Bussy Basterds
To all the bus drives that drive away when someone is less than 4 meters from reaching the bus stop, while running, Especially when its piss poor raining, and you condescendingly shake your head at us as if we should have done better. Well what about the people that have 3 kids at home and…
grammar and spelling 101
Please, please, please stop using apostrophes in plurals. Plurals are not possessives. There’s no apostrophe is theirs; there is no apostrophe in the words “washers” or “dryers”. The word “washers” is the plural form of “washer”. Please capitalise the first word of your sentence. Please use punctuation correctly; more to the point, use punctuation. Thank…
Planter in the middle of the public sidewalk on South Park.
On Patrol, case number 16.25
Fuck
fuck fucked
Helen Hill retrospective
A lot of Haligonians tuned in to watch the CBC documentary After the Storm that aired on October 29. It was as much a lovely celebration of the late filmmaker Helen Hill, who was murdered in her New Orleans home, and Hill’s beloved husband Paul Gailiunas, as it was an investigation into a city destroyed…
Marquee closure confirmed
Though owner Victor Syperek denied it to Shoptalk two weeks back, he confirmed to CBC today what everyone already knew: The Marquee Club is toast as of the new year. “I just constantly lost so much money, it got to the point that if I carried on in business it would jeopardize everything else I…
HAHAHAHAAHAHA!
You’re so funny “headliner” guy at Ginger’s stand-up night last Sunday. Making fun of women is really hilarious and so original! Also, alienating half your audience to make the other half laugh is a GREAT strategy, especially when there are like, 12 people in the room, and your jokes AREN’T EVEN FUNNY. Just two more…
Websites
Why is it that some websites make commenting on content harder than it should be?! Is it difficult to have clear comment dividers, or poster reply buttons? I mean, clear reply threads are old hat for most websites, why aren’t certain websites on board too? Also, abortion is wrong. Hanging On By A Thread
Smoking at bus stops
It’s been almost 2 years since the by-law went into effect and everyday there are still lots of smokers standing at the bus stops blowing their bad habit into my face. Now there are some who try to stand down wind but there are many more that are lighting up even as they step off…
beep beep
okay, i just moved to downtown halifax. All i can hear every single day including sundays is “beep beep” constantly. It doesn’t stop. I feel like I am going to go mad. I can’t sleep. I assume its a delivery truck or construction but can they be backing up all day? what?????????
to the owners of an aveda concept salon on spring garden
go back to business school unhappy custie
Kids at movies
I’m so sick of going to a movie rated 14A/R and sitting around a bunch of children who are with their parents. Parents, act responsibly and leave your children at home. There is a reason these ratings are in place – because the material is inappropriate for children. Can you not just have an adult…
Clipped
To the asshole who hit the cyclist crossing Robie St. earlier this week and kept going: I hope someone takes a shit in your drivers seat and urinates in your coffee. Isn’t it time we start looking at the serious issues brought about by the overwhelming number of cars driving in the city and refusing…
Clear umbrellas
I’m sick and tired of these stupid clear umbrellas. Am I really the only one who has had to dodge past these ignorami because they can’t see where they’re walking since they’ve stuck their head up side the umbrella thinking “it’s clear, I’ll be able to see through it!” I’ve got one word for you…
Crosswalk
So yet again yesterday, I watch a car blow through a crosswalk, forcing the pedestrian in his way to jump back. And as usual, the police in the car immediately behind him do absolutely nothing about it. At least the pedestrian didn’t get killed this time. But I guess it’s easier to hose down the…
Senseless breaking stuff
If you are old enough to sign a lease, you should be old enough to perhaps not break things such as washing machine’s, especially knowing how the landlord doesn’t really fix things such as that. Case in point. At some time over the weekend, an immature person decided won’t it be great to break the…
Wait on THIS!
Okay folks, I thought this was common sense/decency but apparently I was wrong. If you go out to eat in a restaurant please PLEASE give your server a decent tip! I know there are many folks out there who don’t care what kind of service they provide, but there are also many who try very…
Nose blowers
I can’t stand when I am sitting in class and all I can hear the whole time is the person beside me blowing their nose. If you are so sick that you have to CONSTANTLY blow your nose all class- stay home! And it’s even worse when you are sitting behind someone and they are…
All women in HRM
This both a bitch and a warning. Both of which are directly related to the HRP.( I am in the process of making a formal complaint) I recently had a run in with a guy who is twice my size, and quite possibly, twice my strength. The fucker ripped me off, and I found him…
LASIK wins
Co-founders Mark Cohen and Avi Wallerstein of LASIK MD (1801 Hollis), a national provider of laser vision correction, were named Ernst & Young’s 2008 Entrepreneurs of the Year last month.
Catherine Banks wins Governor General’s Award
Earlier today it was announced that Halifax playwright Catherine Banks won the Governor General’s Award for Drama for her play Bone Cage (Playwrights Canada Press). In the press release it says: “With her expert command of dramatic metaphor, Catherine Banks shows us the life-blood of rural Canada flowing through the conflicted, bone-caged human heart. What…
Mystic delights
Into the Mystic (1082 Cole Harbour), a cafe and curio shop with astrology readings and such, hosts a grand opening party November 30, noon to 5pm.
Winter clay workshops
Clay Cafe(6413 Quinpool) offers a children’s winter workshop November 18. For information call 429-2994.
Elephant brunches
Elephant and Castle Pub and Restaurant (5171 George) now offers a weekend brunch.
PB and burger
Ever tried a peanut butter burger? Darrell’s (5576 Fenwick) is offering an all day Monday special that includes a second burger for 1/2 price.
Best Chai: Trident
Trident Bookseller’s and Cafe (1256 Hollis) was given props in Elle Canada magazine’s travel section this month. Trident was granted the title of Best Chai for their signature freshly brewed Dragon Chai house tea, boasting distinct flavours of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves and black pepper.
failing grade for schools
Okay, I know my kid brother is trouble. We adopted him and all the baggage that he comes with. My mother and I hate the behaviours and the syndromes, but we love the child and with therapy (real therapy) we hope to shape him into a productive member of society. Our local school is not…
Rotary
This is to all the ASSHOLES in the left lane from Quinpool Road to the Rotary..And Yes you KNOW who you are!..You are those ASSHOLES who switch lanes to the right WITHOUT seeing if there is a a car IN the lane already!..It is a god damn LANE CHANGE if you didn’t know it already!..Signal…
Fresh & Local
Last month Craig Flinn, chef and owner of Chives Canadian Bistro (1537 Barrington), hosted a seven course launch dinner in honour of the release of his first cookbook, Fresh & Local. The cookbook hit bookshelves everywhere last week and boasts over 150 locally inspired recipes.
Hopping mad at Ginger’s
Granite Brewery and Ginger’s Tavern (1662 Barrington) has a new brew on tap—Hopping Mad, a heavy beer clocking in at six percent alcohol. Gin Lane Ale, a barley wine, has also returned to the taps. A great gift idea for beer lovers are Granite gift cards (available in denominations from $25 -$200, they never expire),…
Fish and brews
Head on down to Garrison Brewery (1149 Marginal) November 20 for a trap-shrimp event, as chefs from local restaurants will be preparing delicious sea-fare onsite. Chedabucto Bay trap-shrimp, a community-based fishery around the Canso and Arichat-area, are famous for their high quality trap-shrimp caught in an ecologically sustainable way. Tickets are $15 (includes shrimp, beer…
WhyAre Some Women So Fucking Stoopid?
Just reading in one of the other posts about this woman who spent $40 on hand creme. She is but one of millions of women yearly who hand over their cash for expensive moisterizers (hand, face, eyes. This last one kills me because the more you rub anything around your eyes, the baggier they will…
Heartwood after dark
Organic vegetarian restaurant Heartwood Bakery & Cafe (6250 Quinpool) has been growing a variety of roots, including a 13th anniversary, new signage, vegan desserts and daily specials. Not to mention a live performance with Mike Evan and Dan Bryk November 15. “Heartwood After-dark is an attempt to bring a night crowd to the restaurant with…
#80 Bus
>Here is my applause to the trash theatre on the 80. I’m glad you and your friends can still drink, smoke and do drugs till your hearts content and that having two babies doesn’t slow you down from picking up men on the bus. I just really don’t want to hear about it from the…
Perhaps you should mind your own fucking business
To the bitch on the bus on Friday that turned around and shook her head when I opened up a jar of hand cream: fuck off! I know you were shaking your head because it’s a “scented product”….ONLY IT WASN’T. It was unscented. You only knew I was putting anything on because you heard the…
Do it.
http://realworldcasting.mtv.com/people/tristantrouble click vote this is a bitch on MTV i hate MTV but this guy could make it worth watching.. just syain Please
Meow!
Catwoman is a fucking slut… BOTTOM LINE! I hate sluts
Classified explains it all
After more than a dozen years and a dozen records, hip-hop producer/rapper Classified has gone major: his Sony debut will drop in 2009. “We’ve been going back and forth with Sony since February to get this deal done and make it make sense,” reports Class, AKA Luke Boyd, from a Winnipeg hotel room, the latest…
BYOB
come on Nova Scotia, get with it. Port of Wines is in a perfect location for BYOB / BYOW. To restaurants, we’ll eat at least 10 dollars more and more often I promise. leaving here
Bike lanes are for Bikes, not cars
Driving along the bedford highway into town this morning, I don’t remember how many cars drove for a quarter of a km (or longer!)in the BIKE Lane to get around the traffic. Now if the Bedford highway needs another lane, it needs another lane. But you do NOT get to drive in the Bike lanes…
Broken Bottles
Smashing glass bottles ANYWHERE downtown should be illegal. And punishable by the insertion of glass shards into the sole of your foot. I have a puppy. I took said puppy for a walk downtown today and she ended up with glass in three of her paws. WHY THE FUCK does everyone think it is entertaining…
Tea time
Dartmouth’s Copper Kettle Tea House Limited (44 Ochterloney) opened last month in the former home of Queen of Cups. OwnerCara White has revamped the floral surroundings to a European-style tea house. “We have over 23 Nova Scotian teas available from Mahone Bay,” says White. “We serve fresh homemade food made daily. There are hotspecials, soups,…
Bundles of Joy on Buses.
To every parent who lets their toddler sit on a seat on an over-full bus, that kid can sit on your fucking lap! To every mother who indulges herself in buying a MASSIVE baby carriage for a TINY baby… To every mother who brings said behemoth carraige on small-cramped buses… To every mother who leaves…
I just don’t get it!
To an old acquaintance/ friend: Is there a reason you don’t want me as a Facebook friend? I added you and eventually realized that you didn’t confirm me (when I noticed that you recently became my sister’s fb friend, who also added you around the same time I did, but you were still not on…
Police traffic infraction???
Date: November 14, 2008 Time: 1:03 pm Location: Corner of Queen and Spring Garden Who: 3 Fully uniformed On-duty Halifax Police Officers. All over-weight, with BMI’s over 23, one stuffing her face with remnants of some greasy snack. What: Violation of Section 93(1)(i) of Nova Scotia’s Motor Vehicle Act. (Jaywalking) Why: The officers, ignoring the…
Some people never change…
This is a huge FUCK YOU to the douchebag former high school mates who humiliated me in front of everyone. I ran into an old high school friend who I haven’t seen in 10 years, grade 12. She invited me to this event that was being held, it was a high school reunion type thing.…
Miss my old smelly shoes
After splitting from a certain awesome downtown pub last night, I left my drenched black flats outside the door of my boyfriend’s apartment rather than bringing them in to spread their potent reek. When I got up at 6 a.m. to head home, there they weren’t. Whoever stole my shoes is either a sick pervert…
Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, I am a dietitian involved in food security work. Food security means all people at all times can access and afford nutritious food in ways that maintain human dignity. The United Nations has designated food as a basic human right. Unfortunately many poor people in Nova Scotia do not experience this right. I…
Toronto by the Sea
“It was in the Spring this year of grace with new life pushing through, that I looked from the Citadel down to the narrows and asked what its coming to. I saw upper Canadian concrete and glass right down to the waterline and I heard an old song down on Fisherman’s Wharf can I sing…
for the food court employees at scotia square
okay, not the greatest place to eat, but the indian place is great and the korean devine… now, how about this. saturday the people picking up trays and stray debris toss dirty trays onto the same cart as the clean…as she passes she says to herself outloud, now i wonder who needs trays (meaning the…
Nova Scotia Power and the government
Graham Steele, MLA for Halifax-Fairview, writes to correct a mistake in an article I wrote last week on Nova Scotia Power’s rate increases. Hi Tim. I read your recent piece about NS Power with interest. You had me right until the end, where I found this: Last year, groups representing low-income residents, ratepayers, businesses and…
Dogs at Remembrance Ceremonies
Sure there are hero dogs who helped the Allied cause during both wars. They were working dogs, not pets. Leave ’em at home and remember those who gave up their lives for the freedom we have today. Sick of Boors
You are a waste of skin: “Remember Me”
To the panhandler chick with the sign (“Remember Me”) around her neck on Spring Garden yesterday….you are a waste of skin. hope to forget you
Metro Manners
Thank-you, for allowing me to sit only on the very edge of the bus seat. After a long day it was a pleasure to have people push past me, bending my portfolio case and all my hard work. The only thing I care about was that your precious bag was comfy. Bag Lady
Pump it along
Dear 20-something fit guy; Are you illiterate or something? Miss the orientation I know you had to go through to join? Because it looks like your ass is glued to the circuit machine I’m trying to use. SO GET UP. You fucking well know that you’re not supposed to do multiple sets or rest on…
tellusaboutsobeys.com
why cant they use the one they used to when my husband worked there and a could enter now u cant do it on line because it isnt real rock
The World is Not Your Nanny
Wednesday morning I was shopping at Dollarama in Halifax Shopping Center. I wandered around, not particularly alert. I don’t know what prevented me from trampling on the unattended toddler in my path, since he was completely hidden from my sight by my basket full of cheap chinese tchotchkes. That metal basket would have smoked the…
Stinky Picnicface
Okay, you special, special Picnicface fan-girl. It’s time for a reality check. You were at the Tuesday show @ Yuk Yuks, and you smelled like a pail of smoked shit, stored in a damp laundry hamper full of your moldy, yellowed exercise shorts. No, it wasn’t perfume, it wasn’t “natural scent” living, which I’m cool…
Lie detector tests
Kudos to the Chronicle-Herald, which put the resources and reporters into tracking down the details of HRM’s questionable lie detector tests given to prospective city employees.The lie test comes at the end of the process, after the applicant has already spent hundreds of dollars on other tests, and the questions are seemingly arbitrary, if not…
Waterfront construction & third harbour crossing
Construction is about to begin on the Waterfront, at the foot of Salter Street. A portion of the parking lot has been fenced off, and a backhoe is parked, awaiting the delivery of supplies. The project will add the last remaining 1,000 feet of the boardwalk— presently, the path is crushed gravel. I spoke with…
Why did they even bother?
<The other day, I ordered a veggie burger in a Dartmouth mall food court. Now, the vegetarians have kicked up such a fuss, that there’s now (thank god) a new veggie burger in town. However, after placing my order, the lady tells me that the burger’s cooked in the same oil as the chicken. ..Hold…
Student Lounge Thief
Whoever is the scumbag who stole from our student lounge, please put the freaking balls back! Because you are such a moron, every one of us is being punished! Shame on you! Unhappy Student
Early AM Stinkbomb
To the douchebag who gets on the 20 first thing in the morning: Take a fucking bath instead of covering up your BO with tons of perfume! Yeah, YOU! I Have Allergies
Dogs on Remembrance Day
Who the fuck brings barking dogs to the Grand Parade on Remembrance Day? Would you bring your mutts to a funeral? Show some respect. Keep them home
Clueless Shoppers
Published November 11, 2008. Clueless Shoppers Does anyone out there realize that there is a mass of hard working people who secretly judge you on a daily basis? These people are known as retailers. Are you the person who can clearly see a top comes in black or white but asks if there is any…
Remembrance Day
It’s November 6th and the amount of people that I see not wearing poppies, astounds me. From the immaculately dressed to the casually dressed to the freakishly dressed, those not wearing poppies piss me off. My grandfather, his brother. my next-door neighbour and countless other men and women all served their country and fought for…
Bitch
People use this Bitch section to vent. What’s up with all the shut-down comments that follow the op? Person obviously just wanted to get something off their chest– the pettiness of a complaint shouldn’t be relevant. What is this thing for any way? Bitch
Letters to the Editor
It is hard to believe that after all the consultation and the consensus among stakeholders, the province can pretend to have any coherent reason for not creating an energy efficiency agency for DSM. The Coast dropped the ball by not getting someone from EAC, which took leadership on this issue, to comment on the article.…
i see rowboats sink
Leading candidate for worst news of the music year: The majestic, awe-inspiring, breathtaking quintet i see rowboats has called it quits, leaving a huge hole and unrealized brilliance in the scene. More soon. Happy weekend.
Arsehole driving on Kearney Lake Road
Hey lady, I’ve driven behind you a few times on the way home and I see you frequently (and I mean frequently) whipping your head around to look at the child that is obviously in the back seat. Keep your fucking eyes on the road. You spend more time looking at your kid then you…
City cycles in circles again
To the editor: After reading Chris Benjamin’s “Cycling in circles” (Oct. 30, Sustainable City), I began to rant and rave about how much bikers piss me off as a driver and how it clearly makes sense to commit money, all $1.4 million, to the protection of Metro Transit workers. I especially wanted to argue with…
Metro Transit Stroller Brigade
If I have to attempt to climb aboard a bus again, to go to work, and can’t get past the driver because there are THREE large strollers in the way, I’m going to start biffing little kids out the doorway. Get a small, umbrella stroller, strap your baby to your chest, or make your lazy…
Classified goes major
After more than a decade of beatmaking and rhyme-throwing out of his home base of Enfield, hip-hop artist Classified has signed a deal with Sony, with his major label debut dropping in March of next year. ““It’s hard to ignore the success of Classified and his tireless approach to building his career the old fashioned…
Work harder, get paid less
A press release from the Centre for Policy Alternatives: Nova Scotians are working harder and smarter but the majority have been denied the fruits of the economic growth they’ve helped create, says a new report released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Nova Scotia (CCPA-NS).Hard Working Province: Is It Enough? by Mathieu Dufour…
Nomination for New Best-of Category
I checked out your Best of Halifax issue this week and felt a potent mixture of fury and sadness upon reading the category “Best Pick-up Bar”. I’d like to propose a new category and nominate this establishment (and others) as “Most likely Spot to be Drugged and Sexually Assaulted”. While acknowledging that sexual assault can…
thank you, not a bitch
I want to say thanks to the 2 people who found my grandpa who had fallen, outside on the ground somewhere around the Westmount / Chebucto area. We have no idea who you are & my grandfather remembers nothing, but if you read this please know that it means a lot. Thank you so much,…
This week’s live gig snap
Christina MartinSunday, November 9, 8:40pm, Nova Scotia Music Weekphoto Scott Blackburn
Your frigging ring will not “gay you up”
I am sick and tired of people coming in to get pierced and asking my what the “gay” side is. THERE IS NO GAY SIDE. Knock it off with the fucking outdated homophobia and put the goddamn thing where you want it. I’m also simultaneously impressed and frustrated by the fact that pretty much every…
Anti-bus message on bus ad.
Remarks: The ad “shows a dejected-looking man, in a suit, sitting on a bench with a bus stop sign beside it,” explains On Patrol tipster Karen McKendry. “The accompanying text reads: ‘Good people can have bad credit. Need a car?’ Ouch! So, people who have bad credit are forced to take the lame-o city bus?…
City in circles redux
To the editor, In his column, “Cycling in circles”, Chris Benjamin was spot on in his assessment of cycling in Halifax. While the city likes to point at 40km of bike lanes, it’s nothing to be proud of and needs perspective. Back at the Halifax Cycling Coalition annual general meeting in June, a different city…
She-Men of Nova Scotia
Okay, I’m not from around here. I grew up in Western Canada where the advice on how to be a lady revolves around grace, beauty and all things sweet or nurturing (not to be confused with get-it-done business woman). I understand beauty is in the eye of the beholder but, stereotypically speaking, a “bar whore”…
Trailer Park Boys no more
According to a note posted this morning by Mike Clattenburg on the Showcase website, Trailer Park Boys are at the end of the line: “Over the past few months there has been a lot of discussion among our fans and those in the media about the future of Trailer Park Boys. Will there be another…
Christina Martin
Christina MartinMonday, Nov. 10, 9:55pm, Nova Scotia Music Weekphoto Scott Blackburn
Where Have People’s Manners Gone??
Published November 08, 2008. Where Have People’s Manners Gone?? I’m wondering if people have forgotten what manners actually are. “You’re welcome” and “Thank you” seem to have become extinct. If I am walking through a door and someone is behind me, I will hold it open for that person. If someone holds it open for…
The collapse of the Port of Halifax
This chart describes the collapse of the global shipping industry over the past couple of months. There’s nothing that local port officials can do about it. But for a city and province that are betting their futures on port business, shouldn’t politicians, business people and reporters be talking about this? Put simply, the cost of…
Hypocritical Mass
Fuck you Critical Mass. You acted like a old Trucker Convoy, a whole goddamn mob of you guys blowing through the red lights. I was held up at the intersection for 10 minutes, wondering what the hell your deal was. So, I checked your website: “There is no official purpose to the ride, but it…
Role Models
The reason Role Models is unfulfilling is that it’s sometimes good. Enough of it is better than it needed to be, that it’s disappointing that the rest of it plays as expected. But give points where due, because it’s half well-written enough to bring the scenario somewhere imaginative. Wheeler (Seann William Scott) and Danny (Paul…
Soul Men
The final film of the great comic actor Bernie Mac provides enough interest to keep Soul Men watchable. But beyond his love/hate camaraderie with co-star Samuel L. Jackson, Soul Men doesn’t ignite. This is a letdown because director Malcolm D. Lee (Roll Bounce) has previously channelled the ethos and soul of ’70s funk. In Soul…
The Maynards’ date with destiny
Animal collectors: The Maynards new album, Date and Destroy, “leaves” the competition behind. When you go on a date with The Maynards, they pick you up at the door. The Maynards actually ring my doorbell—no honking from the curb or impatient text messages from this band. At first impression, you’ll probably think, like me, that…
True crime
In 2000, when Michael Calce was 15, he used his superpower to take down yahoo.com, cnn.com, ebay.com, dell.com, etrade.com and amazon.com. Calce’s power is this: He can hack computer networks and turn them into an army of mechanized zombies—a “botnet,” in hacker parlance. His alter ego: mafiaboy. Calce was always a natural with computers. “The…
Boom Bap Zap Rap
Borne from a messy love-in between hip-hop, techno, R&B and dance hall, the “yet-to-be-titled” street bass is the latest subgenre to explode on the world’s enlightened dance floors. Not only does this movement have its trademark sounds and tempos, it has its trademark players. Instead of the DJ, street bass nights feature producers as performers,…
Mondo metal
Scot McFadyen’s been up and at it since seven this morning, starting his day on the court. “We just played two hours of tennis this morning and that gets us going,” he says about the latest in his regular matches with Sam Dunn, without a trace of tiredness in his tone on the line from…
Our Starland/Dear Canada Council
Our Starland/Dear Canada CouncilEmily Holton(Conundrum) NSCAD University alumna Emily Holton demonstrates her artistic and literary talents in two novellas bound together in the same book. Dear Canada Council will be popular with anyone who has ever filled out the endless and unnecessary pages of grant applications. But this narrator hopes that Canada Council can help…
Taste toast
How is provincial politics like professional wrestling? Taste of Nova Scotia, the organization that shills for Scotia year round, held its first annual Prestige awards ceremony last Thursday at the Prince George Hotel. Folksy agriculture minister Brooke Taylor was there, saying, “It’s nice after the cut and thrust of the house to come here and…
Norma MacDonald
Norma MacDonaldThe Forest for the Trees(indie) Here’s an ache you can’t shake, with more country pain in Norma MacDonald’s voice than you may wish to explore. The tightest landing of her many metaphors is “Unseasonably Warm” with its flock of geese confused by a mild spell, like a heart receiving mixed signals. Charles Austin’s banjo…
Liquid art
Benjamin Bridge, a new sparkling wine specialist in the flourishing Gaspereau Valley, produced the sellout Nova 7 sparkler wine. They were also the Gold sponsor for the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia’s annual benefit gala, Art Takes Flight, held November 2 at the Lord Nelson Hotel. While the fundraiser featured silent and live art auctions,…
Rise Against
Rise AgainstAppeal To Reason (Geffen)Now three albums into big-label territory, Rise Against is again weathering calls of sellout. But even though the band rose from the ashes of melodic hardcore’s golden children 88 Fingers Louie, Rise Against has never claimed to be anything. Instead, the band has simply explored their influences, be it punk, metal…
Mount Eerie w/Julie Doiron, Fred Squires
Mount Eerie w/Julie Doiron, Fred SquiresLost Wisdom(indie)In typical Phil Elverum style, Lost Wisdom is a warm, intimate recording full of existential questioning and naturalistic spiritualism. Recorded with long-time heroes Julie Doiron and Fred Squires, it’s a near-perfect example of how collaborations should be done. They each have such an unfiltered, organic aesthetic; their subtle restraints…
Cockroach
CockroachRawi Hage (Anansi)Following up his IMPAC Dublin Literary Award-winning debut novel, De Niro’s Game, Lebanon-born, Montreal-based Canadian novelist Rawi Hage storms back with Cockroach, another probing, intriguing and powerfully thrilling immersion into the mindset and mores of mainstream Middle Eastern agnostics. This time, however, Hage pitches his compelling story not in sectarian violence-ravaged Beirut, but…
More
More Austin Clarke(Thomas Allen Publishers)We all want more, living according to our collective, out-of-control consumerist impulse. The spongy social fabric of individuals who want nothing more than to soak up money, materials and social-status credits wraps itself around, and squeezes, Idora. She’s the Barbadian single mother living in Toronto, whose four disorienting days of worry…
Bob Dylan
Bob DylanTell Tale Signs: Rare and Unreleased 1989-2006(columbia)Volume eight in the so-called Bootleg Series features music that will leave you astounded at what misses the cut. Time Out of Mind (1997) began Dylan’s return to relevance as a writer and performer. One could argue the four unreleased tracks from that session are as brilliant as…
Happy-Go-Lucky
Happy-Go-Lucky is being mis-sold as a comedy. This is because its main character, a young London primary teacher who goes by the nickname Poppy (Sally Hawkins), is an unbreakable optimist. In reality, Happy-Go-Lucky operates, like all Mike Leigh films, observing behaviour without judgment. Calling a Leigh film positive is as simplistic as calling his other…
John Brown’s Body
John Brown’s BodyAmplify(Easy Star)This oddly dubbed band (named for a 19th-century American abolitionist) came together through a meeting of members from Boston and upstate New York. Singer and co-producer Elliott Martin, who went through throat surgery prior to making this album, brings a classic-sounding voice—a higher tenor carrying passion and urgency to the tracks—to bear…
It all makes you gay
Q: I have to say I’m disappointed. Proposition 8 passed in California, as did anti-gay-marriage amendments in Florida and Arizona. Decency and compassion suffered a horrible blow, and I was hoping to hear a few words from you about it—some inspiration before I took off from work to go and protest the Mormon church. Maybe…
Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth
Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of WealthMargaret Atwood(Anansi)Only Margaret Atwood can turn finance into a gripping tale of mythology and history. In her 2008 Massey Lecture, she looks at debt in all its forms—credit card, budget deficits and debts that require a human life to be repaid. Going from prehistory through classical and Middle…
The Fall
The FallDirected by: Tarsem Singh(Columbia/Tristar)The Fall, director Tarsem Singh’s ambitious follow-up to The Cell, was shot in 18 countries and is awash in extra-dazzling visuals—butterfly-shaped islands, richly coloured sands, swimming elephants. The film looked mighty pretty on my laptop screen and on the big screen I bet it’d be full-on stunning. The film tells the…
Photo finish
It’s Wednesday evening at Argyle Fine Art and Chr!s Sm!th and Argyle director Adriana Afford are surrounded by a few dozen half-packed frames containing Sm!th’s photos of musicians and artists’ responses to them. Sm!th and Afford are getting ready to take Repixxto Nova Scotia Music Week, and this is the first time that all the…
Saudade – Possibilities of Place
Saudade – Possibilities of Place(Coach House Books)Anik SeeAnik See doesn’t see very well. Or, she doesn’t look that hard, letting her eye and mind rest on the well-worn, scuffed surface of the world around her. Which is surprising considering her essays claim to be about the possibilities of place. In one essay, about how she…
Old school, new tricks
Ricardo Lopez seems to like technology. You’d at least think so checking out his first album under the alias Oldfolks Home. Knowing he’s the sole performer, composer and recording engineer on Oldfolks Home’s We Are the Feeding Line, you’ve got to marvel at his craft. Full of skittering beats and strange sounds burbling beneath his…
Power politics
Power rates are going up, but the increase is unnecessarily hurting poor people and the provincial government is actively opposing efforts to give relief to low-income residents, say consumer representatives and activists. Moreover, three looming issues threaten to saddle ratepayers with hundreds of millions of dollars in additional costs. Last week, the Utility and Review…
Blood coal
For a Nova Scotia coal miner, if the mine doesn’t get you, the coal dust will. Back in the day, at least the unions were strong and after many hard-fought, occasionally bloody battles with Devco (the crown corporation that used to run the coal mines), a coal miner could earn a decent living. Devco, on…
Equality for all
It was nice to hear Dal economist Lars Osberg on CBC Radio last week calmly talking sense about the federal equalization program. No, the sky is not falling, Osberg said, just because Ontario is officially joining the ranks of the so-called “have-not” provinces. Next year, Ontario will receive about $347 million from equalization, a program…
