🗞️ Try something radical

Dear Halifax,

What you don’t want to do during these trying times is make an enemy of a Swiftie. And if there’s one thing our queen has prepared us for it’s being gaslit by true dumb dumbs, so good luck trying.

Like this Texas man who went viral after he bought a Taylor Swift-themed guitar at auction for $4K so that he could then publically destroy it by smashing it with a hammer 17 times.

@jdcobb58

Man pays $3200.00 dollars for autographed Taylor Swift Guitar then smashes it to pieces with a hammer. #taylorswift

The guitar was up for auction at the most Texas-forward event I have ever heard of: the “WildGame” dinner. It apparently raises money for agriculture student organizations by auctioning things like vacations, hunting guides, guns and desserts. Guns. And desserts.

But don’t worry, he says that purchasing a guitar adorned with Mz. Swift—who recently publicly endorsed Kamala Harris for president—and then violently smashing it into smithereens was done with no mal-intent and he meant “nothing mean by it.” It was simply a jokey jokey joke joke for JOKES! 

Please don’t piss on a Swiftie and tell her it’s raining.

– Julie

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: 🌤️ 20°

Tomorrow: 🌧️ 18°

Next Day: 🌧️ 18°

7-day forecast

🚗 Driving, biking or busing today? Check out the current traffic conditions and ongoing road closures.

ARTS + CULTURE

Immersive and interactive theatre production Foreign Radical is a “goosebumpy” experience

It was Tim Carlson’s personal experience with border security in the wake of 9/11 that formed the germ for Theatre Conspiracy's critically acclaimed and groundbreaking theatrical production, Foreign Radical—which is making its highly anticipated debut at Alderney Landing in Dartmouth from Oct. 4-6 as part of the Prismatic Arts Festival and in partnership with Eastern Front Theatre.

“What people will experience in the show is that this can really happen to anyone if things go sideways, and that’s really the foundation part of this piece,” says Carlson, the writer and co-creator of Foreign Radical.

The production itself began development in 2011 and first opened for audiences in 2015. It’s been touring nationally and internationally ever since.

“The show went through a few interests and iterations, but we landed on border politics because it became a very big issue leading up to 2015 with the Muslim ban and different American laws,“ says Carlson in an interview with The Coast. “We thought it would be interesting to figure out how you explore issues of cyber surveillance in a theatre setting.”

In the online space, there is lots of opportunity for people to argue, collaborate and debate these issues, but Theatre Conspiracy figured out a way to physicalize that experience IRL; a place where an audience of 30 people collaborate, compete, investigate, debate and spy on each other. It’s theatre as a game.

The Coast’s Julie Lawrence visited Eastern Front Theatre to talk to the crew of Foreign Radical as they finished final preparations for the opening of the show.

🤔 Need To Know

🏘️ The deputy minister of housing says about half of the 7,020 households on the province’s waiting list for public housing are composed of seniors—a number the opposition says should make the government feel ashamed.

🚲 HRM is moving forward with plans to add protected bike lanes to the city's south end—a two-way bike lane on University Avenue will be built along the street's centre median, while the Morris Street lane will be created by changing the street to one-way only for motor vehicle traffic.

💙 The mother of 16 year-old Devon Marsman says she's pleased with the recent arrests in his homicide after 2.5 years of organizing rallies and plastering posters about her son’s disappearance across the province.

SPONSORED BY LIVE ART DANCE

💃 Live Art Dance. Get your tickets today!

This season, Live Art Dance looks at where we are and where we want to go.

Now is a time to build new worlds, and who better to lead us in doing this than artists? They are our truest and bravest world-builders.

The artists of this season are both fierce and tender in their world-building. They “hold on loosely and let go tightly,” upending our regular patterns as they unfurl the possibilities of new ways of being. They do this grounded in the realities of their pasts, looking back to create new paths forward. Dreaming, pushing, breathing, growing possibility.

This season, Live Art Dance is thrilled to share these beautiful worlds with you.

ARTS + CULTURE

Danny Brown and Jadakiss headlining Halifax’s Hopscotch Festival

The full lineup for this year’s Hopscotch Festival in Halifax is out, and the weekend is being headlined by two hip hop powerhouses with distinct and unique voices. Detroit rapper Danny Brown and east coast hip hop veteran Jadakiss will headline the festival over its two-day run, with Brown performing at the Light House Arts Centre on Friday, Oct. 18 and Jadakiss taking the stage Saturday, Oct. 19.

Brown is well known for his experimental style, showcased across various mixtapes throughout the 2000s and culminating on his successful second album, 2011’s XXX. Last year, he released two hit records: a collaboration with JPEGMafia titled Scaring the Hoes, and Quaranta. 

Jadakiss has been a hip hop mainstay since the 1990s, having formed the Lox trio with fellow New York rappers Sheek Louch and Styles P. He launched a solo career in the 2000s which saw his records repeatedly chart in the Billboard 200. His last full-length project, 2020’s Ignatius, quickly became a critical darling and is considered by fans to be some of his best work to date. This will be his first performance in Atlantic Canada.

The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer has more on what you can expect from this year’s Hopscotch Festival.

🗞️ In Other News

🍇 Premier Tim Houston says he is willing to sit down with the province's wine industry to discuss more financial aid, after grape growers rejected the government's offer of an extra $1.6M in support.

🏢 The Nova Scotia government has transferred ownership of 48 public housing units in Cherry Brook, Lake Loon, North Preston and East Preston to the Preston Area Housing Fund.

🎣 Federal fisheries officers in Nova Scotia say they’re refusing some enforcement duties because of threats to their safety—the union representing the officers says its members have been threatened and shot at, and that people have tried to steal their firearms.

🚓 The RCMP in Nova Scotia says more than 200 drivers were charged with impaired-related offences during a three-month period this year.

🦞 Federal fisheries officers have seized more than 5,900 kilograms of lobster as well as documents and electronic records during the search of a facility in Shelburne County—one person has been arrested and is being investigated for potential charges.

🗓️ Things To Do This Weekend:

Looking for something to do this week? Check out these Coast picks:

🗓 Worlds of the Night Opening with Special Guests: Ever wonder what comes alive when the sun goes down? Discover the secrets of how nocturnal animals see, hunt and thrive in darkness, at the Discovery Centre presented by the Sherbrooke Museum of Nature and Science. | 9am-4pm | $17.50

🗓King Gilgamesh & the Man of the Wild Presented by Neptune Theatre: This hybrid theatre-music production features Ahmed Moneka and Jesse LaVercombe alongside celebrated Arabic-maqam fusion band Moneka Arabic Jazz. Featuring themes of art, ambition, sex and mortality, this two-person epic spans centuries, cultures and continents in a moving, funny, tragic and ultimately celebratory performance. | Oct 1-6 | From $25

🗓T. Thomason Live at Café Lara: Come celebrate Tenderness, T. Thomason's debut album on Six Shooter Records! The release date is set for October 25, 2024, but you can get an exclusive early listen at this special pre-release show. The night will feature an acoustic performance from T., drag artists providing their interpretations of the new tracks, plus a sneak peek at unreleased music videos. | Oct 4 | 7pm | $15

🗓 Annual Sealight Skylight Festival: This is a celebration of the sciences and the arts with a focus on the area’s naturally-occurring ocean bioluminescence and dark night sky. The family friendly festival brings together live music, workshops, displays and a candle-lit procession, guiding guests down to the waterfront to engage with the ocean bioluminescence. | Oct 5 | 2pm   

🗓 Halifax Live Comedy Club Presents An Evening With Steve Mackie: One of the most unique voices in Canadian stand-up comedy, Mackie’s style is absurd, brash and at the same time wholesome as he cover topics from universal basic income to GMO cat food. He's been delighting and confusing audiences for years, and now he’s in Halifax. | Oct 5 | 8pm | $25

🗓 2024 Nova Scotia Lumberjack Championships: An action-packed timbersports competition that showcases the top lumberjack athletes from across eastern Canada in wood chopping and sawing races, axe throwing and more! | Oct 5 | Noon | $15

🗓 The Halifax Health & Wellness Show: Get ready to explore a world of wellness, fitness and all things healthy. From tasty recipes to fun workouts, this show will have it all. So come on, chat with experts, and discover how to live your best, healthiest life. | Oct 5 | 10am | $7

🗓 The Curio Collective Fall Vintage Show: Get ready for the premier thrift and vintage shopping event on the east coast. | Oct 5-6 | 10am | $5

Have an event to share? Let us know at [email protected].

⚓️ What’s In The Harbour

➡️ The Silver Shadow cruise ship leaves Halifax for Canadian seas at 12:01am.

🛳️ The CMA CGS Hermes container ship arrives in Halifax from Colombo at 5:15am.

🛳️ The Scenic Eclipse cruise ship arrives in Halifax from Canadian seas at 8am.

🛳️ The Artania cruise ship arrives in Halifax from Canadian seas at 8am.

➡️ The Nolhan Ava container ship leaves Halifax for Argentia at 6pm.

➡️ The Oceanex Sanderling container ship leaves Halifax for St. John’s at 7pm.

🛳️➡️ The Norwegian Breakaway cruise ship arrives in Halifax at 7am and leaves for Canadian seas at 7pm.

🍴 Where To Eat & Drink

🦀 Seafood in autumn is a beautiful thing with the Seafood Gumbo at Black Sheep: snow crab, mussels, clams, scallops, shrimp, halibut, andouille, okra, cornbread.

🍲 Warm up with the Roasted Butternut Squash Bisque at A Frite: creme fraiche, dill, pickled ginger, toasted pine nuts.

👀 In Case You Missed It

🗳️ HFX Votes 2024: To determine which of District 9’s six candidates are equipped to face the complex challenges facing the city, The Coast sent out an extensive questionnaire to see what each candidate knows about the issues facing the city ahead of the municipal election on Oct. 19. Of the six candidates running to be this area’s councillor, only half filled out the survey by deadline. Here is what they had to say. 

🏠 When affordable housing comes up, the idea of public housing is often not far behind. Whether it’s mentioned in passing by municipal officials or talked about in full during provincial announcements, public housing has an important place in our current housing crisis, as it provides affordable units to low-income families who may otherwise struggle to afford the ever-rising rents in Nova Scotia. The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer provides an explainer on public housing in Nova Scotia and some of it’s most recent developments.

That’s it!

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