A Journey of Faith

By Danielle Murawski

In the little make-shift church in a hamlet of Poland called Milow hung a painting; the Matki Boskiej (the Black Madonna). Upon the Russian invasion, 1939, this beloved painting was dismantled for its gold frame, only to be left by looters shredded into the smallest pieces imaginable, trampled in the mud, ready to become another lost relic amidst a world war.

But the story of the Black Madonna begins years earlier, in the 17th century. Credited with miraculously saving the Jasna Gora monastery in Częstochowa, Poland from a Swedish invasion, made the famous portrait of Mother Mary and her baby son Poland’s holiest relic.

A woman named Maria, a resident of Windsor born in 1913, grew up on a dairy farm tucked away in a corner of Milow. It is there that her family lived as any other Polish Catholics did, tending to the farm and dealing with the ridicule of non-Polish residences unhappy with the colonizing Polacks. All of this changed at the Russian invasion on the eastern front of Poland in 1939. Maria was 26 at the time, married and starting her own family with one son. The Ukranian population in the area went up in arms against the Polish community during the invasion, taking the opportunity to loot homes for whatever they could find. Milow’s community centre was one such place.

Roger Bell Book Launch

By Kimberly Daigneau

A common answer to the “What do you want to be when you grow up?” question, for children who love to read and be creative, is to be a writer. For Canadian poet/author Roger Bell, who describes himself as being “dreamy” as a child, his aspiration has come true.

Part of Bell’s inspiration to be a writer was due to his love of reading. “I read voraciously. In high school I read about a book every two days,” says Bell. “I read everything I could get my hands on: Hardy Boys. Greek Myths. Tarzan. Sci-Fi. War stories. Classics. Comics!!!! I loved comic books.”

Bell’s aspirations to be a writer also came from the encouragement of his friend and fellow Canadian poet John B. Lee. “He has encouraged me to keep going. He has shown me how to write,” explains Bell. “Many of my friends have also supported me and helped me keep going. Sometimes I have felt like quitting, but they won’t let me. My wife, Valerie, keeps me on an even keel, and she supports my writing 100%.”

The recognition of his writing has also persuaded him to write. He has been a finalist in the CBC Literary Awards three times, was shortlisted for the People’s Poetry Award, and has just won the 2008 Cyclamens and Swords Poetry Contest.

Bell started writing as a child and wrote while in high school but most of what he wrote during that time of his life he calls “trivial and silly.” It wasn’t until he went to university that he began to “see, and started to get more serious” about his work. It was when he met Lee in 1974 that he started to realize his writing had something to offer.

He has published five works thus far : two chap books, Mythtakes and Luke and the Wolf (which won the Shaunt Basmajian Chapbook Award) and three full-length books with Black Moss Press: Real Lives (1997), When the Devil Calls (2000) and The Pissing Women of Lafontaine (2005).

He is currently in the process of publishing and launching a book of poetry entitled You Tell Me, which is a group of narrative poems, some in prose form, all written from stories that people have told him personally. The book, along with Marilyn Gear-Pilling’s book of poetry The Bones of the World Begin to Show, has been edited by Marty Gervais’ editing and publishing class at the University of Windsor; both books will be launched on April 2, 2009.

“I am excited as hell; April 2 (the launch date) can’t come too soon for me; I’m getting antsy,” states Bell . “ I want to hold that book in my hands the very first time, the complete book, and admire it, say, ‘Hey, I wrote this, just look at it, I’m a proud papa!’”

The Affected Campaign adds sunglasses to charitable fashion line

By Kailie Dawn Stefanovich

The Affected Campaign has officially added sunglasses to their fashion line.

The Affected Campaign, headed by CEO Brady Thrasher, 22, is a cause marketing consumer product. Individuals purchase t-shirts with the word “Affected” on the front for $20 from the campaign’s website (www.affectedcampaign.org)and the proceeds go to the organization of their choice.

Now in addition to selling t-shirts, Thrasher is selling sunglasses for $10.
“I wanted to take advantage of the trend,” he said.

Thrasher, who grew up in Amherstburg, officially launched the Affected Campaign in November 2007, with the goal of creating a fundraising tool that every organization could benefit from.

As of July 2008, over 65 different organizations have benefit from “Affected,” making over $6,000 towards their various causes.

“The word ‘Affected’ is curiosity. Everyone has a story to tell,” said Thrasher. “It’s putting us all on an equal playing field. We’ve all been ‘Affected’ by something. It’s a social movement, and a positive brand. When you wear an Affected product, you are standing out and addressing the facts.”

“Some people are more ‘Affected’ then others,” he said, “but the fact remains we have all been ‘Affected.’ The movement was created to address the negative statistics we have been ‘Affected’ by and not to judge one another.”

Aside from setting a philanthropic trend and giving to charity, an individual becomes the face of Affected.

As far as the Affected Campaign’s future, Thrasher is looking into signing a major celebrity to have as a spokesperson for Affected.

“I want them to introduce us to the world,” he said.

He has several celebrities endorsing the brand already, including P. Diddy’s son Quincy and Kanye West signed Big Sean who is working side by side with Thrasher to expand the movement.

Thrasher also wants to open up opportunities with corporations, partnering, ideally, with Roots and Old Navy to press and retail the shirts.

Thrasher’s dream is to have a nationwide high school tour, having the opportunity to meet students and inspire the next generation to act as the face of Affected.

He’s even spoken to Canadian company TVO about making a documentary and reality show of the school tour with filmmaker Gavin Booth at his side.

“Affected is bigger than me. I shouldn’t get credit for it. It allows everyone to be a role model. The average person can be a hero.”

Why do students continue to be punished?

By Munazza Tahir

Yes, they have smiles on their faces. They even seem happy. But even though tuition fees increase is no laughing matter for students, what choice do they really have?

Several students marched through the U of W campus Tuesday Mar. 19  in protest, chanting slogans like “Freeze Fees” and doing everything they could to make their feelings heard. UWSA representatives and other concerned students even sat in on the Board of Governors meeting where the motion for 4-8% increase in tuition fees in addition to residence and meal fees was to be passed. However, the outcome was hardly unexpected.

That’s right people, you can start looking for another part-time job because students are being made to suffer in the name of budget deficits yet again. This means double the increase for international students. How exactly are we expected to pay for our education given the current state of the economy?

Before the meeting began, protesters were kindly asked to leave their signs outside the board room because it was “not a protest” according to chairman, David Cooke. These students were quiet, respectful and professional; it is unexplainable why a few dozen posters would hinder the Board’s decision-making process in any way.

It seems as though it will take much more than spirited rallies to sway the people in charge and prevent our tuition fees from increasing exponentially every year. We just don’t know what it is yet.

We all carry a deficit.

Electrifying the economy: Windsor’s hope is in skilled trades

By Lauren Taylor

Potholed streets lined with abandoned storefronts, desperate stock piled auto lots, and long layoff lists, currently present a grim picture of Windsor, a union city. Are there any jobs in sight? That is the question running through everyone’s mind, including myself during this recession. A definite solution has not been found.

Nevertheless, there could be possible improvement in the shape of Windsor’s rising interest in the skilled trades. There are people in Windsor who are working with options on the table. These people are both educated and have local work experience. These people are the members of The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), a skilled trade union who represent over three quarters of a million jobs in Canada and the United States alone. Hopefully an answer that will revive our streets, and fix some of Windsor’s economic problems.
Unionism, considered a successor of the medieval crafts guilds, emerged with the industrial revolution during the later half of the 19th century. When working conditions became dangerous with outrageous hours and low pay, unions began to form, aiding in the application of human rights .Collective bargaining and industrial action allows members to act as a group as opposed to individually. The Concept of a union has been greatly respected over the last century with even Pope Leo XIII speaking out against unfair working conditions is his ‘Magna Carta’. He voiced that the atrocities workers faced were not to be permitted. His Holiness demanded that workers be granted certain rights and safety regulations.

Music: A never-ending passion

By Katie Deslippe

Windsor’s music industry has a rich history for today’s young stars to step into. New bands today are usually booked three to a night which is a far cry from how it used to be. On top of that, live entertainment is usually only on Friday and Saturday nights, compared to back in the day when bars like The Drop In, Hadley’s, The Riv, The Canada and Tune Ups boasted 4-6 day entertainment regularly.

The 1980s was home to many musicians trying to make the big time. For those who got into the industry at that time music seemed to be a passion that would never fade. Carole O’Brien who has been in the music industry for 30 years and has fronted five bands has been fortunate enough to be part of the some of the more popular bands every step of the way.

At one time she was the lead singer of a rock group named ‘Reflex.’ O’Brien describes the band as a rarity for its time. She recalls that Windsor was rumored to have more bars per capita than any other city in the Canada. Windsor was renowned for Bars, Strip Clubs and Bingo Halls. In this city where entertainment never seemed to sleep, O’Brien’s band enjoyed great success. “We were never without work; we played what were considered all of the ‘A’ rooms in the city.” The band was so fortunate in their five year run that in one year they played 48 out of 52 weeks, most of which were gigs that lasted 5-6 days.

The five piece band had the talent, the chutzpa, the sound and one other thing that you don’t see often in today’s musical society; a woman as lead vocalist. The blonde bombshell tackled rock songs by the likes of Pat Benetar, Journey, Black Sabbath, Rush, Ozzie Osbourne and Heart. What made Reflex unique was that they employed not only a manager, Blake Beard, but a crew that included a light man a sound man and two roadies. “All we did was walk in, tune the guitars, do a sound check and walk out,” she recalls.

Harrow, may I help you?

By Munazza Tahir

When it comes to stand-up comedy, I thought I had heard it all. Racist and culturally offensive jokes about skin colour, accents, customs, habits, the works.

But last Friday at Leo’s Komedy Korner, Leo Dufour, the owner of the bar himself, brought a unique element to the comedy show which featured him as the last act of the night.

When you are living in a city like Windsor, deriving subject material from the rural life in surrounding towns versus urban life for humour seems inevitable. One of the many small towns around Windsor is Harrow, which can be a rather dismal place to live in, some would say, due to its dullness and lack of activity.

Of course Leo Dufour had to confirm that the audience did contain a member who was from Harrow before moving on to picking on him and his hometown mercilessly. It started with an innocent “Anyone here from Harrow? Oh that guy. Hey look, electricity!”

But it became more detailed and progressively funnier as Leo outrageously advised, “if you are ever feeling depressed about your life, go to Harrow. Seriously, you’ll see the first MacDonald’s, turn back and be feeling great by the time you get back to Windsor.”

However, the poor soul from Harrow did not find this as amusing as the rest of the audience members did. Rather quiet and rather flushed from his balding head to his chin, the Harrow resident kept a stiff smile and patiently waited for Leo to move on to his next victim.

What was really different that Leo brought to the table, however, was the fictional Chinese guy from Harrow who happened to be crossing the border. Hi, how you doing? The border official would ask. Harrow, the Chinese guy would say. Where are you from? The border official would ask. Harrow, the Chinese man would say. Of course! Why didn’t anyone think of that one before?

Hilarious, no?