6- The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday December 29, 2007 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 Guest Columnist NEIL OLIVER Publisher DAVE HARVEY General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director SANDY PARE Business Manager Metroland Media Group 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 MARK DILLS Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution ALEXANDRIA ANCHOR Circ. Manager WEBSITE oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver is a division of The last thing on your mind Anthony Aquan-Assee Anthony Aquan-Assee roads today. It is now the winter season and careless driving will result in many motor vehicle accidents. Motor vehicle accidents that occur on the roads in Canada result in thousands of hospital admissions each year which places a serious strain on the Canadian health care system. In the winter season, during snowy conditions with icy roads and reduced visibility, there is a dramatic increase in the collision rates. Motor vehicle accidents are one of the leading causes of traumatic brain injuries (TBI). In Canada, traumatic brain injuries are the leading cause of death and disability for people under the age of 45. More than 50,000 people each year will sustain a brain injury in Canada. In the United States of America, this number is even higher with more than one million brain injury victims each year. Brain Injury is an extremely serious public health concern in North America with the cost to Canadians exceeding more than $1 billion each year. A traumatic brain injury is defined as an acquired injury to the brain caused by an external physical force and is frequently caused by such things as a car accident, a fall, an assault or a sports injury. There is great variability in the effects of a traumatic brain injury on different people but there are three main types of impairments following a traumatic brain injury: · Physical Impairments: e.g., problems with: walking, headaches, insomnia, and seizures; · Cognitive impairments: e.g., problems with memory, attention, concentration, and communication; · Psychological Impairments: e.g., problems with anger, depression, anxiety and substance abuse. Difficulties in any one of these areas may prevent an individual from returning to work or independent living. As a traumatic brain injury survivor I know all too well about the difficulties that are associated with this life changing event. On Sept. 23, 1997, my life changed dramatically as the motorcycle I was riding was hit by a very careless driver. The driver of the car that hit me was in a rush to make a left hand turn at an intersection and carelessly turned without checking for on-coming traffic. As I was riding through this intersection the driver's car smashed my motorcycle and so began my second life and my second chance. As a result of the accident, I was thrown a great distance from my motorcycle and sustained many very serious life threatening injuries. When the paramedics arrived at the scene of the accident, I did not have any vital signs and I was not breathing, nor did I have a pulse. They immediately rushed me to the closest hospital to the scene of the accident which was Credit Valley Hospital in Mississauga. However, this hospital was not equipped to deal with the extent of my injuries, so I was then airlifted to St. Michael's Trauma Hospital in downtown IAN OLIVER Group Publisher Media Group Ltd. Canadian Champion, Milton Shopping News, Mississauga Business Times, Mississauga News, Napanee Guide, Newmarket/Aurora EraBanner, 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 RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America A s a survivor of a horrific motor vehicle accident, I know just how important it is to be very vigilant of the careless and dangerous drivers that are on our THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: United Way of Oakville TV AUCTION See Long page 7 Cries from The Dark Zone as the Internet goes AWOL I t was a startling revelation tendered by our 12-year-old daughter: "Dad," she whimpered, "I can't possibly live another day without the Internet!" Can't. Possibly. Live? Our Internet has been down and out (a technological TKO) for the past 10 days and our darling daughter is suffering severe withdrawal because she is hopelessly addicted. Addicted to Facebook, to MSN, to email and all of the Internet's other inane options. Like most kids of her generation, she uses the Internet to explore the world, to communicate with her friends, to sample music, play games and otherwise fill idle time. Now, I could have laughed at her and her whole absurd, overdramatic whimpering. I could have told her about the good old days when, if you wanted to communicate with friends, you tied tin cans together, and if you wanted to find out about the world you walked 100 miles to the nearest library (without shoes, through broken glass, risking ambush by roaming packs of wild dinosaurs). I could have told her that her addiction to the Internet is sad and pathetic, only... my own Internet withdrawal pains had left me quivering on the couch, too distraught to speak. Alas, my daughter and I are not alone. Everyone in our house is on edge. And when I tell friends that we are unintentionally liv- ing Internet-free, they shake their heads and wonder how we are possibly managing to survive. Ten years ago the Internet was on the fringes of our lives, now it's an integral part of day-to-day living. Nowadays, most city slickers take the Internet for granted. Conversely, we live in the country where you don't take any modern convenience for granted; and Andy Juniper where the only Internet connection to be had is dial-up. Alas, when we first moved up here we tried to get cable, but the cable company pointed a mocking finger at us and swore their precious cables would never reach our house. We tried to get satellite, but satellite providers surveyed our property, looked up at the heavens and said we were in a "dark zone" that could not be reached by even the most sophisticated satellite. But, we argued, some of our neighbors have satellite. Yeah, they countered, but they don't live in a "dark zone." So we were forced to settle for dial-up. Now, in case you've never had the dial-up experience, let me say that it is slow. Connecting is slow. Downloading is slower. Click on a website, go take a long shower, blow-dry your locks, trim the old nose hairs, powder your nose, come back and the site will almost be half loaded. Almost. It's frustrating to be sure, but not nearly as frustrating as having no Internet, which is what we woke up to 10 days ago. I tried to get on-line, found I couldn't, threw a hissy fit and then called my friends at Bell. Now, in case you've never had a Bell experience, let me just say that it is an encounter you won't soon forget. As I write, I've had 10 long conversations with Bell's Automated Attendant Mabel, or Bootsy or whatever the hell her name is I've had five longer conversations with troubleshooting operators who know less about the telephone system than I do, and I've had the pleasure of remaining at home from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to personally greet three different repair personnel who have (a) told me what our problem is (b) told me they have fixed the problem (c) failed to fix the problem. Tomorrow I look forward to staying home all day to greet a fourth repair person. If I sound frustrated, it's because I am. I have no Internet, you see. I'm addicted. And there's no real fix in sight! Andy Juniper can be visited at his Web site, www.strangledeggs.com, or contacted at ajuniper@strangledeggs.com