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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, December 18, 2009 · 6 OPINION & LETTERS The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5571 Classified Advertising: 632-4440 Circulation: 845-9742 --Open 9-5 weekdays, 5-7 for calls only Wed. to Friday, Closed weekends 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 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 Cold weather tips With Old Man Winter now tightening his grip on the GTA, St. John Ambulance offers a reminder for everyone to take precautions against exposure to extreme cold. These tips may help you enjoy the chilly weather more safely. How to avoid hypothermia: If a person's core body temperature drops by more than just two degrees, the body tissue cannot function properly. Thankfully, there are very simple ways to prevent heat loss: · Wear a hat and gloves. These will help prevent radiant heat loss. · Don't sit on cold surfaces for long. Contact with cold surfaces removes heat through conduction. · Avoid losing energy through breathing by wearing a scarf or a ski tube. · Cover up. Heat is rapidly lost off exposed skin. · Put on a windproof shell to stop loss of heat by convection. One of the most dangerous types of hypothermia is immersion or acute hypothermia, which occurs when a person is in cold water. A person loses heat 25-30 times faster in water than in air of the same temperature. Make sure to learn the Heat Escape Lessening Position (HELP) and should someone fall in the water, expect hypothermia right away. Tell the victim to not take off any clothing, as clothing helps keep the heat in, and make sure the person moves as little as possible. Moving can cause heat loss through convection. How to avoid frostbite: There are two types of frostbite -- superficial and deep. Superficial frostbite is recognized by white, waxy looking skin that is firm to the touch, but still soft underneath. Deep frostbite is present when the skin is white and waxy, but is progressively turning blue or grey. The skin will be cold and hard to the touch, and is completely numb as the condition progresses. Frostbite can be avoided by taking some of the following precautions: · Avoid going outside in extreme cold unprotected. · Protect vulnerable areas such as ears, hands, feet, face and neck. · Take breaks by going inside and getting warm again before continuing with outdoor activities. 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. Letter to the editor Thanks for returning bracelet A few weeks ago a friend and I were shopping at the new Canadian Tire Store on Kerr Street. The basket was full of `bargains' and we paid and headed home. As soon as I removed my jewelry to prepare dinner, I noticed my diamond bracelet missing, although its imprint was still visible on my arm. It was already past 9 p.m. when I returned to Canadian Tire and the store was closed. Visibly upset, I told my story to a young employee outside the store who immediately offered to get the manager who was still inside. The manager went out of his way to help. He even let me back into the closed store so I could take a quick look around while writing a note to the staff together with my contact information. Once back outside, the manager introduced me to his cleaning staff, who had just arrived, so I could explain where the bracelet might have come off and to look out for it. On Monday morning when I arrived at Canadian Tire, the clerk at the service desk checked the locked lost and found and handed me my bracelet. I cannot describe the unbelievable feeling of gratitude to have my bracelet returned to me. Unfortunately, no one knew the finder, although I returned several times to inquire with the service desk and the cashiers. By way of this letter I would like to thank the finder from the bottom of my heart and let them know how much it means to me to have my bracelet back. It is of great sentimental value. May God bless your honesty. And also a big thank you to the manager and staff at this Canadian Tire for being so helpful and kind long after the store's opening hours. I sincerely appreciate your efforts and wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. ROMI SCHMID Letters to the editor 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 email to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. Lost family camera -- broken heart The holiday season got off to a terrible start for me when somehow I dropped, lost or misplaced our family camera. Last Saturday, Dec. 12, our camera went missing after we were returning home from a Christmas party in the dark of midnight. Carrying too many things to keep track of, we must have dropped it somewhere between Montrose Abbey Drive and Kingswood Road here in town. It is just a short drive between the two places, but our guess is someone has picked it up and doesn't know what to do with it. The camera is a Panasonic Lumix digital DMC TZ2/3, which is a smaller-type camera in a black carry case. This is the part that really hurts...the camera has about a year's worth of photos loaded with very special one-time events. I hope someone with a big heart has picked the camera up and will give us a call and make our Christmas. We are offering a reward for the safe return of the camera and its photos. If you are the person, or know who might have picked up the camera, I would love to hear from you. The return of this camera would be the best Christmas gift I could ask for. JOE BABIC Pud BY STEVE NEASE neasecartoons@gmail.com