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6-The Canadian Champion, Frday, Apnil 3,1998 SOPINION Box 248,191 Main St. E. Milton, Ont. L9T 4N9 (905) 878-2341 Fax: 878-4943 Classifted: 875-3300 Ian Oliver Publisher Neil Oliver Associate Pablisher David Bos General Manager Rob Kelly Editor Karen Huiuman Crculation Manager Teri Casas fice Manager Tim Colea Production Manager The Canadian Champion, published every Tuesday and Saturduy at 191 Main St, E . Mlton, Ont, L9T 4N9 (Box 248), s one of The Metrotund Prnting, Psblishing & Distribsting Ltd. grosp of ssbsrban companies which includos. Aax / Pickering News Advertiser; Alliston Herald/Courier; Barrie Advance; Brampton Guardian; Burington Pool; City Parent; Collingwood / Wasaga Connection; East York Mirror; Etobicoke Guardian; Georgetown Independentl Acton Free Press; Kingston This Week; Lindsay This Week; Markham tconomist & Sun; Midland / Penetanguishene Mirror; Mississauga News; Newmarket / Aurora Eru Banner; Northumberland News; North York Mirror; Oakvitle Beaver; Orillia Today; Oshawa I Whitby I Clarington I Port Perry This Week; Peterbor- ough This Week; Richmond Hill I Thornhill I Vaaghan Liberal; Scarborough Mirror; Usbridge I Stoattville Tribane; Today's Seniors. Advertising is accepted on tht condition hat, in tht event ot a typographicat error, hat portion ot tht advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonuble allowance for signature, wiIl not be churged or, bt the balance o the udvertisement wiIl be paid or t the appicabte rate. Tht pub- lisher reterses tht right to categorize advertisements or decine. Men, women stili the same Many people would have you believe that dif- ferences between men and women are gradually disintegrating. Don't you believe il. While advantages in math skills (boys) and English (girls) are diminishing in children, and women now have much greater access 10 jobs traditionally reserved for men, there remains one area of difference that hasn't changed since the stone age. Men are women have very different ways of trying to hang onto their mate. A study - in the February, 1997 issue of tbe Joumnal of Personality and Social Psychology by psycbologist David Buss and colleagues at the University of Texas - paints a rather unt1aîter- ing piclure of the types of sraegies we use 10 keep a parlner inleresled. The authors studied 'purlner relention strate- gies' in 214 couples. The researchers investigat- ed what people did wben tbey wanled to keep their partner's inlerest, and how the partner responded to those stralegies. Women îended 10 primp and preen, wilb pouting held in reserve as a last resort. Men îended 10 give displays "Power and of power. They would buy expencive gifts or brag becaife ai about career successes. because th, Is power in men an aphro- disiac for women? Is beauty m~al purpos in women an aphrodisiac for stoRe a@ men? You betcha. Believe it .......... or not, il works. OR. ARNOL Buss' data showed that women who were married 10 economically successful men spent a good deal more ime trying t0 look attractive. In contrast, when a woman's inlerest started 10 wane, men unfailingly starled taking them out 10 fancy restaurants, buying expensive clotbing orjewelry and boasting about their suc- cees and prospects at work. The data clearly showed Ihat men do have bet- ter success at keeping their mate wben they altain new heights ai work. Inîeresîingly, a corollary is thal men who were too satistied with their station in life - wbo did not progress to new heights at work - had more trouble keep- ing their mate. Why do men and women use such different strategies? And why these particular strategies? Psychology in the '90s Buss takes an evolutionary perspective. Power and great bodies became aphrodisiacs because lhey served a real purpose during the stone age days. MaIes who had a lot of resources and power were belter able 10 provide for and protecl a woman and ber offspring. A well buit, youtb- fuI womast was better able 10 bare heallhy chil- dren, (and therefore also brougbt status 10 the male). Surely we' ve progressed a bit since the clone age days. Well, not mucb, according 10 Buss's data. We've added a few variations on the came theme. He found thut gret bodies women may flaunt their wedding rings to keep ýhrodisiacs competitors away, pout 10 iey served a regain control wben their mate flirts with another e during the woman and track bis je days." wbereabouts if he's away ............... too much. a Oi E He, on the other band, may buy the expensive gift or brag about is career prospects 10 regain ber interest if ber eye starts to stray. If that doesn't work, be may adopt a 'mate concealmen* strate- gy (alco popular among insec ts), keeping hic partner from parties wbere men are present, monopolizing ber ime in the presence of other men and isolating ber fmom family and friends. The concealment sîrategy rarely works for very long because the partner begins 10 resent it and him. Witb women entering the workplace in record numbers, you migbt expect that career success and financial gifts from men would lose a bit of their power. Men's strategies baven't cbanged, but their effectiveness bas diminished. Everyone was happy as developer John DeVries handed over a choque for $20,000 toward the costs of the Campbellville tennis courts to Milton Mayor Anne MacArthur in July, 1976. Mr. DeVries' son Peter (right) also attended the opening. Beware of timeshare deals Exciting prospects of spring vacations swing- ing along the golf links or in the cun-drencbed gardens of an upscale recort migbt tempt anyone escaping from barsh windc and raine to sign a timesburing agreement. But the promise of years of fun-ftlled ime- share vacations bas left some consumers soaked. Experts at the Ministry of Consumer and Commercial Relations say people sbould exer- cice caution before signing up for timeshare vacations. "The boom in the travel industry bas meant continued popularity for timesbaring and between 50 and 60 companies in Ontario alone deal witb timeshare properties,' says Marilyn Gurevsky of the ministry's Business Division. Ms Gurevsky cautions consumers that lime- share property ownership is quite different trom buying a timeshare vacation. Timeshare property ownersbip means buying or leasing a week or more of vacation accommodation every year at the same ime in the came unit. Companies selling timeshure vacations do not bave 10 own the resort; they just need access 10 the vacation properlies that are available. "People are being offered vacation packages wbicb bave nolhing 10 do wiîb timeshare owner- sbip. Bacically, wbat tbe consumer is buying is membersbip in a club. If the company that selle that vacation membersbip goes under, the con- sumer bas nothing," Ms Gurevsky says. Vacationers may be lured m tb e timeshare View$ point( wihCA- YNLPR option by sales representatives who comnmonly offer a gift or free trip to listen to a well-crafted sales presentation. While the offer may sound like a good deal at the time, hours later con- sumers find themselves bombarded by a high- pressure sales pitch. The agents are well- rehearsed and know their best chance of making a sale is to convince people to buy quickly. "Mhe biggest problem arises when prospective buyers attend the sales presenlation and are per- suaded to sign right away," says Ms Gurevsky. "When you are considering a major purchase you should have the opportunily tb think about it carefully. If the timeshare marketer won't let you take the agreement away to review in pri- vate, you should consider dealing with someone else." In many cases, vacation buyers have reported signing legally binding documents and pmovid- ing credit card numbers on the spot. They say they've been billed between $1,200 and $1,800 before they've had a chance to read and examine the contracts they signed. Vacaîion-minded consumers, who are tempted to buy a timeshare propcrty. which may cost many thousands of dollars, should make sure they know cxactly wbaî îhey are getting mbt. Ask a lot of questions and read the contract cure- fully. Some people have lost money Io fraud artists wbo presented glossy brochures describing beautiful esorts in a vacation area other than the one they weoe to visit. When they showed up io sday ai their lime- shaoe unit, they discoveoed there was no such adda'ess. Looking Back . lm, 1 .1 --,- ri S4 u m