News
Views
Government
On campus
Noticed
In the harbour
Footnotes
News
1. Weather
Everything’s closed.
WKRP is a period piece, one of the handful of mass media touchstones for my end-of-baby boom generation. We were too young to participate in the counter-culture of the 60s, yet the flowering of punk culture in the 80s was still ahead of us. The cultural offerings available to those of us who came of age in the 70s, such as they were, felt affected. That laugh track, ugh. Is there anything more insulting than a laugh track?
It’s neither here nor there, but my first real job, at age 16, was at a disco. I was a barback and dishwasher. That’s where I for the first time met people who were openly gay, and I liked them. The clientele were a mess, doing lines and worse in the bathrooms. I’d walk around and pick up dead drinks with cigarettes butts floating in them, multi-coloured lights swirling around the room, Gloria Gaynor telling me I will survive. It was a weird time to grow up.
Where was I? Oh, yes, the snow. You’re stuck inside today, so if you haven’t already, this would be the perfect time to spend a measly 10 bucks to subscribe to the Examiner, make a pot of tea or coffee, and sit down for a couple of hours to read the DEAD WRONG series.
For myself, after I dig out, I’m going to spend all day today and tomorrow writing Part 4 of the series.
2. Irving Shipbuilding wants people to work for free
The Irving Shipyard in Halifax
“Irving Shipbuilding Inc., a company that received $300 million from the Nova Scotia government and a $25-billion contract from Ottawa to build a fleet of warships, is offering unpaid work terms for community college students,” reports Michael Gorman.
This article is behind the Examiner’s paywall and so available only to paid subscribers. Click here to purchase a subscription.
Views
1. What can Halifax learn from Vancouver’s modal shift?
A new protected intersection completely separates vehicles from pedestrians and cyclists, at Cornwall Avenue and Burrard Street in Vancouver.
Erica Butler examines how Vancouverites now use sustainable transportation for half of their trips, and asks if Halifax can learn anything from that success.
This article is behind the Examiner’s paywall and so available only to paid subscribers. Click here to purchase a subscription.
2. Chronicle Herald
An open letter to Chronicle Herald CEO Mark Lever from Martin O’Hanlon, the president, CWA Canada, our parent union:
Feb. 8, 2016
Hello Mark,
They say the first casualty of war is truth. There must surely be a war going on at the Herald given your recent acrobatic feats of truth-twisting.
As a journalist for 25 years, I believe passionately in truth, fairness and justice. That’s why I find it so appalling to see the president of a respected daily newspaper using that paper to peddle propaganda and misinformation.
On at least three occasions since Jan. 28, you have used the pages of the Herald in a sad attempt to justify why you forced your “valued” newsroom staff onto the streets.
More troubling, you refuse to allow any rebuttal, rejecting the union’s request to run a Letter to the Editor, a shocking breach of journalistic ethics.
By ignoring a basic principle of journalism – allowing both sides of a story to be heard – you have abandoned any premise of journalistic integrity and turned the Herald into a propaganda rag, soiling the proud history of the paper and betraying the legacy of Graham Dennis.
Since you will not allow a debate in the pages of the paper, I think it unlikely that you will agree to a discussion in any other forum. Nevertheless, I challenge you to face me in a public debate in Halifax so that the people of Nova Scotia can hear both sides of the story in the labour dispute and draw their own conclusions.
I await your response.
Martin O’Hanlon
President, CWA Canada
3. Cranky letter of the day
I have just read the Jan. 29 article entitled ‘Heritage Trust proposes new use for former BMO building.’
The Bank of Montreal Building (which hasn’t been such since the 40s) has caused much back and forth discussion – and that is just in my own head! Initially I was all for keeping the building because of its significance to the town but changed that viewpoint when townspeople were permitted to do an interior walkabout.
To me, it appeared too far gone and not worth saving just for the sake of saving. It needed a viable purpose which didn’t seem forthcoming by anyone. However, as a member of the Amherst Historical Society I attended the meeting with council where Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia offered viewpoints on saving the building and council agreed to a short reprieve.
And as a result of that organization’s proposal, I have found inner peace in that they have managed to come up with a stellar idea! Use this historic building to house and commemorate our Four Fathers of Confederation. Perfect!
It amazes hubby and I each time we drive by Kingston, Ont. where, at the city’s main highway entrance, there is a huge sign announcing the Home of Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada’s First Prime Minister. And what does Amherst’s highway entrance have to indicate our historic pride? Nothing. Squat. Nada.
What is it about this community that we refuse to see the obvious? It frustrates me to no end that our powers that be (and many inhabitants) are dead set against revitalization of this area using the incredible wealth we have – the wealth of history.
Heritage Trust Nova Scotia sees it and have put forward a realistic and doable suggestion. Let’s not mess this up, people. Keep Amherst’s history alive.
This letter has also been sent to Mayor Small and council.
Sheila Graham, Amherst
Government
Too much weather for public meetings.
On Campus
Nope.
Noticed
Here, watch a supernova:
NASA explains about it here.
In the harbour
The seas around Nova Scotia, 8:15am Tuesday. Map: marinetraffic.com
Adriatic Highway, car carrier, Emden, Germany to Autoport, then sails to sea
Oceanex Sanderling, ro-ro cargo, arrived at the mid-harbour anchorage this morning from St. John’s
OOCL Antwerp, container ship, Cagliari, Italy to Fairview Cove
NYK Romulus, container ship, New York to Fairview Cove
Primus sails to sea
Footnotes
At least it’s not ice.
Finally have. Paid subscription!!!!!!!
Greedy land-grabbing «developers» and their stooges the «Progressives», «Doers [sic.] & Dreamers [more like it!]; Modernists Apologists, and other assorted DESTROYERS of our architectural heritage seem to get great pleasure out of flattening anything which even hints at architectural beauty, using spurious arguments of «asbestos anschluß», «UN-greenness», «anti-progress»,to support their GREEDY, CRETINESQUE agendas. AMHERST has, arguably, more and better still-extant examples of BEAUTIFUL architecture for its size than any other town in Nova Scotia. Surely a way can be found to avoid the mindless destruction which has uglified too many other Nova Scotian towns. Canada’s chartered banks have been one of the worst offenders, abadoning classic building s for glass and plastic SHACKS obstensibly because «that’s what our costomers want…». Surely some LEADERSHIP could be shown to mitigate this wholesale uglification.
EXaminer Staff: please correct the typos. Thanx.
I’m glad Mr. Dryden has finally asked for a copy editor. Here’s a quick pass.
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Greedy land-grabbing developers and their stooges (the progressives; doers & dreamers; modernist apologists), and other assorted destroyers of our architectural heritage seem to get great pleasure out of flattening anything which even hints at architectural beauty. They do this by using spurious arguments of asbestos anschluss, un-greenness, and anti-progress to support their greedy, cretinesque agendas.
Amherst has, arguably, more and better still-extant examples of beautiful architecture for its size than any other town in Nova Scotia. Surely a way can be found to avoid the mindless destruction which has uglified too many other Nova Scotian towns.
Canada’s chartered banks have been one of the worst offenders, abadoning classic building s for glass and plastic shacks ostensibly because that’s what their customers want. Surely some leadership could be shown to mitigate this wholesale uglification.
So THAT’S what he was saying! Nice work, John. I think I get it all except “asbestos anschluss.” Is that like mesothelioma?
We’re happy to provide copy-editing services for all commenters for a mere $5/month added onto your regular subscription.
Russell, you’ve done it.
This may be the one idea that can save digital newspapers. The worse you write, the higher your mandatory comment editing fee. Brilliant.
Christ, just filter out consecutive capital letters and eliminate all special characters.
Monster Lizard? At least it’s not raining turkeys.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf3mgmEdfwg
“As god is my witness, I though turkeys could fly.”
Apparently based on a true story:
https://classictvhistory.wordpress.com/2012/11/21/turkeys-away-an-oral-history/
Hey Sheila Graham, I have to agree to a smaller degree. What’s our sign say? Pride In Our People, Proof In Our Product? I didn’t think so either. Pride In Our People, Pride In Our Product? Sheila, you may be on to something. :-)) From a fellow Shire town taxpayer.