Hello one year later

So I've decided to return to the world of blogging, although I never truly immersed myself in the culture I've been aching to write and so write I shall. Although my blog is called thejournlistadiaries, in review, I've noticed I have yet to pen in true diarist form, don't worry, I won't, or at least I shall try not to. I do intend on ranting and raving on occasion and relaying an anecdote or two in the most candid way possible.

From Sacred to Sexy

Bare legs and nuns' habits, a sexy sleek model draped in black and white with reverently pursed red lips and an almost full nun attire struts down the runway at New York Fashion Week.

For years designers have been using sacred Catholic symbols and plastered them onto tight t-shirted canvases, slipped rosaries around their necks and emblazoned crosses as they please and with little or no backlash.

You can walk into any H&M or Aldo and purchase a "rosary necklace", it's become quite the staple in fashion accessories, as it is a staple for Catholics during their devotional prayer time.

"I don't think it's appropriate at all, for people who the rosary holds great significance, it's not a fashion accessory, it's a devotional prayer, it's part of who we are as Catholics.," said Neil MacCarthy, director of public communications of the Archdiocese of Toronto and a devote Catholic.

In Canada there are over 12 million Catholics, over 800 priests and over 500 sisters in Toronto alone but there hasn't been any major recorded backlash or objections, according to the the Archdiocese of Toronto, from the Catholic community when sacred symbols are turned in sexy sales for the masses, and not the type of mass that happens at church.

The soothing aroma of incense, the reverent sound of “Ave Maria” ... and the trendy designs by Givenchy? It was Catholic optional last year at the Givenchy show, where the designer embraced/exploited the ecclesiastically obsessed and just last week, in addition to nuns habits', the caps of Catholic cardinals made a special appearance in the Victoria Beckham collection.

On record only one pair of Canadian designers have famously ventured into this realm of expresssion but have not done so on Canadian soil. In 2005 Dsquared went all out, pews and all, as models in (possibly) blasphemous t-shirts that read, "Jesus loves even me".

"Religion is so passe, it controls the weak. Its an easy way to seem edgy, I guess. Fashionable? No," said top Canadian designer Evan Biddell.

The Fashion Design Council of Canada (FDCC) do not have any stipulations for designers against using any form of religious inspiration in their collections but encourage creative freedom said Samatha Ventresca of the buyer relations department.

Although many of the designers who use Catholicism as inspiration in their collections are themselves Catholic, their motivations are unknown. However, if a designer’s intentions for using certain religious symbolism could be known, you would have educated consumers, unfortunately however this may also take away from dramatic effect.

The habit is ‘“the ensemble of clothing and accessories that make up religious dress. It can also mean specifically the robe like tunic or dress that is the main garment worn over the body’.” It symbolizes a new personality or state in life according to “A Nun’s Life Ministry”. The purpose of the Rosary according to the “Rosary-Centre” is to “help keep in memory certain principal events or mysteries in the history of our salvation, and to thank and praise God for them” and it is discouraged and considered disrespectful to be worn as a necklace.

“I think it is a bit of a shame when a sacred image gets translated into or gets "dumbed" down, basically taking away what is scared from it and digressing it, tearing it down to be just an object; it's an injustice toward the sacred piece,” said Lisa Canning, a former stylist turned notable interior designer for HGTV.


“There is a lot of power in the voice of communities and the same thing with religious groups when there is anything anti-semantic, the community is very quick to take arms and stand up and I think we have to do the same,” said Canning.

So why no backlash?

Although individuals are shaken when they see these symbols and motifs being misused and misrepresented nothing more than the rare complaint to a leader in the church has been made, and on occasion a letter for a request to remove a product based on sensitivity has been written.

"They ( the Catholic community) are a tolerant community ... there has been a handful, just a small number, of instances that it's ( the use of scared symbols being used in secular fashion designs) been an issue" said MacCarthy.

Father Brian Clough “was revolted by the Lady Gaga video, where she winds up towards the end of the thing dressed as a nun but he says, “ … putting some kind of restriction on them( the fashion industry) is something that just won't work.” The music video is called “Fernando”.

From the postmodern rebellion of the 80's the fashion world has been inundated with Christian religious symbols and has slowly become a staple in pop culture. A natural desensitization occurs and things that may have been a statement soon become a non-issue thus reflective of the lack of response from the Catholic community as a whole.

But “There should always be that respect for the other person...(but) I'm not pushing down the throat what I hold dear for others, I think it’s a fair request and not only for the people of the Catholic faith but it can be for people of any other faith,” said Father Christopher Cauchi.

For some the issue is an obscure one because they are not part of that demographic that these products are geared to and for them a potential issue is a non-issue by default.

And sometimes you just need to turn the other cheek, “We don't want to feed into these things also, we have to weigh our options, when is it best to come forward or step back, they are trying to elicit a reaction from us and we're not going to go there, said MacCarthy.

Mez (keeping it real)

Check out my little brother doing his thing, keeping it real and making his big sis proud.
Support your local T.O artists!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWyAe-BOgb4

Hip- Hop Showcase of Local Talent

Urban music show, "It's Bigger Than Hip Hop" to showcase local talent at Woo Lounge on Thursday 8th 2010.

Toronto, ON - 7th July, 2010- On Thursday 8th at Woo Lounge, King Alexander Entertainment and partners will be featuring some of Toronto’s best local up and coming urban talent with the “It’s Bigger Than Hip-Hop” showcase. The show will begin at 10:30 p.m. until 2:00 a.m. with an entrance fee of $10.00. The event is meant as a pre-show and fundraiser for Youth Day celebrations which will be taking place on July 25th.
The showcase is reflective of the vision of King Alexander Entertainment which is, “To develop and promote Canadian artists (and) to put Canadian artists on the world stage,” said Alexander Harding, CEO of the company.
The night will feature performances by Jay-Kellz, Brookz, J-Perez, Teddy F House, Bianca, Element, Advent Children, and Jade's Hip Hop Academy. There will also be live art by Sponsors Hector Savage & Fuel of The A Team Laith Hakeem. Over 200 guests are expected at this event as well as special guest speaker Tylaine Duggan who is the founder of Youth Day. The night will also be featuring DJ Law, DJ Eviloution, DJ Tony Blaze and DJ Mike Stoan.

A press conference will be held at 4:00 pm prior to the show at the lounge. Leading local artists, producers and directors are expected to attend.

The 4th annual Youth Day will be held at Yonge and Dundas Square on Sunday July 25th and will be featuring music, dance, art and photography all by local youth. This is an ages event and is free to the public.
For more information on “It’s Bigger Than Hip-Hop” contact Tashika Gomes at (647) 678-4070 or visit http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=139573126056503.
About King Alexander Entertainment:
King Alexander Entertainment is a management company geared at promoting local Toronto artists, with a focus on urban music talent. An entertainment company with a difference, King Alexander Entertainment prides itself on producing artists with a positive message; artists who are involved in the community and have a desire to be an inspiration.
Contact:
For more information contact Tashika Gomes at (647) 678 4070 or email kingalexanderentertainment@gmail.com
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Karaoke and me

This is *Sarah's Story

The hard liquor streams through them both, her arms are like jelly. He holds her down, her back against the cold leather sofa, his warm breath on her flushed cheeks, she feigns a light giggle and returns his kisses. His hands creep beneath her little, black dress as he presses his drunken body weight on her. A faint laughter enters the room; it’s her boss, drink in hand, the night is going well, his customers are happy. But Sarah isn’t; so embarrassed by having an audience; she escapes the grips of the well-dressed Chinese man and seeks refuge in the dimly lit lavatory. Unknowingly, his footsteps have traced hers and soon there he is, in front of her, unzipped and exposing his most private parts to her.

Sarah was fed-up; fed-up of being broke and of not being able to hold a steady job while trying to stay in school. She was tired of turning to friends for help or government funding, so she decided to be a karaoke girl at “Chicago.” She confesses it was pride that lead to her decision and the money sounded good too. In the summer, girls can make up to $600 /week working part-time. But no karaoke customers means $5/hr pay. About 25 girls work at this lounge; most of them are just over 19 years of age and from Japan without work permits or are international students.

Their job?

“It was like a house party where teenage boys try to see what they can get away with. Your job was to make them have a good time, entice them to drink so the establishment makes more money, and you make more money,” said Sarah.

However, sometimes, the customers, who were not teenage boys at all but middle-aged sometimes married men, would feel entitled to grope and fondle the karaoke girls. The girls, who are expected to drink as much as possible with the men, are sometimes too drunk to resist their progressions or too afraid to loose the men as their customers. If you piss them off they might not choose you from the line-up next time.

“Despite it being very shady, it felt sort of safe, not completely safe but I felt that he wasn’t lying about prostitution because he said that he actually had kicked people out for expecting that,” Sarah said about the job interview she had had with owner.

In a brief interview the owner he denies even having karaoke girls working at his lounge.

“My opinion about women working in places like that is that it is really up to the women. Just as long as they are not forced, then they can do what they seem fit at the moment. I've learned from my experiences, that people in the end will do what they think they should do,” said a fellow church goer and long time friend at Sarah’s church.

In Canada places like this are illegal and one would wonder why a young lady who is a Canadian born would choose to work in a place that she could be arrested for working in and fined up to two years in prison. Her friends, the few she’s chosen to tell, were all surprised of her job at “Chicago.”

“She did have choices. I think she could have went about it differently,” said a close friend of Sarah.

“I do now know of what she did in her past but I don’t view her differently since she has told me about this,” said Sarah’s current boyfriend.

At “Chicago” although Sarah never engaged in prostitution herself inside or outside of the lounge she says, “I am not sure if this (the bar) was just a passive excuse for selling sex outside of the bar…because if they (the karaoke girls) were being honest they might get fired for taking business away from the bar” said Sarah.

In Toronto, rub and tug massage parlours are popular in the local news, originating from similar places in China and Korea but whether “Chicago” is a place like this has yet to be confirmed.

The night that Sarah was approached by a drunken customer in the ladies washroom with his pants dropped, was when she felt it was time to leave “Chicago.”

Thankfully she was not raped; embarrassed that he had taken it too far with “Sarah” they both ignored what had happened that night and went back to the karaoke room.
That was almost a year ago and today Sarah lives on a meagre government funding whilst continuing to pursue her degree in psychology.

*All real names in this story have been changed .

Fashion Trends Spring/Summer 2010- for the ladies

www.fashionmagazine.com

It’s time to put away the bulky winter knits and slip into something soft and feminine; this season designers have stacked the racks with everything to make the modern women feel strong but soft to the touch; dresses, shorts, soft fabrics, tribal/floral prints, pastels and punches of colour that puts everything else in soft focus.

Some trends have survived for another year-the military trend-others have been revived- the jean look- and as for shoes, an eclectic mix that sounds like a culinary disaster – metallics and wedges.

Those fortunate enough to get the fashionista’s preview last season at LG Fashion Week Spring/Summer are sure to be well prepared for this season, whether it be for the 70’s retro look, 20’s inspired details or minimalist glam.

“I loved Katrina Tuttle and Coccolily, it was so feminine, edgy and not too provocative" said Cindyrella Miranda, a backstage volunteer at last season’s Fashion Week, Toronto.

The usual international forerunners have inspired these trends, Lanvin, Chanel and Chloe but “I do find the local designers show a more marketable version of what would go down a runway in Paris. This is not a bad thing sometime(s) but it makes Canadian designers look like they are not as creative with their designs; which is unfortunate because we have a lot of great talent,” said 4th year Seneca, fashion student Danielle Mcallister.

However, just because it’s there, doesn’t mean we want it to wear.

“I think that a softer play on the military wear would be a revival of cargo pants... drawstrings at the bottom made with a softer fabric ...the soft fabric would make it look compatible with the sweat pant look that is in... and could likewise be worn with a heel and a funky shirt,” said fashionista Lisa Banks.

So for those of us who would rather slip into a pair of boyfriend jeans and heels, masculine elements in feminine style are still here. Blazers and leggings, short suits and of course padded shoulders, paired with chunky jewels, are all very tomboy chic.

It may be difficult to predict the weather and thus your duds for the day, but with just a few staple pieces should keep you in the fashionable clear. Here is a list of 10 key investment pieces for this season and where to go to get them:

*Denim- LOVAS Wesley Badanjak
*Black Blazer(fierce shoulders optional)-Aritzia
*Statement necklace- Lucian Matis
*Floral- Joe Fresh
*Pastel– great finds at Urban Outfitters
*Boyfriend jeans- H&M
*Tribal wear –Dare to Wear Love, produced by Hoax Couture, finale show last season with top celebs in tribal wear. Designs by LIDA BADAY and PRICE ROMAN
*Wedged heels- Aldo
*Comfy jumpsuit – Jessica biffi
*Underwear as outerwear -NADA
*Neutral glam- Aime




Go to Fashion Television for all the shows and latest trends.

RSU Elections

No rallying for students with disabilities at Ryerson Student Union and executives elections

Donna Ryder at RSU elections
(Ryerson University/Tashika Gomes)

Tonight, Ryerson Student Union directors, presidents and committee members gave up their seats as new representatives were elected. However, the only person rallying for better services and representation for students with disabilities was Donna Ryder, who sat in a wheelchair.

“There are students with disabilities who are paying RSU fees who are not getting services that are fair. We’re being discriminated against constantly, we’re being oppressed constantly,” said Ryder who is running for course union director .

The prospective electives were asked to give a 2 minute speech indicating their platform and ways they plan to improve student life before the voting process took place. However, there was no mentioned of improving conditions for students with disabilities. Various topics were repeated by canidates, such as, bringing the various student groups together for joined events and
making media equipment and room-bookings more accessible.


Events displayed at RSU elections
(Ryerson University/Tashika Gomes)

Ryder also claims that the annual Ryerson Parade and Picnic does not provide an accessible float for students with disabilities, but instead they are told to use the disability bus. She also mentioned that for this year’s student protest Drop Fees Campaign, although there was a disability bus, it was blocked with a sign.

“Are they ashamed of us?” asked Ryder.

“I would have preferred as the course union director, if she had come to me. That’s what I was there for; for students to actually voice their opinion to me. Students who came to me about their event problems or their grants or room booking, I actually came and helped them but this is the first time I’m actually hearing about it (students with disabilities feeling as though they are not well-represented by the RSU)….,” said last year’s Course Union Director David Hoang.

He also said, given the opportunity he would have had a survey to evaluate what students were interested in pursuing and would meet other groups to discuss this issue.

"I never heard this concern from any executives… now hearing from you, I wouldn’t say that’s it’s a shock, but I’d be willing to do something, if first I’d heard about it,” said Hoang who represents more than 40 course unions.

Ryerson's course union president for social work refused to comment on the issue.


Students at RSU elections
(Ryerson University/Tashika Gomes)