| Immokalee rapist to be deported under sentence
A 22-year-old Immokalee man charged with raping a woman inside her home and then threatening to kill her when she tried to call 911 will be deported to Mexico under a plea deal. Collier County Circuit Judge Fred Hardt adjudicated Jose Manuel guilty of felony battery and sentenced him Monday to time served in the county jail since his March 26 arrest and three years of state probation. However, Hardt suspended that term because Manuel is being transported to Miami for a deportation hearing. Manuel had faced up to 15 years in a state prison on sexual battery, a second-degree felony rape charge. But under a plea agreement, Manuel pleaded no contest to a third-degree felony, a lesser-and-included charge. The agreement was reached because he's being held for deportation and the victim could not be located by Monday, the day of Manuel's trial.
Software "Vista Capable" Class Action Suit Against Microsoft Moves ...
Actually the new news on Engadget today makes Mike Nash's statement a lot more sensible. There's two aspects of things going on.Problem with Mike's machine has to do with compatibility and the lack of drivers for Vista. Having a Vista stick on a machine which doesn't have Vista drivers is not a good thing and a valid problem, I think.Anybody surprised that Vista has compatibility problems? .
Is indecency running rampant in our shopping malls?
Imagine that you're out with your teenage children and suddenly see a young woman walking nearby, completely topless except for one strategically-placed hand. Or some guys and girls run by, and one has clearly had his pants and underwear completely off - he's pulling them up, but you can see most of his backside. Or perhaps a half-dozen good-looking women strut by in nothing but underwear and high heels. Many observers would be irritated or shocked; some might even be angry enough at the young woman to report her for indecent exposure. But while these incidents would violate any local statute for indecency or partial public nudity, most of us would probably shrug them off as a momentary or isolated incidents. So why do we shrug it off when retailers take those same images, blow them up larger than life, and put them in hundreds of malls and teenage clothing stores around the country? The pictures currently in the windows of Abercrombie & Fitch and Victoria's Secret contain the exact images described above, and would violate public indecency standards in person.
Wild Card -- Tuesday PM
On Dec. 15, two days before he pulled the request, internal polling for the library bond showed the downtown garden proposals failing 72% to 28% (outta 756 replies). This, while the poll showed the library passing with 63% and the public safety bond with 56%). And you were wondering why The Duane didn't want to risk an advisory vote?
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*I visited the Ron Rankin Veterans Memorial Plaza this p.m., and I'm certain The Ronfather woulda been pleased. You don't get the impact of the eagle statue, donated by the Rankin family, from photos. It's huge. And the new war mural of the kneeling Marines at Fallujah ... well, you can't visit the plaza without feeling as though you're on holy ground. Hat Tip to Rondaughter, Kerri, for pursuing her Dad's dream to the end.
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*When Blogmeister Ryan returns from his long weekend, HBO will be adding a new link, for Mike Kennedy's who's finally succumbed to the call of the blog.
Victoria's Secret too sexy?
Get your own free photo page and see photos from other Dayton-area residents. ohsnap.daytondailynews.com. Regional soccer tournament info Get hooked up to information about youth and club soccer tournaments. tourneycentral.com. Connections between local moms Exchange ideas for managing kids, homelife, relationships and work. 937moms.com. Find a pet, share pet photos Show everyone how much you love your pet — or how they're driving you nuts. 937pets.com. Getting married? Get prepared Find resources for planning your wedding and local bridal shops and services. mvbride.com. .
Can You Say, “Legacy”?
Egyptian manufacturers participating in Qualified Industrial Zone (QIZ) agreement can start putting a little more local love in their products: Trade talks last month led to a signed agreement that reduces required Israeli contribution to QIZ products by 1.2 percent. Under the original QIZ deal, Egyptian manufacturers in designated zones can export any goods to the United States duty free, provided an Israeli company furnishes one third of the required 35 percent content of local origin (11.7 percent in total) and both manufacturers finance a minimum 20 percent of the costs of production. Following an October meeting between President Mubarak and Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Eliyahu Bichai, the required Israeli component was reduced to 10.5 percent. Minister of Trade and Industry Rachid Mohamed Rachid was quoted in the local press as saying that the move increases the percentage of Egyptian raw material, hence raising local profit and job opportunities.
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I believe it was Tim McCarver who said it best: "Some ground balls are hit into places where you have no play." And some mailbag columns are meant to be tainted by the unforeseen distraction of the longest game in World Series history. Oh well. As always, these are actual e-mails from actual readers. Q: What would be the sports equivalent of Jeffrey Ross' famous (and unprintable) line about Bea Arthur and Sandra Bernhard at Jerry Stiller's roast? Since it came out of nowhere and defined roasts as we know it, the best I could come up with was either the Stansbury Statue of Liberty dunk or Dr. J's dunk from the free throw line, as they both came out of nowhere and vaulted the contests to the next level, just as Ross' line did for celebrity roasts. A case could also be made, I suppose, for Bob Beamon's long jump in '68, because I can't see anyone topping the joke for quite some time.
My Turn: Being green is hot -- but beware
Known as the "green guide" the FTC's regulations provide guidance on how companies may communicate to consumers product and service performance on the use of recycled materials, biodegradables or organics. Earlier this month, the FTC held the first in a series of hearings with consumers, business and industry groups to sort out what it means to be carbon neutral, among other increasingly common claims that resonate with consumers' concerns over climate change. The FTC will also evaluate whether existing rules regulating "green" designations adopted in 1998 are even useful and cost-effective for consumers and business.
Considering existing law and the potential for new regulatory oversight, it is essential for Vermont businesses that currently rely on and harness Vermont's green brand to ensure that the green claims made by them and others are accurate and supportable.
Clinton Launches Ohio Campaign Marathon
Clinton has lost the last 11 nominating contests to rival Barack Obama and was looking to primaries in Ohio and Texas for a campaign boost. Those states, and Rhode Island and Vermont, vote Tuesday. Polls show tight contests in Texas and Ohio. "The last days leading up until Tuesday are ones where we really need you," Clinton told cheering supporters. In a late-night meeting with reporters on her campaign plane, Clinton conceded she was toughening her rhetoric as the primary nears. "I think we've been sharpening the contrast and I think it's a contrast that needs to be sharpened," Clinton said. "This is a big decision and I want people to have as much information as possible." She rejected suggestions the protracted contest would hurt the party in the fall election.
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