I Quit!
How is it possible that presidents of publicly funded universities can earn $400000 per year, while scientists earn $21000 per year? Here we are referring to doctoral ‘students’. For the uninitiated, Ph.D. students at Canadian universities would be better referred to as cheap and indentured employees. It happens like this: firstly, at eighteen, unsuspecting but…
Internet bullying and evil
Ok…kids in Florida tell 12 y/o girl that nobody likes her, that she should kill herself, etc…kid and family move get off FaceBook, etc…kids still manager to find girl (stalk her) to other social media site…kids continue to harass, hate, demean until girl actually kills herself. Bullying is evil, Those kids are evil. Internet bullying…
Rachel needs her waffles, damnit
Fredericton-born, Halifax-based Rachel has a craving for waffles that’s so serious, she’s taken to Kijiji to call out for help. I am writing this from the comfy quarters of my single bed, snuggled up with my cat, daydreaming hopefully and drooling slightly. What I am asking is that a kind soul outstretch a hand, grasping…
The history of Freedom
“I taught junior and senior high for 32 years and I realized there were no really good materials about Black history, most people skipped over it. No one took out *Beneath the Clouds of the Promised Land* from the book room,” says Nova Scotian author and poet Gloria Ann Wesley. “I thought, ‘what will they…
Sooo…. then nobody’s in charge?
I get that work has to be done on the bridge. I get that it gets noisy. I SORT OF get that there are only so many people on staff (but honestly with the amount of toll money coming across that thing every day, I’m sort of not buying it…) but when there is nobody…
Personal space
I understand you need a place to sit… You should understand if we need to share a 4 foot space, try to keep your bingo flapper arms within your own seat width instead of invading my space and forcing me to sit against the window as much as I can to avoid you touching me.…
schedule
Dear Metro Transit, Please get it together! The buses should not be running late all the time, more specifically the number one bus in my case. For this paid service the system should be more reliable. Tonight, 26 minutes late:(… and I do not accept it is anyone else’s fault but yours as a company.…
City has lost $503,644 in Metro Centre ticket sales
The city has lost a half a million dollars over five years in ticket revenue at the Metro Centre. The loss is identified in an audit performed by accounting firm Grant Thornton. Since the 1980s, the city has contracted with provincial crown corporation Trade Centre Limited to manage the Metro Centre, which is a city-owned…
Yo People From Ontario
To all you people who get on here and bitch comparing NS to Ontario….no one is holding a gun to your head to stay…..you hate it here so much? then by all means move the fuck back to Ontario! —Sincerely Halifax
HOUSING PROBLEMS
yeah i have a bitch with the housing problems in this city and province. now im NOT KNOCKING THE PROVINCE I LOVE NOVA SCOTIA. my bitch is with the housing ok NOT ALL OF US CAN AFFORD EXPENSIVE PLACES TO LIVE. i currently am on assistance AND THEY ONLY ALLOW CERTAIN AMOUNT FOR RENT. Now…
Soaked/sprayed runner
To the runner I soaked/sprayed, on the corner of South & South Park this morning at 7:15 ish, I’m SO sorry man!!! Had I seen the puddle, I wouldn’t have pulled up so close to the curb. —Grey Corolla
PERVERT
I was standing across from Alderney Gate Landing on Sunday at a bus stop and this guy was standing across from me pulling his wiener. it was disgusting to say the least. he came over to me and asked me if i was a hooker. i got offended to say the least. NOW I WANT…
Shelter
Thank you for not kicking me off your porch as I tried to find shelter while waiting for a late bus. I simply can not afford to have damage to my laptop as I am a struggling student. —University Gal
Consent Pads
Here is a great business idea for those looking to capitalize on the returning students: Consent Pads Pads of forms they can use to get their sexual partner to sign off on consent. It would take the ambiguity out of situations like: 1. Oh, s/he has had half a beer – s/he might turn around…
A pick up artist bought some of Nova Scotia
Imagine my surprise as I’m browsing Gawker at work (um that’s allowed because I need to know about pop culture for my job and I’ve filed everything for this week and you’re not my mom OK?) and I see that a former (?) pick up artist named Tynan bought an island off the coast of…
AFF review: Michael Kohlhaas
The faithful AFF audience was in for a treat on Monday night with Michael Kohlhaas, an intensely moving film that shows the value of justice in society. Based on the novella by 16th century author Heinrich von Kleist, the film follows the improbable quest of horse breeder Michael Kohlhaas as he tries to get remuneration…
Your morning in arts: Videos, videos, poetry, videos and mystery.
The Atlantic Film Festival Music & Image 10×10 Music Video Mentorship Program videos are all online, ready for your perusal. 10×10 matched 10 directors with 10 musicians to make 10 music videos over five days. The winning video will win $10,000, presented at the Closing Gala Awards Ceremony on September 19. Although I’d love to…
mind yer own bees-wax, ya weirdo
To the mysterious person who left me a “helpful” note (somehow without anyone at the table seeing you) listing several parenting websites I might want to consult to help “make my life and my son’s life better.” You judgemental prick! Although I felt offended, I checked out the websites to give you the benefit of…
AFF review: La Passé (The Past)
There are several scenes in Asghar Farhadi’s spectacular La Passé (The Past) framed with characters talking behind glass. Though their body language is visible, the words can’t be heard. It’s a delicate symbol for how we view past events. We can see the details, the lips moving, but what’s actually said is left impenetrable. Farhadi…
Halifax hates fun
To the humorless NIMBY who shut our band down before we could even play a single note, at 9:30pm on a Saturday night, smack in the middle of downtown Halifax, thanks so much. It must be nice to have the privilege of being able to afford to live downtown. I’m sure you like it because…
Transit rules and guidelines
For those of you that have not read the Transit User Guide, apparently many of you have not please read a few of the guidelines below – I have copied and pasted word for word – they are after all in place for a reason – some drivers enforce others don’t seem to either care…
why do halgonians stare so much
Why do Halgonians stare so much I’m sure your wondering why the title of this story and what is it’s significance. Here is my reason for this whole beef I have. I was born and raised in Nfld and have lived away for more than 20 years in different parts of Canada and also lived…
Watching this man at the Arm is an event alone most days and eveings
Well to my surprise, I hadnt been to the North West Arm, in along time until recently, and had been having my morning coffee. And couldnt help myself but notice, a man there sitting In a blue-four door vehicle. Please let me tell you about this man, In the blue vehicle! After, observing this man…
Another TIFF wrap
Greetings from the Upright Citizens Brigade rush lineup in NY (lines lines everywhere lines), where I’ve been ruminating on TIFF and crafting this final update. Since we last spoke I’ve not seen anymore celebrities in places they shouldn’t or shouldn’t be, but despite all odds—a bad schedule, pissy audience demeanour, construction/traffic delays galore—I managed to…
Why Folks Don’t Vote
So an NDP candidate shows up at my door. I tell him I don’t think there is much to distinguish one party from another these days. So then I explain I am therefore forced to choose among candidates, regardless of party stripe, and ask whether there will be a candidates’ forum in my riding. Apparently…
Perseverant People
To all the beautiful people I met while running at the Maritime Race Weekend, thank you for making the experience what it should be – a great memory to recollect and a lot of fun. Also, thank you volunteers and people who came out to watch and show their support. —Sudorific is terrific!
Your freedom had to be earned, you know ?
Last night (Fri Sept 13) I watched groups of students from SMU and DAL roaming the streets, yelling, fighting, swearing and stumbling around in drunken states on Robie street. Through the evening the groups continued to roam up and down and they got louder and louder as the night wore on. Nothing new, but still…
That Thing
Group of ladies that attended karaoke at Bearly’s. One of your group sang Doo Wop(That Thing) by Lauren Hill and absolutely KILLED IT. Great job, certainly cheered up one patron. Would’ve said Hi or bought you a drink but you were mobbed by some of the finest mullets in town. Seen you outside for a…
Your morning in arts: Zines, tacos, awards, Chicago
Thursday’s dinner and entertainment is set with Auckland, New Zealand resident Erin Fae’s zine launch for Imaginary Windows #6 at the Roberts Street Social Centre (2084 Creighton Street, Thursday, September 19, 7pm, free). Imaginary Windows #6 looks at community, vulnerability and longing. There will be kimchi, tacos. Do not spill taco juice on your new…
Keep your garbage outta my green bin!
What possesses people (?) to throw garbage, doggy doo and whatever else wrapped in plastic inside my green bin? I put it out to empty it frequently, so when this happens (like, once a freaking month!) I have to lean all the way into a nasty, smelly, fly-filled, deep bin to retrieve the stuff that…
Props to those who deliver
Thank you to those who post classified ads and are willing to bring things to me that are too big and heavy for me to bring home on the bus. You’re the exception to the rule. Third-party delivery fees can really add up. —Stuck with the bus for now
Declined entry
My friends and I went out for an impromptu night of dancing, but were turned away because one of them did not have his ID and another, unbeknownst to him, had a license that had recently expired. Sure my friends would be flattered to be mistaken as under 30, the minimum age used by liquor…
Ambiguous “Missed Connection” Posting
To the cute guy/girl/dog who smiled at me/said ‘hi’/acknowledged my existence… I’m really glad I spent an hour getting ready this morning and clearly it paid off! I saw you hanging around downtown on a sunny day, you have brown hair and you were wearing blue jeans. I think our eyes might have met for…
I’m awkward
To the cute girl with the slightly buzzed hair: I used to see you on the 20 Herring cove everyday, you smiling bright every time you see me. Didn’t see you for a while until Wed night, smiling as always. You have no idea how much your smile brightens my shitty, hung over, hate my…
Getting milked
To the store that advertised the sale price of a jug of milk without saying it’s a sale in huge letters on a billboard outside, while upping the regular price by almost two dollars: bad business practices, very sneaky. Food is expensive enough as it is. —Not rich
Grocery Giver
We had packed all the groceries into our back packs and both our debit cards had been declined. We were wondering what to do when you, green broccoli shirt wearing guy, stepped in and offered to buy our groceries for us. We were shocked and amazed and didn’t know what to say. You said, “Just…
You call that driving?
I am going to start this off by saying that I am from Ontario but moved to Halifax 5 years ago. For a new job we needed to buy a car finally, and after walking and taking the bus for so long here this SEEMED like a welcome addition. Well, let me start by saying…
New tonic in town
If you’ve ever tasted tonic water by itself, you’ll know why it’s not often consumed on its own. Add it to gin or vodka, however, and you’ve got something magical. Well, that’s what Jitterbug Sodas hopes. No longer will Haligonians be forced to drink the usual tonic available if they want to enjoy the fizzy…
Saint Mary’s University students rally against rape culture
Saint Mary’s University isn’t a lone participant in rape culture, students, admin and faculty heard at a rally Thursday. About 110 people gathered in the outdoor atrium. Students wove through the crowd, heading for class. Some stopped to listen. SMU got caught, Halifax’s poet laureate El Jones said, but its students aren’t the only ones…
Bitch moderation
The Bitch moderator will be in a struggling third-world country with spotty internet (the US) Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We’ll attempt to get bitch posts up, if possible, but don’t freak out if posts are not fully attended to until Monday morning. We apologize for the delay.
At least I wasn’t murdered by the cop…
Useless. Absolutely Fucking Useless I called the police today as a car driver TWICE nearly hit me; the second time on purpose. He stops and tries to assault me. I call 911 (rude dispatchers – fuck!). They come. The officer is distracted by another car driver and allows the perpetrator to leave the scene! I…
stop being such a psychotic bully loser
you come to work and have done so for years and choose to pick on a few people that you think are weaker than you. The truth is psycho, truth will get you and sooner or later, you are going to be with out a job and nobody to blame but yourself. Grow up or…
not getting it
I don’t vote for any of the major parties. Either independent, green or nobody. The party system is a flawed system. The people we vote for are not able to ever go against there party (there are exceptions but lets get real). It is dumb. One more thing. “Progressive conservative” is that not an oxymoron?…
what can you do?
I am a carpenter with epilepsy. Fuckin great. That’s like a motivational speaker with turrets, a tattoo artist with Parkinson’s, a politician that’s not able to spew nonsense. Out of all the career paths I could have chosen that don’t require me at heights. I chose carpentry, a thankless job that doesent have much of…
NS Vets are Gouging Bastards
I’m petsitting right now and it turns out that at least one of the guest kitties has terrible worms. I go ‘ew’, then call my own vet to buy dewormer for them. Turns out in NS as of a year ago you can no longer get these products over the counter, because of a law…
I just work here..
This goes out to the guy who just lost his temper on me, and everyone else who has done this to people they don’t know just because they didn’t get the answer that were looking for. I work at a store, the rules are set out by the owner/managers of this store. I DO NOT…
Put The Fucking Phone Down!
I just spent the better part of a glorious Avett Brothers concert trying to avert my peripheral gaze from your undimmed phone which you used to snap photos and videos, text and Facebook the whole time. Oh yeah, and you held said phone AWAY from your own view so you could see what was on…
Who needs Hollywood?
Thanks to all the visiting celebs that have brightened our red carpets over the years, but their dazzling smiles are hardly needed now that Atlantic Canada has its own sizeable stable of filmmaking talent. Excuse us while we name-drop just a few of the humble artists behind this year’s Atlantic Shorts screenings. Jeff Wheaton blends…
Buying Sex
“It’s not about sex, it’s about power.” That’s how Trisha Baptie, a prostitution abolitionist and former sex worker, reframes the issue in Teresa MacInnis and Kent Nason’s documentary Buying Sex and how easily the complex issue can get bare-boned. Interviewing a range of people from pro-decriminalization lawyer Alan Young, brothel owners in New Zealand, sex…
Anatomy of Assistance
You may know him as Cory from the Trailer Park Boys, a role he’s been playing for years, but Truro’s Cory Bowles’ true passion lies behind the camera. Anatomy of Assistance is his third go at directing a short film and follows the spunky young black student Talia (beautifully acted by Keeya King) as she…
AFF by day
THURSDAY I’ll hear no fancy shoe complaints from you yet, we’ve just begun. Break out the good ones and head to Don McKellar’s The Grand Seduction (7pm, Park Lane) and kick off AFF with hunky Taylor Kitsch before whooping the Monday away at the opening night gala (9pm, Cunard Centre). FRIDAY Kelsey Thompson’s short Paddle…
Stars hollow: a sheath primer
Q I’m a Savage Lovecast listener, but I’m sending this question to your column because my boyfriend would FOR SURE recognize my voice if I called the show. I’m 25 and my boyfriend and I have been monogamous for five years. His dick is of average size. It’s not small enough for him to have…
Nite moves
“Wouldn’t it be great to do a dinner here after hours?” When Renée Lavallée posed that simple question to Tara MacDonald and Zane Kelsall, owners of Two If By Sea Cafe three years ago, little did she know the path she was setting out for herself: a path with a lot of stops, but one…
Haligonians object to Syrian intervention
Even while he was in prison—jailed in Damascus and Aleppo for a total 11 years during former President Hafez al-Assad’s regime— Omar al-Isso had hope for Syria. Today, he has none. “I just sometimes cry because everything is like this black hole,” the co-founder of Justice and Freedom for Syria, and current Halifax resident, says.…
Black Joe Lewis’ classic rock
Let’s go through the list of bands that wholeheartedly wear their influences on their sleeves, yet create something, if not totally original, then far greater than the sum of their parts. You could start with Zeppelin. Sure, they aped the Chicago (and further back) blues masters shamelessly, but they never pretended to be the…
Free Will Astrology
HAPPY BIRTHDAY VIGRO! (August 23-September 22) This is a good time to free yourself from a curse that an immature soul placed on you once upon a time. I’m not talking about a literal spell cast by a master of the dark arts. Rather, I’m referring to an abusive accusation that was heaped on you,…
2 Live 2 nasty
“We have the record for the most cuss words on an album,” says Brother Marquis of Miami’s 2 Live Crew, “It’s like 375 cuss words on As Nasty As They Wanna Be.” Legendary Brother Marquis and Fresh Kid Ice, the first southern rappers to go platinum, hit up Halifax for the first time at The…
Low cost, or even free, university tuition is an attainable goal
For the price of our new convention center, Nova Scotians could be enjoying free education from primary school right up to college and university. It’s that simple, and yet the idea of universal education, much like universal health care before it, has been labeled impossible by the powers that be. What then, is so radical…
Monster energy
Jay Dahl says the idea for There Are Monsters came from a very simple exchange. He was strolling past someone on the sidewalk, and the guy gave him a strange look. Really strange. “I got this chill,” says Dahl, who started to think about how maybe some people can seem like… something else. Dahl ran…
Insidious: Chapter 2
The thing about being novel, Insidious: Chapter 2, is you can only do it once. Though they rescued their son in the previous instalment from the ghostly world which took him, dad Patrick Wilson came back wrong. As the hauntings continue, and Dad’s teeth start falling out, the first film’s ghost hunters search old records…
Ghost story
The past comes back to haunt you. In America, the spectre of slavery is often the underlying theme of that country’s gothic stories. Canada, though we’re not as likely to admit it, has its own cultural genocide to reckon with. Rhymes for Young Ghouls, the debut feature from acclaimed Mi’kmaq director Jeff Barnaby, picks up…
Letters to the editor, September 12, 2013
Give peace a chance Mayor Mike Savage’s decision to join Mayors for Peace (Reality Bites by Tim Bousquet, September 5) is mere window dressing since the federal government sets foreign and defence policies. It is for this branch to determine where, when, or if Canada hosts allied ships or aircraft, nuclear-armed or otherwise. Also, while The Coast correctly…
Atlantic Film Fest
Click here to read up on our picks for the best of the 33rd Atlantic Film Festival. Horror (get spooked with our cover feature on Jay Dahl’s There Are Monsters), documentaries (get heated debate fodder for life with Buying Sex), shorts (like Cory Bowles’ Anatomy of Assistance)and more–we throw it all in the popper and…
The Family
Martin Scorsese produces a Luc Besson film in The Family—a gangster comedy that can’t live up to its own pedigree. After ratting on his mafia buddies eight years ago, former boss Robert De Niro is moving into yet another French town with wife Michelle Pfeiffer and their two kids. The aging actor is more alive…
Secretariat’s Jockey: Ron Turcotte
Director Phil Comeau had some trouble keeping up with 71-year-old retired jockey Ron Turcotte. “He would call me at midnight with ideas on where we should go the next day for filming,” says Comeau. “We had to get up at five in the morning to shoot. He has incredible energy.” Secretariat’s Jockey: Ron Turcotte is…
Burnwater’s creative forge
When asked how long they had been preparing for the show, Erin Donovan pipes up: “Our whole lives.” Everybody laughs. It’s not true, but it is. Burnwater is a multi-disciplinary performance taking place this weekend in East Dover on the land of local blacksmith and sculptor John Little. Little makes sound sculptures; elaborate forged compositions…
15 Reasons to Live
What keeps you going? What do you enjoy about life? Alan Zweig’s documentary 15 Reasons to Live is an uplifting, deeply moving film about what drives people in their daily life. Inspired by Ray Robertson’s collection of essays Why Not: 15 Reasons to Live, Zweig created his own list through short film storytelling. The list…
Beautiful dreamer
The idea of “following your dreams” tends to be a bit of a platitude, a bit of pat encouragement to keep trying—to be true to yourself. In Tamara Henderson’s case, however, literally following her dream’s directions, and directing her dreams herself has developed into an artistic practice that now sees her as the Atlantic shortlist…
Miesha & The Spanks’ one-woman wolf pack
Women rule. Miesha & The Spanks prove it. Calgary’s garage-rock two-piece is on tour with its latest, Girls, Like Wolves. Produced by Ian Blurton (C’mon, Cowboy Junkies), the band’s seventh album finally captures the ferocious, wild atmosphere of Miesha Louie and Stuart Bota. “We’ve been playing harder live for awhile, but not quite pulling it…
All The Wrong Reasons
Emily Hampshire’s character in director Gia Milani’s debut film, the Halifax-shot All The Wrong Reasons isn’t the most endearing person in the world, which speaks volumes about Hampshire’s acting ability. Enthusiastic and open, even after a day full of interviews (“I just get the phone passed to me, then taken away,” she says, laughing), Hampshire…
Stray
“I’m living,” says Ashley McKenzie, in response to the question, “What are you doing in Cape Breton?” Last year the award-winning filmmaker–her short drama Rhonda’s Party received a host of accolades, including the CBC Short Film Faceoff in 2011–moved from Halifax back to her hometown of New Waterford in order to complete a new short,…
if its mean’t to be, it will be swagger boy
One night , the planets aligned, both of us single and out on the town. we knew each other but we were both in relationships until that night downtown, you said you had seen me first which I begged to differ with you , it felt so magical kind of like out of a movie,…
Lady who gave my cat love as she passed
To the lady who seen my cat, who has been missing for a month now, get hit by a car that took off. Thank you for holding her as she passed and showing her love for the last time. I’m sorry you had to be the one to do that, and I wish I had…
Political signs all over the fucking place
Fuck off with all your political signs. Do people vote for these corrupt fucks, really? All government is bullshit. I don’t know who’s worse the ones controlling or all the sheeple following. —A random American bitcher
Does whatever a spider can
To the window washer working twelve stories up and whistling the theme from the Spiderman TV show: thanks! You were a terrific brightness on a grey foggy day. Plus you did a great job. —Pro arachnid
I and Love and You
A huge thank you to the Avett Brothers (and the grateful crowd) for one of the most beautiful evenings of music I have ever experienced. You even made me forget that I had 3 inches of leg room. Come back soon! —Sore legs/Thankful heart
University Church
It is that time of year again. Back on campus, back to the books, and back to having a certain religious group pretend they care. I went to your services, I heard your outreach speeches, and all I can say is your eyes are empty and your compliments mean nothing. You pry on the lonely…
Stadium, really?
Our Mayor is open to the idea of helping, read taxpayers cash, expand the CFL and wants to discuss the building of a stadium. This story never gets old does it your Worship, we’re broke, and attendance at most CFL games are down, but hey, let’s build a white elephant. —I hate sports
Clueless….. Well Marginally
Listen, you have been saying it for months. Your friends tell you almost daily and it’s getting crazy. You’re funny, smart, gorgeous and kind. You will be just fine. 30 is not too old to be single and 3 years is a long commitment to walk away from. I hope you realize sooner rather than…
How Cool Is Being Cool?
Thank you to the staff of the F.G. for giving my boyfriend a huge bag of ice on Saturday during the unseasonal sunshine. I just moved in upstairs and we were making celebratory drinks. There is just nothing like living in a city where so many of your neighbours are kind and just plain willing…
Death Machine
Anyone else have a name for the street cleaner at 4am? —It’s coming for you
Call me a Sexist Women if you want…
I just can’t stand how women act around this city. I realize that is a huge generality, and that’s exactly what it’s supposed to be. GENERALLY, women here in Halifax, especially good-looking women act like whorey-morons, or to be a little more offensive and a little more accurate, they are essentially living blow-up dolls suffering…
Losing a pet is never easy :(
to my roommate who just lost his cat: I am so sorry you are having to go through this. I can tell that you loved that cat more than you love a lot of things, and frankly, I envy you for that (as a dog person who owns a cat, I never bonded with my…
Wash your hands!!!!!
It is Tuesday Sept 10 at approximately 1:20 PM. I just finished using the urinal at the public washroom in Scotia Square, when the owner of one of the food establishments in Scotia Square proceeded to use the urinal next me. We both finished around the same time and I proceeded to the sink to…
one foot over the line sweet jesus, one foot over the line
Actually it was more like 2 feet over the yellow line but I wanted to use the song lyrics. This morning on Prospect Bay road as I was coming home, a road crew truck came around a blind curve at me, a good 2 feet into my lane. My side had a jagged shoulder and…
Grammar Police
I’m so sick of the few times that you actually have a meaningful discussion on the internet, and the other person has to concede your points or has no rebuttal. What is the go to move? Attack the grammar!. your you’re , “” Capital letters. When people have absolutely nothing of value to add they…
Provincial election called
Nova Scotians will be going to the polls. Premier Darrell Dexter formally asked lieutenant governor J.J. Grant to dissolve the assembly Saturday, an action that will lead to an October 8 election. The election will largely be a referendum on the performance of Dexter’s NDP government. That party won power in 2009, in the wake…
