The Stars Newsletter contains unedited, original work written by and for Washtenaw Literacy learners.  The opinions printed here do not necessarily reflect those of the editors or of
Washtenaw Literacy.

In This Issue


The 18th Annual Driving Literacy gala is on Saturday, October 8th. This year's theme is Global Kaleidescope to celebrate our international reach of literacy!  Click here for all the details. The auction block and tickets will be available soon - check back often!

God Gave Me a Wife
By: Larue Mason

I was a 25 year old man, I wasn't an educated man.  One day I decided to look for a wife so I decided to visit different churches in my community.  When I went to different churches I met a young lady by the name of Clarice and Clarice was a church going woman.  When I met Clarice at first I wasn't sure if Clarice was the woman that I wanted to date.  When Clarice was going to Wayne State University I asked Clarice would she drop by my sister's house for a short while and she said OK.  Then about a month later I invited her brother and her sister-in-law to watch movies.  Then Clarice and I kept in contact by phone and Clarice used to write me encouraging letters about God.  Some months later in the summertime I asked Clarice out to dinner.  On our way to dinner we stopped by my family's house for her to meet my family.  Then after Clarice and I visited my family we went out to dinner.  I asked Clarice to marry me and that was in August of 1983.  Then when I asked Clarice to marry me she said I will be glad to be marry you.  So I went to meet Clarice's family then I asked her father could I marry his daughter and her father said yes.  Then our wedding was set for October 29, 1983.  We got married and there were about 200 people at our wedding.  This Is the End.

Romanian Revolution from 1989
By: Adriana Balint

This is the 26th anniversary of the 1989 Romanian Revolution.

At that time in my country the economic and political situation came to a boiling point because life of regular people was really really hard.

Our communist president Nicolae Ceausescu (most of the time advised by his wife Elena Ceausescu) was going too far with the restrictions and was abusing the communist rules and power.

The regular people was afraid to live their normal life, and they was terrorised by the power of the government intitutions (Militia and Securitate) who listened the private phone conversations and anybody could end up in jail for any reason.  People couldn't even trust in some friends, relatives or neighbors who could be on the other side and turn you in to the police.  The Securitate had nearly 11,000 agents and 500,000 informers across the country.  Thousands of Romanians were arrested and killed.

The life was hard in general because many things were rationed: the gasoline, the heat, and most important the food.  The people who had cars could only buy 20 liters (about 5 gallons) of gas per month, often with waits at the pump of up to 48 hours.  Sometimes they ran out just before was your turn!  You were only allowed to drive the car in the Sunday which matched your license plates, either odd or even number.  For this reason people got togheter and shared their cars so they could drive every Sunday.

Just to buy the basics you had to stay in line for many hours and sometimes everything run out just in front of you.  Even for entertainment we didn't have too many options:  We had movie theaters with communist movies all censored, some live plays and music shows.  The TV showed only 2 hours per day of communist programs, from 8pm to 10pm, because Ceausescu said people should be rested for the next day when they had to work.  The rest of the day was not any television broadcast.  For this reason, and because nobody was allowed to watch any movies from the West, in the 1980s a Romanian started a business to translate and show videotapes of American movies.  People was both excited and afraid because this was illegal.  This business lasted until the Revolution of 1989.

Another fact about the communist life was people were strongly discouraged from going to church even through religion was not officially banned.  In Bucharest, more than a dozen churches were razed or moved for the building of Ceausescu's giant House of the People, now used for the Romanian Parliament.  Since the end of communism the number of churches in the country nearly doubled. 

In Romania my job was an accountant in the office of the transportation department.  Under the communism regime was not too many private sector jobs. Workers from most of the government departments had to help in the corn fields specially during the harvest time, because was not enough farm workers at that time.  It was hard physical work that was unpaid.   Besides this, we still had to do our job from the office, late in the night at home, after working all day in the field.

Some of my experiences under communism helped me when I came in the USA but others didn't.  On the positive side was the ability to survive and learn new things.  On the negative side was the fact in communism we was trained not to speak up for ourselves, which you need to do in the U.S.  Another difficulty is to adapt to a totally new and different life from Europe including units of measurement (weights, distances), dates, etc.  Also in Europe first and last names are reversed. 

The Revolution started in 1989 in Bucharest and Timissoara, which is a city with a lot of students like Ann Arbor, and quickly spread thru all the country.

Even if the Revolution didn't bring a better life in general, what Romanian people had hoped and expected, still it opened a window to the western world.

BL Community Group Schedule
Fall 2016

The Fall 2016 BL Community Group schedule is effective from 9/1-12/31/16, unless otherwise noted.

Click here for the Fall BL Schedule.  The Winter Schedule will be posted in early December.

ESL Community Group Schedule 
Fall 2016

The Fall 2016 ESL Community Group schedule is effective from 9/1-12/31/16, unless otherwise noted.

Click here for the Fall Schedule. The Winter Schedule will be posted in early December.

BAD WEATHER GROUP CLOSURES: 

To ensure the safety of both our learners and tutors, all groups are considered closed if Ann Arbor Public Schools close for weather-related reasons.  This is the easiest way for everyone to know if a group will meet or not.   Click here to see if schools are closed.

Pinterest Resources for Learners

Check out all of the online learning resources available on Pinterest!  

Do you like reading about current events?  Click here to access a site that offers daily news articles that can be easily changed to make the language a bit easier or a bit harder--whatever works for you!
NEWSLEA.com has new nonfiction stories for you to read every day!  

STARS SUBMISSIONS

If you are interested in having your original story or article printed in an upcoming STARS edition, please contact Washtenaw Literacy via:

Email:

or 

Postal Mail:
Washtenaw Literacy 
Attention: Stars Editor
5577 Whittaker Road
Ypsilanti, MI 48197

Note: space is limited for each issue.  We will do our best to include all submitted stories.  But, if space fills up, stories not included will be first in the next issue!

Articles for the next edition of STARS will be due on October 15th.


Spring / Summer 2016

Have fun reading the summer edition of Stars! 
Straight Outta Compton 
By: Quentin Carter
This is the story about five kids grown up in Compton, California in 1986 and they became the gangster rap group NWA. Before he was a rapper, Eric "Eazy E" Wright was a dope dealer.  His cousin was arrested but Eric managed to escape. The second kid is Andre "Dr. Dre" Young moved out of his mom's house and move to his aunt's house. He was the producer and he also was the DJ from the club with Antoine " DJ Yella" Carraby who was co- producer. The fourth kid Lorenzo "MC Ren" Patterson who is a rapper and friends with Eazy E. and the final one is O'Shea "Ice Cube" Jackson he is a writer and also a rapper. On the school bus Other teens were throwing up gang signs to real gang members. One gang member forced the school bus driver to stop the bus and shut off the engine. He came in the bus and pulled out a gun to a kid who was throwing up gang signs and warning him about throwing up gang signs on the school bus and giving the rest of them on the bus a motivation said "Y'all need to gang bang them book", And he left.

Later that day Cube was hanging out with Dr. Dre and Sir Jinx to practice on his rhyme. Later that night Cube was heading home when an officer grabbed him and said "Where do you think you're going?" And Cube said "I'm trying to get home I'm not even doing nothing." Then, an officer pulled him and wanted him to put his hands on his back of his head while he patted him down. Cube's parents went outside and his father says, "They are children. They grew up here on the block."  And his mother says, "That's my son. " And the other officer says, "You need to get back in the house or I will ruin your night."  And Cube says, "You don't need to talk to my mom like that." Then the officer slammed his head into a car and tells him "shut the F*** up and called him n****.  And after the police check them for drugs or guns they let them go.

Dr. Dre was DJing at the club with DJ yella and their boss Lonzo Willams told them "don't play No rap music." Then Lonzo walked outside while Dre wanted cube to come up on stage and spin his rhymes. Lonzo was furious of Dre and said "I'm about this close to firing you." So Dre was trying to save his job but Lonzo was too worried about his business so Dre walked away and talked to Eazy about making music. Dre walked outside the club to find his little brother and started an argument with another guy. He knocked him out. and He told his little brother, "I told you to stay out of trouble." Two officers drove by and said "what happen to him" and other guy said he failed. And officer to tell them to go home, but Dr. Dre refused. So one officer arrested him and slammed him on cop car. Later that day, Eazy E released him from jail and began talking about rap music. Eazy E wanted to start a company called Ruthless.
 And then after that Dre reached out to his friend named DOC from Texas and reaches out to the three boys from New York City, who called themselves HBO: Home Boys Only. Ice Cube gave them a lyrics and HBO didn't want to play that song so they walked out.  Dr. Dre wanted Eazy E to do the song for him. But Eazy E said "I'm not a rapper".  And Ice Cube wanted him to play the lyric and said "You kinda being A H*** right now Eric". So Eazy E decided he wanted to do it and walk in the booth and put on the headphone. Dr. Dre turned off the lights and played one verse. Eazy E put on his glasses so he didn't want to be embarrassed and come at it hard and said "Cruisin' down the street in my 64."  And Dr. Dre was impressed.  And wanna him to finish up the lyrics called Boys in the Hood. In the studio everyone listened to the lyrics by ice cube from Ruthless. 

Then there was one guy named Jerry Heller . And listen to their record and meet with Eric to talk about wanting to be on the tour. And Eazy E loved the sound of that. And Jerry on the other hand says, "What's NWA stand for? No Whites Allowed?" "No" says Eazy-E, "N----- with Attitudes." Then Jerry said "I by that" Then in 1987 the group walked in the club called Skateland to performing the first song "Dope Man". Then after the song, Jerry wanted the NWA to meet a man named Bryan Turner for the record company called "Priority Records".  NWA joined the company, later that day NWA had their own studio to set up and they write lyrics for the new album called Straight Outta Compton in 1989.  After that Dr. Dre's little brother tell his brother that her baby momma is here and have an argument about the house or something. Then her baby momma left him. The rest of the group came outside to check on Dr. Dre until officer drove by.  One black officer said "You supposed to be somewhere?" And Eazy- E say "yeah. Here. We're working."  And four white officers drove by and one black officer says "Get on the ground now."  So the group gets on the ground and put their hand on their backs.  So the one officer patting down each and every one of them and Jerry came out to check on them and said "What's going on?" and confronts the other officer. "They are not gang members.  These are artists."  And one black officer says "These artists look more like a gang member."  And Jerry started to yelled at the officer and says "You can't just come down here, harass these guys because they are black." And officer told Jerry to step back.  So he did.  And one officer told them, "Now you can get up and walk away" and they went inside of the studio. Ice Cube wrote one lyric named, "F---- the Police" and came at it hard. Then Eazy E finally finished the label Straight Outta Compton. And after that, all the world hear the new album Straight Outta Compton.  And they went on a tour for the first time ever in 1989.

Then there was a letter from the FBI that targeted the NWA about the lyric of violence. Eazy E talk to the group and taking this to the press conference about their brutality and harassment. Later that night, Dr. Dre and Ice Cube talking about Eazy E and Jerry about the contract situations. Then Dr. Dre got a pager from his mom that says "911 911 911". Dre having emotional break down so the group went outside to go check on him.  And DJ Yella said, "What's going on?"  And Dre says, "Mom's called me." Say Tyree's dead." So Dr. Dre blame himself and "No it's wasn't said MC Ren "Tyree will always be with you" And Eazy E tell him, "We always be with you too and we're always going to be brothers." So the rest of the group hugs him. Then later that day after his little brother's funeral, Dr. Dre and his mother talked about Tyree. Then after that, before she walked away she told her son "I'm so proud of you." She gave him a hug and a kiss and she walked away then he walks with his group.

In 1989, in Detroit Michigan, Joe Louis Arena, One officer says to the group, "The performing of the song F--- the Police will not be permitted."  After the police walks away the group saying to the police "F--- the police," Eazy E sing "Straight Outta Compton.  After the song, Ice Cube talked to his fans about the cops.  And Ice Cube says, "They trying to tell us what we can't play and can't say. This here's NWA and we can do whatever we want and we can say whatever we wanna say."  So Ice Cube wanted his fans to put their middle finger up high in the sky to the police.  And the whole world did do it.  So Dr. Dre played a song F--- the Police and Ice Cube come at hard and rap.  The fan scream "F---- the police 4 time" Then there was a gun shot.  So the group ran out of the building and the officer block them so wont escaped and arrested them.  So it was a riot going on.  And the fans says, "F---- the Police!"

Later that day, they went to the press conference to talk about the police about their brutality. Then later that night, Ice Cube went to Jerry's hotel. And Jerry gave Ice Cube the contract that he's talked about signing   but ice cube was concerned about the company but the problem was everyone else has signed but Ice Cube hasn't and offered him check of $75 million dollars. Jerry wanted Cube to sign the contract first but Ice Cube wanted that money and Cube was not happy that Jerry didn't give them contact for the beginning so cube walked and left the group.  So Ice Cube left the group because of Eric's company in 1990, he didn't give them the contract at the beginning. Back at LA after they tour was over Cube and Dre talked about the contract and cube just walking saying "take care of yourself. So then Ice Cube and his wife Kim went to Priority Records to talk to Bryan and Explained he left the group Because of Eric and Jerry's Contract. So Ice Cube start his own company called "Lynch Mob" in Brooklyn New York. Dr. Dre drove and listen to Ice Cube's lyric and went to the party called Dr. Dre and Eazy E "wild and wet party". Back at the priority records Ice cube argue with Bryan about his paycheck, Bryan tell ice cube his hands are tried. So Cube walked out and came back with a baseball bat and started to smash his platinum record and the glass table. And he told Bryan to "Take it out of what you owe me".

Then back at the studio, Dr. Dre got a call from Suge Knight and says "DOC got into a car accident." So at the hospital, Dr. Dre and Suge Knight talked about starting the company.  So Dr. Dre thought about it.  And Suge Knight told him "Go check on your boy." Later that day, Ice Cube cut his hair and Bryan decorated his new office.  So Bryan called Cube and his wife Kim up here to tell them about the NWA's new album.  And he wanted to play the song for him.  And the song "Real N-----" and Ice Cube was being dissed by his own friends.  And he said, "I never say nothing about them on America's Most Wanted and now they trying to diss?" Then Ice Cube thought of something to return the favor to diss the NWA's song "No Vaseline".

Then after the song, Eazy E was furious about Cube. So he talked to Jerry, says "We going to go to the studio and end his career."  And Jerry agrees to that.  So later that day, Eric send his body guards from Ruthless to get into a brawl fight with Ice Cube and his group Lynch Mob. Later that night on the news, there was one black man was brutally beaten by four white officers.  And the black man names Rodney King. Then Dr. Dre, Eazy E, and Suge Knight and the rest of them watched it all happen.  Later that night, Dre told Eric about Jerry.  So Eric was mad because Dr. Dre talked about Jerry.  But Dr. Dre decided to leave the group and start Death Row Records in 1991.
Dr. Dre met Warren G and Snoop Dogg and they hear the track.  So Snoop Dogg wanted to be in the booth so he could free style the lyrics called "Deep Cover". Later that night, Eazy E got a called from Suge Knight to talk about the contract. So Eazy E went to Suge Knight's record studio to talk to him. Suge Knight tells Eric to sign a contract to release Dr. Dre and DOC from Ruthless.  And he refused to.  And he walked away and he was ambushed and attacked by knight's boys. Eric went to Jerry's house and talked to him about killing Suge Knight.  But Jerry refused because he didn't want him to go to jail or be a dead man.

Then on the news about the Rodney King beating, the news pick up and says four police officers was not guilty of the crime.  So the whole Los Angeles started a riot, smashing the windows, flames.  And the end, the Crypts and Bloods rags are together.  In 1993, the NWA will come to the end.  Eric was about to sell weed and the house was about to be taken away.  Then Ice Cube wrote a story about his movie Friday.  Kim watching a video NWA Straight Outta Compton and Cube was speechless and says, "Those were the good times." 

Dr. Dre and his girlfriend  Michel'le are dating and after she told him goodnight, he went back to the studio and listened to Tupac's lyrics "hail many" then Dre put on lyrics called "California loved" Then I heard a Gun- shot three times.  So Dre went to go check and see.  And Suge knight was throwing a wild party.  So Dre was kinda mad. And talk about this party.  So he left and drove in his car and went faster. Then the police chase him.  He stopped the car and he was forced to throw the keys out the window and he got out the car put your hands behind your head and get on your knees." So they arrested him.  In New York City at the club, Eazy E ran into Ice Cube and talked about putting the group back together.  And Ice Cube loved it.  And he said, "If Dre's in it, I'm in it."  And for him to want Eric back, Jerry has got to go.

So Eric says, "I hear you." And he started coughing.  Later that night, his girlfriend Tamina talked to Eric about Jerry that he took advantage of him.  About the contract that was never been signed for years.  So Eric was really furious about Jerry.  Later that day, Eric went to Jerry's house to talk about getting NWA back together and this time he not going to be there this time.  So Eric fired Jerry and walked away.  So later that day, Eric called Dre about getting the group back together and Dre agrees to that.  So they hang up together.  Eazy started coughing and went to the studio to get the group back together.  While he playing the piano, Eazy E collapse.  MC Ren, DJ Yella, Tamina and his body guards were checking up on him, call 911.  So they rush him to the hospital.

The doctor told Eric and Tamina that, Mr. Wright have an HIV.  And Eric didn't know that he have AIDS. So Eric was emotional and said I'm sorry. Before he will be in a coma, Eric and Tamina were getting married and Tamina is pregnant by him.  So l ater that night, Dr. Dre came to the hospital to say hi to Eric while he's in a coma and he gets emotional and says, "I love you Eric."  Then Cube came by and met up with Dre and said, "Can he talk? Can he say anything?" And he says, "He's in a coma."  And then Cube wanted to talk to him and he wanted to talk to me and I don't want him laid up like this.  So Dr. Dre agrees to that. They giving hugs and Cube walked away.  Later that night, the news picked up and says, "A rapper, the leader of the NWA, Eric "Eazy E" Wright died of a battle with AIDS in 1995."  So later that day, Dr. Dre came to Death Row Records studio to talk to Suge Knight and says, "I'm out and I want to start my own company."  So Suge Knight told him to get out and walk away.  And he said "What you going to call this?" And finally Dr. Dre called his record company "Aftermath". 
And that's the end of it and finally they are making a tribute to NWA, in loving Memory of Eric "Eazy E" Wright.  The end
Optimism 
By: Sanghamitra Chatterjee

Optimism is hopefulness and confidence about the future on the successful outcome of something.  Looking at the good side of anything.  In this world there are good things and bad things.  Sometimes we get lot of hopes and confidence just from one good turns or good acts.  

It changes our whole life.  So optimism is something inspires us and we gain more energy to live a better life.  Optimism is a mental atitude of world view.  If we think better we believe in better everything will be good.  Sometimes frustration makes a man dull and he does not find out anything good in the world.  Human will is much powerful than frustration.  Sometimes social problem create lot of negetine impact in our life. So that frusration inevitable.  But we should not give up. 

The future must come up with good news.  If we act and think possitively everything will be possitive.  May be it will start from one person, but then it will spread all over the world.

This world is full of color and brightness.  We should look at the bright side of life.  Those who love to buy pain and pessimistic fantacy they dont know the real value of life.

Sometimes people get bore of joyness and they try to find out the song like-"our sweetest songs are those which our saddest story."  This is pessimism.

We all know that life is not bed of roses but with lot of adversity, we have to turn our life in a positive, pessimistic, good derection.   Education and knowledge is the power.  It gives a dull man good will fence.

Those are optimist sometimes they are mocked.  Like how could you see light in the darkness but we all know darkness is not everlasting. Sun, rise after night.  Our dark sky is full of stars.  If one star will die another star will burn.  If one hope will go another hope will come.  This is the only thing of your perception.  Perception of a thing, perception of life.  How do you, want to see your world.  Failures come in everybody's life.  Those are optimist they again set their aim and gain hope.  They watch and wait for another sunrise.  The way is not very smooth for them (optimists).  But hope is always with them because they believe in pandora's box.  Most of all optimism is good for mental and physical health.
We hope that you enjoyed this edition of the STARS newsletter!  If you have any articles that you would like to be included for the next edition, please send them to us.  Enjoy the rest of the summer.

Sincerely,


Liz Garaba