 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON March 6, 2012 And then it was over. Winter had hardly gotten a decent grip on the city and the lake came nowhere near freezing over. There wasn’t any buildup of snow and the city must have saved a bundle on snow removal.
The true sign for Burlington that the winter was over is the announcement that as of 10:00 pm this evening the skating rink at the Rotary Centennial Pond at Discovery Landing will close for the skating season.
 If you didn't get to strap on the blades this winter - you're out of luck. Rink closes at 10:00 pm this evening. This is probably the first executive decision Chris Glenn made as the now Director of Parks and Recreation; the Acting was removed from the title very recently.
“With the mild winter we were happy to be able to keep the rink open as long as we have,” said Chris Glenn, director of parks and recreation. “We are now looking forward to the spring season and the opening of the reflective pond.”
City staff will spend the next few weeks cutting the ice out of the pond and preparing the 10,000 square-foot (930 square metre) reflective pond for opening.
“Skating is still available at the city’s indoor arenas,” said Sandy Osborne, co-ordinator of swimming and skating. “Our indoor recreational skating and shinny hockey programs run all year and are a great way to stay in shape and have fun.”
Fun sure, but it’s not skating on ice is it.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON March 1, 2012 The acting part of his career ended last night and this morning Chris Glenn enters city hall as the Director of Parks and Recreation. It is a well-earned change to his title and while it won’t make any difference in his work load, it should make a difference in his pay cheque. It is also the first step in the several that newly minted City Manager Jeff Fielding will be making in the ranks of his senior staff. This one was easy. He now has to resolve the Acting Executive Director of Finance and the Acting General Manager, Development and Infrastructure – there are some musical chairs involved in these two.
Chris Glenn has been with the city for some time, working his way through various departments but always coming back to parks and recreation which may have been the result of a summer job as a life guard at a swimming pool a long time ago. He has been serving as the Acting Director for a number of years while a medical disability leave of absence for the former Director worked its way through to completion.
 He is no longer "acting"; it's now the real deal as Chris Glenn gets appointed the Director of Parks and Recreation for the city. Glenn works with General Manager Scott Stewart and is frequently Stewart’s go to guy when there are some awkward negotiations to be done. Every problem that cropped up with the development of the Alton community got resolved to some degree because of the steady hand Glenn brought to the table.
When you put a city administration, a school board and a library board all in one room and direct them to “work it out” you know there are going to be some fundamental differences of option and provincial rules and regulations that have to be dealt with.
The community centre that is made up of a high school, a community recreation centre and a library is now under construction. The interminable meetings that got everything to the point where a shovel went into the ground were stick handled to a large degree by Glenn. The actual construction of the Alton community is under the direction of the Halton District School Board – it is up to their people to ensure that the project comes in on time and on budget.
Burlington served as the lynch pin that pulled all the pieces into place and ensured that the needs and interests, of each group were fully understood and to the degree that it was possible, were met.
Developing executive level talent requires the kind of human resources leadership that is part talent scout and part strong administer with an ability to move people from department to department to give them mixed experience and at the same time asses the competencies. Roy Male, Executive Director of Human Resources does this job for the city. He has watched Chris Glenn grow over the years and while his comments made to city council in a closed session are not public, he must take a sense of pride in watching Glenn grow into this position.
Glenn now has to deliver on the expectations senior management have of him. Expect to see a well-run operation with some surprising flashes of innovation. His patience and sound understanding of the way people work and what can be efficiently and effectively delivered have been in play for some time. He can now go forward with a more satisfying sense of his authority.
 Sarah O’Hara is a Burlington mother of two who realized that her degree in modernist literature wasn’t going to lead to work that had meaning or a decent pay cheque attached to it, so she sat down with her husband and worked out a plan that had her recalibrating her career choices and now rides the GO bus to York University (“get my reading done on the bus”) where she will earn a teaching certificate and hopes to be in a Halton classroom, maybe as soon as next year.
Sara is not exactly a community activist, but she cared enough about her neighbourhood to be part of a group that has nine people delegating to a City Council committee to get the Drury Lane bridge repaired and operational.
Sarah expressed an interest in writing for us and because the publisher of Our Burlington wasn’t about to enter Tansley Woods where a couple of hundred women were looking at Botox and new make up and getting financial advice at the Burlington Woman’s Show – he knows when the territory is not man friendly – so he asked Sarah if she would cover the event. Here is her report.
By Sarah O’Hara
BURLINGTON, ON February 26, 2012 Where can one go to look ten years younger, lose ten pounds, learn how to invest, and plan her funeral all under one roof? The Burlington Women’s Show, of course! This afternoon I joined hundreds of other women at Tansley Woods Community Centre to meet dozens of local vendors promoting their products and services. Upon entering I received a stamp on my hand of a “Sex and the City” inspired martini glass which permitted me to enter a world exclusively geared toward women and the things we love.
 Tony Racco of Cosimo's Salon- a Burlington institution that has been in the Roseland Plaza for more than 50 years provided coupons for a free wash, cut and style.. That made our reporters day. The first booth I stopped at was hosted by Cosimo’s Salon which has called Roseland Plaza their home for fifty years. To celebrate their anniversary the booth was giving each visitor a coupon for a free wash, cut and style – valued at $79.10. Wow – a great start to my day! Tony Racco, the owner, did demonstrations on the main stage with two models, one in her twenties and the other in her fifties. As he curled, brushed and styled, he spoke about the many eras his salon has been through over the past fifty years from the bouffant styles of the sixties, to the sticky back combing of the eighties, to the softer curls that are in fashion now. He seemed confident and knowledgeable as he turned the older model’s tight cap of curls into a soft cloud of shiny waves. Seeing him in action made me look forward to visiting his salon.
In the same area I spoke with Ken Arp, owner of Smart Betty, an internet-based daily deal company. As an avid wagjagger, I was eager to sign up for their emails, especially after finding out that for each purchase made 10% goes to a local charity of your choice, including the ROCK (Reach Out Centre for Kids), the Burlington Humane Society, and Women’s Cancer Centres.
I followed this with a trip to the Booty Camp Fitness booth, where Sandy Cordeiro filled me in on the details of a Burlington-based women’s only boot camp. This was only one of many fitness-oriented booths throughout the centre, such as golfing, karate, dance classes and yoga. It was nice to be able to pick up their flyers amid the many chocolate and cupcake giveaways that were prevalent at the show.
Of course it wouldn’t be a women’s show without the latest in beauty and anti-aging products. Slavica McIntyre, a certified Xtreme eyelash stylist, promises mascara-free beauty with her $150 eyelash implants available at I Love Lashes located in Queen B’s on New Street. There were also demonstrations of Botox-free oxygenated facelift systems, and Carol Fysh, a face many would recognize from promoting products on the home shopping channel, was there with her new anti-aging line Red.
Upon entering one room I was approached by a woman named Terezia who asked me if I would like a free sample. Thinking of the chocolate and toothpaste samples already abundant in my large purse, I happily agreed. I was somewhat disappointed when she ushered me onto a high chair and swiftly removed my carefully-applied eye makeup from one eye with a wet sponge. She gravely told me that I have inherited thin skin under my eyes and that only her Hollywood Eye Magic tuck serum could help me. She coated my left eye with the thick yellow serum and told me within ten minutes I would see a change that I would not believe. After advising me not to change my facial expression she informed me that I could buy the serum for $100. I promised her I would think about it. By now the skin under my eye was uncomfortably burning and tight, so I made my escape to the closest washroom to clean it off.
 More costume jewellery than an average eye could take in was to be found at the Women in Burlington event at Tansley Woods. By now I was quite hungry, so I followed the smell of fresh bread until I found the Jack Astor’s Bar and Grill table, where I was treated to delicious brushetta and a glass of Chardonnay. Next to them was The Water Street Cooker where I munched happily on a turkey wrap while chatting with the cooks about the supposed haunting of the old building where Emma and her family succumbed to strange deaths before the Old Lakeshore Road home was turned into a restaurant. This mystique, coupled with the delicious fare, makes the restaurant a popular Burlington destination.
The main event was the fashion show, hosted by City Line’s Lynn Spence. The gym was packed with women (and the odd man) in a horseshoe formation around the t-shaped stage. If one ignored the tucked-away basketball nets and fluorescent lights she could imagine she was watching the catwalk at a chic big-city show. Spence hosted with confidence, knowledge and humour. She showed clothes from Sears, J. Michael’s, Laura, Melanie Lynn, and other local (and affordable) stores. Spence gave tips on what styles best suit body types, what colours are going to be trendy this season (coral and orange) and how to make an outfit diverse – for instance, pairing a wrap dress with skinny jeans or removing a belt to make a dress a tunic. Her motto was “[this is] clothing you can understand – that makes sense.” The audience was enthralled and enthusiastic, applauding and cheering after each model. Cosimo’s provided all the hair and makeup.
The Women’s Show of course boasted the expected accessories. Jewelry, makeup, purses, scarves and belts were available from high priced designers, such as Breanne Morrow of White Feather Designs who studied how to pound copper in Mexico, to more affordable fun accessories such as those from Vixin, where I bought a Tiffany and Co. style bracelet for $10.00.
There were also booths I never would have expected to find at a Women’s Show, such as Investors Group. Mark Murray, the consultant I spoke with, told me they are geared toward family planning and lifestyle goals, and why shouldn’t these be things women think about? While I wholeheartedly agree that this is something that is important to both genders, I was more drawn to booths that concentrated on fun, beauty and glamour. This explains why I did not even stop at the Funeral Planning booth, and I didn’t see anyone else do so, either.
Nickelbrook craft brewery was there, and its host, Kevin, told me that craft beer is now making up 20% of the local selling beer. Coffee Culture was also present, giving away steaming cups of coffee and delicious looking squares for donations.
Of course, health and wellness centres abounded. Premier Homecare Services offers PSW services as well as companion services to post-surgical or elderly home owners; Dr. Derek Jasek of Headon Chriopractic Wellness Centre told me about the importance of devoting time to flexibility and posture to dramatically increase your quality of life; the Healthy Self Clinic specializes in thermographic imaging to detect and prevent breast cancers instead of the more traditional mammogram option. I was, however, surprised to see a booth called Brainworx. Its owner, Patrice Shennette, told me that our brains are deeply affected by trauma, both physical and emotional. She is confident that her method of converting brain waves to musical tunes, and then adjusting this music to reflect that which our brains made at birth, is key in allowing ourselves to maintain confident, strong and healthy lifestyles.
 Several hundred woman spent Sunday at Tansley Woods enjoying all kinds of free treats and more advice than they could possibly use. A chance to get out of the house without the kids. Sears Mapleview also had a table for the first time. Carol, the marketing coordinator, told me their new, young CEO, Calvin McDonald, is attempting to make Sears more visible in the community. On April 17 they are hosting a cosmetic and fragrance gala. Tickets are $10 and $2 from each goes toward “Look good, Feel better,” for people who are living with cancer. Canyon Creek will cater the event.
I left the Women’s Show with a bag full of flyers and samples, and a head full of ideas of how to look good, feel good and dress well. The women at the show all seemed to share a camaraderie, chatting easily to each other while inspecting different products, comparing finds and generally just happy to be in a facility where everything is geared toward the wants and needs of most women. The Women’s Show is a great way for women to get out and find local businesses that cater toward our needs. I look forward to next year!
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON February 25, 2012 For those who are of a monarchist bent – there is an opportunity for you to be the “Queen” at Ireland House on Mother’s Day. The event is one of three Museums Burlington is putting on with funds they received to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee.
Barb Teatero, Director of Museums for Museums of Burlington, made the application for the funding of a program that has three parts and was given a grant of $20,400 which allows the Museum to put on the events with no entrance fees.
Along with tea being served at Ireland House on Mother’s Day, with someone impersonating the Queen, there is going to be interactive activities for the student crowd during the March break as well as an exhibit that will tour the city with a probable stop at Tansley Woods and City Hall – the details are still being worked out. Teatero just got the cheque on Friday and it hasn’t cleared the bank yet – so details aren’t cast in stone yet.
The Jubilee is a government program designed to focus on the 6o years that Queen Elizabeth has worn her crown. That’s a big deal and the government is right to spend money on marking this occasion. The current government has decided it wants to make the relationship between Canadians and the Monarchy a little tighter than previous governments. Relationships with the Monarchy are quite specific for Burlington. While the city had never had a “royal” visit, it has had a citizen who saw quite a bit of the Royal Family even if those visits were a couple of hundred years ago.
 In this portrait Joseph Brant is seen wearing the gorget given to him by King George III. That gorget is the most important piece in the collection at the Joseph Brant Museum. In the 1700’s Joseph Brant, an aboriginal who spent a lot of time in Burlington and was given 3,500 acres of land at the “head of Lake Ontario” for his service to the King. That land is basically what we know as Burlington. Elizabeth and James Streets were named after two of Brant’s children.
Not much attention is paid to what Joseph Brant actually did – it’s quite an impressive list of feats and worth knowing more about. Most Burlingtonians know that the hospital was named after the guy and that’s about it.
 Given to Joseph Brant by King George III with the inscription: "A Gift from a friend to Captain Brant`. Brant travelled to England on two occasions and met with King George III in 1775/6 and again in 1785/6. The practice in those days was for gifts to be exchanged and George III gave Brant a gorget made of silver with the inscription: “A gift from a friend to Captain Brant”. A gorget is a piece of equipment that is worn around the throat by warriors. The item is the most important piece in the Brant Museum and is something borrowed by other museums around the world. It is a priceless piece of history.
 By Pepper Parr
REVISED
February 24, 2012 It is always very unwise to let politicians anywhere near the selection of public art.
Burlington made a wise decision a number of years ago when they selected the Imperial Cotton Centre for the Arts as their third party public art advisers.
 The placing of public art in the city has raised a lot of negative comment. Most people don't understand why the sculpture, a modernistic interpretation of orchids was installed in the middle of a busy road. There is a solution to this problem. The first major project they took on was described at a recent Council Committee as a “lesson learned” – which had to do with the ‘orchids’ that now decorate a stretch of Upper Middle Road located just before the street dips beneath the railway tracks – which gives the average driver doing the speed limit all of 1.2 seconds to actually see the art.
While “provincial” Burlington was convinced someone locally could have done a much better job for a lot less than the $100,000. the city paid for the three orchids, I think they had some local welder who thought he was an artist in mind. The orchards are good art done by someone with an international reputation.
City Council last week had a major problem with paying as much as $35,000 for individual bus shelters that would adorn the entrance to the up and coming Alton community. There was some hope that there would be some sculpture in front of the high school being built in the Alton community, but no one could agree on anything so they settled for fancy bus shelters. Councillor Taylor couldn’t stomach that one and managed to convince his council members to put the kybosh on that one and they did – almost. Councillor Lancaster convinced them to defer rather than say a total no and asked staff to look into providing information on fancy bus shelters more appropriate to the Canadian climate. The examples given didn`t look as if they offered much protection on a cold winter day. As soon as we get the pictures from the city hall staff member we will show those to you.
With the orchids on Upper Middle Road now a fact and with negative public comment still growing all admitted that the orchids were perhaps not the arts’ greatest moment in Burlington.
While the bus shelters got the boot, art for the plaza in front of the Burlington Performing Arts Centre got serious attention. Dan Laurie, a local insurance broker, offered to put up a sum of money providing the city matched his amount on a two for one basis for something that would be installed on the plaza in front of the Burlington Performing Arts Centre. Additional donours have come forward and offered funds on the same basis.
Council wasn’t sure they wanted to have the city stuck with a situation where they had to put up two dollars for every one that someone decided to donate so they seemed to take a pass on that opportunity.
Our Burlington is a cogent observer of all things civic at city hall and there is a very, very simple solution to both getting acceptable art in front of the Burlington Performing Arts Centre and stifling the howls about the art on Upper Middle Road.
 This is not a true photograph but rather two pictures superimposed on each other - to give you an idea what the orchids would look like if they were installed on the plaza outside the Performing Arts Centre. The council members and city staff in the picture would not be part of the installation. Move the orchids from Upper Middle Road to the plaza in front of the Performing Arts Centre. Whizzo! – everyone is happy. To give you an idea as to just how magnificent those orchids would look in front of the Performing Arts Centre, we Photoshopped the Orchards into a picture of the Performing Arts Centre so you could see just how fine this would look.
In the “art” work we did, we included the Mayor, several Council members and some senior City Hall staff. One might give some thought to having those people pose during specific events during the year – the public could buy peanuts to feed them with the profits from the peanuts going to offset the $500,000 the Performing Arts Centre is going to cost in the way of their annual subsidy.
There won’t be any problem moving the orchids. Some people think they are in Jack Dennison’s Ward 4 but he claims they are in Blair Lancaster’s Ward 6 – they are both right – the thing is in the middle of the road on a small floral island and they really aren’t in either ward, much to the relief of Dennison who doesn’t ever want to be touched with anything to do with the arts. Jack just wants to pave those roads.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON February 16, 2012 I’m not quite sure how he does it but Ian Elliott, proprietor of The Different Drummer Bookstore manages to attract some very impressive authors to his Engaging Ideas events he holds at the Public Library.
He recently had Michelle Landsberg as a guest and while I wasn’t able to make it to that event, I am told it was a great evening. Landsberg is always good copy and good conversation.
 An author with an international reputation and the ability to explain issues and ideas better than many - will be in Burlington February 27th. On February 27, 7 pm author Modris Eksteins will introduce his new book Solar Dance: Genius, Forgery, and the Crisis of Truth in the Modern Age.
While that is certainly a mouthful of a title in the book, Dr. Eksteins examines the career and concerns of Vincent Van Gogh and the explosion of his international reputation through a chain of surprising events in Weimar Germany.
Ekstein’s previous books, Rites of Spring: The Great War and the Birth of the Modern Age, and Walking Since Daybreak: A Story of Eastern Europe, World War II and the Heart of Our Century, have brought him major literary awards along with great international success and acclaim.
Solar Dance shares with these works an extraordinary recreation of the times, illuminated with keen insight and an astonishing range of reference in an artful, engaging and edifying presentation.
To reserve seats in advance, please contact us at (905) 639 0925 or diffdrum@mac.com.
We have pinched shamelessly from a Globe and Mail review of Eksteins work. I not only don’t have the time to review the books (but they are on my list of books to read) but I don’t think I could do as well as Mark Kingwell. If you are interested in reviewing books for Our Burlington – be in touch.
From Globe and Mail, February 10, 2012
No film fan can forget the scene in Woody Allen’s Manhattan (1979) in which two pseudo-intellectual New Yorkers, played by Michael Murphy and Diane Keaton, enumerate the members of their “Academy of the Overrated”: Norman Mailer, Scott Fitzgerald, Lenny Bruce, Gustav Mahler, Heinrich Böll, Ingmar Bergman, Carl Jung, Walt Whitman, Isak Dinesen, possibly Sol LeWitt.
Allen’s character, Isaac, a self-involved but earnest television writer, is particularly dismayed by their inclusion of Vincent van Gogh – pronounced, notoriously, “van Goch”
“Van Goch?” he mouths incredulously to his girlfriend. “She said van Goch?”
Van Gogh has been sneer fodder for snobs longer than most. Critic Carl Steinem, commenting on the craze for his work in the early 1920s, condemned the work as “petit-bourgeois kitsch” with “the likeness of a collectively minded idiot.”
Then and now, denunciations seem only to fuel an enduring, outsized popularity. Three of the highest prices ever paid for art were fetched by van Gogh’s work, even as blockbuster shows continue to create queues down the blocks of every city with an art gallery.
Posters of his paintings regularly outsell every other artist, to the point of being a dorm-room nuisance – for God’s sake, hang something else! – and his visage, name, story and signature now adorn everything from high-end liquor to banks.
This ubiquity has a non-cash price, namely that, precisely because we see the works everywhere, it’s no longer possible for us to see them. The startling vividness of van Gogh’s vision, the madness, the tragic impoverished death at 37 with just one work sold, no longer have the antagonistic power of a century ago.
Philosopher Karl Jaspers: “I could not help feeling that van Gogh was the only truly great and unwillingly ‘insane’ person among so many who pretended to be insane but are really all too normal.” Nowadays, van Gogh is no longer even an authentic madman; he is, instead, a textbook case of cultural over-determination, strangled by his own success.
 The book is about the guy who cut off his ear and sold just the one painting before his life ended at 37 - it is much more than that. Modris Eksteins’s subtle and engaging new book offers an account of how this came to be, and in telling it, Eksteins bestows a great gift: new strangeness. In 56 short sections, each linked to a van Gogh work, he interweaves the large fabric of culture, politics and money with the small, indeed pedestrian tale of a dancer turned art dealer who, in 1927, was arrested for the crime of offering 30 forged van Goghs for sale. The dealer, Otto Wacker – also known by various stage names and pseudonyms – was, in Eksteins’s phrase, a “twentieth-century mutant”: chancer, fabulist, romantic, a homosexual who joined the Nazi party, a dancer who leaped around the truth as well as the stage.
Wacker, in common with many talented men and women of Germany’s Weimar period, found interregnum Berlin an irresistible playground for stimulation and self-creation. “Berlin was crazy, debauched, metropolitan, anonymous, gargantuan, futuristic,” one Viennese writer said, “an infernal cesspool and paradise in one.” The combination of freedom and anonymity – the “metropolitan attitude” that sociologist Georg Simmel had identified as early as 1903 – would have lasting effect not just on these people but on the century’s course. Painters, writers, architects, philosophers and frauds of all types flocked to the wide-open, decadent city that would later host the extended madness, the violent “solar dance,” of Hitler’s Third Reich.
The Weimar Republic, Eksteins writes here, “was installation art on a grand scale, a fantastic panorama of commotion, imagination, and violence, literal and figurative, fuelled by a never-ending sense of emergency. Hitler and National Socialism were as much a product of Weimar as were Walter Gropius’s architecture, Fritz Lang’s films, and Marlene Dietrich’s legs.”
Makes you want to read the book – take advantage of the opportunity to meet the author. I won’t be able to attend – there is a City Council committee meeting that needs attention. If you choose not to join me at Council committee – do get to the library and take in this event.
ItCanada.ca publishes more than half a dozen technology magazines including CIO Canada and Network World. They are a reputable publisher that has been in business for quite a while. They recently did a piece on securing your Facebook data.
Our Burlington is about to embark on a series about Identity Theft and this is as good a way as there is to get you started on securing your identity. Most of us use Facebook and like the way it allows us to keep in touch with people we don’t see very often. Louise tells me about how she takes care of pets; Cory inundates me with things about the NDP that I really don’t need to know, Brian somehow digs out trivia stuff that I usually don’t get and I’ve got a guy in Spain who shares a family name with me – and that’s about all. I enjoy the service but really resent someone using the information and comments I put up on the web site to their advantage. If I’ve made you a Friend then be my friend and respect my privacy.
Set out below are five ways to secure your new profile
By Logan Kugler
With the ongoing rollout of Facebook’s Timeline feature, security and privacy have never been more important to your digital life. The new layout presents all of your current and past activities on Facebook — posts, photos, comments, likes and so on — in a handy timeline format to anyone with access to your profile, which may include friends of friends, colleagues, executives at your company, a potential future boss … well, you get the idea.
If you’ve made the jump to Timeline — and if you haven’t, you will within the next few weeks, like it or not — you should know that Facebook has changed a few things, and there are certain settings you need to pay attention to if you’re concerned about what parts of your life others can see. Here’s how to lock down your profile in the post-Timeline world.
1. Limit your connections
Most key privacy settings are accessible by clicking the arrow in the upper right-hand corner of your profile screen (next to your name and the Home button). From here, select Privacy Settings in the drop-down menu.
 Protecting your Facebook data: Rule # 1 - Limit your connections Click on Edit Settings next to the How You Connect option to begin your profile lockdown. This section contains five privacy settings.
The first three settings govern who can look up your profile and see your contact information, who can friend you and who can send you messages. For maximum privacy, change the first and third settings to Friends, thereby preventing anyone else from looking up your profile or sending you messages.
The second setting governs who can send you Friend requests. The more secure choice is Friends of Friends, but it limits your connectivity on the world’s largest social network. If you’re worried about losing out on friendship opportunities, keep it set to Everyone.
The last two settings dictate who can post on your timeline and who sees those posts. Only Me is the safest option, but choosing it severely reduces the number of interactions Facebook offers. If you’re seriously considering limiting your timeline posts to you and only you, it might be time to leave Facebook entirely.
Setting both of these options to Friends is relatively safe while still allowing the sharing that makes Facebook fun. And there is a way to review posts from friends before they appear on your timeline, as you’ll see in the next section of the story.
2. Tailor your tags
An easily missed entry in the Privacy Settings is one innocuously labeled How Tags Work. However, it is essential to tweak the settings found here if you want to take control of your profile’s privacy, as some tagging actions can be pretty invasive.
 Protecting your Facebook data. Rule # 2 Tailor your tags. The first two settings (Timeline Review and Tag Review) are particularly useful. When you enable them, you can review posts and photos that friends tag you in, as well as the tags friends add to your own posts — all before this information goes public. That’s especially valuable if you have well-meaning friends who think tagging you in those Vegas party photos is a good idea.
The third setting, Maximum Timeline Visibility, should be set to Friends or customized for certain friend lists or networks to ensure that these tagged posts, once approved, aren’t seen by everyone.
Disable the fourth setting on the list, Tag Suggestions. It makes it harder for friends to tag large quantities of photos featuring you or people that look like you. But it also takes some of your profile’s privacy out of the hands of others.
The last setting on the list is seriously important: It determines whether or not friends can check you in to places. Turn it off. The only thing worse than constantly broadcasting your location is having someone else do it without your express permission.
3. Rein in app permissions
Speaking of permissions, the permission window that used to appear frequently when Facebook apps wanted to access your profile information is pretty much MIA now. Currently, apps need to ask you only once for permission. Once they do, they’ll mine your profile information as often as need be, sometimes even when the app isn’t being used.
 Protecting your Facebook data. Rule # 3 - Rein in your app permissions. Fortunately, there’s a privacy fix. Unfortunately, it’s not a quick one, since you’ll have to tweak each app’s settings individually.
In the main Privacy Settings, click on Edit Settings next to the Apps and Web sites entry to bring up the Apps, Games and Web sites privacy settings page. Next to “Apps you use,” click on Edit Settings again to access a full list of apps running on your profile. Each app is accompanied by an Edit button, which displays the app’s permissions when clicked. Each app has different permissions enabled, so you’ll have to check each one individually.
Here’s the bad news: Some permissions, such as sharing basic profile information with the app, cannot be altered. These are marked by the grayed-out word “Required” next to the particular permission.
Other settings, however, have the word “Remove” next to them — click on it to remove any permission. These are the only items that can be changed, so you’ll have to take a hard look at what permissions an app deems a necessity. If you don’t like what you see, click “Remove app” at the top of the same page and learn to live without that app.
For the apps you do keep, it’s important to control who sees the information that the apps share — many of them are designed to broadcast your activities on your timeline and in the “ticker” on the right side of users’ home pages. At the bottom of each app’s permissions page is another important option entry titled “App activity privacy.” Click on the drop-down menu and select Only Me to be sure your app activity isn’t seen by anyone else.
Similarly, if you install any new apps, be sure to select Only Me under “Who can see activity from this app on Facebook” on the installation page.
4. Stop others from taking your information with them
The Apps, Games and Web sites privacy settings also contain some other features that security hounds would be wise to disable.
 Protecting your FAcebook data. Rule # 4 Stop others from taking your information. Click on Edit Settings next to the entry labeled “How people bring your info to the apps they use.” Other users may be able to bring your personal information with them when they use apps and Web sites. It’s all in the interest of making things more social. It can also be invasive. Uncheck the box next to each information category listed (there are 17 of them) to prevent others from using your personal data.
Head back to the Apps, Games and Web sites privacy settings and click Edit Settings for the “Instant personalization” category. This option should be turned off by default, but check to make sure. You’ll first see a pop-up screen explaining the feature; when you close that, you’ll be able to see whether it’s enabled. If it is, disable it. This will prevent Facebook partner sites from accessing your public information to personalize your experience on their own Web sites.
5. Reduce your social footprint
Sharing is the whole point of Facebook, but the Timeline layout sometimes takes this to extremes, making it easy for others to see all your activity from years gone by. The good news is that you can disable Recent Activity updates, which broadcast new friendships, groups you’ve joined and any other changes in your basic information (such as relationship status or political views). Just click on the X next to a Recent Activity update on your timeline and select Hide Similar Activity from Timeline.
 Protecting your Facebook data. Rule # 5 Reduce your social footprint. This makes the process of hiding certain activities from your past a little easier. But here’s the bad news: Individual status updates or posts from, say, your less judicious days need to be removed individually by clicking the pencil icon next to each item and choosing Hide from Timeline — a process that could take you to the end of 2012 if you’ve ever been very active on Facebook.
There’s a limited solution, though: In the main Privacy Settings window, the second-to-last entry on the list is titled Limit the Audience for Past Posts. Click on the Manage Past Post Visibility link next to it. A window will appear giving you the option to change all past posts so that they’re visible only to friends. Click Limit Old Posts to do so.
That will at least prevent anyone other than people you’ve friended from seeing older items on your timeline. But considering that your boss, colleagues and other acquaintances may be among your Facebook friends, it’s still a good idea to review your entire timeline and remove compromising status updates, comments, links and photos. Start with the oldest items first. When you first started using Facebook, you probably had fewer contacts and might have posted and commented with less caution than you’ve done more recently.
As a last precaution, make sure that everything you post on Facebook moving forward is shared only with friends, specific networks or friend lists: Click the drop-down box next to your status update, comment, link or other shared content and select Friends or a group. For even more granular control over who can and can’t see a post, select the Custom option.
It bears mentioning that the last and best defense against digital privacy invasions is common sense. You may want to be a bit irreverent with your Facebook friends — and there’s nothing wrong with that. But ask yourself if you’d wave that questionable photo or say that pithy comment in front of someone who could affect your future hiring prospects. If not, think twice before you post it on Facebook.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON January 17, 2010 – This time last year Council member Paul Sharman was savaging senior city staff over the data they had provided council and the budget recommendations they had made. This year Sharman was blowing kisses to Joan Ford, Acting city treasurer. How things do change.
Has Sharman learned to see things through the lens of a civic council member rather than his private sector corporate lens? Or has the city`s Executive Budget Committee learned something from the 2011 budget exercise? Whichever, the projections for the 2012 budget look pretty decent at this early stage but as Councillor rick Craven pointed out, “the comments in the staff report – “There are insufficient financial and human resources to support all existing services, add resources to respond to community growth…” Craven, who runs a very tight committee meeting made the point that “we are not funding infrastructure needs adequately either. “We are setting aside half a percentage point of the budget when we need a full 1%. to get our roads where they need to be.”
The city budget team is projecting a tax increase of 3.444%. They were directed to come back with a budget for 2012 that was between 2% and 3.5%
There isn’t going to be very much that is new in this budget – the exercise is going to be to move as much money as possible into infrastructure and ensure that we have the funds the hospital has asked the city to contribute for the rebuild of Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital.
Councillor Dennison pointed out that the hospital is still working at drawings for the parking garage and that they have no sought any building permits or prepared for a site plan review. The Memorandum of Understanding between the hospital and the city is not yet signed but Acting City Manager Kim Phillips believes construction on the garage will get started this year and the city seems prepared to write the cheque for the first $7.5 million.
 Lots of kudos for Ford on her draft budget - will everyone be as happy when it comes down to the final determination? Acting treasurer Ford gave a Council committee an overview of what the budget recommendations were. Mention of service cutbacks and the elimination of underused facilities was frequent. But at this point no one has detailed which services might be cut back and there wasn’t any mention from Council members as to which facilities were underused in their wards.
All Boards and commissions were asked t keep their increase requests to below 2%, which for most is close to impossible. Lots of haggling to be done yet.
 Festival looking for an 80% city funding increase. The surprise for many this morning was the close to last minute request from the Sound of Music festival for a close to 80% increase in the funding they get from the city. They are asking that the city increase the $52,000 they are currently contributing to $86,000 – which as Councillor Lancaster pointed out is an 80% increase.
It was going to take more than a “spoonful of sugar” to make that medicine go down. Sound of Music Executive Director Dave Miller had a presentation with lots of pictures and data but the state of the electronics in the Council Chamber are in a pretty sad state of disrepair and he was unable to share his power point presentation with the people in the public gallery.
If the Sound of Music Festival is going to get the increase they want – there is going to have to be a significant change in attitude on the part of this Council.
Miller was asked by Councillor Taylor if the Festival had written a letter asking for the increase. Apparently they had not.
More on the Sound of Music story in a report to follow and much more once we’ve had a chance to look at the draft budget.
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON January 17, 2012 – It is difficult to see any relationship whatsoever between chocolate and the Ireland House at the Oakridge Farm – but who cares? They are putting on a chocolate making event – which is a half day long taking place on Sunday, February 12 at Ireland House from noon to 3:00 pm.
 Yummy, yummyy - choclate making event. Book early. It is just chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate – and oh yes, a little bit of history thrown in to keep it legit. For the chocolate lover – and that would be most of us – this is an event to make time for.
Space is limited – 40 people max, so if you want to take in this event call Ireland House and reserve your space. Tickets are $30. each – take the Missus and you get two tickets for $50.
The program is delivered by Chocolate Tales, a group that market this niche offering where owner David Levy bring his mobile chocolate-making service to workshops about the art of chocolatiering. They use only use certified nut-free Belgium chocolate.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON January 16, 2012 Literally thousands of Burlingtonians log into Our Burlington – and that pleases us. The analytical reports we get tell us how many people visited the web site and how many were first time visitors. We learn how long people stay on the web site and how many pages they look at. What we don’t know is who you are – and that is as it should be..
Today, we wish we knew if teachers at our high schools were reading us – because there is an event taking place later this month that we would really like every high school teacher with young women in their classes to know about.
The A Different Drummer Bookstore is bringing Michelle Landsberg to the city. This woman is a must for every women getting an education. Who is Michelle Landsberg and why would you want to listen to her?
We could fill pages telling you about her. Michelle is a Mother, a community activist, a book reviewer, a writer for the Globe and Mail, Chatelaine and the Toronto Star, appearing over more than forty years, Michele Landsberg has engaged with and exposed the injustices borne by women, seen in infamous events and present in the mechanisms of our society.
 Always the advocate - Michelle Landsberg take up the microphone and the pen - and brings aboiut change.. A speaker not to be missed. Many of gains made by women and for women came about because Michelle Landsberg was there, fighting the good fight. You may not want to be out there burning your bra – but you do want to hear what Michelle has to say. This woman isn’t a strident feminist but she is feminist advocate of exceptional courage, widely recognized and celebrated for the light she casts on the most troubling of iniquities.
Michelle will be talking about her latest book, Writing the Revolution. In her Toronto Star columns she continually broke new ground, ably and frankly delineating the social and legal status of women, with her cogent commentary from today’s perspective. She also has one heck of a sense of humour.
Michele Landsberg presents and discusses Writing the Revolution on Monday, January 23, at 7pm, in the Centennial Room at Burlington Central Library. Tickets are $10, available at the Third Floor Information Desk at the Library, and here at A Different Drummer Books.
To reserve tickets, please contact us at (905) 639 0925 or diffdrum@mac.com.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON January 10, 2012 – Eight million You Tube hits and counting. Walk off the Earth, a Burlington based band has the world going whacky with their innovative approach to getting their fifteen minutes of fame. That celebrity, Russell Crowe caught their material and tweeted his crowd about the group certainly didn’t hurt. But as the band says – you do what you gotta do to get the exposure you need – and if you don’t do it yourself – it ain’t gonna happen But happen it did. Slip over to You Tube and check it out for yourself.
 You Tube just might have given Walk off the Earth the boost they needed to really make a mark on the musical scene. Are we looking at another Spoons in the making? From the left: Joel Cassady, Sarah Blackwood, Gianni Nicassio, Michael Aj Guilfoyle and Ryan Marshall. The band set themselves up in front of a camera with five people – but just one guitar and then did one of the almost funny deadpans into the camera. Ryan Marshall, the guy on the right doesn’t bat an eyelash as he plucks at the top end of the guitar while Joel Cassady, on the left, doesn’t even play the instrument but uses it as if it was a bongo drum and creates a neat beat.
Platinum blonde Sarah Blackwood has her head down for much of the four minute plus piece, but then pops up and looks straight into the camera to tell us about some guy that worked her over.
The band, Burlington based, uploaded the video to You Tube January 5th and somewhere along the way it went viral and were at eight million plus hits, when we saw the piece. If this were the 50’s they’d be getting a call from Ed Sullivan. But it isn’t – so they might have to settle for a spot on the Mayor’s Cabaret on the 24th of February. The band is booked for The Casbah in Hamilton on the 27th of February.
Comment from a loyal reader:
“They’re now up to over 10 million views! Small name correction: the one on the right is Michael Taylor, who just happens to be the father of my beautiful goddaughter! (It’s a small town.) Ryan Marshall is second from the right.”
By Staff
If you really want your 15 minutes of fame on a Burlington stage – get your demo into the Mayor’s Cabaret. There are just a few days left to be considered for the event which is to take place at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre on February 24th.
 Mayor Goldring, upper right, practices his routine for the upcoming Mayor's Cabaret. He hasn't been told yet that after his Blue Jeans Gala performance - he isn't going to make the cut. To date there are 30 submissions and the Mayor’s Office expects a few more to come in at the last minute – you could be one of those. While the competition is going to be stiff we are able to tell you that you won’t be going up against the Mayor or Mike Wallace, Burlington’s MP. Both took part on the Blue Jeans Gala early in December and both have decided to keep their day jobs.
 The Cabaret is Mayor Goldring’s initiative as a fund raiser for the Centre, which has just gone through what they called a slow opening – and they weren’t kidding. Starting with Royal Oak back in October to the big ticket Gala with Sarah McLaughlin on the stage and a “boffo” event for the patrons who could put up the $400. per ticket price.
Now the Centre settles into becoming a destination in the city that delivers world class entertainment and at the same time makes room for local performing arts groups and serves as home base for the Burlington Teen Tour Band. The Mayors Cabaret is about as local as you’re going to get; it will be interesting to see what comes in. If you want to take a shot at being selected click on the link above.
The Sound of Music people are heavily involved in this initiative; they will be doing the selecting and overseeing the production.
Inquiries: Daphne Jaques, Assistant to the Mayor, (905) 335-7600, ext. 7478
Email: jaquesd@burlington.ca
Tickets for the event are $100. each, available at the BPAC box office – 905-681-6000, for which you get a lot more than a comfortable seat. The Centre has shown they know how to put on an event and based on the first really WOW! Gala we can expect this to be just as impressive. Big question is: Will Cogeco Cable TV have their cameras on site?
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON December 17, 2011 – On December 3rd Burlington got a peek at the kind of city it could be; urban, sophisticated, connected and able to show the rest of the country that it is not a small ingrown town run by an old boys network.
 Cogeco Cable did a thoroughly profesional job of cable casting live the Gala Opening of the Burlington Performing Arts Centre. Mark Carr, on the right, will be moving on to CBC, ABC or NBC soon - unless of course he is waiting to move into Ward 6. The opening of the Burlington Performing Arts Centre with Sarah McLaughlin on the stage as the lead performer was without a doubt THE cultural, social event of the year for the city.
The event was broadcast live by on Cogeco Cable who had five cameras on the site along with their mobile unit and a staff of 14 people backing up Mark Carr and Deb Tymstra who were on air throughout the evening.
The Cogeco programmers are going to re-broadcast the event on the following dates:
Dec. 18, 5:30pm
Dec. 25, 5:30pm
Dec. 27, 10pm
Dec. 29, 8:30pm
If you want to get a sense of how this city works, the way the movers and shakers meet and greet each other – take the time to watch the re-broadcast.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON December 14, 2011 – With 18 acts already in the vetting pipeline for the Mayors Cabaret, Our Burlington asked Mayor Goldring: “ Will you be submitting your talent for consideration to the vetting committee that is in place to select the talent for the Mayor’s Cabaret?” We followed that up by asking: “ Would you expand on which of the many artistic skills you happen to possess?
Mayor Goldring advised Our Burlington that: “Unfortunately, I won’t be able to perform at the Mayor’s Cabaret. Since my debut at the Blue Jeans Gala, I have been inundated with requests for my services. I have had to turn down a request to be the opening act for Burton Cummings at Massey Hall, the very evening of the Cabaret. The city comes first however and Burton Cummings has rescheduled.
Our Burlington also asked the Mayor, “is it true that you have instructed the vetting committee for the Mayor’s Cabaret not to accept an application from the Member of the House of Commons for Burlington to take part in the event and further – is it true that this decision is based on the experience at the Blue Jeans Festival ?”
 Belting it out for a good cause. The Mayor and some of his staff along with people from the Sound of Music and the Theatre Burlington Board ham it up a bit while promoting the Mayor's Cabaret.Performing Arts Centre Board “Completely untrue” the Mayor told Our Burlington in an exclusive interview. The Mayor added that “Our MP will be most welcome to audition for the Mayor’s Cabaret- we are an inclusive city, after all. I am still coaching him daily via Skype, on his song and dance routine timing. He has had a bit of trouble coming out of his shell. He is pretty conservative so it will likely require a lot more effort to help him change his old habits and realize his potential. After all, the poor guy works in the House of Commons.
The Cabaret, scheduled for February of 2012 has a closing date of January 6th. The focus for this fund raising initiative of the Mayors, which hopes to raise $80,000 that will go to the Burlington Performing Arts Centre, is Burlington talent.
It was evident during the Blue Jeans Gala when The Spoons and Silverstein took to the stage that Burlington has home grown some very significant musical talent. The Sound of Music Festival has made Burlington one of THE destination events for those who want to take in summer concerts.
The idea for a Cabaret came out of Mayor Goldring’s office before the Blue Jeans Gala took place but what few people knew before the Gala was that the Mayor had legs of his own that he wanted to strut on stage. The Cabaret idea seems to have brought to the surface a part of his hidden personality that has not been seen before during this first year in office and it certainly wasn’t evident during the election campaign. Had former Mayor Cam Jackson known of this talent he would never have run against Goldring.
The Cabaret is a partnership between the Mayor and the BPAC along with the Sound of Music people and what the Mayor hopes will be a significant number of corporate sponsors.
The event is open to submissions from entertainers with a preference being given to local artists. There doesn’t appear to be any limitation. Mine, acrobats, jugglers singers, bands – whatever you think is entertaining. More detail is available at: www.burlington.ca/cabaret
For details on how to participate give noted attorney Gerry Murphy a call at 905-541-0582 or reach out to him at gerardmurphy@bellnet.ca
Tickets to the event are $100.00 which includes a cocktail reception, silent and live auctions and souvenir sales. The only thing that is not confirmed at this point is if our local MP will take to the stage again. We hope not.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON December 9, 2011 The Artists and the Bureaucrats met – and the Artists won the more important part of the battle. With any luck the matter will get to city Council and a stupid rule will get re-written or set aside.
The Background. Arts in Action, a collective of artists that hold a Studio Tour once a year that gives the public a chance to see what artists in the city have been doing and an opportunity as well to show and sell what they do.
 Burlington stained glass artists Teresa Seaton, took her skills to city halland tried to get the bureaucrats to cut up the bill they had to pay for a license to sell their art. She thinks the Art in Action group might manage to get half the fee they paid back. The city’s Building Department decided to require the artists to apply for a Transient Traders Licence and charge them fees that amounted to more than $1000. The artists gulped but felt they didn’t have a choice and ponied up the money. Artists, who don’t have a pay cheque never mind the fat pensions that city hall doles out – felt they had no choice.
Artists in Action (and they were certainly in action on this file) complained and after a suitable delay they got their meeting with the bureaucrats. Teresa Seaton, co-chair of the Artists in Action, reports that the bureaucrats had decided before the meeting that “because we were a not-for-profit organization we will have to submit a Transient Trader Licence application two weeks before the event but we will be exempt from fees. Now that the city has the Artists in Action “on file” they get goodies.
Seaton further reports: “As far as being reimbursed the fees paid for the 2011 Studio tour that have already been paid – it will be looked into”. “We came away from the meeting with the impression that we will receive at least half of the $1000. + back. The rest will apparently get kept by the city for “paper work costs”. Someone has to pay for all that paper work and the artists learned that this time they get to pick up that tab.
 Don Graves, Burlington artist, helped to get the city to look at the plight of a starving artist a little differently. He got half a loaf. Seaton reports that she and “her wingman” Don Graves, who attended the meeting with her, chose not to argue that point We did go on to argue that we felt forced by the city to obtain these licences under threat of fines being levied against us.
“It was an interesting discussion with the supervisor at city hall. They are now more aware of the plight of us poor struggling artists trying to “Make a profit”. It is our understanding that a Bylaw review will be done in the next couple years of which we will be advised. As well, they have us on file as an organization that will be consulted as the bylaws are amended.
Seaton adds that: “We fought the cause for every artist with a showing studio in their own residence. According to the city, these artists would still have to pay this licensing fee since they are not known to have a not-for-profit status.
“Basically”, said Seaton “we were left with the impression that what the city doesn’t know can’t hurt you. Although this is not the most advantageous solution it will do until the bylaw reviews proceeds. Seaton promises to argue the case of the poor starving artist more strenuously then. She might push for a full refund of the fees they paid for 2011 as well.
The Artists in Action now feel they won’t have to increase their membership fees and are now going forward with their end of December call for the 2012 show.
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON December 8, 2011 If you missed the Opening Gala of the Burlington Performing Arts Centre last Saturday – and if your allowance was on the small side, the $400. ticket was beyond you – there is still a chance for you to see the swishy folks tippling fine wine and schmoozing like crazy.
 Cogeco Cable was all over the Burlington Performing Arts Centre Red Carpet opening. They will rebroadcast for those who missed the live event. It was a wonderful evening – the Family Room had a blue glow and there was the buzz of a crowd that is having fun and enjoying themselves.
Cogeco Cable television has five cameras on site and a staff of 14 manning the equipment with their mobile parked outside the building to take the event live.
If you want to watch the event – here are the re-broadcast dates:
December 18, 5:30pm
December 25, 5:30pm
December 27, 10pm
December 29, 8:30pm
Worth taking in – the folks at the Centre really know how to put on a show. All they need to do now is to develop the audience; they certainly got off to a good start. And with several SOLD OUT shows in the schedule all the ingredients seem to be in place for a successful operation. Take that Hamilton!
 The Ho Ho man himself - didn't let the consistent drizzle lighten even one of his laughs.
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON December 6, 2011 Santa Claus has been coming to town for more than 45 years as part of the annual Burlington Christmas Parade.
The event is the result of the efforts of a community based committee that liaises with the city but is not a city committee. These guys don’t get as much as a dime from the city.
 Message carriers for a gymnastics group - they loved their wigs - so did the crowd. The city’s Festivals and Events office has two of their people who sit in the seven member committee as liaison but that’s it.
The parade that has more than 65 floats is run by a team of seven people. They are: Gunther Kaschuba, who has been involved for the past nine years; Don Basingdale, Allan Hale; John Thomblinson; Louise LeBel; Rob Henderson and Robin Kimberley.
Henderson was one of the truck drivers and when the committee member who used to handle the getting of the trucks from different trucking companies around the city – Henderson got the tap on the shoulder and he now handles the trucking stuff. King Paving has been providing trucks for the parade for a number of years.
 Applause is always welcome - you just know this Dad is watching one of his kids or a club he volunteers with -pass by. Cogeco Cable always does a show on the FYI to promote the parade and then they provide on the street camera coverage of the event.
Kaschuba, who comes across as a chair that is wide open with his committee members – each knows what they have to do – and they just do their jobs, he said.
We get a big boost from Burlington Transit who let us use their transit barn to decorate the floats and get the displays up and in place.
The parade has that warm, fuzzy small town feel to it with people always turning out – even in the light drizzle we had this year. Kaschubba did say that one of the bands dropped out a few days before the parade – the threat of heavy rain wasn’t something they wanted to deal with.
“We get people who do the same thing every year. Don Warwick has been coming out for as long as I can remember in that suit of armour” said Kaschuba. The kids love it. This year there was a little girl in pink sitting on the curb, totally transfixed by the man in a suit of armour striding down the street.
 Hoofing it!  Patiently waiting. The parade operated on a budget of between $12 and $15 thousand with funds coming in from sponsorships, parade entry fees. “We have two fee levels; one for community groups and another for the commercial community” explained Kaschuba.
And he added, the project is a Rotary Club initiative as well with all four Burlington Rotary Clubs taking part.
But the parade committee has to pay for the garbage pickup after the parade and the setting up and taking down of the traffic barricades. The Burlington Teen Tour Band participation doesn’t cost the parade group anything. “We were particularly grateful for their participation this year – those people went home just a little on the damp side this.
The Santa sleigh is rented from people in Hamilton.
If you’ve a hanker to help or think your organization could sponsor a float or your group take part in the parade – make a note that applications have to be in before early November and space is made available on a first come, first served basis.
For an application package and further details, visit www.burlington.ca. Go to the Events and Promotions section, Major Events and click on the Christmas Parade. The cost to enter the parade is $35 for not-for-profit organizations and $100 for businesses.
Bruce Marsh of the Burlington Old Timers Hockey Club manages those guys who walk along the edge of the parade with old socks attached to the ends of hockey sticks asking for loonies or twoonies to help defray the cost of the parade.
Community service at its very best.
 The Sea Cadets know all about water and they dealt with the light drizzle the way everyone else did - they just put up with it and continued to march smartly.  By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON December 5, 2011 – It was a drizzly day but that didn’t stop hundreds of people from lining Guelph Line and New Street as the Santa Clause parade worked its way through the city with wide eyed little boys and girls taking in all the sights. And sights there were.
 It's a Christmas message that often gets forgotten as we hustle and bustle through the malls. "and he will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace! The only thing that wasn’t there was a camel with three wise men walking behind the thing.
 Hearing Jingle Bell then Silent night on steel drums - was a pure delight. All the usual suspects – The Lions, the Rotary, Crime Stoppers, Regional Police and representation from half a dozen religious groups and bands from the high schools as well.
The Burlington Teen Tour Band, a little soggy and bedraggled by the end of the parade were placed just in front of the Big Guy with the red suit who brought it all to a close.
 While it was "cap in hand" the Mayor was out there with a hockey stick and a sock raising funds. Thought to be the only member of Council in the parade. The Mayor was spotted walking along with a hockey stick that had a sock attached to the end of it – a fund raiser.
The Burlington Gymnastic Club put their talent out on the street and did things with their bodies that made many parents look on in amazement as they watched what these well trained young girls could do.
 Residents lined the streets to watch the floats pass by and use the time to chat with their neighbours. And, typical of Burlington, parents and neighbours gathered in small groups at the end of those streets that accessed New Street and sipped coffee and held their umbrellas in place. One street had a small BBQ set up with a propane tank in place.
 Clogging up the Woodward and Guelph Line intersection - this band was just great. The Mayor seemed to be the only politician taking part – but we didn’t catch every float – so perhaps they were at the front of the line.
 A little worse for the drizzling rain, the Burlington Teen Tour Band colour party kept the flags flying as they escorted Santa and his sleigh through the streets of the city  That suit of armour has the little girl in pink to the left absolutely amazed  Robinson High School band - beat a nice military sound and certainly enjoyed themselves.  The Bayhawks Soccer Club played a bit of a pick up game as they worked their way down Guelph Line.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON December 5, 2010 Whew! – That’s the sound from the staff at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre as they recover from a hectic week that saw Gordie Tapp take to the stage and the Prime Minister of Canada meet with the Burlington Teen Tour Band. Then have his picture taken with more than 50 dignitaries and on Saturday evening, pull off a Gala event with international class entertainment on the Main Theatre stage. The Family Room turned into an enchanting place wrapped in a blue glow that saw not only Sarah McLaughlin rule the stage, but a pair of acrobats come out of nowhere to delight the close to 700 people in the place. The really neat Jazz Quartet sounded great but most of the audience didn’t seem to take to them all that well.
It was the last of the “soft opening” schedule the Centre put on to get the $40 million place opened up, operational and running smoothly.
 Cogeco Cable treated the event as a major community special and had their two lead Burlington reporters on hand for the event. Deb Tymstra and Mark Carr did basically end to end coverage. Here Mayor Goldring waits to go "on camera". Cogeco Cable made it a big event with five camera crews, 14 people and the mobile at the back of the building broadcasting the whole event live.
This was an event that was perhaps as big an event as the Centre will see in the next 12 to 18 months. Sarah McLaughlin cost close to a King’s ransom and the two acts that were put on during the lead up time in the Family Room were not cheap but it did show that the people who run the Centre know how to do it right. The Prime Minister in his remarks on the Friday talked of culture and the arts being a vital part of every growing community and something the federal government supports with funding programs.
Burlington has opened a new centre while Toronto is looking for a way to get rid of several city owned entertainment venues that are seen there as an expense rather than a revenue generator for the city.
Few restaurants in the city have yet to take up the idea of putting together packages that allow guests to get in for dinner and still make it to a performance and then serve as a spot where people gather after an event. One restaurant, literally across the street from the Centre, didn’t appear to even be open on Saturday.
The net worth of the people in the Centre Saturday was more than it cost to build the place and they were certainly making the best of the opportunity to meet and greet one another. Our Mayor was out there meeting new people, chatting up those he already knew. City Council was not out in full force. Marianne Meed Ward was there as was Rick Craven of Ward 2 accompanying his daughter who looked absolutely lovely.
 BPAC executive Director Brenda Heatherington would make the cover of Vogue magazine with this dress. This was her night which she celebrated with 700 of the most important people in town. Executive Director Brenda Heatherington was divine in a full length emerald green gown with her hair swept up giving her a Vogue magazine look many would envy.
 The Family Room at the BPAC had a bit of a Winter Wonderlude look to it as 700 people congregated to socialize and get caught up with friends before watching Sarah McLaughlin take to the stage. Burlington is one of a number of cities that have built cultural venues in their downtown cores and now need to find the right formula to operate the buildings with a subsidy their city coffers can afford. Hamilton has lost millions on their HECFI operation which recently went through a brutal management shakeup. Burlington expects a much better experience than Hamilton has had and most believe the city has the right staff team in place to make it all come together financially and at the same time put on events that work for the people who live here.
The Christmas Nut Cracker Suite is sold out – they probably could have added an additional performance. The Vinyl Café (that CBC program that takes to the road with Stuart Maclean telling the ups and down of Dave, his wife Morley, their two children, Sam and Stephanie and assorted friends and neighbours) – added a performance to the schedule and is still sold out.
Small cultural groups in the city rent the space and they are finding that the appetite for their offerings is strong. Jacob Moon, who has a big following, is back for a second performance in the Community Studio Theatre.
While Toronto and its Mayor create a task force to look into a fire sale of three city-owned theatres, officials in at least six municipalities in the province have opened or will soon open theatres they hope will improve the economic prospects of their downtown’s and provide a cultural rejuvenation as well.
Brampton, Richmond Hill, Barrie, Cambridge and St. Catharine’s have either approved new projects or are, like Burlington, now in full operational mode.
This flow of public money created jobs and, as the Globe and Mail put it, provided comfortable seats for the comfortable classes. The $400 price tag for the Burlington Gala certainly proved that statement.
Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring says studies indicated local and regional economies would see significant economic spin-off, with the expected money spent on transportation, dining, drinking, accommodation, shopping and nearby attractions. Locating the theatre downtown and within walking distance of other businesses was always central to the plan, he says.
While the dollars and cents part of the Centre is critical what so far seems to be working for Burlington is a certain buzz about the place. As Goldring said to a reporter: “We are competing with the whole of the GTA as a place to live, work and locate businesses. It’s been proven that businesses are attracted to communities where people want to live. Culture, health care and education are the three most important factors for people deciding where to live”.
 Deb Tymstra, entertainment and arts reporter for Cogeco Cable looks out over the Family Room with Allan Pearson, Chair of the BPAC Board. It was an especially big night for Tymstra who was involved with the development of the Centre since its very beginning. In the past 18 months Burlington has added the McMaster DeGroote School of Business and now the Performing Arts Centre to the horizon. Serious thinking is about to be given to finding some way to build prime office space above the parking lots on lower Brant and John Streets.
Gary McCluskie, a principal at Toronto’s Diamond and Schmitt Architects designed the theatres in Burlington, Cambridge and St. Catharines, and had a hand in Toronto’s own Four Seasons opera house, says each of the new halls strives to both add to and draw from street life on the sidewalk by featuring expansive windows that try to bring large lobbies out onto the sidewalk, and vice versa. “The arts are about building and binding communities, so we made the buildings engaging and inviting,” said McCluskie in a news report.
By using windows instead of walls, McCluskie hopes to open up events that have had a reputation for exclusivity since Europe’s grand opera houses went up, brick by brick. “We have highlighted the sense of occasion, and used it as a draw,” says McCluskie.
The firm Diamond and Schmitt Architects, has done a lot of work in Burlington. They were heavily involved in the development of the Spencer Smith Park and have put together many of the ideas for the development of rejuvenation of the Beachway Park that is now back in the limelight.
Burlington’s performing arts centre staff hope they can create the kind of business that Richmond Hill is experiencing where Michael Grit has been theatre manager at that city’s Centre for the Performing Arts since it opened on Yonge Street in 2009. Grit says: “Our schedule is insane. I turn away more business than I book. We have only twelve dark days for the first six months of 2012. I’m already booking dates in 2016.”
BPAC staff must surely like words like that.
.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON December 2, 2011 – It was an interesting evening.
Here is what we know.
The Mayor cannot play the piano but Rob Preuss plays the piano very, very well.
We know that Iranians wear red socks.
We know that while Mike Wallace, our Member of Parliament, can dance better than most people expected, but he can’t sing.
We know that Gordie Tapp has still got it.
We know that the Spoons can still do it.
We know that the Silverstein’s, a band that has a sound that isn’t to my particular taste (that’s my age showing) but man do they ever have energy.
 Sandy Horne seemed to own the stage as she prowled around with her guitar and signature hat - the Spoons were back in town doing what they started out doing in 1979. Great stuff! Where did all this knowledge come from? It was the second to last show of the several month long opening of the brand spanking new Burlington Performing Arts Centre – and the community has certainly taken to the place.
It was “home town” hokey night with several exceptional pieces, as well as a couple that we can forget about. Robert Stephen, performist with the National Ballet, did a short but touching dance piece that he choreographed himself, accompanied by a woman playing the violin that was close to divine – that would apply to the woman and the violin.
Jian Ghomeshi, CBC personality and host of Q got convinced to MC the event when he saw the line up and he did his best to let Burlingtonians know that Farsi is the language Persians use and that there are some very nice Persians who come from Iran. Burlington didn’t care – we are still working our way into diversity – we were just happy to see him up there introducing act after act of our own people.
The male lead in “Billie Elliott”, Miles Erlick, was on the stage with a young local dancer Addison Holley – he can certainly dance.
And right in there with anything that happens in Burlington was the BTTB – the Burlington Teen Tour Band. They marched through the place as if they owned it – and perhaps they do.
 Remember that smile - Gordie Tapp was on the stage in the town he has called home since 1952. He was at his best. But it was when the man who got a standing ovation from the audience, just by looking at them, came on the stage that the evening took on a different tone and feel. Everyone knew they were watching one of the great Canadian entertainers. Gordie Tapp is right up there with Wayne and Shuster
Tapp, who is a consummate pro, still doing the show business circuit, was clearly the star of the evening in, as he informed us, his 90th year. What I think most people didn’t know was that the hat he wore for years on his television program Hee Haw, was given to him by the late Jimmy Durante – and if you don’t know who he was – well you missed out on another great one.
Tapp told jokes that only he could get away with and the audience lapped up every second of it.
The evening started with that riveting cardinal red stage curtain opening – this was big time – then out popped – to our surprise – the Mayor and the MP. Not another political speech about how great Burlington was and what a great building we had – please. Nope – not this time. These two clowns had gone into show business and they were there to perform for us – and, well let’s just say they are not going to give up their day jobs.
Rick Goldring, our Mayor had taken piano lessons, and in the second half, very innocently asked if he could play something for us – and decent people that we are – we said – sure. JQ summed it up as well as it could be summed up – it was TERRIBLE. Mike Wallace, our Member of Parliament didn’t help with his rendition of Gene Kelly doing that classic piece “Singing in the Rain” It should have rained on that parade, but it was all in family fun – for that’s kind of what it worked out to be. A community, that got together as a family recognizing and celebrating its own, in a building that Gordie Tapp said he first heard about when he came to Burlington in 1952.
There were a number of people who just couldn’t make it to the event – so we used technology to pipe them in through an overhead screen – and there they were – talking to us. One musician who had grown up in Burlington and plied his trade in small bar after small bar said “we would have killed for a place like this”
 The Silverstein's changed the perception of music and still ROCK for their solid fan base. Two groups, the Spoons and Silverstein deserve special mention. The Spoons were as good as they were 10 years ago. Sandy Horne, the female lead, prowled around the stage in one of the most evocative performances I’ve seen. Her movements were the equal of Robert Stephen the ballet dancer. And their music – well when they had everyone, including Ghomeshi, sitting on the piano bench, doing a sing along – you just knew they had taken everyone back to a time when the band was at its peak.
The Spoons, formed in Burlington in 1979 grew and went on to become one of those groups that shaped popular music in North America. They were a delight to hear.
Silverstein – well they were different. Man, did those guys ever have energy. The backup guys on the guitars were close to violent with the way they poked at those strings and the lead male did great things with that microphone.
For both the Spoons and Silverstein, the emotions must have been something they savoured. The Burlington they grew up in and struggled to get a foot hold in the music business is not the Burlington they performed in last night. They must have wondered how the city got to the point where it actually had a Centre with a great stage and a sound system that still has a little work to be done on it – but one that was miles ahead of what they have had to work with.
For the performers it was a welcome home, for the audience it was also a welcome home – and for Gordie Tapp, who sang – it was good to be home. And it was good!
|
|
