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The Canadian Jewish Congress has announce that internationally-acclaimed architect and designer Daniel Libeskind is creating a new monument for Pier 21. The piece will memorialize Canada’s 1939 refusal of entry to the 900-plus Jewish refugees on board the St. Louis and the “none is too many” exclusionary anti-Jewish immigration policy that it epitomized.  “We are absolutely thrilled about Daniel Libeskind’s participation,” says Congress president Mark Freiman.  “His selection comes at the conclusion of an intensive jury process involving several world-class artists… There are important universal lessons to be drawn from the St. Louis incident about the importance for democratic societies of tolerance, understanding and respect for religious and cultural diversity.”

Libeskind aims to put the historical tragedy in a contemporary context. “The composition as a whole is inspired by the desperate plight of the Jewish refugees and their tragic destiny,” he says. “This work of memory will express the importance of eradicating the evils of hatred, racism, xenophobia and antisemitism. It is this particular story which is embedded in a dynamically moving memorial.”

After a brief hiatus, the Weekend Guide returns. Read on for some of the most interesting things going on in the ‘Fax this weekend. Know something cool we missed? Post a comment with the details.

Friday

• 6:30–10:30pm: Cool drinks, smooth jazz and pretty people all around—Niche Lounge on Barrington Street is the perfect place to ease into the weekend, as Mike Cowie and the Waterbabies Jazz Quartet take the stage.

Saturday

• 1pm: Shakespeare by the Sea’s busy summer schedule continues with a matinee performance of Julius Caesar in Point Pleasant Park.
• 9pm: The Paragon will be rockin’ when The Stanfields (pictured above) release their hotly anticipated début album. Check out my review of that album here.

Sunday

• 7pm: The 2010 Senior Baseball Championships wrap up with the gold-medal game at Beazley Field off Caledonia Road in Dartmouth.

The Daniel Matto Quintet performs at The Carleton on Argyle Street on Wednesday (August 25)  at 9pm. Tickets are $10. Believe me: this is the best $10 you can possibly spend in Halifax this summer.

I can’t help but wonder if jazz crooner Daniel Matto would have a bigger following if he were a Halifax native. Originally from Adelaide, Australia, Matto has lived in Halifax for three years. He credits the city’s music scene for being welcoming and accepting but when you hear his smooth sounds and experience his infectious charm, the first thought is that he should be a much bigger deal than he currently is.

That’s changing, though.

Since I first met him a year ago, Matto has played with Symphony Nova Scotia and on the mainstage at the Halifax Jazz Festival. At the same time, he’s diligently building a fan base with regular gigs at Stayner’s Wharf on George Street, and basking in the release of I’m Old Fashioned, his first album.

“I’m proud of that album,” he told me over coffee yesterday. “It’s been gestating for a long time. It’s really the story of the last few years of my life: losing love, moving on, going to a new place, finding it again. It really expresses what I was feeling over the years.”

The album is a mix of old standards like “Black Magic Woman” and “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning,” along with Matto’s own creations like “I Thought of You Again” and “For You.” Symphony Nova Scotia cellist Shimon Walt joins Matto for “I Get Along Without You Very Well” and “Message To My Girl.”

Song selection was one of the most agonizing parts of the process. “These things don’t happen quickly but the hard work is worth it,” he says. “I learned a lot. I’m hoping to record a second album next year. I’d like to record more of my own stuff.” Matto has an extensive repertoire and wants to show off more of what he can do.

“You need different songs for different times,” he says. “At JazzFest, we were on in the afternoon, and you don’t want to be stuck doing something like ‘In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning’ at 3pm. What you’re playing needs to suit the venue. At The Carleton, we’re going to be playing a lot of stuff we don’t normal play, paring it down, doing things simply with different pieces coming in and out—we won’t be just a quintet.”

Recently, the Downtown Halifax Business Commission launched a promotional event called Big Day Downtown. The organization gave local bloggers and media types $100 to spend downtown, and record their experiences. In her last assignment for us, we sent hardworking intern Linz Caryl Tan. Her instructions were simple: “See just how far you can stretch that money.” In this post, Linz reports on her day.

The project invited 30 bloggers and media personalities who were each given $100 to spend on a shopping spree. The only rules were we had to spend the day only in Downtown Halifax and we had to blog about our experience afterwards. The girly girl in me squealed with delight as the offer was too good to pass up—soon I was off for my Big Day Downtown with my two sisters.

We went without a concrete plan. Trevor gave me the complete liberty to spend the $100 on anything after bidding me to “have fun and just maximize the money.” I was never one to make quick decisions but I knew that I wanted to purchase things that would mean something 10 or even 20 years down the road.

Our first stop was Boutique Joliette. Situated in the corner of Hollis and Duke Street, this barely a year old, little hidden gem specializes in vintage pieces like jewelry, clutches, clothing and antique lamps from Canadian designers. My overall experience at the store from deciding what to buy, looking around, to getting the chance to talk to one of the most accommodating salespersons, Carol Smith was one of my favorite moments of the entire day. I think that more stores should have salespersons as kind and friendly as Carol. She had that warm, welcoming aura that complemented the store and I bet, one thing that keeps customers coming back. We spent a good 30 minutes looking around and couldn’t help expressing our “oooh’s” and “Wow’s!” as we marveled at a number of their intricately crafted jewelry pieces in-store. Our tiny dilemma was the main goal for the whole day was to maximize our money and seeing as the pieces we liked were around the $50-$100 price point spending that amount on one piece of jewelry wouldn’t have really made the most sense in this case. Just as we were about to leave, I saw these simple and elegant looking freshwater pearl earrings with small Swarovski crystals for $35. I knew that it was something I can share with my mom and my sisters. I think that it is a great yet unique and timeless investment piece that’s perfect for spicing up any outfit and something that one can use for different occasions. It was a joy to know that the earrings were made by a Halifax designer, Tara Andrews. Nothing like supporting a local artist and purchasing something that really gave me high spirits for the day. ☺

For lunch, my sisters and I went to Certainly Cinnamon down by Barrington Street. Though the service was not the best (the person who took our order “forgot” that we ordered a combo and only gave us the sandwich…we later had to ask for the soup), I “certainly” would give their soup and sandwich an A.

We thought that their food gave a different yet delicious take on something as simple as corn soup or a tuna sandwich, which my sister Lizane and I split. We decided on multigrain bread for our tuna sandwich which was a good choice because the sandwich was one of the best ones I’ve had. The soup and sandwich combo costs only $8.00. What I liked about the place was that they had pretty uncommon options such as the apple curry chicken wrap my twin sister had for $5.95 and the prices were really affordable and reasonable.

After lunch, we headed to JWD Books. This place is really incredible and literally each space in store was filled with books. From Saint Exupéry to Donne, Ondaatje, Alcott and Post Secret creator, Frank Warren, the literary haven had everything.

I wanted to pick out a book that had an interesting looking spine and something that would make for a rare find. We found a huge stack of books that had row after row of interesting looking book spines. My sister randomly grabbed one entitled Through the Year with Browning. The handy little book had gold-trimmed pages which contained Browning’s choice passages for each day of each month of the year. I felt extremely lucky that among all the books, my twin sister was able to find this one. I love everything about this book. Ever since I took a Victorian Poetry class last term, the Brownings became my instant favorites. This book had no date of publication written on it so who knows how old it really is.

With its hardbound spine and an inscription I found inside dating back to 1911, this Browning book was the perfect find. It was something I can keep looking back on years from now and something I knew I couldn’t find just anywhere else. For $12.50, this little pocket book will withstand the test of time and travel with me to places.

Next, we decided to go to my favourite Halifax store, the Black Market. The moment I discovered this quaint and bohemian inspired store two years ago, I knew I found something special. Seeing the colors bursting from each corner inside and out, I felt like a kid in a candy store waiting to pick out my favorite treat.

This store has so many one-of-a-kind pieces. From jewellery, clothes, shoes, trinkets to little figurines, masks, mirrors and accessories to spice up any bare wall, the Black Market has a wide variety of things for everyone. All the things in here come from different parts of the world.

Outside, there were racks of clothing on sale. I found this sea foam green dress with really pretty beading on the neckline and it was sold for $25. I decided to try the dress and inside the store, Sarah was there to help me out. She was really kind and even helped me pick out other colors of the dress to try on. Despite trying on other colors of the dress, I really loved the sea foam green. At home, I paired the dress with the pearl earrings.

For some Asian flare, we finished things up at Drala on Grafton Street. The store specializes in incenses, teas, Buddhism books and meditation supplies. I really loved the over-all Zen feeling inside the store. I saw these beautiful, Chinese inspired cards stacked right by the door. The card with a gold envelope and shiny Chinese dragon caught my eye. I bought the card for $4.95 thinking the price is pretty worth it for such a cool design that you don’t get to see every day. It can even make a friend’s day when I send this card overseas.

And that concluded my Big Day Downtown—I’d never have guessed you could stretch $100 so far!

The Halifax Seaport BeerFest returned to the waterfront this weekend. In its fourth year, the festival has expanded, offering three sessions with 175 beers and ciders from some 70 breweries. With that much on offer, there was a tremendous variety of beers to sample, many grouped by region, with pavillions from Maine, Ontario and Quebec. On the whole, the event ran smoothly (although I’m mystified about how they ran out of Red Stripe 90 minutes into the first session). While the crowd included a smattering of dedicated binge drinkers, the event hasn’t become a real booze-up. Aficionados were plentiful and organizers found much to satisfy them. Amongst serious beer devotees, the Quebec beers were particularly popular. La Corriveau, a flavourful Belgian-style ale from Microbrasserie Le Bilboquet was one of my favourites.

Joining me for the BeerFest was reader and beer enthusiast Dylan Gaudett. He shares his impressions: “Another Seaport Beerfest, more brain cells I’ll never get back. It all makes for a good time, I guess. This year’s event was spectacular, the most well organised of the three I’ve been to. The new pavilion idea really worked, with the Quebec pavilion taking the cake for the most impressive and tasty selections. I was also impressed with the food selection, as it was high quality and inexpensive. It was a great selection of food from the Taste of Nova Scotia members, especially the mini burgers from Fid Resto. Hard to say how they can improve, but I’ll be there next year to find out!” (By the way, Dylan isn’t kidding about those little burgers from Fid. I’m waking up at night thinking about them…)

Did you check out the BeerFest? Post a comment and share your reviews.

HRM Council met last night and discussed the issue of its size. To no one’s surprise, Council decided it was fine just the way it was. This whole debate around the size of Council has been a tad surreal. Councillors (and Halifax’s usual everything-is-fine-the-way-it-is crowd) declared Council size a non-issue and blamed those usual suspects—the media and “business”—for even putting the subject on citizens’ minds. Then, they spent hours debating the idea.

In a way, I have to concede a point: Council size isn’t a non-issue, but it isn’t the issue. The main issue is the fact that this city just isn’t very well governed. When 43% of your citizens describe themselves as “dissatisfied” with the way a city is governed, something is wrong. The support for paring down Council shows that.

So, what’s the solution? Let the provincial government, which really sets the rules, know how you feel about the way Halifax is governed. Let your Mayor and Councillors know. Coucil’s newest idea for attempting to govern the city more effeciently is to give more teeth to community councils. Councillor Dawn Sloane describes in her blog. This could, in theory, lead to better governance—or it could lead to just another layer of municipal government. I like the idea, though; it nicely supports Halifax Magazine’s position that breaking up HRM into two municipalities is the real solution. After all, if our city is so disunited that it requires seperate councils to govern it, doesn’t it really require separate governments?

Ahhh … a midsummer’s long weekend. Here are our picks for some of Halifax’s best events. Like others? Post a comment and share the link.

Friday

• Noon–1pm: Halifax’s Natal Day celebrations kick off with a ceremony at the Grand Parade Square downtown.
• 7pm: The Shakespeare by the Sea production of Julius Caesar débuts in Point Pleasant Park.

Saturday

• 10am–6pm: The Art 1274 Hollis gallery hosts an open house, showcasing works (by 21 artists) celebrating Nova Scotia.
• 7pm: Rocker Matt Mays performs a free show with The Novaks at Alderney Landing in Dartmouth.

Sunday

• 1pm–4pm: Natal Day celebrations continue with a gospel concert at Queen’s Landing on the Halifax waterfront. Performers include Dutch Robinson, Cherry Brook Mass Choir, Hallelujah Praise Choir, The East Preston Revival Choir and Sanctified Boys (Deep River Boys).

Last week, I wrote a post lambasting politicians for expressing condolences through social-media sites like Twitter. I argued that it was a rather trite and manipulative PR tactic. In particular, I singled out MLA Andrew Younger. In response, he sent me an email explaining why he did so. (Click the image to enlarge.)

Tomorrow night, the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic is hosting a free concert. The press release follows.

The second annual Halifax Harbour Sea Music Festival will have a free preview concert Tuesday, July 27, at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax. The preview is at 7:30 p.m. in the Small Craft Gallery at 1675 Lower Water St.

In partnership with the Helen Creighton Folklore Society, The Storytellers Circle of Halifax, tall ship Silva, Halifax Regional Municipality and Metro Transit, a range of activities will be happening this Labour Day weekend at the museum and various venues around the harbourfront from Sept. 4 and 5.

David Stone, artistic director of the festival, is excited to bring local, national and international talent to this year’s festival. “The time has come for a city like Halifax, with its long and storied seafaring past, and one of the finest maritime museums in the world, to join in hosting a world-class sea music festival.”

“This is a great opportunity for the museum and the other festival partners to share in the celebration of our maritime heritage with sea songs and storytelling,” said Kim Reinhardt, general manager, Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.

“Locations in the museum, along the harbourfront and even on the HRM transit ferry, will have programs, songs and sea shanties, and storytelling.”

“Helen Creighton collected a wonderful array of sea songs from right here around Halifax,” said Clary Croft, chairman of the Helen Creighton Folklore Society. “The Halifax Harbour Sea Music Festival is a wonderful opportunity to showcase this rich part of our history and show how the tradition continues.”

The festival has both free shows and programs and paid performances over the Labour Day weekend. For more information on festival programming and information, visit festival website at www.halifaxharbourseamusicfest.com/, call 902-406-5611 or 902-424-7490.

Politicians like for you to think that they care about you. If you believe that, it’s more likely you’ll vote for them when they’re up for re-election. This means that they’re constantly looking for ways to show you they care, without having to expend much energy on actually caring. The latest, and tackiest, manifestation of this, is for politicians to express their condolences on Twitter or Facebook whenever tragedy strikes. (MLA Andrew Younger inspired this post, by taking it to an even lower level: retweeting another MLA’s condolences.)

Social-media is a great tool for politicians and their constituents to communicate, and many politicians use it very effectively. But using it for a quick display of sympathy just seems weak. The people they’re sympathizing with will almost certainly not see the message—rather, it’s aimed at the masses. To me, that’s pretty trite and manipulative. What do you think?