason I drag myself to the bar most weekends. Thanks for the drinks and frequent photo opps.—whiskey sour
Mac repair guy MACEAST Dartmouth
Thank you so much. I walked into your store flailing and freaking out that my computer was dead and all my files were lost. By the time I left, my computer was not only not dead, it was better then when I originally bought it! I am beside myself happy with your fantastic customer service,…
shut the f up southpark
To the workers on Southpark and South, shut the fuck up. You have been there forever, apparently working but mostly just leaning against things while checking out passers by. I don’t mind the sound of equipment as that means you are working but it is NOT necessary to be blaring country, of all types of…
There is hope after all…
To the anonymous woman with the stroller who left an anonymous gift to an anonymous man outside of the Starbucks at Robie and Spring Garden, I saw the man’s smile when he returned to his shopping cart, though you were already gone. It was a small, selfless act of kindness that was provoked without being…
Direct your Hole and Pee in the Bowl
I work in an office building, shared with two companies. Why is it so hard to piss in the the toilet rather than being a human lawn sprinkler (men’s room). And the sinks are like ducks splashing in a pond. Holy Fuck! Do you do this at home? Obviuosly you’re not married—Pissed Off
Forgotten how to drive?
This is a letter to all the asshole drivers in this city lately who have forgotten that when you make a right turn on red, you have to wait for the pedestrians to get through the cross walk. You’re going to kill someone so that you can save 5 seconds. Hope it will be worth…
Do the babies want thier bottles?
Ill start off by saying 2000-5000 people “die” every year from regular influenza. Thats just the way it is! Suck it up! No one likes it including myself, but it’s all part of natural selection. Boo hoo hoo! Im sick of hearing these “cry babies” whine about how sick they are and how our goverment…
appreciate your courtesy..
Thanks girl who held the elevator when I stopped at the main floor to grab my mail! You really didnt have to do that, but you were so nice you waited for me and held the door untill the annoying buzzer went off… It was not expected and it was certainly appreciated :)—eLoVater !
NEWSFLASH: Animals Have Rights
C’mon Hali boys and Hali girls. Get with me, here: Who do u suppose causes more damage to human life, the earth, and the earth’s resources? Good tenants with pets, or human beings who love their investments more than they could ever feel for the earths animals? What am i really saying? I’m saying “Don’t…
One Way or Another, We Gonna Get Ya
I read that the Cape Breton mayor, John Morgan, is being charged by the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society for lawyerly misconduct. This charge comes after he proved unsuccessful in his bid to sue the provincial government for unfair distribution of federal equalization funding. Commenting that he felt that he must go outside the province to…
CONCERTS! Lots and lots of CONCERTS!
Gordon Lightfoot, comes to the Halifax Metro Centre on April 2, after two dates in Newfoundland, at the Holy Heart Theatre in St. John’s on March 29 and 30. Get tickets here. Tickets are $72 and are on sale now. The show starts at 8pm. The man’s a legend, come aaaaaaaan. Jill Barber (The Barbanator,…
News of food
Popular Italian resto Il Mercato (5650 Spring Garden Road, 422-2866) is offering a Prix Fixe menu, Mondays through Thursdays, a three course meal for $35. Also available are flights of wine, chosen to complement the meal, in 3oz and 5oz sizes. It’s worth keeping in mind that local restaurant magnates The Bertozzi Group, which own…
Video: Katrina Tuttle’s spring/summer collection
For those of you still whining that Halifax is a fashion wasteland, it’s time to get over it. A few weeks ago, national fashion media were losing their knee-high boots over Katrina Tuttle’s spring 2010 collection at Toronto Fashion Week (here she is on Fashion Television). Twenty-one-year-old Tuttle made history as the first Atlantic Canadian…
Switcheroo! Tegan and Sara to perform at the Metro Centre Theatre instead of the Cohn
No fan left outside on University Avenue, Tegan and Sara say Press release HQ: “Due to overwhelming demand for tickets, the Tegan and Sara show scheduled for Wednesday, January 27 at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium in Halifax has moved to the Metro Centre Theatre. Tegan and Sara are performing in support of their recently released…
to the loud mouths at the Library
I am tired of going to a certain library (which used to be a quiet place) but nowadays seems to be just another place where people go to carry on their conversations…go to tim horton’s or whereever else you like to hang out and gab and let the library be used as it is meant…
No Yankee Bucks!!!
To all the American tourists who frequent my place of work…no, we DO NOT keep American bills in our till!! What country do you think you’re in?—disgruntled
Bitching in Bed
This bitch is to the media for scaring us all rather than informing us, and to the hypochondriacs who are taxing the health care system because of it. I have been bed-ridden for 10 days with the company of the dreaded pandemic that is coursing through the city’s misinformed veins. I went to the over-run…
Flu fear
I am tired of seeing all these status updates on my facebook from friends claiming to have “terrible colds”, followed by descriptions of “fever, can’t breathe, etc”. Sorry people, a “bad cold” is usually the flu, and it is most likely H1N1, that’s all that’s going around right now that fits that bill. Why do…
Welcome back to work….*cough, cough*
To those who stand out in front of Duke Tower in the morning, virtually blocking the doors I need to enter to go to work every day- Is there nowhere else you can go? Nothing makes me want to enter the building more than a bunch of nicotine-huffing greeters to pollute my lungs. Now, I…
There is hope for the police
I just want to acknowledge the law enforcement officers who chaperoned a “law-breaker” to the ER when I was there one evening. I was impressed with the way they remained in control, yet also went out of their way to ensure this person was comfortable and had what they needed. The cops get a bad…
access bus stop Asshole
to the AssHole parked in front of the Dresdon Row Access a bus stop it took me a while to get that stop in front of my school. So that I didnt have to walk from birmingham (which im barely capable of doing.) I was about to have a little sympathy, when I noticed the…
A year later
A year later, do I feel emotionally different? Some days I’d say yes, other no. Today the latter is true. So sure, I’ve gone out and met new people, made new friends, got a new girl friend. But something about it all feels hollow, like I’m missing a part of me. Eventually, my mind comes…
Go local in the South End
Paper pleasures Before there was the internet, there was Atlantic News (5560 Morris Street, 429-5468), full of newspapers and magazines from around the world. The legendary newsstand remains a destination for your periodical needs—often going directly to the publisher to get titles you’re looking for—and more besides. Co-owner Michele Gerard shows us the new stationery…
I love biking in Halifax
Man, I was just thinking this morning on my 10km ride in to work how awesome it was to be riding a bike. Both the weather and general attitude of drivers was really clicking this past little while. I haven’t seen a whole lot of bitchiness amongst the Bitchers towards on LTWWB lately either. Life…
too much of a recycled and overdone thing
So I go out to Halifax’s oldest pub and to see some live music. It was a Tuesday night. I’m amazed at how stuck up the audience was. It basically went like this: Four increasingly tedious, maudlin, disingenuous, hat-wearin-hipster-cowboy-wannabes get up one after the other and play sets of songs that sound basically indentical and…
The Large Hadron Collider.
People, we need not fear the terrorists. We need not fear H1N1. It isn’t Israel, or the United States. We need to fear a group of scientists who work for an organization called CERN. For years, these nut jobs have been building something called the Large Hadron Collider, which is a device created to find…
someday when I’m older, right?
hey mom, sorry that I am going to do what I love for a living and not what you love for a living. maybe you’re right and I will wind up a starving artist, but hey, you’ve always made my meals so I’ll know where to come looking. I AM going to make a living…
enviro-pirates
i respect the work ethic necessary to collect enough bottles worth only 5 cents each to total enough money to supplement a meagre income. i admire the tenacity of some folks who make it out every single recycling eve in whatever weather to pluck the valuables from the waste. what i don’t respect and admire…
Halifax Scene Recipe Zine gets in the kitchen with some of your favourite locals
If you blinked, you may have missed Kelly Zwicker’s Halifax Scene Recipe Zine at the Halifax Zine Fair during HPX. The zine, filled with recipes from excellent locals like Dog Day, Windom Earle, Envision, BA Johnston, York Redoubt and more, sold out quickly, but there are more on the way. The zine was a labour…
Dartmouth Players have the pipes
Dartmouth Players has assembled a stellar cast for its production of Anything Goes. This play is filled with some of Cole Porter’s most memorable tunes (like “You’re the Top” and “I Get a Kick Out of You”) and they require some fine voices to sing them. Shannon Kelly (who plays nightclub chanteuse Reno) definitely has…
A History Of
Though they’ve been around a few years, this is the local band’s first full-length. Action in the North Atlantic delivers nautical-themed math rock with punk energy, speeding up and turning up the volume of some of their older material. “Strike It From the Lexicon” pairs sullen lyrics with an anxious, angry swell of sound, while…
Devil Eyes
Devil Eyes’ self-titled album doesn’t quite replicate their guitar-smashing performance at HPX, but it comes close. Inspired by early rock ‘n’ roll, the Montreal trio channels the wild, dance-roots of the genre. Devil Eyes jumps across surf, rockabilly, punk, psychedelic blues and Old Time Relijun-esque jazz. But the focus doesn’t change—each track, in its own…
Kings of Convenience
When this indie-folk duo from Norway released its 2001 debut Quiet is the New Loud, it lent (for better or worse) a snappy catchphrase to the burgeoning wave of softly sung, acoustic music that emerged partly in response to tiresome post-grunge homogeneity. Now on its third album, the band’s formula has changed little (the harmonies…
Fujiyama’s wild ride
Look out, Pizza Corner. It’s starting to feel like Grafton is now just a rebellious cheese-topped corner in what’s shaping up to be the Sticky Rice District. The latest sushi house to open in that tiny strip of downtown is Fujiyama, located in the cavernous location that once housed the more literal-minded La Cave and…
Toca Loca
A musical interlude removed from a play, a score cut loose from choreography or a soundtrack excised from a favourite cartoon: apt metaphors for this album by Toca Loca, a trio comprised of pianists Gregory Oh and Halifax’s Simon Docking and percussionist Aiyun Huang—all share vocals. But it’s the non-vocal compositions (the eighth, ninth and…
Boom-buster business
With the holidays approaching, Hollywood is rolling out a second batch of blockbusters primed to either capitalize on the spirit of the season (A Christmas Carol) or provide a couple of hours of blissful escapism, like this week’s “rock ’em, sock ’em, world-go-boom!” epic, 2012, from today’s maestro of destruction, Roland Emmerich. The trailer indicates…
NDP deliver protected wilderness to seal hunters
Oh, how I wish I could declare Province House a protected wilderness. How else to preserve that rare and forever-endangered flower, political common sense. Now that the NDP juggernaut has swept into office, political common sense may be trampled into extinction. Consider, for example, last week’s verbal gyrations performed by our new environment minister. Sterling…
Smooth sailing for A History Of
In its inimitable nautical rock ‘n’ roll style, A History Of smashes a bottle of champagne on the bow of its debut album, Action in The North Atlantic, November 14 at Club 1668, along with York Redoubt, Bad Vibrations and Cold Warps. The first full-length release by the band, Action in the North Atlantic expands…
Critical Mass confusion
“What are you guys doing?” asks a woman from inside her parked car on Spring Garden. More than a hundred cyclists, some dressed as skeletons, sex workers and bears, are blocking her from pulling out of her pit-stop at Timmy’s. “We’re going for a bike ride,” answers one of the Canadian Olympians. It’s Critical Mass,…
Good Hair shines
Comedian Chris Rock combs through the culture and industry of African-American hair, and its complicated, fraught history, with observational humour and surprising depth. Director-collaborator Jeff Stilson guides the affable Rock through a world of pop-can-eroding relaxer chemicals (Rock observes it’s called relaxer because it’s actually relaxing white people), expensive weaves and underground hair markets, with…
Domination dynamics
Q I am a 30-year-old woman, married for five years to a man eight years my senior. Lately I have become more aware that I am turned on by the idea of bondage, specifically men locked up in chastity devices. I am ashamed of myself because it seems perverse and disturbed. My husband is a…
Impressive and familiar Love & Savagery
Love & Savagery takes place in 1969 Ballyvaughan, in Ireland. Newfoundlander, poet and geologist Michael (Allan Hawco) is there to look at rocks, though swiftly becomes interested in local barmaid Cathleen (Sarah Greene). But Cathleen’s bound for the nunnery and the village’s highly protective men-folk don’t take kindly to some outsider distracting fair Cathleen so…
Horatio the swan’s last song
Halloween brought a nasty surprise to the Public Gardens. Gardens staff found their swan, Horatio, dead on the morning of November 1. Horatio is remembered for his cantankerous disposition. “He was crazy and mean,” says gardener Tracy Jessen, who was often attacked by the swan while feeding him. “He could definitely draw blood.” This is…
Don’t be scared by 2012
Director Roland Emmerich declares his superiority to Italian Renaissance artists in 2012, first by threatening the Mona Lisa, then by reveling in the destruction of the Sistine Chapel. 2012 (AKA Revenge of the Earth) has been under some scrutiny for exploiting 9/11 imagery. But its failure isn’t that noble: Emmerich hasn’t the skill to invoke…
People should wear both red and white poppies
Re: “White poppy or red poppy?” poll, November 5. Poppies remind us of peace as we remember the soldiers who died in the First World War. White poppies also remind us of the millions of innocent civilians who die in wars. War is less and less about soldiers going into battle. Today, soldiers can sit…
Don’t You Forget About Me: A Tribute to John Hughes
Surprisingly, the new documentary Don’t You Forget About Me isn’t a crass cash-in on tragedy, but a well-meaning love letter, filmed before John Hughes’ unexpected death. In 2006, four Canadian filmmakers embarked on a two-year quest to explore how the writer-director managed to “capture the growing pains of adolescence so perfectly” in films like The…
Slow Food’s Edible Schoolyard doc released
Head to Keshen Goodman Library Sunday (Nov. 15, 2:30pm) for a screening of Slow Food Nova Scotia’s new documentary, The Edible Schoolyard. The film tells the story of a group of Summerville students with green thumbs. Dr. Arthur Hines’ elementary students have been tending a vegetable garden at school for nearly six years, as part…
Vaccine article missing some key points
I was disappointed Lezlie Lowe’s column this week (“Anti antigen,” The Lowe Files, November 5) on Rachael Smith-Bakhache didn’t include some critical elements. What are her religious beliefs? How was she brought up? Why does she have these views (other than hating processed, sugar-laden foods)? This lady sounds sadly misinformed and her Luddite beliefs pose…
Pirate Radio play
Richard Curtis’ story of a rock radio station broadcasting from a ship anchored on the coast of England in the 1960s manages to capture an anarchic and anti-authoritarian spirit, without being strident or shallow. By not taking either of the main plots—the rock boat and Kenneth Branagh’s governmental crusade to bring it back into harbour—too…
Possible respite for Victorian hotel
Dexel Developments owner Louis Lawen has offered a respite for at least one of the three historic buildings at the corner of Hollis and Morris streets. The buildings are slated for demolition. Lawen says he’s offered to contribute the value of the demolition of the buildings (about $30,000) to moving the buildings—if the Nova Scotia…
Offensive comment made in “The Gomer Times”
Seth Scriver: I know that you were probably just being “ironic” or using a lazily cliched character, but using the phrase “cocksucker” as an epithet in numbers 17, 18 and 20 of your strip The Gomer Times, and then having the character using the term shoot the alleged cocksucker in strip number 21 was something…
O’Horten
Taciturn train engineer Odd Horten (Bård Owe) lives alone in Norway. His closest friend is the man who sells him tobacco; his senile mother can barely respond to the tulips he brings her. Unsurprisingly, retirement leaves Odd without mooring. Each morning, he dons a jaunty engineer’s cap he has no reason to wear. But O’Horten…
May Ocean versus Goliath
A simple car accident has turned into a nine-year court battle between one of Canada’s largest insurance companies and a cash-strapped artist. Economical Mutual says May Ocean’s unorthodox scientific theories about the origin of humans and language prove she is “delusional.” But Ocean says she’s just trying to get justice.
Selected Blackouts, John Goldbach (Insomniac)
Full of honest but not overly sentimental emotion, Selected Blackouts is a strong debut collection of short stories based mainly on adolescence and young adulthood. A blackout theme ties the book together subtly but neatly. “How Much Do They Know?” is a painfully detailed interior monologue about romance and secrets within a group of friends,…
Inventory, The AV Club (Simon & Schuster)
Any book that begins with a list of “Keanu Reeves movies that Keanu Reeves didn’t ruin” has me at River’s Edge. The AV Club gathered the best of their cleverly skewed pop culture lists into an hilarious compendium of tragic movie masturbation scenes, disgusting movie meals, songs nearly ruined by saxophones and Simpsons references, adding…
Rebecca Born in the Maelstrom, Marie-Claire Blais (Anansi)
Rebecca was born in the Maelstrom, but you’re perhaps not so prepared for the swirling, crushing vortex of Marie-Claire Blais’ latest offering. Her GG Award-winner, composed in one paragraph and with pages-long sentences, is as clear as the Income Tax Act. It’s the fourth novel in a series, which could be to blame for my…
Billy Bragg stays true to rights
A deft lyricist with a warm and compassionate voice, 51-year-old Billy Bragg has never been one to duck the inevitability of romance or the importance of protest. “I’m trying to provide people with different perspectives on things, but not just one particular thing,” he says by phone. “The people that I worry about are the…
Ryan Turner tests What We’re Made Of
If you ever meet Ryan Turner, watch out for his little tan notebook. The Moleskin pad has a spine barely half the width of your pinky, but it holds the secrets to many of Turner’s characters—and one of them might be a piece of you. “Once in a while, someone will say something that I…
No apologies from The Sorrys
Trevor Millet pulls at his scraggly salt-and-pepper beard before pausing: “We understand you, and thus we can make you feel better.” The Sorrys’ affable frontman is being facetious, but, given that the quartet has been dubbed “the elder statesmen of the Halifax music scene,” there’s some sage advice in there too. Although in their 40s,…
Party like it’s H1N1
Foods that are finger-lickin’ good might not be a first choice these H1N1 days, but the ever-popular wing strip on Spring Garden Road shows no sign of slowing its pace. Bring your friends (and hand sanitizer) to one of these joints for cheap eats. Bubba Ray’s Sports Bar Bubba Ray’s is the king of wings…
The Gideons
Holy shit, The Gideons! The Halifax quintet’s spirited, joyful double album Oxford Street is perhaps the most ambitious local endeavour of the year—and the most successful. They have tethered their fun messiness without sacrificing any exuberance. It’s almost stressful finding a favourite song because you’ll have so many. “I Will Take You To The Ivory…
