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6- The Oakville Beaver, Tuesday December 23, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com OPINION & LETTERS 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 Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: NEIL OLIVER Vice ­ President and Group Publisher of Metroland West The Oakville Beaver is a division of Media Group Ltd. DAVID HARVEY 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 Many deserve our thanks Recently in this space we encouraged our readers to think of those less fortunate during the holiday season and to not let the economic downturn prevent them from donating to a local charity or food bank. As many of us sit down to a holiday meal this week or attend a friend's home for a Christmas party, we hope you take a moment to remember those for whom these holidays are "just another day at the office." Hospitals are always busy this time of year and, sadly, illnesses don't take a holiday, nor do emergencies. So here's a thank you to those doctors, nurses, paramedics and other health care professionals who will be taking care of patients -- both shortterm and long-term -- while most of us will be enjoying the fun that comes with this time of year. Here's a thank you to the police officers who will be responding to emergency calls and patrolling the streets and roadways in Halton ensuring that drivers are obeying the rules of the road. The holidays have proven to be an especially dangerous time when it comes to fire calls. Unattended candles, improperly vented wood-burning stoves and general disregard for fire safety practices have led to tragedies. Here's a thank you to those men and women who will be on duty during the festive season to respond to any emergency that arises. Front-line social workers, who provide care throughout the year, don't suddenly take this week off. They will be ready to lend their help in crisis situations during the holidays. We thank them for their diligence, compassion and professionalism. There are others who will be working Christmas Day and Boxing Day and we appreciate all their efforts. From the local convenience store operator whose holiday hours allow for that emergency bag of milk purchase, to the snow plow operator who allows us to get to that family function, to the on-call veterinarian who can treat the ailing family pet, we thank you. We would like to take this opportunity to wish all our readers and advertisers the best the holiday season brings and to be thankful for all that we have. The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Internet addiction is no laughing matter Re: Andy Juniper's column Internet epiphany for an addicted and helpless cyber soul, Oakville Beaver, Dec. 6. I was quite pleased that Andy Juniper brought up the topic of Internet addiction in his column. At the end of his piece, he questions whether Internet addiction is a recognized affliction. In fact, Internet addiction is recognized as a problem that needs to be addressed much like other addictions. A prominent Canadian researcher, in this area, is Dr. Louise Nadeau, a professor of psychology at the University of Montreal, and the head of an institute, which that university has developed to study Internet addiction. Although research in this area is new, Nadeau can already report that within the spectrum of "Internet junkies" are found teenagers ­ who remain isolated in front of their computers, do not have real interpersonal relationships, and become locked in cyber-speak languages -- married couples, whose relationships actually suffer due to the time spent, by one spouse or the other, in front of a computer, and many others who exaggerate their use of the Internet, to the detriment of personal hygiene, nutrition, exercise, jobs and relationships. Nadeau explains that within Internet addiction are ensconced gambling addictions, low personal esteem, and a host of other issues that need to be tackled. My job involves hours of sitting before a computer, as well as trolling the Internet for news from the industry for which I write. (This is how I learned of Dr. Nadeau, a few months back.) But, I must admit that I, too, linger on the `Net' longer than I need to for my work. And there is one other area -- not yet mentioned by Dr. Nadeau's group -- about which I am concerned: that is, the musculoskeletal effects of hours of sedentary, computer activity. Spine specialists, such as chiropractors, have long been talking about pain and/or degenerative changes in the spine, as a result of sedentary work requirements and/or lifestyles. Chiropractors also report postural issues related to sitting, especially in front of computers, and repetitive strain injuries on various joints, from keyboarding, use of the computer mouse, etc. These specialists provide information on how to minimize these effects, but for the addicted, their suggestions will fall on deaf ears. A preliminary survey, conducted in the Québec health network, reveals that several people have already seen professionals for this addiction. Nadeau points out -- as does Juniper in his column -- that one problem is how to measure whether someone is merely an avid computer user or is pathologically hooked. Researchers at the University of Montreal will pursue this, and other questions, in an effort to better understand, and then treat, Internet addiction. Like all great discoveries and advances, I think the World Wide Web is a fantastic tool. Yet, I think it's important to talk about possible negative effects of Internet overuse, and not deny that it can become a source for some very real problems. Perhaps if we maintain a candid dialogue, from a relatively early stage, we may be able to stave off some of these problems, or, at least, minimize their effects on our society. MARIA DIDANIELI Thanks for clearing the streets We all too often hear complaints. My comment however, is regarding the fantastic job the Town of Oakville's snow operations did on Mother Nature's Christmas gift to Ontario on Friday. I was out several times on Friday and as the weather worsened, so did the streets. I was extremely surprised when I went out at 11 p.m. to pickup my daughter from work, to find the main streets virtually clear of any snow. Saturday morning left another surprise when I woke up to see my street plowed, ours is usually one of the last in Oakville to be cleared after a storm. Keep up the good work. Thank you and Merry Christmas. JANICE MCVEY This week's poll This week's question is: Is the Town of Oakville doing a good job of plowing the streets during the winter? · Yes · No To vote, visit oakvillebeaver.com Last week's poll: Should the federal and provincial governments provide financial support for the Big Three automakers? · Yes 26.09% · No 73.91% Total votes: 23 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.