Milton blog

A local agency is looking for more than a few good men

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton is calling on men to consider the value in being a buddy to a local boy. The agency has launched a campaign to find 100 men in 2008 to be matched with a boy aged between five and 14 for as little as one hour a week.

Being a Big Brother can be as simple as kicking a ball around or flying a kite. For example it doesn’t take a lot of time to meet up with a boy in primary school one hour a week to talk about the latest hockey game or to just sit and listen.

In Milton, the agency has partnered with local businessman Mark Burger of Spokes ‘n Slopes to create a campaign poster targeting male volunteers. Burger recently volunteered to be an in-school mentor to a boy who really needs a buddy.

“You don’t have to change your life to change his is the essence of our campaign”, notes North Halton Coordinator of Volunteers Wendy Somerville. “We want to get across the message to men that being a Big Brother is really about just being a pal to a boy.”

The campaign poster shows Burger fixing a bicycle at his shop with a Little Brother. Fixing bikes, shooting hoops or playing video games can be quite typical activities for Big and Little brothers.

Big Brothers are in particular demand in the Halton area where 70 boys are waiting to be matched. Being a Big Brother can typically mean hanging out for a few hours a week. Three hours can fly by fast when you’re watching movies and eating popcorn, going to a baseball game or grabbing a pizza for lunch.

The United Way-funded agency is calling on everyone to get the word out to all those men who you think can make a difference in the life of a child. They could be your father, brother, cousin or friend. For as little as one hour a week, being a buddy to a boy can change, empower, educate and liberate both child and adult.

“Big Brothers are regular people. Role models come in all shapes and sizes. They are bus drivers, teachers, plumbers and grandfathers,” adds Somerville. “I think ultimately you just have to want to make a positive impact on the life of a child.”

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton has been serving our community for more than 40 years and continues to be a leader in mentoring children. The United Way funded agency will serve 700 vulnerable children through its mentoring programs this year. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton’s goal is to reach those 2000 children we know need a mentor.

For more information about Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton and volunteering call (905) 878-8840 or visit www.bbbshalton.ca

A full day of Canada Day celebrations in Milton will certainly end with a bang!

With another successful Downtown Milton Street Party behind us, it’s time to look forward to the next signature Milton summer event, Milton Canada Day at the Fairgrounds on July 1st.

First, a couple of thoughts on this year’s edition of the Downtown Street Party….

It wasn’t quite as busy as last year, and there were a few less vendors, but overall it was a fantastic day again! The weather, like last year, was fabulous. The DBIA did an amazing job organizing the event. MiltonSearch.com participated again, offering face-painting at our booth, and from a vendor point of view, it was incredible how easy it was to register and access the area for setup - all thanks to the efforts of the Milton DBIA and their volunteers. A special thanks to Jacqueline Garrard of the DBIA for everything.

The event may have been a little busier last year based on the fact that it was the Town’s 150th Anniversary, who knows. I encourage everyone to mark it on your calendars for next year - the event is a fantastic day to get out and explore what Milton really has to offer – participating vendors (like AJS Filipino Grocery who were located beside our booth for the 2nd year in a row: mmmmmm), local musical talent, downtown businesses and just the chance to stroll leisurely along Main St. and feel the positive energy.

MiltonSearch.com was celebrating our 1st anniversary also, as our site officially launched last year at this event. In honour of the occasion, we’re running 4 promotions which can be found here, which include a kids’ colouring contest, classifieds contest, forums contest and our 2nd photography contest.

Anyhoo, summer is in full swing now, so get out and enjoy it! Next up is annual Canada Day celebration at the Fairgrounds, and here are all the details:

Milton Canada Day 2008 Events & Participants:

Veterans’ Breakfast from 10-11:30am at Victoria Park - open to everyone.

A “Moment to Remember” ceremony at 11:30am at the Cenotaph in Victoria Park, to honour our veterans.

The Veterans’ Parade starts at 11:50am from the Cenotaph to the Fairgrounds.

The Kidz Zone runs from Noon to 7pm featuring activities for kids.

The Teen Zone runs from Noon to 7pm featuring:
- Guitar Hero
- Dance Revolution
- Rock Climbing Walls
- Henna Tattoos
- Giant Sand Hills
- Playdough centre
- Bubble machine

At noon, there will be a Canada Day Message, the National Anthem will be performed by Terry Wheelen and a birthday cake for Canada will be cut.

As well, there will be a Swearing-in Ceremony for New Canadians.

The bands “Sokey” and “District” will perform in the afternoon, followed by “Scarecrow” (a John Cougar Mellencamp tribute band) and “Fleetwood Dreams” (a Fleetwood Mac tribute band) at 7 and 8:30pm respectively.

There are a number of other performers including:

- The Arial Angels
- Martial Arts exhibitions
- K9 Dog Show
- 5 Star Ranch
- Sciensational Snakes
- Mountberg “Birds of Prey”
- Petting Zoo
- Pony Rides
- Steam Era Display
- Remax Balloon

You will also have the opportunity to add a personal message to a banner being sent to Canada’s Olympic team, bound for Beijing, China.

The Amusement Park runs from noon until 10pm, followed by the Northern Lights Fireworks at 10pm.

Oh yeah, and the Beer Gardens and food vendors will be open from noon until 10pm!

For more information and details, we encourage you to visit the official Milton Canada Day website!

Viva la Vida, although darker, still retains Coldplay’s signature sound

MiltonSearch.com Album Review:

(3 out of 4 stars)

The cumbersomely titled Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends marks the Oxford quartet’s most public effort yet at contributing some serious substance to their discography, enlisting the help of Brian Eno to put a bit of an unconventional spin on the band’s stadium-filling ruminations on love, death and religion.

The album comes with a few conservative risks that may please the critics, but for longtime, hardcore fans of the band, it’s not the total sonic overhaul that was feared. To me, it proves the band does have some interesting, if not earth-shattering, ideas up its sleeve.

After conveniently downloading the album from Apple’s iTunes (now without the maximum security digital encoding features to allow easier copying between computers and burning to CD’s I should add), my new preferred way to purchase music (life with a busy work schedule and two young children doesn’t often permit time to even make it out to the local music store for such hedonistic purchases) and putting the album through it’s paces, here are my thoughts:

Viva la Vida begins with the tasty intstrumental “Life in Technicolor”, before “Cemeteries of London” provides a little mood with some “Edge-like” guitars, reminiscent of U2’s “The Unforgettable Fire” album.

“Lost!” is a winner, employing a pipe organ and rhythmic percussion along with a signature Coldplay melody, despite it’s use of a lyric like: “You might be a big fish…. in a little pond”. The song also appears again at the end of the album with Martin singing solo on the piano. It’s a great version, but unless your name is Roger Waters or Neil Young, I’m against including songs twice on an album or cutting them in half etc. C’mon, save the solo version for concerts or a B-side album… geez.

Speaking of questionable lyrics, how about “those who are dead, are not dead, they’re just living in my head”? That beauty can be found on an otherwise solid “42″, the fourth track.

“Lovers in Japan” has a great energy and boucny, driving rhythm, followed up by “Reign of Love”, a slower, lower track – Martin has seriously toned down the “falsetto” vocals on their fourth studio album.

“Yes” is another solid, but darker song followed up by a great hidden track, mostly instrumental with a tight, driving beat and blaring guitars reminiscent of New Order which ends on a Neil Young-esque grungy, distorted chord (enough artist comparisons for you?).

“Viva la Vida” has the catchy, anthematic-sound Coldplay has become known for with a fresh twist – some nice violin work. From there, we jump into the first single, “Violet Hill”, an aggressive, head-pounding, fist-pumping tune.

“Strawberry Swing” brings out the “foot-stomping hillbilly” side of the band, while “Death and All His Friends” starts quietly before building into open-armed soccer-pitch anthemics.

Overall, a solid album from the British rockers. It doesn’t appear to be full of obvious smash radio hits for the masses like 2002’s “A Rush of Blood to the Head”, but it has a more refined, cohesive, moody feel, while again, retaining enough of the band’s loved (and criticized) signature sound.

Life-altering? No. Important? Not really. But it’ll do.

What do you think? We invite your comments below.