Statement by Attorney General Lisa Madigan on the ICC’s Approval of the Commonwealth Edison Rate Hike May 24, 2011

“I am extremely disappointed that in the midst of a terrible economy, the ICC’s decision will require ComEd customers to pay higher electricity bills.  We not only opposed ComEd’s rate hike request, but presented evidence showing that ComEd’s current rates should be lowered instead of increased. 

The ICC’s decision today clearly demonstrates why state legislators should reject ComEd’s proposal gutting the regulatory process and guaranteeing that consumers pay increasingly higher bills every year, so Com Ed can lock in double-digit profits for the next decade.

Washington, DC – “Last week I personally telephoned top city, state and federal law enforcement officials urging them to join me in a community meeting on June 6th at St. Dorothy Catholic Church, 450 East 78th Street.  At that meeting we will listen to residents and, with their help, take real steps in solving the crisis of violent crime in Beat 624 of the Sixth Police District.  According to police statistics, Beat 624 is the most violent police beat in the city.  My constituents and district office staff live and work, daily, with a situation that is dangerous and clearly out of control.  It cannot continue.

“I am pleased with the first step that Mayor Emanuel has taken even before our meeting.  The redeployment of 500 Chicago police to high crime beats is a hopeful sign.  While this is a temporary measure, I believe steps must be taken for a more long-term solution.  The kind of trust that has to occur between residents and police in order to really prevent and solve crime cannot be built in a three-month deployment.  We will all have to do more.

“I have also called upon federal law enforcement, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as well as the Illinois State Police to bring their joint resources to bear on this problem.  We need all hands on deck. While policing is a local government function, in an emergency, with the consent of the community, more resources must be deployed in Chicago.  The stakes are extremely high and this is a critical issue. Seniors cannot be afraid to leave their homes and children cannot be afraid to walk to school.

“Realistically we all know there is only so much that police can do.

“Without summer jobs I fear that some of our young people will turn to illegal underground economies that put them into a cycle of violence, prison or death.  Last week, more than a thousand young people, some from Chicago, marched on Washington to demand that summer jobs programs not be cut.  These young people are warning us that without jobs crime will flourish. They are warning us of what we already know…an idle mind is the devil’s workshop.  

“I have introduced H.R. 1901, the “SAY YEA” Bill that will bring more than $6.5 billion dollars into our cities to hire young people in public works jobs. It provides tax incentives for private companies to hire young people. I urge the passage of this vital piece of legislation and I encourage every private employer to find a way to hire young people this summer.

“Our youth deserve better than the budget cuts that we’re offering them right now. “Our seniors have earned the right to be safe and protected in their homes and communities.

“More police will probably help.  But we must get to the root of the problem. Honest neighborhood residents must know they will be protected, long term, if they cooperate with police.  Youth jobs are an absolute necessity and a great beginning.”

Community leaders and CCC students, teachers and staff will hold a press conference immediately preceding a City Colleges public hearing with Martin Cabrera, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of CCC, and officials from City Hall.

The press conference will be held Thursday, May 26, at 6:00 p.m., at Malcolm X College, 1900 W. Van Buren.

On the agenda are the recent closed-door decisions to rename and recolor all seven city colleges, the unaccountable reapplication process of six college presidents, a plummet in enrollment across the district due to newly-centralized marketing and tight prohibitions of colleges from local advertising, and other disastrous measures toward centralization along with cuts in jobs and academic programs.

The grassroots organizers point to the dangerously reduced transparency of decision-making for the largest consolidated body of higher education in the state and claim that all of the above decisions had been made by administrators lacking in education experience and credentials and without good-faith consultations with employees, students or grassroots community representatives. They demanded a public hearing this Thursday, confirmed by the Mayor’s Office, to end the “illusion of inclusion” and begin a scheduled plan for genuine dialogue and shared governance in matters directly affecting their lives and the well-being of their communities.

For more information, contact Jessi Choe at 312 404-2463. 

To Be Equal#21

By Marc H. Morial, President and CEO
National Urban League

“It’s been tough.  Very tough.  I’m figuring I’m not getting any job.  I have no experience, and I can’t get any experience without getting any jobs.”  23-year-old Darrell Davis of Springfield, MA
 
Darrell Davis is just one of hundreds of discouraged, long-term unemployed people we met during last week’s “Jobs Rebuild America” tour in New England.  Our visit to Boston and Springfield, MA; Bridgeport, New Haven, Hartford, and Stamford, Conn; and Providence, RI put a human face on the unemployment crisis in urban America and confirmed the need for immediate targeted action to rescue those who have been most profoundly affected.  
 
I’m extremely grateful to my host CEOs – Darnell Williams, of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts; Dennis Langley of the Urban League of Rhode Island, Adrienne W. Cochrane of the Urban league of Greater Hartford, Henry M. Thomas III of the Urban League of Springfield, and Valarie Schultz-Wilson of the Urban League of Southern Connecticut – not only for a successful tour but also for their hard work and dedication in the War on Unemployment.
 
Many may have assumed that New England, home to great universities like Yale, Brown and Harvard, would be immune to the kind of economic hardship more commonly associated with areas like Appalachia and the Mississippi Delta and cities like Newark and Detroit.  But in Springfield, African American unemployment has skyrocketed to more than 25 percent.  In Providence, Latino and African American men are twice as likely as white men to be unemployed and in Bridgeport, there is a large group of “99ers” — people who have been unemployed for more than 99 weeks, and have exhausted their extensions of unemployment benefits.  Clearly, New England has not escaped the ravages of the great recession.
 
That is why education and training for 21st century jobs is the centerpiece of the National Urban League’s 12-point Jobs Rebuild America plan.  And it is why for more than two years we have relentlessly urged Washington to pass a real jobs bill that puts 5 million teenagers to work,  strengthens public-private partnerships to train and hire more people in growth industries, and does more to inspire and motivate young people and recent college graduates.
 
The voices of “no” in Washington say we can’t afford to make these critical job-creating investments.  But many of the people who are now latter-day budget-cutters, never raised objections or threw the yellow flag when trillions of dollars were being spent by Congress to fund wars, bail out banks or support large tax cuts for Americans with high incomes.
 
In Springfield, nearly 1,500 job-seekers arrived at the Urban League job fair, where they met more than 40 employers looking for workers. At the Workplace, Inc. job training site in Bridgeport, we met a number of “99ers” who are in danger of losing health care and their homes.  The Labor Department’s April jobs report revealed that the number of unemployed who have been out of work for more than 99 weeks increased by 21,000 to a record 1,920,000 or 14.5 percent of all unemployed.  But instead of supporting Representative Barbara Lee’s H.R. 589, which would extend unemployment benefits another 14 weeks for those facing a final cut-off, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp has introduced legislation that would allow states to shift $31billion of 2011 federal unemployment funds to, in part, provide corporate tax relief.  
 
This is an outrage.  Our trip to New England made it clear: at a time when corporate profits are soaring, it is morally indefensible to give businesses more tax breaks while the long-term unemployed are left to fend for themselves.
 
We will return to New England July 27-30 for the “Jobs Rebuild America” National Urban League conference in Boston.   To register for the conference visit: http://www.nul.org/conference/

Chicago, IL – Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan today expanded her investigation into “robosigning” practices, issuing subpoenas against two national mortgage servicing support providers. The subpoenas are the latest effort in Madigan’s ongoing probe into the fraudulent practices used by banks and other mortgage institutions that contributed to the collapse of the U.S. housing market and the subsequent global financial crisis.

Madigan issued subpoenas against Lender Processing Services Inc. and Nationwide Title Clearing Inc., two Florida-based corporations that provide “document preparation services” and other loan management services to mortgage lenders for use against borrowers who are in default, foreclosure or bankruptcy.

“Foreclosure became a rubber-stamping operation that robbed many homeowners of the American Dream without a fair and accurate process,” Attorney General Madigan said. “I will not relent in my investigation into the fraudulent practices by lenders and others that caused and exacerbated the mortgage crisis and the resulting massive foreclosure crisis.”

Lender Processing Services (LPS) provides loan servicing support for more than 50 percent of all U.S. mortgages. More than 80 financial institutions use LPS to service more than 30 million loans. These loans have an outstanding principal balance exceeding $4.5 trillion.

Nationwide Title Clearing (NTC) provides a range of mortgage loan services to eight of the top 10 lenders and mortgage servicers in the country. NTC specializes in creating, processing and recording mortgage assignments, which are often needed for a lender to foreclose on a borrower.

Madigan will investigate reported allegations that LPS and NTC engaged in the practice of “robosigning” legal documents filed with the court to foreclose on borrowers. Robosigning occurs when an individual has no knowledge of the information contained in the document and often doesn’t even read or understand the document that he or she is signing. The use of robosigned documents was pervasive as lenders foreclosed on borrowers’ homes. The probe will also include a complete review of the accuracy of the systems and services that LPS and NTC provide to the large lenders including servicing platforms, foreclosure attorney interaction with these platforms and the assignment of mortgage process.

Attorney General Madigan said former employees of LPS, NTC, or former employees of any residential mortgage servicer or bank who have knowledge of any unlawful practices relating to mortgage servicing or the execution of documents should call her Homeowner Helpline at 1-866-544-7151 to aid in the investigation.

Award Winning Virtual World allows children to play, socialize and live out their superhero dreams in a safe environment filled with amazine heroic experiences

CAMBRIDGE, UK  – Calling all Superkids!  Jagex Games Studio, the UK’s largest independent games publisher, in partnership with New York based developer Herotainment, today launched Herotopia, the free-to-play online game for children, with new content, activities and features. Herotopia offers a fun, vibrant, and safe environment for kids to play, socialize and live out their superhero dreams.

With today’s launch, Herotopia unveils a new Mission System, giving players more than 75 challenging quests to complete and five new mini-games, including daily Power Puzzles that test their creativeness, skill and knowledge of the world around them.

Recipient of the NAPPA Gold Award from the National Parenting Publications Awards, Herotopia offers kids a rich and engaging world for them to become their ultimate Superheroes. Traveling to real-world locations such as New York, the North Pole, Beijing and Paris, kids visit iconic destinations from the Eiffel Tower to Rockefeller Plaza, completing quests, games and adventures along the way.  In addition to global travels and the action-packed mini-games, every new Superhero also has their own Secret Hideout, a fully customizable hero base where they can meet with their in-game friends.

Mark Gerhard, CEO at Jagex, commented: “Herotopia offers a fantastically rich and fun experience which we know will appeal to the superhero in everyone. Herotopia is our first under 12 title and, with today’s substantial update making Herotopia even more compelling, we are certain that the game has what it takes to be a huge hit with kids all over the world.”

Caryn and Wade Teman, joint CEO’s of Herotainment said:  “When creating Herotopia, we as parents ourselves wanted to empower kids to be their own heroes and to get something more out of playing an online game than just a high score. The content update launched today is our largest to date and we are very excited to be teaming up with Jagex to make Herotopia the leading virtual world for children everywhere.”

Herotopia is accessible to play for free on almost any internet enabled computer. An All-Access Superhero membership option is available for a small monthly fee, offering special features and privileges on top of the free game. These include the opportunity to buy accessories for the player’s Secret Hideout, adopt an Orangutan Sidekick, acquire multiple Superpowers and Super Vehicles to travel around this exciting world as well as the ability to unlock and visit to the special imaginary location, Herotopia Island. An All-Access membership costs from $5.95 a month, a portion of which will be donated to children’s charities, voted on by the Herotopia community.

To play Herotopia and find out more about the game, visit www.herotopia.com.

About Jagex – Just About the Game Experience:

Jagex Games Studio is a multi-award winning games developer and publisher based in Cambridge, England. Jagex specializes in the development of browser-based MMO’s and is the largest independent games developer and publisher in the UK.

Jagex has a long-standing reputation for creating the world’s best online games, for developing hugely popular, high quality, accessible, free-to-play games and for providing an unbeatable community experience for millions of players around the world. Jagex has developed and self-published over 40 online titles including the world’s most popular free online multiplayer game, RuneScape.

About Herotainment, LLC

Herotainment, LLC is a New York based children’s media and entertainment company. Herotainment develops interactive content that is fun, educational and rewarding.  The company’s flagship property is Herotopia.com, a dynamic, multi-player online game with engaging characters and story that will be the basis for books, mobile apps, an animated television show, licensed products and more.

Gulfport, MS (BlackNews.com) — What do you get when you cross an expatriate with American democracy? A thought-provoking, literary composition geared to heighten societal awareness. America: An Immigrant’s Perspective is a fascinating social commentary that addresses some of the current and pressing issues affecting the country.

Author Michael A. Cadore, a native of Grenada, uses this book to highlight many discussible and, hopefully, civilly interactive topics within the multi-layered political, economic, military and social realms in society. Encompassing topical diversity, chapters range from the highly-divisive issue of immigration and border security to the more passionately debated concerns generated by the dismal state of the national economy.

What makes this book different from any other is the approach taken by a Grenadian-American writer’s point of view. Authored by a former member of the United States armed forces America: An Immigrant’s Perspective makes for interestingly diverse reading relative to current affairs, national developments and global politics.

It is a literary concoction that inscriptively outlines some of the defining factors affecting the Union and on which our continued prosperity is highly contingent.

To arrange for a book signing, interview, or speaking engagement, please call Michael A. Cadore at 228-547-7230 or email mishak_26@hotmail.com.
Book ordering and availability are as follows:

To order from Xlibris:
Call: 1-888-795-4274
Fax: 1-610-915-0294 or 1-610-915-0293
E-mail: orders@xlibris.com or www.xlibris.com
ISBN: 978-1-4568-7211-3 Hardcover ($24.99)
ISBN: 978-1-4568-7210-6 Softcover/Paperback ($15.99)
ISBN: 978-1-4569-7212-0 eBooks ($9.99)

By mail, please send your order, along with a check or payment information to:
Attention: Book Orders
Xlibris Publishing
1663 Liberty Drive
Suite 200
Bloomington, IN 47403

Online:
www.immigrant-minority.com
www.BarnesandNobles.com
www.Amazon.com

Cymphonique Miller’s new live action series How To Rock has the green light by Nickelodeon for 20 Episodes

Cymphonique Miller

Santa Monica, CA (BlackNews.com) — Nickelodeon announced a 20-episode pick-up of How To Rock, a new live-action comedy series featuring original music and starring Hollywood’s next teen phenome, multi-talented recording artist Cymphonique Miller. The series builds on the network’s successful slate of original live-action programming, joining the stable of hit music-themed shows Victorious and Big Time Rush.

Set to premiere in 2012, How To Rock centers on Kacey Simon (Cymphonique), a talented teenager who takes her pop/hip-hop band to new heights as their lead singer. How to Rock, produced by Nickelodeon in association with Alloy Entertainment, is slated to begin production this summer in Los Angeles.

“Cymphonique is an extraordinarily talented 14 year-old who has already established herself as an actress, singer and dancer, while remaining an honor student,“ said Marjorie Cohn, Nickelodeon’s President, Development and Original Programming. “How To Rock is the perfect showcase for her comedic and musical skills, and we know our audience will love watching Kacey figure out how to temper her mad ambition and learn to become a good friend and bandmate.“

After a fall from grace from the perfect and popular group at high school, Kacey Simon forges unlikely friendships with the members of the band Gravity. As lead singer, Kacey takes Gravity’s musical success to new heights while igniting a musical rivalry with The Perfs, her former best friends and fellow performers.

Although she is a singer/writer/actress and daughter of businessman, music mogul and philanthropist Percy Miller and sister of Romeo Miller, she has made a name for herself, built a diverse R&B, Pop and Hip Hop fan base online and created her own brand and identity. At only 14, the No Limit Forever Music recording artist and vocalist has already been compared to the likes of Beyonce, Rihanna, and Mariah Carey. Moreover, Cymphonique has been nominated 2011 BET Best Female Artist Award.

While committed to girl empowerment and being spokesperson for BYOU, her passion is to help others. Therefore, she has created a book series to empower young girls called Fabulous Girls, and founded Fabulous Girls Charity to help bring awareness to kids with cancer.

For more information, go to www.Cymphonique.com