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By Joanne Fairlie" [ Pauline ‘was a battered wife. Her voice came over the phone, quiet but assured, telling her story calmly. "it started when I was married because my has- band had an alcohol problem. I didn't have any relas tives to go to and I had six kids (from Pauiine's first marriage) that I had to look after. "The police would give all the help they could, but it always happened on weekends and I'd have to wait to press charges until the justice of the peace came in Monday. By Sunday, my husband would have sobered up and apologized." V "dn%"whdi't Pauline went to work, she'd have to cover up bruises and black eyes. "I could be a make- up artist," she 1sayspfw. . Once Pauline did charge her husband with assault. She moved and tried to keep her whereabouts hidden, but a brother-in-law found her. Her husband then apo- logized and took her to dinner. She dropped the char- iiGSilriiii, hieixt day he beat her again. "siiiki'a eouple'of times and got a couple of apart- ments on my own. But they were drab and hideous. I'd think of the nice house I'd left behind and go back." Pauline's husband went to jail sometime later on an alcohol-related charge. “I still waited around but dur- ing that time I thought I should get counselling to get my head together, I went to Interfaith Counselling." Through the help she got there, Pauline found the strength to move away and divorce her husband. Looking back, she wishes she had had somewhere to go where she could have received help. Pauline doubts she would have stayed with her husband so long (eight years) had help been available. - "When I got 'apartments on my own, they were just awful. If I'd had a nice place to go to where I would have had support it would have been different." Pauline irenthusiastic about Anselma House. a shelter in Kitchener-Waterloo that offers refuge for battered women, “I wish it would have been therefor me. lthink It's really great I give all the time I can to It," It IS because of women with problems llke Pauline's (and worse) that the Waterloo Regional Social Re- sources and District Health Councils asked the Com- mumty Resources for Women group to hold a one-day conference and compile a report on needs of women In Waterloo Region The conference held May Ill. 1979, studied five areas, education. economic. safety and shelter and health needs The women at the conference were mostly professionals. many belonging to social ser- vtce agencies Okay Superman. Spiderman. Batman and all the rest of you super friends. move over. there's a new super hero on tht comic book scene Stranger than fiction. older than history books and starring the greatest superstar of them all. the newest addition to the comic book market makes great read- mg for Duds and adults alike Are you ready for it" An thms publishing house has come out With Jesus comics Outrageous" Crass" Sacreligious" Maybe. But I did a double-take when I saw my son. Tony. snap it up and spend about an hour completely enthralled with what for him was neither a new story nor new characters I had a look at this commercial rendering of the New Testament story and my Impression is they didn't go far enough out in the comic version If you‘ve got a message and you want to reach largest number of people with the greatest impact, you've got to approach them in an area where their Interests lie and in a language most comfortable to them. not to vou Most clergymen will admit the public's attitude tir ward religion has been on the decline during the 1970s Relaxing some of the stiff sophistication In the dis- semination of church doctrine has helped to a certain extent, but us asking a lot to expect kids to pick up a Bible and wade through the chronicles of Matthew. Mark, Luke and John. written as they are in a "foreign" language 'l thought I should get counselling to get my head together, Report urges better facilities for, , Waterloo Region women s - LU According to Hoile After therecommendations were put into a report,' Community Resources for Worden presented it to the social resources council. Pat Carter, manager of Col- lege and Community Relations at Conestoga College and a member of the women's group, said the coun- cil's reaction to the report was "extremely positive because it was very comprehensive" and it gave them "the specific ideas they wanted." General recommendations included an inter-agency regional centre for women containing information on services for women in the community, better day care - including at least one day care centre open 24 hours a day - and expanded public transportation. Some of the other recommendations were: - The social resources council should urge local boards'of education to develop education programs in the schools to teach women how to compete in the job market and deal adequately with finances. - Condi- tions of employment should accommodate the needs of parents through flexible hours, more part-time em- ployment, and day care centres at work. The social resources council would have to speak with labor's Ontario Quality of Working Life Centre about this point. you... - Federal and provincial governments/should grant $1,000 a year tax exemption for each child if both parents work or in the case of a single parent family. - Welfare benefits should be raised to more “realis- tic" levels and post of living grants be included. - A centre for immigrant women, incorporating life skills, parenting and nutritional training, should be es- tablished for lonely immigrant women and a multi- lingual directory be created and distributed. "TiiGdGiraGien with alcoholic and drug-related problems shoul_d be stt up. . "71351 GGis of education should make birth con- trol education more accessible, aild family life and sex education should be taught in high sc_hools. The report closed with several general recommen- dations. the last of which stated "there is a need to re- educate the public that social assistance is a right, not a privilege." I can appreciate the clergy being slightly reluctant to relinquish what they perceive to be the church‘s responsibility to the people who bring you Captain' Marvel. Wonderwoman and Godzilla the King of the Monsters Can you see Jesus shaking up the money- lenders in the synagogue with a zap!. him. rock! and a karate chop to the nearest cash register? Great stuff When asked about the last point, Pat Carter said it was included because there is a “defensiveness on the part of women who get assistance. They feel like se- cond-class citizens. and are often made to feel as though it (receiving assistance) is a privilege" Carter sand the "long-term financial aspect" has not been figured out, but that the social resources council would estimate costs The population and ser- VICCS sub-committee is studying the report and will tell council what it feels should be implemented. - in its turn. the council can advise regional and pro vmcial governments on what to do with the report, for kids Does it really matter all that much whether Jesus addresses the multitude with “verily I say unto you" or "hey mart, this is how it is"'? Is the object to get the kids into the church or to get the message to them? You lay too many verilies on them and you won't do either It's not that the apostles did such a bad job In the original writing of the gospels Since the word. gospel. translates to good news I guess they were the most dedicated news reporters of the day With four of them covering one story I think we can assume that the New Testament as written is fairly accurate The Jesus comic that Tony received from his grand- parents follows very closely the account of the various events as they were originally described in the Bible What makes it more Interesting to me is the fast mov- mg action and brief dialogue that accompanies the graphics The New Testament stories that relate the many adventures of Christ's life are told in the comic In the form of short chapters that a child can start and finish within the average attention span of five-ttFtert- Welfare program needs cost of living allowance Waterloo Gimmick, Wednesday, What 19. i979 - Pay , Because it is an advisory body, council can not imple- ment any of the recommendations on its own. Carter admitted the report listed ideal conditions, and that the women's group did not expect all recom- mendations to be put into practice. "Compromise is always sort of first on the horizon," she said. For example, the group proposed nine centres built for various purposes, such as drug and alcohol rehabi- litation centres. Carter said they doubted that would be done, but the centres could be "put into an existing agency so it would be an extension of a service that already exists." . In her job capacity, Carter sees "an increasing number of women who come (to see me) when their marriage has ended. They have been in the home-rais- ing children, and now they must become self-sui- ficient. "They don't know what's available in the com- munity to help them, and they are vulnerable and in- secure. Because we have Community Resources for Women it's easier to see that gaps in services (for womgn) are obvious." It Gas because of that that the women’s group re- commended a regional centre that would contain in- formation on all services for women in Waterloo re- gion. _ _ - j . . . . "kitty Francis, a member of regional social tier- vices, has hopes many of the programs will be imple- mented. _ "I think the provincial government is aware there is a need for allowances (such as welfare) to be in- creased. There are a lot of people around who are raising this as an issue. "rd like to think the government recognizes that putting money into social programs will be paid back in the long run. But on the other hand, the people who need social assistance have the least strong voice in society." - Francis referred to a story in Monday's Globe and Mail, in which Toronto's Social Planning Committee stated a woman supporting two children under the age of 9 needs $16,000 a year. Francis figured a woman receiving general welfare assistance in Waterloo Re gion would receive about $6,000 a year, with a possible $500 more if she receives family benefits. It is doubtful whether or not in these times of finan- cial restraints and cutbacks by government mouth money can be given to such programs. For an affluent resident of the region, money for more Anselma Houses, another alcohol-rehabilitation centre or more welfare assistance may seem unnecessary But for women like Pauline, who remember the terrified feel- ing of having nowhere to go and no one to turn to, building up such programs may be the lifeline needed to keep them afloat _ year olds Both of our kids attend Sunday school regularly and bring home the coloured Bible story sheets that gra- phically outline the parables one at a time. So why the acute interest in the 13tVpage Jesus comic” Tony read it right through. cover to cover, in two days, I'm sure I dorft know the answer, except maybe that he feels more comfortable because it looks like a comic If the publishers of the comics can create an active market for religion, then why'not carry it further" There are plenty of other superstars m the Bible The Old Testament is jammed with colourful characters - provided we cai, get this stuff past Canada's stiff censors. I can see Pierre Burton getting into the comic book market rewriting Canadian history featuring Sir John A Macdonald and the rest of the superheroes of the Canadian railway saga What a great way to get through school reading comic books, I wonder if the Chronicle's circulation would go up at all if we replaced the grey news stories with cover to cover news comics, Leave that one with me. I'll mention it to our publisher the next time I ask him for a raise Gaps in women 's services are obvious By Geoff Hoilo