The Oakville BeaverLetter to the editor467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5566Classified Advertising: 905-632-4440 Circulation: 845-9742The 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 thecondition 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 chargedSafety items worth the taxesfor, 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 theOakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.I read the Letter to the Editor in the Friday, Feb. 11Oakville Beaver with greatNEIL OLIVERVice-President and Group Publisher,MARK DILLSDirector of Productioninterest (Misleading budget information). Metroland WestMANUEL GARCIAProduction ManagerI dont propose to add anything to the discussion re: the budget figures; theDAVID HARVEY Regional General ManagerCHARLENE HALLDirector of DistributionBeavers editorial board appears to have that well in hand. JILL DAVISEditor in ChiefSARAH MCSWEENEYCirc. ManagerROD JERREDManaging EditorWEBSITE oakvillebeaver.comAt the end of the letter, however, the correspondent offers a few suggestions thatDANIEL BAIRDAdvertising Directormight help the budget chair to not increase our taxes. The Oakville Beaver is a division ofRIZIERO VERTOLLIPhotography DirectorThe first suggestion: no more raised medians that are a pedestrian safety haz-SANDY PAREBusiness Managerard. Strange, Ive always considered raised medians, particularly on busy arterialRECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY:Ontario Community Canadian Community Suburban Newspapersroads, as lifesavers. Newspapers AssociationNewspapers Associationof AmericaWho can forget the tragic accident in Mississauga some years back, where aTHE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR:mother with a baby in a stroller tried to cross a busy arterial road of four lanes.While they were standing on the median line, as I remember, a car struck thestroller and the baby was killed. United Wayof OakvilleIf that had happened in Oakville, they could have waited on the raised medianATHENAin safety. AwardSo please, keep building raised medians on busy arterial roads they savelives.A second suggestion: no more bike lanes that cause cyclists to run themselvesinto sewer grates. Im not sure how long it has been since Ms. Wright last cycled, but I can assureyou that for many years now sewer grates no longer grab bicycle wheels.Generally, sewer grates are laid crossways to the direction of travel, or diago-nally, or they are made of grids. The current problem with sewer grates is that theytend to sink below the surface of the road, making for a bumpy ride. With a bike lane, a cyclist has ample room to cycle around such a grate, withoutveering into the car lanes. Without a bike lane, particularly when cars drive too close to the edge of theroadway, avoiding such road hazards can be deadly. As a cyclist of many years, I appreciate the safety that bike lanes provide, andhope that town council will continue to include bike lanes in all new and reno-vated roadways.Ineffective speed bumps the speed bumps I have seen, laid close to schools,appear very effective indeed in slowing down car speeds, and reminding drivers(who may not be aware of it) that they are in a zone where there are many vulner-able children.Oakville has made some progress towards making this town pedestrian andcyclist friendly. ERIC RIEHL / OAKVILLE BEAVERWhen walking and cycling are not feasible see last weeks weather thereis an excellent public transit system. PASTA PALS:The Pasta Pals, from left, Pilgrimwood Public School Grade 5 students Caitlin Paulos, Sarah I, for one, do not object to paying the taxes necessary to keep Oakville an active,Sheppard and Ethan Butler, collected 529 cans of pasta when their class was divided into groups and assigned the healthy, livable town for all residents.task of working on a project that would make a difference. The group dubbed itself Pasta Pals and targetted hun-Johanna Boffa, Oakvilleger. The students then delivered the food they collected to Fareshare food bank on Speers Road.Movie industry throws out shoulder patting itself on the backn Sunday night, upwards of an alleged one billion people of four hours extending way beyond sive and snooty. around the world will tune in to the 83rd annual any civilized bedtime it becomes an The years alleged top movies are voted on by the 6,000-plusOAcademy Awards. Granted, each year since the billion-exercise in endurance that few viewers members of the Academy, which is comprised of actors, direc-viewer figure was first floated in 1985, this astounding estimate pass. By the time the final award is tors, writers and people with suspect taste. Its my contentionis debated by scholars and pretty much debunked by science.dished out, an estimated 22 people (although its yet to be confirmed) that to become a voting mem-Regardless, its an indisputable fact that an astounding num-around the world still have their eyes ber, you actually have to take a taste test. Fail miserably, andber of people get inordinately goofy over the Oscars, hosting open.youre in.parties, placing wagers, and viewing the telecast with bated and By now youve likely gathered that How else do you explain actor Bill Murray never having wonbuttered breath (buttered, of course, from all the popcorn).Im not a huge fan of the Oscars. Rarely an Oscar? And how do you explain this years exclusion of Andy JuniperAbout two-thirds of those who actually tune in will have seen do I watch. Never do I care. I dont like Christopher Nolan in the Best Director category for Inception?approximately one-tenth of all movies nominated. Which, if you the ranking or judging of art of any kind Love or hate the movie, its hard to deny its visual chops, anddo the math, means about 94.763 percent care very little about in this manner. Too much weight is placed on winners and losers. Nolans vision.movies deemed Oscar-worthy give em The Twilight Saga: And too often great movies like great music and the Grammys If taken for what it is a night of reality television theEclipse, or Iron Man 2and theyre happy but, rather, watch (dont even get me started on the Grammys) are ignored. Oscars can be a hoot. If taken too seriously, they can be butthe show to see which celebrities are coupled up, and who is Further, in the case of old Oscar, the process is far from fair.another mangled misrepresentation of all that movieland has towearing what (thankfully, unlike some awards shows, no one Major movie studios spend like drunks to promote their films offer that is,The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly(1966 spa-arrives wearing raw meat). All of which makes the Oscars an and snag nominations. Then, if nominated, millions more dol-ghetti western, starring Clint Eastwood not nominated for aexercise in collective cattiness.lars are tossed toward trying to win. Obviously the larger, more single Academy Award and now considered a classic).Its also an unrivaled exercise in industry-wide narcissism solvent studios have the upper hand in this racket. Too often Andy Juniper can be contacted at ajjuniper@gmail.com,an evening where the movie business throws out its shoulder, thoughtful, insightful indie productions are overlooked. Face it, found on Facebook http://www.facebook.com, or followed at www.patting itself on the back. And, given that the show runs in excess for all pretensions of inclusion, the Academy Awards are exclu-twitter.com/thesportjesters. www.insideHALTON.com OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, February 24, 2011 6