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6- The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday August 19, 2006 www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-3824, ext. 224 Circulation: 845-9742 The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone (416) 340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate.The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Commentary IAN OLIVER Publisher NEIL OLIVER Associate Publisher TERI CASAS Business Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager KELLY MONTAGUE Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution ROD JERRED Managing Editor WEBSITE oakvillebeaver.com Metroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing Ltd., includes: Ajax/Pickering News Advertiser, Alliston Herald/Courier, Arthur Enterprise News, Barrie Advance, Caledon Enterprise, Brampton Guardian, Burlington Post, Burlington Shopping News, City Parent, Collingwood/Wasaga Connection, East York Mirror, Erin Advocate/Country Routes, Etobicoke Guardian, Flamborough Review, Georgetown Independent/Acton Free Press, Harriston Review, Huronia Business Times, Lindsay This Week, Markham Economist & Sun, Midland/Penetanguishine Mirror, Milton Canadian Champion, Milton Shopping News, Mississauga Business Times, Mississauga News, Napanee Guide, Newmarket/Aurora Era-Banner, Northumberland News, North York Mirror, Oakville Beaver, Oakville Shopping News, Oldtimers Hockey News, Orillia Today, Oshawa/Whitby/Clarington Port Perry This Week, Owen Sound Tribune, Palmerston Observer, Peterborough This Week, Picton County Guide, Richmond Hill/Thornhill/Vaughan Liberal, Scarborough Mirror, Stouffville/Uxbridge Tribune, Forever Young, City of York Guardian Letters to the editor Senior injured by cyclist I'm writing to express my dismay and, frankly, my disappointment following a recent incident involving an elderly man struck on a sidewalk by a cyclist in downtown Oakville. Two weeks ago, this gentleman was coming out of his gym (The Gym) on Lakeshore Road after his normal workout. Although at 77 years of age he is robust and in great shape, as he stepped onto the sidewalk he was struck suddenly by a speeding cyclist and fell to the ground, smashing his face on the sidewalk. Instead of taking pains to ensure he was safe or insist that he be guided back into the gym, the cyclist accused the senior of "stepping right out in front" of him, despite the fact the incident occurred on the sidewalk. Dazed and angry, the injured senior was left to walk by himself the three blocks south to his home. At the emergency department later that morning, the doctor told him he'd need an operation as it looked initially as though he had fractured a bone around his eye, as well as lacerations at his knees and elbows. Luckily, a CT scan the following day ruled that out and he was, fortunately, only bruised and battered by the incident and not seriously injured. Still, I remain troubled by the incident. It isn't just the fact the cyclist was in the wrong by striking a pedestrian on the sidewalk at that hour of the morning ­ what I fail to understand is the lack of compassion towards an older, injured pedestrian and the unwillingness to help him out. Anyone witnessing the incident is urged to contact dianehart@sympatico.ca. DIANE HART RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: United Way of Oakville TV AUCTION In support of EFW facility Re: Halton plans for EFW, Oakville Beaver, Friday, Aug. 4 Unfortunately our lifestyle, that isn't going to change any time soon, creates tons of waste and requires ever increasing amounts of energy. There are no methods of generating electricity or disposing of waste that do not have some negative consequences. There will inevitably be an outcry about any new power generation facility or any new waste disposal facility, focusing on those shortcomings. Let's hope this opposition doesn't stop our political leaders from making the necessary decisions or we will end up exporting waste like Toronto, which is an embarrassment to our nation. I am appalled at the dithering politicians in Toronto and at Queens Park that have allowed that crisis to occur. EFW eliminates any long term concerns from landfill waste disposal and has the added benefit of creating electricity for our over-stretched Hydro system. I hope the politicians have the guts to ignore the critics and forge ahead with this project. Let's get an EFW going and charge Toronto disposal fees to power our community. RICHARD BELLM Brought to his knees beside the tee of a piddling par-three I was slumped beside the tee of a piddling par-three and, under my breath, I was (naturally) blaming my wife. Technically speaking, I suppose, it wasn't my wife who had made me flub my first and second tee shots into the puddle of water passing itself off as a pond directly in front of the tee. Kerplunk. Kerplunk. Arghhh! But it was my wife who, a few years back, convinced me to take up (and subsequently get addicted to) the game of golf: "Hi, my name is Andy, and I'm a golf-oholic." So, technically speaking, I was well within my rights to point an accusing finger at my spouse. Besides, I'd already blamed my crappy clubs for a few bad shots on a previous hole. And I'd blamed the stupid sun in my eyes and the wonky wind in my face and the moronic mosquito on my arm for a few miscues on earlier swings, so, honestly, who/what was there left to blame? I mean, someone or something had to be held accountable for the bloated scribblings on my scorecard, right? Anyway, I cleanly over-hit my third tee shot ­ over-compensating, I suppose, for that puddle of water passing itself off as a pond -- and sent my ball sailing into far-off wilds, virtually assuring myself of a double-digit disaster on the piddling par-three. And, as I shouldered my clubs and began the trek to try to locate the ball, I briefly considered tossing my clubs and bag ­ the whole kit and caboodle ­ into the water, but was reined in by the sage voice of a friend playing over and over inside my head: "You're not that good to get that mad." And he was right. I'm not that good. The scouting report on my game goes like this: Andy Juniper when I'm good, I'm not half bad. But when I'm bad, I'm really bad. As someone once said, the interesting thing about golf is that no matter how badly you play, it's always possible to get worse. So, why do I continue to play, aside from the obvious addiction? Because, as someone else once said: Golf can be best defined as an endless series of tragedies obscured by the occasional miracle. After enduring a long, cold, golf-less winter, my golf season started off well enough, with a solid round punctuated by multiple miracles ­ an incredible recovery shot from the rough, a dead-solid perfect drive, a putt for the ages. I was buoyed beyond belief. Or fooled. Fooled into believing that this year would be different from previous years, that this would be the year that I would become the master of the game. Well, to exercise understatement, let me say that I haven't quite mastered the game, although I have had enough minor miracles to keep me coming back. Yes, the lure is in the miracles. Oh, and for me there's another lure: you see, I typically golf during the daytime, during the week -- at times when, by rights, I should really be working. Hence, tied to the inherent (albeit intermittent) joy of the game is the euphoric feeling of "skipping out," which only enhances every moment spent on the course. No matter how badly I suck, I naturally think to myself: well, it could have been worse, I could have been working. And when I'm not busy working on my game, I work on my epitaph (in case the game kills me!). Right now it reads: All things considered, I'd rather be golfing. -- Andy Juniper can be visited at his Web site, www.strangledeggs.com, or contacted at ajuniper@strangledeggs.com.