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w w w . o a kv ill eb ea ve r.c o m O A KV IL LE B EA V ER Th ur sd ay , O ct ob er 7 , 2 01 0 6 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5566 Classified Advertising: 905-632-4440 Circulation: 845-9742 The Oakville Beaver 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 adv rtising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. United Way of Oakville Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America NEIL OLIVER Vice-President and Group Publisher, Metroland West DAVID HARVEY Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director SANDY PARE Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution SARAH MCSWEENEY Circ. Manager WEBSITE oakvillebeaver.com RIZIERO VERTOLLI / OAKVILLE BEAVER THE INSIDE STORY: St. Mildred's-Lightbourn School students, from left, Laura Lee, Michele Whitcombe, Lauren McAusland, Jasmine Ho,Hayley Burcher and Genevieve Laramee,participated in their schools Inside Ride event. The two-hour indoor cycling challenge raised more than $81,000 for the Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation in support of families and children with cancer from funding oncology camps, community support programs to aca- demic scholarships to inspire hope and improve prognoses for children and their families impacted by cancer. NIKKI WESLEY / OAKVILLE BEAVER SIGN OF THE TIMES: There is no shortage of municipal election signs on Dorval Drive, south of Speers Road a scene similar to many other areas of town as candidates vie for votes in the Oct. 25 municipal election. ATHENAAward Letter to the editor Election season is upon us. How do I know this? Not by the number of mayoral candidates who have knocked at our door (zero so far), but by the forest of electioneering signs pollut- ing our highways and byways. I find it ironic that, for a group of candidates who trumpet new thinking and reducing waste, they all apparently fervently believe that thousands of cardboard signs hammered into the grass verge a tactic from at least two centuries ago will persuade the thinking voter to support their platforms. Given that the signs contain no information whatsoever about their positions on issues, their past successes or future plans, perhaps this is a sign they think so little of the voters they assume that simply shouting their name as loud and as frequently as possible is all we can manage to take in. Persuading voters to plant the signs on their front lawns is at least a bit more proactive. It opens up the mental debate for the dog-walker along the lines of, Ah, my neighbour, who I like and respect supports candidate X, therefore I should fac- tor that into my thinking. Although it does of course run the risk of That jerk at number 23 supports candidate Y, who therefore must be as idiotic as him. Is there, I wonder, any empirical evidence that the endless repetition of their names actually sways any votes at all? The cardboard signs and wooden sticks manufacturers association probably commissioned a study, which proves it beyond question. No doubt the candidates will claim the purpose of the signs is to raise awareness of their being in the race. But lets be honest: if you didnt already know that the main bout for the third election in a row is between Ann I want my job back Mulvale and Rob Scourge of the developers Burton (plus some other guys who have no chance), you are probably one of the 70 per cent of residents who wont be voting anyway. John Bradley, Oakville Signs of election season The Oakville Beaver is a division of According to my morning newspaper, we are witness-ing the rise of a slew of new dating sites and eventsgeared toward the literary set. That is, websites and such that let singles scope out prospective partners based on their reading habits and preferences, literary or otherwise, from Shakespeare to schlock. While the idea of Dating By The Book is well-intentioned bring together lovers of like literature and let love bloom to me, its an idea fraught with flaws. You see, I recently discovered that nothing comes between two lovers like liter- ature. With the possible exception of divergent music tastes, and the infernal toilet seat conflict. But to stay on the topic of booking love, I believe this type of matchmaking is destined to fail for three reasons. To start, it is my contention everyone on dating websites misrepre- sents the truth to make themselves look better, which equates into relationships being based on lies and bold claims of hav- ing read James Joyces Ulysses cover to cover. Yeah, right. Further, when it comes to reading there exists an acute gen- der divide: women read way more then men and the sexes are further split down the lines of what they like to read, to the point where publishers can predict whether a book will best sell to men or women; crossovers, books equally enjoyed by men and women are rare. So, if you are seeking a partner of the opposite gender who shares your reading taste, youre pretty much beat. Unless both of you are big on reading Ulysses cover to cover, over and over again. Yeah, right. Ah, who am I kidding: no two peo- ple on the planet actually share identical or even companion- able reading tastes, regardless of what these dating sites sug- gest. Add the fact that book readers are both opinionated exclusionists and insufferable snobs and youve got your basic fireworks all set and ready to be Can-Lit. Kaboom. Recently my wife and I were at a social function, separat- ed by 15 feet, and milling people. Nonetheless, from across this social divide I swore I heard someone utter, astonishing- ly, in a voice that sounded suspiciously like my wife, I can- not stand John Irving. Later, she confirmed my suspicions, that she cannot stand my hero, John Irving, and had admit- ted so in public. I spent the rest of the night trying to pull this unexpected dagger out of my heart. My wife and I have a wonderful relationship. And, we are both avid readers. If wed found each other on Dating By The Book, wed have found considerable common ground over our shared love of innumerable authors, and the honest truth that neither of us can stomach Ulysses. Alas, her dislike of Kurt Vonnegut and her disdain for John Irving would have been deal breakers. Did I mention readers are opinionated, exclusionist snobs? Even at this point in our relationship I consider her loathing of one of my favorite authors to be not simply a mat- ter of (bad) taste, so much as a significant character flaw. That said, I dont want you to fear for my marriage. While I naturally considered divorce long and hard after her anti- Irving pronouncement, I eventually concluded this is noth- ing that years of rigorous therapy cant resolve. And I wish my wife well in this endeavor. Andy Juniper can be visited at www.strangledeggs.com, con- tacted at ajjuniper@gmail.com, or followed at www.twitter.com/thesportjesters. Dating by the book and the woman who (gasp) abhors Irving Andy Juniper