Illinois Attorney General urges FCC to outlaw cramming practice that costs consumers $2 billion a year  

Chicago, IL – Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan urged the Federal Communications Commission to implement a nationwide ban on phone bill “cramming,” a practice that uses unaware consumers’ telephone numbers like credit cards, racking up hundreds of unauthorized charges consumers never asked for or wanted.

Madigan filed comments with the Commission today as it decides how to detect and prevent the practice of cramming, calling for a ban on all third-party billing on local telephone bills.

“Most consumers don’t understand that their phone number can be used as a credit card for products and services that have absolutely nothing to do with their phone,” Attorney General Madigan said. “This scam has become such a persistent problem that it’s costing consumers up to $2 billion a year. It’s clear that the only effective solution is a ban on third-party charges on phone bills.”

In July, Madigan testified before the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, urging lawmakers to pass a ban to prevent cramming. In recent years, Madigan said consumers have increasingly reported being scammed online. Internet users report simply submitting their phone number, among other information, for online prize drawings, surveys or free recipes. Weeks or months later, consumers find charges on their phone bill for services they did not authorize or use.

Madigan has filed 30 lawsuits against third-party billing companies and investigated many others. In one lawsuit, a company billed more than 9,800 Illinois consumers for credit repair services. The billed consumers included a county coroner’s office, a Steak ‘n Shake restaurant and a Springfield public library dial-a-story telephone line. For more information or to report being scammed, contact Madigan’s Consumer Fraud Hotlines:

Chicago 1-800-386-5438

Springfield 1-800-243-0618
Carbondale 1-800-243-0607 

Today (October 25), the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, of the Nation of Islam, is scheduled to discuss the recent killing of Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi and Western action and policy toward the North African country on the Cliff Kelly Show over the airwaves of WVON-AM 1690, Chicago’s Black talk radio station, between 4 pm and 6 pm Central Time.  

The media is invited to attend and submit questions to host Cliff Kelley for Minister Farrakhan to address on-air. Interview requests are also being accepted at this time. Accredited media should arrive by 3 pm to be in place for the live radio broadcast. The WVON studios are located at 1000 East 87th Street Chicago.

WVON radio airs on the web @ http://www.wvon.com   

A round table discussion of U.S. policy and developments in Libya will follow from 6 pm to 7 pm, and include noted activists, Pan Africanist and human rights  advocates. The media is invited to attend. After the segment with Min. Farrakhan, the on-air panel discussion about Libya will include Abdul Akbar Muhammad, international representative of the Nation of Islam; Zaki Baruti of the Universal African Peoples Organization; Ali Baghdadi of the Arab Journal; Conrad Worrill of the National Black United Front; and activist Pat Hill of Black People Against Torture.

Local technology director to discuss potential cost-savings of IlliniCloud

Normal, IL – Illinois Lt. Governor Sheila Simon’s Classrooms First Commission held a public hearing at a Central Illinois community college yesterday to solicit testimony from parents, taxpayers and educators on how K-12 school districts can improve learning and efficiency.

Among the speakers was Bloomington School District 87 Technology Director Jim Peterson. Peterson was invited to present about IlliniCloud, a non-profit cloud computing consortium he developed with other districts and technology leaders throughout the state that provides virtual servers, online storage and software for 150 school districts statewide.

The public hearing at Heartland Community College, which began at 4:30 p.m., is the second of four such hearings scheduled this fall by the Classrooms First Commission, a statewide group tasked with finding ways to improve learning and efficiency at the more than 870 school districts in Illinois. The commission’s report is due to the Governor and General Assembly next summer.

“We are here to listen, discover efficiencies and promote what’s best for students,” said Lt. Governor Sheila Simon, chair of the Classrooms First Commission and the Governor’s point person on education reform. “Our goal is to work with local communities to find savings in backrooms, so that more money can be used to support classrooms.”

IlliniCloud was launched two years ago and offers its services to school districts in Illinois for a small annual fee. Use of IlliniCloud could save districts 30 to 60 percent on information technology costs according to Peterson. This is particularly useful for small districts that often lack the resources necessary to develop adequate information technology infrastructure. 

“Despite the economic burdens that Illinois school districts face, they still have to provide the same services for millions of students, staff and parents each day,” Peterson said. “The IlliniCloud was created by districts for districts to provide and extend those services in a more efficient way.”

 IlliniCloud hopes to launch a statewide data collection and warehousing system that would allow districts to quickly generate reports to track student performance and analyze other data such as food service and transportation costs.

Dr. Joseph Pacha, an associate professor at the Illinois State University College of Education, was scheduled to present research he conducted on what factors lead to school closure among elementary schools, junior high schools and high schools. These factors include changes in education funding, school enrollment, per-pupil operating expenditures and equalized assessed valuation.  Pacha’s research also found that among elementary schools, higher math scores decrease the likelihood a school will close.

“Most people believe that school closures come about as a result of lack of money and students,” Pacha said. “But there are many other factors involved that if communities knew about them and worked to address them, they might have a very positive impact on the future of a school. Being able to identify those factors is what the study was all about.”

The Classrooms First Commission members represent various stakeholder groups including teachers, school boards, principals, superintendents, parents and urban, suburban and rural areas. In its first phase of study, the commission will collect public input and review local and national research on educational efficiency and student performance.

“This is an important process for our education systems, and regional superintendents greatly appreciate the opportunity to participate and hear from those who really matter: the local voices,” said Larry Pfeiffer, a central Illinois regional superintendent representing the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools on the commission. “Regional superintendents are integral to these discussions and the process schools pursue to reorganize and consolidate. We’re committed to ensure everyone is heard and these challenges are debated and resolved in the right way.”

Additional public hearings have been scheduled in Moline and Des Plaines.

To view the hearing schedule, watch streaming live video of the hearings, or to fill out an online survey regarding district efficiency, visit www.ltgov.il.gov.

 Baisden is investing in small businesses with “Million Dollar Business Pitch” Campaign

Dallas – Radio personality,  best-selling author, filmmaker, and leader of the successful civil rights march in Jena, LA, Michael Baisden not only talks the talk afternoons on his nationally syndicated “The Michael Baisden Show,” he also walks the walk. On Monday, October 24, Baisden announced his plans to give away a half-million dollars to small businesses and non-profits via a “Million Dollar Business Pitch” campaign. Listeners must tune into the radio show, Twitter, or FaceBook on November 28th for submission details.

“It’s time for those of us who have done well because of the people, to give back to the people,” expresses Baisden. “While we relax in our comfortable homes driving our expensive cars, families are being destroyed.  I understand that I can’t save the world, but I can reach back and help as many people as I can and hopefully inspire others to do the same!  It’s time to pay it forward in a big way!”

From author to radio personality, to filmmaker and now social and political activist, Michael Baisden is committed to advancing the global community to a better place. Baisden’s contribution for the campaign is not from corporate sponsors, but is coming directly from his wallet. “”You see that’s our problem, if we can’t make a profit off helping people, we don’t do it. While I welcome corporations and others to support us, I can’t wait for their budget cycles to make a decision,” he cites.

Over the past eight years, the outspoken and sometimes controversial radio pioneer has advocated for civil rights issues, campaigned for voter registration, supported free health clinics, and promoted mentoring with a 70-city bus tour. Most recently Baisden took his microphone to Occupy Wall Street in New York, engaging his listeners up close and personal with protesters from the site.

“As President Obama said, we can’t wait fourteen months; some of my listeners won’t survive another fourteen weeks. We have to do something now!”

In addition to his Million Dollar Business Pitch campaign, he continues to break boundaries with the release of his new  e-novel  entitled, “Never Satisfied: Do Men Know What The Want?” on Baisden Publishing and  his new film  “Do Women Know What They Want?” on TimeLife slated for release later this year.  Baisden’s other popular titles, “Men Cry in the Dark,” “The Maintenance Man,” and “God’s Gift to Women,” can be found on Amazon.com. 

To get more information on how you can win a share of his Million Dollar Business Pitch, follow The Michael Baisden Show on Facebook (on Baisdenlive) and Twitter (@BaisdenLive).  Details on how to submit your business will be announced live on The Michael Baisden Show on November 28th between 3:00 and 7:00 p.m. ET. Log onto www.Baisdenlive.com to listen to the live stream or download the TuneIn radio app and search Michael Baisden show.

About The Michael Baisden Show

The Michael Baisden Show is an entertaining four-hour afternoon drive radio program airing Monday through Friday from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. ET and combines the best in music, comedy and social commentary to inspire real change across America. Heard in 22 of the top 25 Urban radio markets, The Michael Baisden Show reaches more than seven million listeners each week and is syndicated by Cumulus Media Networks.  Baisden has been recognized as one of the most influential men in radio. He is also a TV talk show host, film-maker and New York Times best-selling author with nearly two million books in print.  His “One Million Mentors: National Campaign To Save Our Kids,” implemented via his The Michael Baisden Foundation, lead to him being awarded the Martin Luther King Jr. Foundation “Keepers of The Dream” Award.

New York, NY (BlackNews.com) — A new television documentary will tackle the issue of broken families in Black communities all across the United States. Entitled “On My Own”, the production will present the stories of African American mothers who are struggling to raise children without help from the men who fathered them.

This documentary that serves as the catalyst for real change in the Black family desperately needs additional funding to bring this important project to fruition. It is slated for a 2012 release. Contributions are being accepted at the following link: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/131111839/on-my-own

“As is so often the case,” says Rachel Miller, producer of the film, “this project is falling short of the funding it needs to bring it to fruition. I am, however, confident that once the public is aware of the subject matter, and of the raw and honest way in which it is presented, they will open their hearts and be supportive of it.”

The hour-long presentation will explore the impact absent fathers have on their families. The story will be told by women who juggle work and family responsibilities, as well as by women who must rely on the government for assistance, as they try to house, raise, feed and educate their children. Historical perspective will be woven-in, including slavery and the Civil Rights Movement, and the effects of the media and peer pressure on women and children will be explored. And the contributions of the black church also will be covered.

Viewers will hear from the children and about the difficulties they face – their need for a male role model, their feelings of inadequacy, abandonment and frequently of guilt, and of the resentment they often experience.

Viewers will also hear from fathers, some who regret not having been there for their families, and some who would like to assume a greater role in raising their children.

Noting that a disproportionately large percentage of the black women she came in contact with were single mothers, filmmaker Rachel Miller observed that they were “intelligent, productive, beautiful, and strong.”

“Even though I understand the historic and social events that brought about this social dilemma,” she said. “I am still very saddened and troubled by it, and determined to do something about it.”

“In an attempt to present an ‘open dialogue’ between black fathers, mothers, children, sociologists, parenting organizations, religious leaders and the entire community about developing and implementing strategies aimed at reversing this most distressing social condition,” Miller concluded. “It’s time for serious discussion about this problem, and for change in the Black family.”

Cheryl Wills, television anchor for New York 1 News and author of “Die Free: A Heroic Family Tale”, comments, “[Rachel Miller's] documentary addresses this societal issue through these stories, and also reviews slavery in the United States and its long lasting effect on the structure of the Black family.”

Rachel Miller is a young black filmmaker with a Master’s Degree in Media Arts from Long Island University. She currently works for New York 1 News in New York City, having served previously as a public affairs television assistant for Bill Moyers (PBS).

To contact the filmmaker Rachel Miller, visit www.littleharrietproductions.com

Bookcover and author Celly Cel

Vallejo, CA (BlackNews.com) — Bay Area rapper, Celly Cel, blazed on the scene in the late 90s with hip-hop heavyweight, E-40. His underground success was a key factor in helping Sick Wid It records, ink a major label deal with Jive. His album “Killa Kali” reached high as #4 on Billboard Top 100 R&B charts, solidifying his place in the rap game.

Celly Cel was first introduced to Street-Lit through Donald Goines, during a brief stint in county jail. After a few pages of White Man’s Justice, Black Man’s Grief, he was hooked. He read every Donald Goines book he could get his hands on. At this point, the only outlet for this true-to-life genre was jail or the prison system, so a career as an author was hard to fathom.

Thanks to blood, sweat, and tears from self-published authors, Street-Lit found an audience, made its way into mainstream bookstores, and took off. Once the opportunity presented itself, Celly Cel took notice. His passion and flair for storytelling, combined with real-life experiences in the streets, drove him to pen his first novel, BIG FACES.

The story follows four young men who roam the halls of Community College by day, and 

steal luxury cars by night. Their unique brand of carjacking has labeled them The Stun Gun Crew, a name given by baffled police and local media covering the case. When a heist worth millions goes wrong, they find themselves in a no win situation. A dark secret will be exposed, a bond between brothers will be broken, and the mob will stop at nothing to recover a stolen briefcase leaving carnage along the way.

In a genre based on street-life and hip-hop culture, who better to represent it than a man who lives on both sides of the coin, and by the grace of God, lived to tell about it?

For more information on this book or this author, please visit www.cellycelworld.com