Halifax Retro

We move out of our apartment today, and although we will still have a few days of cleaning, this is basically the beginning of our 3 and a half month journey toward learning how to live more sustainably. While our plane to Ireland may not leave until June 11^th, from here on out we will no longer have any furniture – no bed, no couch, no television; and in a few days, won’t even have a floor or toilet.

While there will always be family and friends around for the next 14 days willing to share their couches, for me, preparation begins now.  Jackie has arranged to stay with friends and family, however, I intend to use this opportunity to practice something I’ve always wanted to try – living in the woods.

I don’t watch a lot of television but I recently came across a show called survivorman and must say, I have a new idol. Living life completely naturally, without the need for store bought contrivances is a surreal form of existence I wish to emulate. Not that the materials I’d be sustaining myself with aren’t store bought, however, not relying so much on the daily things we all take for granted is something I wish to experience, as a good book and morning sunrise are just as good as the morning loop of Sportcentre and a good shower.

Not that I’d want to do this forever, as I enjoy certain luxuries as much as the next person, however, just knowing you could survive in a more simple form of existence is a unique characteristic I deem as intrinsic toward a sustainable development of the psyche.

The material items I will be relying on include a simple one burner stove for cooking and tea, several layers of clothing to keep warm, a very tiny inflatable mattress, a tiny lightweight two person tent, a flashlight, shoelaces, a compass, Swiss Army knife and light sleeping bag.

Obviously due to current temperatures and the need to spend valuable time with those we’ll be leaving soon will inhibit me from doing this throughout the entirety of these final weeks, however, testing this way of existence before we go to a different continent and live this way for several months is a requirment.

While Point Pleasant Park would be an ideal place distance wise, something tells me it doesn’t really qualify as “living in the woods” when dogs are chasing squirrels past my tent with their owners yelling for them to come back. Park Patrol, in their ongoing mission to protect the desolate woodland from the many threats such as joggers and teenage kids (sarcasm), may have something to say about this plan, as well.

Williams Lake off Purcells Cove road and the many bordering lakes in its area would provide a much better environment, and will more than likely provide a perfect boundary of seclusion for my excursion. Macnab’s Island, while harder to get to, would also provide adequate adventure with a fairly constant level of seclusion if the right spot is utilized.

On the other hand, our heated storage unit sure does look tempting.

This documentary uncovers one of the most theologically damaging discoveries the world has ever known, yet doesn’t seem to know about.

The documentary that holds this distinction is called “The Lost Tomb of Jesus” - which was first broadcasted by Discovery Channel and Vision TV in Canada on March 4, 2007 – and covers  the discovery of the Talpiot Tomb, the final resting place of Jesus Christ (that is what the film contends, anyway). It was directed by Canadian documentary and film maker Simcha Jacobovici and produced by Felix Golubev and Ric Esther Bienstock, with the famous James Cameron serving as executive producer.

The claims this documentary makes are currently the subject of controversy beyond the reaches of what we can know, as it transcends the boundaries between the archaeological and theological fields and is being condemned by everyone from weekend church goers to biblical scholars.

The tomb itself was discovered in 1980 during a housing construction project located halfway between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. When the tomb was initially uncovered, archaeology teams quickly had only a few days to excavate it. Inside, Ten ossuaries were found before the tomb was cemented over, including the six that are the subject of Jacobovici’s film.

Six of the ossuaries have inscriptions of common names, nothing out of the ordinary until research uncovered that they were no simple set of names. Individually they may have been quite common, but the fact that the following deciphered names were all found in the same tomb is astonishing, especially when carbon dating found them to have been put there approximately 2000 years ago:

Yeshua bar Yehosef, Aramaic for “Jesus son of Joseph” .

Maria, written in Aramaic script, but a Latin form of the Hebrew name “Miriam” (”Mary”).

Yose, a diminutive of “Joseph” mentioned (in its Greek form ????? “Joses”) as the name of one of Jesus’s brothers in the New Testament.

Yehuda bar Yeshua, Aramaic for “Judah son of Jesus” .

Mariamene e Mara. According to the filmmakers this is Greek for “Mary known as the master.” The similar name “Mariamne” is found in the Acts of Philip: Francois Bovon, professor of the history of religion at Harvard University has suggested based on his study of that work that Mariamene, or Mariamne, was the actual name of Mary Magdalene.

Matya, Hebrew for ‘Matthew’— The film claims that there is evidence that Mary mother of Jesus had many relatives named Matthew.

The documentary then ascertains the probability that a tomb might contain such a specific group of names as those found in the Talpiot Tomb. While it is maintained that many of these are common names, the filmmakers allow a statistics professor to show us that the odds that such names could be found together in any one tomb are (depending on variables) no less than 600 to 1 in favour of it being authentic, and that’s intentionally taking into account a large margin of error, which otherwise would make the odds far higher than that.  

Normally a find like this would be in the realm of coming across the fountain of youth or the holy grail, however, the film has been largely ignored and criticized, due to its obvious contradiction of the events concerning Jesus depicted in the New Testament. The film’s suggestions contradict the basis which an entire faith rests its beliefs upon, making it probably one of the most controversial archaeological discoveries of all time, which nobody seems to have heard of…

Thinking of all the ways this contradicts the Christian faith, it’s obvious why the church is so quick to denounce the discovery, as it exposes it as a sham at worst and at least leaves some serious question marks at best. Just the fact that Jesus remains were found conjures up a whole set of contradictions, as that means his death was followed only with a spiritual ascension, not a bodily ascension that Christians are led to believe. Also, the fact that his wife’s remains were found, the fact he had a child and siblings and his mother presumably not being virgin kind of raises some eyebrows, as well.  

It seems that there is a chance Jesus may have simply been human, folks. That’s right, a philosopher, activist, and genuine hero, but not the son of god. Hard to believe, I know. How could the one and only son of god that we’ve been lead for millennia to believe had superpowers, be a mere mortal?

There are certainly flaws and embellishments in some of the arguments the documentary raises, which have been picked apart by religious figures, who maintain the film ignores reason with its outrageous assertions and is an unprofessional work of fiction. I think, though, that if we’re going to play that game, it may be safe to assert that perhaps the Bible maybe did a little embellishing of its own? No way, never…

Directed By: Martin Scorsese

I really loved this documentary so much that I watched it twice, back to back. I’ve seen two Bob Dylan documentaries, this one, and Don’t Look Back (1967). I must say that while both are really well done, No Direction Home goes beyond Bob Dylan himself, and provides more of a look into the world that helped shape him as an artist, and provides a fleeting  glimpse of understanding into a world that so many have haughtily tried to analyze for decades.

The title, No Direction Home, is in homage to his classic song, “Like a Rolling Stone” [How does it feel, to be on your own, no direction home, like a complete unknown… like a rolling stone?] The upbeat, 2-disc, discovery session is a visual representation and scrapbook of Dylan’s musical foundation, which proves to all who watch it, that we are essentially a composite of our own experiences, environment, and ideologies. It’s extremely inspiring.

And like only Dylan can do, he sums up the entire documentary in his first few words:

“I had ambitions to set out and find an odyssey of going home somewhere. I set out to find a home that I had left a while back and I couldn’t remember where it was, but I was on my way there… I was born very far away from where I was supposed to be, so I’m going home…”

Other Memorable Quotes:

“There’s a saying among the Tibetan Buddhists that if the student is not better than the teacher, then the teacher’s a failure. And I was really knocked out by the eloquence, particularly, “I’ll know my song well before I start singing”, and “I’ll reflect from the mountain where all souls can see it”. It’s sort of this biblical prophecy. Poetry are words that are empowered that make your hair stand on end; that you have to recognize it as some form of subjective truth that has an objective reality because someone has realized it. Then you call it poetry later”.

-         Allen Ginsberg on Bob Dylan, and Dylan’s song A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall.

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“He articulated what we all wanted to say, but couldn’t say”

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“…He [Dylan] came out and stayed with me in a beautiful house… Bob would like to write there. And he would just be tapping away at that typewriter. He would always say, “Uh, what d’ya think a this?” and I wouldn’t understand the thing at all, but I loved it. So, I’d go, “Okay, I’m gonna figure this one out”. So I read through it, and I gave back my interpretation of what I thought it was about. Then he’s say, “Ah, that’s pretty feckin’ good, ya know… a buncha years from now these feckin’ people, all these assholes, they’re gonna be writing about all this shit I write. I don’t know where the feck it comes from, I don’t know what it’s about, and they’re gonna write what it’s about…” Ha!”

-         Joan Baez on her relationship with Bob Dylan

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“Johnny Cash was more of a religious figure to me. To be standing next to him was a huge thrill for me. For him to be singing one of my songs, it was just unthinkable”

-         Bob Dylan on Johnny Cash

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Appearances and mention in No Direction Home include:

Ø     Allen Ginsberg

Ø     Joan Beaz

Ø     Woodie Guthrie

Ø     Odetta

Ø     Hank Williams

Ø     Leadbelly

Ø     The Weavers

Ø     Pete Seeger

Ø     Johnny Cash

Reviewed by: Jackie Howatt

by Jackie Howatt

The Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia is standing strong in fierce protest against the new Convention Center development, to be built on Argyle Street, which is projected to implement by the end of this year.

The new project was officially disclosed this past Monday. Premier Rodney MacDonald comments that, “(The WTCC) has served our city and this province very well. But this is not 1984 and the needs of conventions, the technology and expectations of our participants, are very different,” MacDonald said. “By standing still we are falling behind.” (link)

The glass structure of nine stories, and costing approximately $16 million by Armour Group, would be smack dab in the middle of the city, lined by Hollis, Duke, and Upper Water Streets.

This tasteless development, according to the Heritage Trust, is yet another shortsighted money grab that could have devastating effects on Halifax’s historic, natural, and cultural remnants. Most notably, the waterfront view from Citadel Hill. The development would block the view of George’s Island, as demonstrated in the picture below, which is a representation of the consequences put forth by the Heritage Trust:

Phillip Pacey, the President of the Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia comments, “The issue of a convention centre is separate from the issue of high buildings on this site,” Pacey says. “A convention centre is usually a low building, and often requires only one or two storeys. The Trust would have no problem with an appropriately designed, low, public convention centre on this site. There is no need for these towers.” (link).

It’s disconcerting to me how this integral aspect of our city goes without notice by so many, on a political level. It’s nothing but Halifax’s heritage, old world feel, and all of its little nooks and crannies located downtown that gives our city it’s unmistakable spirit. Albeit, the old Chronicle Herald building on Argyle is definitely an eyesore at best, and a lot could actually be done with that currently useless space, but building another several stories on top of it would, in my opinion, be a mistake. 

One of my main concerns is the inevitable impact it will have on our pedestrian traffic. If you take a second to think, the most frequented spots in our downtown are not lined by storied buildings. Spring Garden, the mid and lower parts of Barrington Street, Argyle Street, Pizza Corner even, are more “ventilated” areas of the city. These buildings are fairly short-stacked, making it less overwhelming to pedestrians, and more manageable to access. It’s when you hit areas like upper Barrington Street that foot traffic tends to wane in comparison.

If a 9 story building were planted on Argyle Street, the closed-in effect would create a psychological power shift. Especially since the street is already so dense already. That particular area is completely catered to those who are on foot – from the outdoor patios, to the nearby dance clubs, to the external aesthetics (think the Economy Shoe Shop). This new convention center project, which will include a hotel, underground parking lot, and commercial spaces, will block the skyline view from these patios, along with the view of George’s Island view from Citadel. Not to mention the added congestion the vehicle traffic will impose on the area.

And then there’s the developmental impacts it will have on future developers. If we continue to build up, and subsequently block the view from Citadel, where do we stop? It’s always going to be a fight to be taller.

I want to know when we draw the line between new developments, economic growth, and preservation/ conservation? It may sound futile discussing the importance of the George’s Island view from Citadel, but really, it’s one of the most beautiful all-natural attractions that this city can still boast about. If we start compromising that, I must say that I question the motives and vision of the powers that can allow this to happen. When do we back off and start focusing on sustainability, and improving quality, as opposed to our capitalistic view that more is better? This, as far as I’m concerned, is intrinsically what’s wrong with our society today, and why this development is a step backwards, not forwards.