I am cracking up at how the photographer is employing various tricks (placing head on shoulders, standing on a lower while he is on a higher step) to minimize how Ciara towers over Bow-wow. :p :D

They are cute together. That cover reminds me of the one Big and Faith had years back. I wonder why celebrities decide to go public with their relationships...but if they break up we'll learn all about it on their next CD.

:D

Bow Wow and Ciara
 

I think they are just super cute...Ciara at 14 was just adorable and I agree about that fact that Bow Wow is so respectable and he is not doing that Omarion type stuff:o but I just have to wonder if this is a publicity stunt, it seems a little "coached" to me...:rolleyes:

Re: Aha!
 

I think they are both 18, and Bow Wow was on the Wendy Williams show when his CD was coming out, and of course she was all in his business. He admited that they were friends a while back, and then they started hanging out and it turned into them dating. he also mentioned that even though he wanted to keep it private, they were together so much that people figured it out. Also Wendy asked him about them having sexy and he was very respectful stating that wasn't something that he was going to discuss.

So Fantasia can't read/write.:(

OOKKKKKKK, please tell me someone has heard the comments by Bennett???!!! Please.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9535204/

White people commit just as many crimes as blacks, they just aren't in jail!!!!!! :mad: :o It's all over the news

At least, however, she took responsibility and is seeking out help so she can be a good example to Zion. You have to give her credit for that.

Re: Aha!
 

To my understanding she went to Riverdale. She probably went to North Clayton Middle.

Did I miss something?

Fantasia was on Good Morning America this morning promoting her book and she revealed that she couldn't read or write. She talks about it more on 20/20 tonight.

That's deep.:eek: :eek:

...that she couldn't read and write until how recently? dayum.

Read about Fantasia here:

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=1170655&page=1

You can also read an excerpt of her autobiography on that site as well.

and the irony is that "Summertime" is on her debut album and she sings the hayle out of the song! Props to her for stepping up, getting the help and being a better role-model for her child.

...now, we still need to talk about that, that, uhm, "hair style" over in "Quote the Pic" but do your thang. ;)

Re: Re: Aha!
 

That's what I thought. You know we North Clayton folks can't stand Riverdale folks :p

Fantasia couldn't read or right until RECENTLY?? I'm with everybody else, that is deep.

re: Fantasia
 

I've been noticing that more and more Black female artists(Mary J. Blige, Missy) are talking about sexual abuse/violence. It's interesting and scary at the same time.

It's hard enough for her be unable to read or write, but it had to be even harder for her to come public with it. :(

Alot of this stuff is happening moreso in the open now these days than before. Look at the statement that was made this summer about Katrina, the reporter saying "they're so ....... Black!" ( i cant find the sound bit that someone posted".

Is it just me or is that everyone under the bush administration is being investigated for one thing or another. I think (it may just be me) but i think bush may end up getting impeached. :rolleyes:

I'm kinda shocked that Fantasia was semi-illiterate. Even though she dropped out of high school, she passed the grades leading up to high school. You have to read in all of those, so what does that say about the school system?

That and her parents. I mean I know her mother is illiterate as well but it would seem to me that the mother would have wanted better for all of her kids. I was a little dumbfounded that the grandmother planned to have the mother go to music school as well. . . .:confused: :(

That's right. Her mom should have known how tough it is to get along in life without being able to read and write. That should have been all the encouragement she needed to help her daughter.

'


But then, I guess when you are working three jobs, it's hard to juggle parenting.:confused: :confused:

I have a cousin who can't read, and I just found out a year ago.

All these years he hid it well--that is until we went to his mother's funeral in LA and he asked me to read the obituary to him because he forgot his glasses back in Houston. Then the next day we went out to eat. He asked me what I was ordering and I told him. He told the waitress I'll have what she is having.

The thing is I have never seen him wear glasses, nor had any of our other relatives including his brother. That's when we figured it out and asked him. He finally admitted it.

I had a co-worker the same way. He would sit and "read" the paper, but one day he made a comment about something he had "read" and it wasn't in the paper. What he would do is listen to folx conversations and then memorize what he had heard.

Then one day a group of us were going to a meeting in his car. We kept telling him to go a certain way because it was faster. But he refused and went his own route. We came back the same route. He had learned to get from point A to point B a certain way and could not deviate because he could not read the street signs.

There are more examples like this. At least Fantasia is doing something about it while she is young. Both of these men are over 50 years old.

Re: Re: Re: Aha!
 

What does this mean? It sounds like you think she is lying about it.

Wow, this is so interesting to me...what type of work do you do? How did he fill out the application? Just wondering...

Where I worked there were certain clients who couldn't read/write and they would sign their name with an "X." This was somehow acceptable and my supervisor would just have to guess who signed it or what number they were referring to. It was like adding fuel to the fire. This presented problems because it seemed that many of the illiterate folks in the program were always calling and complaining saying we used the wrong number or they didn't sign something:confused: To me it was a big headache...They would call in yelling b/c we were "supposed to know" what they meant by the "X" and it would be our fault! :confused: We never received enough funding from the state b/c I know I suggested several times that they implement programs for our illiterate clients. I also told several clients over the phone that if they can't read/write then they should have someone they trust help them out with filling paperwork instead of filling it out incorrectly.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Aha!
 

Oh no, not at all. I was just kinda surprised about it.

I used to work at a major university and MANY of the custodial staff were illiterate. I coordinated a GED and literacy program on campus and there were a number of people who could not read AT ALL, or who read very well. Many could also not do simple math. One guy told me that his wife did all of his reading/writing for him, although he did know how to write his name. I'm guessing she filled out his application.

I was subing for our regular GED/literacy teacher once and taught the class how to write checks. They were so excited! Several of them had checking accounts, but had never written a check. They also told me that there were many other people who were in the same situation, but were too embarassed, even though the university paid for them to come (The class was held during work hours for most people).

Ironically, it was an junior and senior alternative high school, and social services agency. This dude was the VP of Community Affairs. Translated that meant he supposedly did outreach and violence control, but mainly he walked the streets and hit on young girls. (He had at least 20 children by who knows how many women.)

He is deemed as one of our "commuity leaders" and has been around a long time working with gangs, and youth, and the previous agency he worked with morphed into this school. So he never had to fill out an application. Needless to say I left that job (I was VP of Aministration) after two years because his position there was indicative of how the org. was run as a whole. He was recently let go.

This really makes me sad although I know it is more prevalent than most of us would imagine. I am feeling all blessed and all because I am literate....my son is, too.

I teach a basic public health course to high school students in Watts and oh, boy. Most of the students do fine (save for a bunch of grammatical errors, etc.) but there was one student who could not read and could barely write. I didn't know until I asked him to read a paragraph from a book or something to that effect and he..he just couldn't. I had to apologize to him (I just felt bad b/c he was on the spot) and let him know it wouldn't happen again. I had to play it off like "I know it's hard to read when you are tired..." and went ahead and read it for him.

Now he is like 17 ad not a grown a$$ man but he will be a grown a$$ man one day...

Sheila C. Johnson and new husband...
 

From NY Times

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/...n/vows.583.jpg

^^^^ he's certainy taller than Bobby and looks more distinguished.

Re: Fantasia


OK, I was shocked about her being functionally illiterate. I watched last night's ep of The Simpsons where she was a guest voice and during the whole show I was wondering, how did she read the script?

I'm glad that she stood up and said that she had a problem and that she was getting help, but I have to wonder how this is going to look to the kids I work with. They already don't want to be anything except singers, rappers, and ball players and don't put forth any effort into school as it is. I keep telling them how important education is and how important staying in school is. Then they'll see her and think, "well if she dropped out of school and made it, then I can too." It's frustrating.

I mean, I see older people being illiterate, but I was truly shocked that there are YOUNG people in this day and age that cannot read and write. Maybe I don't get out enough.

Dang I missed the Simpsons.

It seems that people who can't read/write become masters at fooling people. I just heard a rumor that Clive Davis made this up to help her book sales....

:eek: Where the heck have I been because I totally missed all of this!!

Earphones with someone giving her the words or a tape recording of the words.

I am just finding this out. You would never know it!

One possible angle to take is stressing to the students how not knowing how to read increases the possibility of being taken advantage of by unscrupulous people. Fantasia may have "made it", but how can she "keep it" if she doesn't have an understanding of the things (i.e. contracts) that she signs? This leaves her at the mercy of her accountant, attorney, agent, etc.

It's hard enough keeping a firm grip on financial matters when you're literate, but it makes it doubly hard when you're illiterate.

This can be a sort of financial "scared straight." ;) :)