upcentertainment.com

By Mariano Castillo,

(CNN) — Lawmakers across the nation closely followed Wednesday’s Supreme Court arguments over the fate of Arizona’s tough immigration law

After all, a handful of states have already passed similar laws that are also facing court challenges, and the Arizona decision will likely tip their cases one way or another.

But the ripple effect from the eventual ruling extends further.

“Every state is dealing with immigration,” said Ann Morse, program director of the Immigrant Policy Project at the National Conference of State Legislatures. In 2011, all 50 states and Puerto Rico introduced a record number of bills or resolutions relating to immigrants or refugees, the conference has found.

So every state is going to be looking at the Supreme Court decision on the Arizona law to see what next steps they will take in their legislatures, Morse said.

The effect on other states will be noticed in next year’s legislative sessions, as many state lawmakers have put their legislation on hold until the Arizona case is decided.

The current state sessions have seen the number of introduced immigration-related bills decline, she said.

The most immediate effect of the Arizona case will be in the states that have passed similar laws. Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, South Carolina and Utah all passed these stringent anti-illegal immigration laws, and all except for South Carolina already face court challenges.

Some suggested after the hearing that the questions and statements made by the justices hinted that they are leaning toward Arizona’s side.

“Of course, we likely will not know the Court’s decision for weeks. But I am filled with optimism — the kind that comes with knowing that Arizona’s cause is just and its course is true,” Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said.

Outside of Arizona, other states weighed in.

“The court, in this landmark case, will provide guidance on the validity of Arizona’s immigration law which will impact Alabama’s immigration law along with those of several other states,” Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange said.

“I am cautiously optimistic that the Supreme Court will recognize that the states can play an important role in assisting the federal government in fulfilling its responsibility to enforce the immigration laws of this country,” he added.

In Georgia, immigration lawyers have brought up the possibility of having parts or all of the state’s immigration law invalidated if the government wins, according to state Sen. Vincent Fort — who opposes the Arizona law.

At the time the Georgia law was passed, proponents made it different from the Arizona law in ways they believed made it more difficult to challenge in court.

The news that the justices may be leaning toward Arizona’s argument is troubling, Fort said, but it is too early to draw conclusions.

“You have to be real careful how you interpret how they’re heading in a decision,” he said.

Not all discussions on immigration at the state level have been about tough enforcement measures. Some states have passed resolutions honoring the contributions of immigrants to their communities, and others have asked the federal government to act more forcefully.

Brewer said that a recent trip to the border reminded her why her state had to act on the issue of illegal immigration.

“The job of securing the border is not done, not so long as drugs and humans continue to be smuggled north in large numbers at the direction of violent cartels and armed gangs,” she said. “As governor, I have a duty to uphold the Constitution and a responsibility to protect the people of Arizona.”

Did you know tens of thousands of dinners are eaten at an Olive Garden or Red Lobster restaurant ? Few of these diners know that the CEO heading these large restaurant chains is a black man.

Clearance Otis Jr. Is the CEO of Darden Restaurants Inc. , the largest casual dinning operator in the nation. The firm operates nearly 1,400 company-owned  restaurants coast to coast serving 300 million meals annually. Darden employs 150,00 workers and has annual revenues of $6 billion.

Born in Vicksburg  Mississippi, Otis moved to Los Angeles when he was 6 years old. His father was a high school dropout who worked as a janitor. The family lived in watts at the time of the 1965 riots. He gained a scholarship into Williams College in Massachusetts, where he majored in Economics and Political Science. He graduated magna cum laude in 1977, receiving the school’s Political Science writing prize and Phi Beta Kappa recognition in his senior year. Otis then moved on to Stanford University Law School in California, earning his Law degree in 1980.

He worked in the field of corporate law, specializing in the fields of securities law and mergers and acquisitions. He started out with the firm Donovan, Leisure, Newton & Irvine and moved on to Gordon, Hurwitz, Butowsky, Weitzen, Shalov & Wein. From the start he ran with a high-flying crowd; one of his clients was famed financier Carl Icahn. But, he later on remarked, “I thought the finance side was more exciting than the law, so I moved to an investment banking firm”—Kidder, Peabody & Co. The barely 30-year-old Otis became a vice president at First Boston Corporation in 1987. In this job he got his first exposure to Florida’s booming economy as he worked on real estate deals there. He became interested in public and government finance, serving as managing director of Giebert Municipal Capital in 1990 and 1991, and as a vice president and later managing director in Chemical Bank‘s securities arm between 1991 and 1995. He played a key part in turning around the bank’s struggling public finance division, shepherding funding of $2.6 billion for tax-exempt pollution-control projects and participating a $208 million New York City bond issue that was named deal of the year by Institutional Investor magazine.

In 1995, Otis was recruited by Darden Restaurants in Orlando for the post of treasurer, overseeing finance activities for the 1,200-restaurant chain. He correctly assessed Darden as a company on the rise as its “casual dining” market niche—high-volume sit-down restaurants a step above fast food in terms of quality—was growing rapidly. His biggest motivator, however seemed once again to be the opportunity to acquire a new skill set. Otis came to the company in the final stages of its spin-off from food giant General Mills.

Indeed, while Otis supervised a staff of six, his decisions had company wide ramifications as Darden acquired new sites and financed new buildings all over the country; the chain owns its restaurants rather than franchising them to independent entrepreneurs. He ascended the corporate ladder at Darden, becoming senior vice president of finance in 1997 and chief financial officer in 1999. As the chain shuttered its struggling China Coast restaurants and opened new ventures such as the casual sports-bar barbecue Smokey Bones and the Caribbean-themed Bahama Breeze, Otis impressed his bosses at Darden with his ability to master and apply new skills.

As longtime Darden CEO Joe L. Lee, who opened the first Red Lobster restaurant in Florida in 1967, approached retirement. Otis was widely regarded as a protégé of Lee, and after one of his top rivals left for a top position with Burger King, his way was clear. Otis was named Lee’s successor as CEO in 2004.

While CEO of Darden Restaurants in 2010, Otis earned a total compensation of $7,656,703, which included a base salary of $946,800, a cash bonus of $1,673,900, stocks granted of $1,783,697, options granted of $2,879,930, and other compensation totaling $372,376.

Check it out yall.!!!!………. and for more exclusive music check out www.soundcloud.com/arsonesupc

http://www.soundcloud.com/arsonesupc/tell-unuh-sumtn

By Marc Parc
OutAroad.com Writer

Iconic Dancehall superstar, Ninja Man has returned to the music spotlight just days after posting bail in his ongoing murder case.

The veteran artiste, whose real name is Desmond Ballentine, has been incarcerated over the last three years after copping a murder, conspiracy to murder and illegal possession of a firearm charge in relation to the fatal shooting of a man in 2009. Ninja Man, as well as his 20 year old son and co-accused, Janiel Ballentine were recently granted JA$2 million bail in the case and are due to return to court on July 16.

In the meantime, Ninja Man has recaptured his musical roots for the first time in nearly a decade, teaming up with Dancehall star, Kiprich to record a new collaborative effort, The Don Gorgon Is Back. Done in honor of Ninja Man’s return to the Dancehall scene, The Don Gorgon Is Back was conceptualized and produced by Kiprich, who contacted the veteran artiste’s team after insisting that he deserved a commemorative return song. After Ninja Man agreed, they recorded the single at Big Yard Studios in Constant Spring.
Continue reading “Veteran Dancehall Artiste Ninja Man teams with Kiprich for comeback single” »