text:
As soon as Debbie Wasserman Schultz name comes up and the backdoor description of her dealings? I know I am against whatever that broad is for..umm $1000 dollar donation..isnt that sweet?
There's a town next to the Everglades, 30 minutes up the expressway from Miami. It's a strange, meandering place occupying ten square miles of homes, horse meadows, and pine trees. Except for part of a big-box mall that falls within its borders, there are no shops. There's no road department or police department, no department store.
But if everything goes according to plan, the 7,400-resident town will soon be home to 1,400 immigrants in a new federal detention center run by a private corporation.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has tentatively approved the plan, but the road of negotiations that led here is as long as one of the town's quiet, unlit streets. It began a dozen years ago, when the town was formed and a prison looked like a brilliant source of tax revenue.
Or maybe it began before that, when developer-king Ron Bergeron sold a spot of forsaken land to the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA). Or even before that, when man pushed westward into the swamp, past sprawling homesteads and retention ponds, to a place where he could hide such things as prisons.
Immigration policy can be an abstract issue, but the mechanics need to take place somewhere. Four hundred thousand people a year are rounded up and shipped out of the country on buses or unmarked white jets, repatriated to an even more broken place. On the way, there's paperwork to be done and an average wait time of 28 days, during which the immigrants remain for "processing" in U.S. government custody. But where to put them?
You need three things: a plot of land, a company willing to build a prison, and a local government willing to bend over backward to persuade the feds to hold their captives there.
Add in some residents enticed by the promise that their corporate neighbor, left to do its unpleasant business, could help keep their taxes low forever.
Bienvenidos a Southwest Ranches.
Here is a usual Thursday-night Town Council meeting last year: A couple of dozen people fill a town hall made from doublewide trailers on rented land. Five council members greet residents and take their seats. The Town Council includes Freddy Fisikelli, an 80-year-old cattle farmer who was here from the beginning. He has seen the town through budget crises, corruption, and infighting. Now he's keeping quiet on contentious issues.
There's the group of homeowners' association officials clustered around the back table, talking among themselves about gossip or a flooded lot, same as it ever was.
That's Lee Rosselli by the door: a standup guy, a sheriff's deputy who's about to retire. He's been here forever, and everybody has a story about him. He's been known to help round up cows or tow a tractor in a pinch.
But one night last October, the scene was different. A new element was in play, one that could forever change the way business is done here. Deputy Rosselli was more agitated than usual. Instead of chatting, he stood outside the doors. He was refusing to let anybody in — fire code, he said. Too many people.
Out in the parking lot, TV news vans rumbled, their cameras providing the brightest lights around. Cars continued to overflow the parking lot, spilling onto the grass. People got out, carrying signs written in Sharpie on neon boards. They were speaking intensely, some in Spanish, as they formed a procession down the driveway.
The man with a megaphone, standing on the grass with a determined look on his face, was Bill Di Scipio. He wasn't a member of the immigrant-rights coalition that helped him organize the protest, and he certainly wasn't one of the longtime Ranches homeowners. He'd started out as a curious citizen, relatively new to the place, looking for answers about the big detention center supposedly moving in next door.
He was met with silence from the Town Council. A few weeks before the protest, he had dared to ask why.
Fisikelli, the old farmer, turned to the town attorney, Keith Poliakoff.
"Keith, explain to him why we're doing the 'cone of silence,' " Fisikelli said.
"We've been asked by Homeland Security and CCA," Poliakoff answered.
That was all Di Scipio needed to hear: A federal agency and a private corporation were putting the gag on his elected officials. This was the perceived injustice that spurred Di Scipio to start a long public-records fight with the town and organize several protests. He would push its usually friendly leaders further into nervous silence. Poliakoff would become his enemy.
This new guy in town, with his accusations and curiosity, disrupted a cardinal rule of Southwest Ranches: Live and let live. He stirred up a system that had been accustomed to operating undisturbed. And amid his finger-pointing and name-calling, some of his neighbors realized — belatedly — that along with their low-tax land, they had purchased a share in the prison business.
Bill Di Scipio drives his Prius 20 miles every day to a warehouse in Opa-locka, where he runs a manufacturing company. He moved to the Ranches from Northern California. He had built a successful business and decided he liked the "quirky little town" with decent schools and low taxes in a rural setting. In 2006, he paid just under $1 million for a 3,000-square-foot home.
At the time, Di Scipio had no idea that Corrections Corporation of America was looking to build a prison on land it owned in Southwest Ranches. The company had agreed to pay the town a fee for each theoretical prisoner it would one day house, if only it could get a contract with a government agency.
In June 2011, after Di Scipio's home had lost two-thirds of its value in the slumped housing market, the town and CCA finally found a potential source for all those lucrative inmates: U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement announced that it had tentatively selected the site for a new detention center.
In July, Di Scipio got a prerecorded "robocall" from the Florida Immigrant Coalition, which was unhappy with that idea. The Obama administration's ramped-up focus on deportations, the fact that apprehended immigrants are increasingly placed in the hands of a few large corporations, and the fueling of such deportations by checking arrest information against immigration databases have created a perfect storm of unrest for immigration advocates nationwide. Southwest Ranches' new detention center was sure to provide some collateral damage in the form of broken families and crushed dreams.
Di Scipio stays away from all that. But when he got the robocall, he had questions of his own — including why he, a homeowner, hadn't known that this project was in the works. He decided to go to the Town Council and find out why. This led to the exchange with attorney Poliakoff and Di Scipio's realization that his questions were unwelcome at this stage in the negotiations. It looked to him like the Town Council was ramming through a major project under a veil of secrecy, duping citizens whose property values would soon plummet. Reaching for the moral high ground of a truth-seeking journalist, he taught himself about public-records requests at a time in midlife when another man might have shut up and bought a Porsche.
One of his first requests was for supporting material backing up Poliakoff's claim that the feds and CCA had "asked" the town not to discuss the facility. For a while, he didn't hear anything. So he grew restless and asked for more. Emails, billing records, documents. While the immigrant coalition worked to spread its own message, he took his fight straight to the desk of the town clerk.
In his free time, Di Scipio sorts through the reams of requests he's submitted, which he keeps in an overflowing binder. When the requests were met with silence a few times, he started submitting even more of them, with intentionally awful spelling and grammar, under the name "Frank Nurt." Nobody would want to answer these.
Di Scipio grins. "They have to."
He knows that public-records law is on his side, even if he pisses off town officials in the process.
"This is fun as hell," he admits. Mention of his name now elicits an audible groan from the Southwest Ranches clerk.
Di Scipio is unfazed. "I could get older and sit here and whine or get out and be the agent of change."
A few months ago, he finally got an answer to his challenge of the "cone of silence." Poliakoff forwarded him a copy of an email the town attorney had sent to council members and staff in June, as Southwest Ranches was still competing with other cities to win ICE's selection.
"As you know we are in the final months to see if we can land the new Federal Immigration Facility," Poliakoff wrote in the email. "Florida City is flipping over all stones to try to take the lead, but their strategy with the press is actually backfiring since residents are now [coming] out in opposition... which will inevitably cause Homeland Security to shy away from their site since they do not want controversy right now."
Poliakoff wrote that officials should expect calls about the matter, "since the sharks are beginning to circle... If [we get] a ton of calls we will issue a carefully crafted press release, but until then, the less we say the better off we will be."
Poliakoff later claimed his observation that "the sharks are beginning to circle" referred to other municipalities and corporations that had been competing for the contract until the last minute, and not — as Di Scipio believes — to angry townspeople. "Look at the date of that email [June 7]," Poliakoff says today. "There was no Bill Di Scipio. At that time, none of [the protesters] were around. None of them existed."
For Di Scipio, the email was proof that the town was moving forward at full steam while Poliakoff did everything legal to keep residents in the dark.
Marygay Chaples, a long-haired great-grandmother with a sharp tongue and a big gun, lives on a farm on a corner of Dykes Road in Southwest Ranches. She came out here 55 years ago, she says, with the Dykes family and two others. The area's early pioneers, they traveled along the levee at Griffin Road to reach a place full of nothing but swamp and pastures.
"There was nothing to the west or the south," Chaples recalls, sitting on her side porch as horses graze in the background. "Nothing to the east, nothing to the north. This was a one-lane road made of debris we pulled out of the ditch. It looked like the Everglades. There were fires — I've got photographs of my fence posts burning."
Chaples has appreciated the work of fences ever since. She mediates town disputes and helps people deal with legal issues, having become a sort of liaison to local government. She has a live-and-let-live attitude about her neighbors, including the wealthy celebrities: athletes such as Udonis Haslem and Jason Taylor, and other people who don't want to be noticed — or taxed.
"We don't care," Chaples says. "We don't bother them. But we will fight for them if we need to."
She's also a firm supporter of the detention center and takes offense when relative newcomers get personal.
"It really angers us for people to attack the town and our elected officials and make wild accusations, all because they don't want a prison," she says.
Her strong belief in property rights — hers is the only place in town still zoned for a slaughterhouse — also informs her support of CCA's plans. In fact, the company has owned its land, with prison-friendly zoning, since before the town existed.
"The new jail planned for southwest Broward County will go in a barren area where the county puts things that nobody wants," wrote David Fleshler and John Maines of the Sun-Sentinel. That statement holds true today — the site is between a county dump and a women's prison — but it was written back in 1998.
CCA had just purchased the 24-acre property. The company had originally scoped out the area in 1991 after a request from the then-sheriff to build a "mega-jail" for 4,000 inmates. Those plans fell through, but CCA stuck around and bought the land. It could shop around for inmates later — essentially making a long-term bet that South Florida would turn more criminal.
Before Southwest Ranches incorporated in 2000, the lawyers for local homeowners' associations lobbied the Florida Legislature to let the town include the CCA plot — which lay completely outside its proposed borders, surrounded by unincorporated land and the city of Pembroke Pines. Town founders theorized that if they scooped up this outlying parcel, it would be a flowing well of money: Once CCA built a prison, it would pay taxes to fill town coffers. CCA now estimates that it will pay more than $1.5 million a year in local and state taxes.
In 2005, Town Administrator John Canada oversaw the signing of a contract between the town and CCA. The prison company would pay the town a one-time fee of $600,000. Additionally, CCA promised the town a 3 to 4 percent cut of any daily fee it received for housing prisoners. If nothing else, the contract could be shown to prospective government agencies to prove that CCA had a good relationship with the town and was ready to build.
"It was one of the better negotiations [Canada] did," says Don Maines, a Town Council member at the time and a supporter of the detention center plan. "That site is zoned for the worst chemical waste dump you could put out there." He calls the less-toxic current proposal "a win-win situation."
Town officials estimated that the CCA deal would bring in a million dollars a year, not counting taxes. In 2006, the year after the contract was signed, that was equal to more than one-third of the town's property-tax revenue.
Chaples points out that CCA could go ahead and build a regular prison there — with criminal inmates — rather than pursue the ICE contract. "To me, it's a better deal to have an immigration facility than to have a prison," she says. Detainees at the facility would not necessarily have criminal records.
One of Di Scipio's requests netted him a trove of inside information: six months' worth of emails sent and received by former (now deceased) Town Administrator Charlie Lynn.
One of the emails was sent by Poliakoff to CCA's lawyer and copied to Lynn. Regarding a proposed increase in the facility's capacity, Poliakoff wrote: "My position is, amend the agreement and show me the money and then we can talk."
Di Scipio posted this email and others on his anti-CCA Facebook page, with show me the money highlighted. He began to wonder about "the money" that was involved for Poliakoff and other council members.
Poliakoff explains that show me the money was a tongue-in-cheek reference to the additional federal money that CCA would be required to allocate to the town if the detention-center capacity were expanded. But Di Scipio went on to scrutinize Poliakoff's billing records.
The town officially contracts with Poliakoff's law firm, Becker and Poliakoff, of which he is the principal lawyer of several who attend to town business. In 2010, the town paid the firm more than $450,000 in legal fees. In addition, the firm gets $35,000 a year from the town for state legislative lobbying, regardless of how much lobbying it does. These figures have been in place since early in the town's history, when Poliakoff's father, Gary, was town attorney.
A portion of Poliakoff's billing last year was for negotiations concerning the CCA deal. In March — a particularly critical month — the firm charged $48,912 in legal fees, a high for the year. At least $3,836 was billed by Poliakoff for CCA matters.
Poliakoff says that he does not personally get paid a lot and that surrounding municipalities pay more, sometimes nearly double that yearly amount, for legal services. But surrounding municipalities also have populations much larger than the Ranches' 7,400.
The lawyer also says that the town's contract with CCA stipulates that the company eventually repay all legal fees incurred by the town on the company's behalf. "They're aware that they need to make the town whole," he assures.
Through the emails, Di Scipio also learned how Poliakoff and CCA carefully managed the town's courtship of ICE officials. In early March, an email thread revealed, Poliakoff traveled to Washington, D.C., along with Lynn and Mayor Jeff Nelson. The invitation from ICE was for town officials to make a presentation on their readiness for a detention facility, but CCA was running the show — right down to the accommodations.
After he booked rooms at the J.W. Marriott in downtown D.C., Poliakoff sent an email to Lynn and Nelson. "The rate for the basic room is $439 a night, but CCA says we need to stay there. Charlie, you can sleep in my tub if you want," Poliakoff wrote.
Two days before the Washington presentation, CCA Vice President Lucibeth Mayberry wrote instructions for the town officials to follow during the presentation. "We would like the mayor to help us on the site [map] slide... in explaining why the community views the prison as a good fit for that location," Mayberry wrote. "We need to concentrate on hammering home the positive location of this site."
When Southwest Ranches and CCA talk about community support, they're often talking about the leaders of area homeowners' associations and longtime residents like Chaples, who have been invited to several meetings with CCA.
CCA operates 14 ICE detention facilities of varying security levels. In a white paper presented to ICE about the Southwest Ranches site, CCA proposes that ICE pay it a daily fee of $66 to $69 per detainee. If the town ends up winning the ICE contract, it can expect to take 4 percent of that — or just under $3 per detainee per day — and pass the rest on to CCA and its shareholders.
In April, Poliakoff drafted a letter of support for the prison and sent it to Sen. Bill Nelson and U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, whose districts include the prison site. They signed a shortened version of the letter, anticipating construction and staffing jobs for their constituents. Di Scipio publicized the fact that Wasserman Schultz received a $1,000 campaign donation from CCA just weeks after signing the letter.
Poliakoff, for his part, has repeatedly played down the importance of the vocal protesters, citing an estimate of their number at around 100 people. "You're looking at 170,000 total residents in Southwest Ranches and Pembroke Pines," he says. "Is [100] a significant number?"
Around the time of the D.C. trip last spring, the town's basic services of firefighting and emergency medical rescue were in turmoil, partly because of the detention center plans. The town backed out of its longstanding agreement to pay the Broward Sheriff's Office to provide these services, eventually choosing to get them from neighboring Pembroke Pines.
Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue spokesman Mike Jachles says that Southwest Ranches moved to cancel the contract because the town believed it could get a better price elsewhere. But there was another factor in the town's decision to cancel. Poliakoff had been trying since the end of 2010 to get BSO officials to offer their easy approval of expanded service to the proposed detention center, and he wasn't getting the answer he wanted.
BSO Fire Marshal Charles Raiken offered a gruff response to a proposal to expand the facility's capacity from 1,500 detainees to 2,200 (CCA later backed away from this number). "The town has not provided this office any notice or opportunity to officially review this development," wrote Raiken on January 3.
Raiken concluded that "the proposed expansion... exceeds the capabilities of the existing and projected contractual fire rescue resources available within the jurisdiction of the Town of Southwest Ranches."
Around this time, the contract negotiations with BSO started to break down. Finally, in June 2011, the town signed with Pembroke Pines for fire service. The rate was cheaper, and Pines officials agreed to service the future prison site. Conveniently, the city has a fire station less than half a mile away.
As part of the contract, Pines also agreed to provide water and sewer services to the site, which city officials predicted would bring in nearly a million dollars a year. The deal was approved unanimously by the Pembroke Pines City Commission.
Winning over the residents of Pembroke Pines would be a totally different matter.
Mike Machak, public affairs manager for CCA, stood at the door of the public library in Pembroke Pines on November 5, looking at the line of opponents gathered on the cool Saturday morning. A few held signs, many wore stickers, but the crowd was quietly waiting for admission to the building. "I expected... more," Machak said.
The meeting was organized by Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz, who had recently criticized the Southwest Ranches Town Council for providing "a paucity of information" about the detention center plans. The audience was mostly Pembroke Pines residents — some of whom live closer to the CCA site than anybody in Southwest Ranches — demanding to know why they hadn't been consulted while schools and homes were built near the site.
Wasserman Schultz recruited friend Bob Butterworth, an elder statesman of Florida politics, to moderate a question-and-answer session. The questions were to be read from cards filled out by audience members. Only three people, out of the dozens in attendance, indicated that they supported the prison.
Much of the audience had been recruited by Di Scipio's anti-detention-center group, which had publicized the event on Facebook and the web and put up signs. What Wasserman Schultz had intended as an opportunity to spread information, the activists had seized on as a rare chance to speak candidly to ICE and CCA honchos.
The meeting devolved into a circus. Residents asked Mayberry, the CCA vice president, about a recent news report that the company had been avoiding property taxes by renting cows to graze on the property. "We have done everything we are allowed to do and take advantage of exemptions as any business would," she said.
Whenever residents complained that they hadn't been made aware of plans to build the detention facility, Mayor Nelson countered that the process had been thoroughly vetted and rattled off a history of the decades-old deal.
In response, a woman stood up and read the email from Poliakoff that Di Scipio had discovered, in which the town attorney had said, "the less we say the better off we will be." If Poliakoff hadn't meant to sound conspiratorial, his words were certainly interpreted that way by the jeering crowd. He did not speak at the meeting.
Things took a turn when Frank Ortis, mayor of Pembroke Pines, took the podium. "The longer I sit in this meeting, the angrier I'm getting," he said. But he wasn't angry at the raucous crowd, which was booing him. "I've told you this is a Southwest Ranches issue," he said. "We don't have a vote in it... This is what happens when you don't go to the people first."
Before he could finish that last sentence, the booing had changed to thunderous applause.
PolitiFact Florida later rated his claim that Pembroke Pines "didn't have a vote in it" as "mostly false," citing four separate occasions when his city's commission voted to support or not interfere with development of the detention center.
Pembroke Pines Vice Mayor Iris Siple was next to take the stage. She said that part of the firefighting agreement — the part that said her city would provide water and sewer to the facility — had been added by Southwest Ranches without notice at the last minute and that she hadn't seen it before voting.
"I just sent a text to our city clerk," she said, "asking to add an item to the agenda for our next meeting, where I will ask my fellow commissioners to consider using the agreement's... termination clause." She was threatening, maybe promising, to withdraw the city's pledged support for services to the facility. More wild applause.
Today, Siple says she's still researching that option: "I voted for [the water and sewer agreement] because I didn't realize that it was there. I'm not going to take full blame, because no one else at our meeting brought it up either."
Poliakoff says the town added the water and sewer clause just a few days before Pembroke Pines voted on it "because they wanted to confirm that Pines had the capacity to service the facility." Its cancellation may be a moot point, he says: "In the event that Pines did not provide water, the facility would still be built but would have to provide its own water."
Poliakoff, who was in high school when CCA first started trying to build on the site, says the time to put up obstructions is long past. "The time to say you object? That was in the 1990s," he says.
But the work of the agitators left its mark on Pembroke Pines officials. They might have spent years quietly voting through development of the facility with little public feedback, but on the evening of Tuesday, January 10, city commissioners made a grand, if possibly futile, gesture. They voted unanimously to draft a letter of opposition to the detention facility — and send it to the president of the United States.
Poliakoff expects a final decision from ICE within two months. In the meantime, he's putting together a new contract with CCA that he says will be the best possible deal for the town. He promises plenty of time to review it.
Di Scipio has engaged the services of a rookie attorney in Tampa to sue the Town of Southwest Ranches for $1.25.
"It's the first suit I've gotten where the plaintiff's attorney's bar number is listed as 'pending,' " scoffs Poliakoff.
Di Scipio claims that the town clerk wrongly billed him for copies of records that he should have been able to view and photograph for free under state law. He had only a dollar and change in his pocket at the time, so he handed it over for a few pages of copies. Later, he took legal action, a crowning move on top of his months of research and frustration.
Poliakoff is treating the suit seriously — and thoroughly. Di Scipio says he was furious earlier this month when Poliakoff deposed his wife. As a possible upside for both parties, the men are not allowed to speak to each other as the case proceeds.
Ryann Greenberg, however, is more typical of residents who oppose the prison. A stay-at-home mom and Di Scipio's strongest ally in the fight, Greenberg lives in Laguna Isles, a Pembroke Pines development.
On a cold day, she brings her 2-year-old daughter to the playground by the clubhouse, where immigrant workers are laying new mulch and a fierce wind blows down the edge of the Glades. Something is burning in the distance, turning the sky hazy.
"It's been a challenging six months," Greenberg says of her recent past as an activist, organizing protests and digging for information. She understands normal glad-handing politics, she says, "but it's a completely different thing to put a prison next to homes and schools." Recently, she notes, the real estate firm Coldwell Banker sent a letter to prospective sellers, saying it wouldn't be held responsible for declining home values because of the prison.
"You should have done your homework," says Doug McKay, the vice mayor, in response to people whose home values stand to be affected. Most of the people who are now complaining bought their homes after CCA had moved in next door. Few of them, least of all Pembroke Pines residents, were aware of the long-term plans for Southwest Ranches.
"I'm not some idiot NIMBY person," Greenberg says as she bundles her daughter back into her minivan. "Nobody knew this was going to happen."
Back at home, she gets the neighbor to watch her daughter for a minute, then climbs up the steep grassy embankment behind her house. Across the street is a post office and, in the distance, the mound of the old county dump.
In between, where high-tension wires stretch overhead, is a little piece of Southwest Ranches: the empty plot owned by CCA. It's not beautiful or even very natural-looking, and it's obscured by trees on adjacent properties. An unremarkable sight, for now.
But if you lean over the hedgerow and squint really hard at it, on a clear day, when the sun isn't too low in the sky, you can almost see the money.
As soon as Debbie Wasserman Schultz name comes up and the backdoor description of her dealings? I know I am against whatever that broad is for..umm $1000 dollar donation..isnt that sweet?
I do like the Poster artwork for this story ! Would look good on the back of a t-shirt or Framed.
That's what you think!!!!!!!You should update your info. You're behind the times!!!!!!!!!!!!
And to those of you who think you might actually get construction jobs at the proposed site, forget about it! That's "fixed", too. Should this get to the point of construction, Bergeron has the lock on that contract, and he has his own people.
Those of you calling area residents opposing the prison nimby's and whiners are missing the point... this project does not belong in ANYBODY'S backyard. There are plenty of locations this could be built where not even one family would be affected, but would still be easily accessible to employees, vendors, etc. The town council of Southwest Ranches is not only desperate, they're lazy! There are any number of highly profitable uses of that site that would enhance the entire area. Instead, they cling to the back room promises of CCA who has just one customer for their proposed prison - the federal government - and one type of detainee - illegal immigrants - whose numbers could dwindle dramatically, or even entirely, depending on the ever changing political climate. Oh, let me revise my previous statement... The town council of Southwest Ranches is not only desperate and lazy, they're also foolish!
Prisons do have to go somewhere, but they dont belong in a residential area. This area was alot different years ago, alot less developed, and no schools. If these people that want the prison were smart, they would have built this before all the development. Ron Bergeron of all people should have known better, he had a huge part in west browards development so he knew all along he was going to put a prison near schools He should be ashamed for HIS actions. Shame on Alligator Ron Bergeron - shame on you for knowing what was going on all these years, and shame on your for wanting to put a prison and casino on the edge of the everglades.
So let me see if I understand this story:
1. After 6 pages the way I understand it, a man who hires warehouse workers in Miami, who himslef lives in a house worth close to $1m, is fighting a deportation facility. What a shocker!
2. A stay at home mom who bought a home near the property, is fighting it. What a shocker!
3. A property owner who has been there forever and knew that it would be placed there wants the facility. What a shocker!
4. A Town that claims that it desperately needs the revenue has instructed its beyond politically connected Attorney to get the facility. What a shocker!
I dozed off twice reading this article, which could have been summed up in less than 1 page.
I just read this article. I am an out of work carpenter who needs to support my family. Does anyone know when this will be built and who I can call for a job?
Ah, NIMBY's in an uproar. How quaint. How stupid. DiScipio would have an entirely different take on the whole property rights versus a whining weasel if it was his property that he had negotiated permits for 10 years ago.
Prisons are a LEGAL business. Deportees have to go somewhere. Corrections Corporation really, Really, REALLY doesn't want these inmates loose in the town either. So all the sniveling is merely about a big concrete box, that makes no noise, no smell, no pollution, is to all building codes, provides employment, obeys all federal, state, county and town laws and pays taxes.
DiScipio is a jerk.
Does anyone know if this facility will be hiring? What about the construction jobs? If anyone know where I can sent my resume please let me know.
This is not the area for a prison, much less a for profit prison or immigration detention facility. There are almost a dozen schools within a 5 mile radius with thousands of children attending these schools on any given day. Private prisons are known for cost cutting measures to make their shareholders money. The first areas they cut corners is training, staffing and security. Their guards are paid $10/hour and are not required to meet the same standards as a state prison guard, sheriff or local police. They are not properly certified to carry weapons in alot of cases. Because of low pay and inadequate benefits, there is a high turnover rate. Security systems are not correctly monitored or maintained in facilites, leading to breaches of security within the prison, and leading to the possibility of escapes. Imagine the lockdown that would occur if there were an escape.
Private prisons are known to understaff their facilities; there are numerous accounts of riots and escapes. Private prisons staff less guards per inmate than state prisons. Its also proven private prisons do not save states money. States have saved millions of $$$ by closing CCA facilities, yet at the same time, Florida wants to privatize prisons using our tax money.
There is no guarantee detainees housed in this facility wont have violent criminal backgrounds or mental issues. There is no guarantee pedophiles and sex offenders wont be kept here. There is no gurantee inmates from Texas and California wont be transferred here. CCA cannot protect or guarantee SWR indemnity in the case of an escape where damages and costs are incurred from from the incident. They say the town will be indemnified, but no insurance company is going to provide that kind of liability for our town. CCA cannot even get the liability coverage they need, how can they tell us theyre going to indemnify the town? There are several instances where CCA has broken contractual agreements with towns regarding coverage. . CCA is known to use tax loopholes any way they can to avoid paying their share of taxes. In 2002 the IRS sued them for back taxes and in other cases, CCA has tried claiming thier prison residential to avoid taxes. This is money lost to our children and schools.
So before you berate and belittle the NIMBYs perhaps you should do your homework. This facility does not belong in the middle of a residential area, it belongs in a more remote area. If this was going to be built 800 feet from your home and family, youd have issues with it too.
I dont think the point is money...its more about the sunshine law and citizens' access to public records which were denied in this case
That's what you think!!!!!!!You should update your info. You're behind the times!!!!!!!!!!!!It's called "FREEDOM" Get your facts right!!!!!!!! Educate yourself about your GOVERNMEMT and ELECTED OFFICIALS and how they try to DISTORT the TRUTH and HIDE it.
Though Mr. B didn't speak to me, I was unable to verify or substantiate the claim that he has a construction contract locked in. Original sale called for him to provide roadway improvements. If you have any other information, please provide it: email@example.com
PR you do realize that CCA owns the land not SWR, and if you read the article you would have found out that they owned it before the town was formed, and if you haven't worked it out the area is already zoned for this use, so how could the "lazy, foolish" town find another use without getting their pants sued off. Sometimes its better to get on a wagon than get run over by it.
They're so understaffed there the nurses were asked to arm themselves and help quell a prison riot!
You must be one of the GANG OF SIX" and a definite CRONIE. The reason you quoted all the false information is because you as part of the GANG OF SIX stands to personally benefit monetarily.
@4fcdc516de5bb69612c676bf03620d7d:disqus At least DiScipio is standing up for something! All you ever do @FQS9000:twitter is sit behind your computer writing snide comments that make no sense. These facilities DON'T belong near homes and schools. Go do a little research online and you'll find out they are pretty bad. No Matter WHERE they are! privateci.org start there... I'll save you some time! Come back and we'll talk after you take a look around!
After seeing the decimation of the beach by development all this years, it's about time you rich people get a taste of it as well. Amazing that most of the people who profited off of the housing boom live in your area, and now they are complaining about development. Irony!!! Glad your finally getting a taste of your own medicine.
Which came first the prison or the residential area? Classic NIMBY story. This one just impacts a few rich people. Oh well.
Get your stories right, I read in another article that he was not denied access but there was a question on how he could copy it, which was later (a few minutes) cleared up. And people wonder why our taxes are so high here is a good reason why, pay the lawyer more to work this, brilliant, it appears this has nothing to do freedom.
That's what you think!!!!!!!You should update your info. You're behind the times!!!!!!!!!!!! for $150,000,000 you'll learn fast how to build buildings real fast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Of course I know that CCA owns that land. It was purchased years ago in connection with a specific prison deal at that time. That deal fell through and nothing was done with that parcel. In the years that followed, the surrounding area grew into an overwhelmingly residential community; there was no reason for residents or prospective home buyers to think that a new prison facility would ever be built there. Property prices were climbing higher and higher. It was not uncommon for property owners to hold onto their parcels hoping to sell at the absolute highest price (many, to their detriment if they did not sell in time). To the average on-looker, CCA could have been holding that investment for a number of reasons, none of which included a prison. Meanwhile, SWR had plenty of time to re-zone parcels to reflect and enhance the residential and wildlife preserve area that had developed there in west SWR and Pembroke Pines. But the inexperienced and gullible council members of SWR were easy prey for the pros at CCA. They sold-out their own town and Pines as well. The SWR council had every opportunity to oppose the proposed use or prevent it over the years, but instead they did just the opposite - and they did it behind everyone's back, plotting quietly for years with CCA. Don't throw around that made-up excuse about SWR fending off a potential lawsuit from CCA -- that is absolute rubbish. The only lawsuit SWR has to worry about is from the many thousands of area residents if the council of SWR doesn't withdraw its support for the proposed prison.
I live no where near this community, nor could I ever afford a house there. I am simply a New Times reader, who saw this story. Just because I lay out the facts as I see it should not subject me to such a childish response.
I can only hope that one day you lose your source of income and learn what it means to struggle to survive. You want me to leave because I am need a job. You people are truly disgusting.
They sure are. It's in print and documented. on your internet type in CORRECTIONS CORPORATION of AMERICA. read all the articles that pop up about their ability to manage prisons, or read WHY I HATE CCA. Put in North Fork, Okla Prison
DiScipio is merely 'standing up' for himself, which makes him a greedy pig. Not a particularly praiseworthy goal. Home and schools are not impacted by a concrete box in anyway other than in silly land where mere proximity equals evilness. Just as the proximity of a school does not improve any children who do not attend it.
Grow up.
I agree, and if I owned a warehouse and needed warehouse workers I would be standing up against this as well.
I live here, my family lives here. I may be poor, but I'm certainly not stupid. Maybe you should be in this facility!
Its amusing and makes my day when ignorant comments are made to refute facts. Is that all you have? Come back when you can make intelligent informed comments instead of spouting nonsense
It has everything to do with FREEDOM and the SUNSHINE LAW. SWR pays this attorney a high end salary. He should make sure the staff is oriented to the correct way to provide information when requested. It wasn't provided in a timely manner and appeared that it wasn't going to be either. So how would youknow the time frame it involved? Sound "FISHIE" to me. The TOWN ATTORNEY gets copies of every piece of cummunication in and out of that office. The biggest KICKER of ALL and the ITEM that should WORRY you is WHY CCA ADAMENTLT INSISTED the OFFICIALS from SWR where told to stay at a HOTEL for $489.00 per night and not to stay anywhere else. YOU should insist on knowing WHO PAID FOR THAT BILL??? YOU NEED TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This town has very nice cross section of residents from all SOCIOECONOMIC CLASSES and ETHNICITIES. It's not rich by any means. The elected officials believe they need a "JAIL" to pay our bills. We also have a working class. Since the value of homes decreased significantly, and too many foreclosesures on the market, it's very affordable if you want it. You are quoting HEARSAY about the man with the warehouse. So if you aren't a "CRONIE" I suggest you don't go after people you don't know. Go to CORRECTIONS CORP OF AMERICA, or WHY I HATE CCA try not to spend too much time selecting your topic. There are so many make sure you have spare time.
The people that are truly disgusting are the ones that want to bring this prison to our town.
Google how corrections corp of America uses tax loopholes to get out of paying their fair share of taxes. Educate yourselves and read Yale university reports, AFSCME reports and ACLU studies on how CCA is a burden on local taxpayers. Research the states that have closed CCA facilities because they cost more to run than a state prison. Read the university and state studies how CCA cuts corners on security and training to save monry. The list goes on and on....
DiScipio is standing up for everyone who believes this is the wrong place for a facility like this. If you think this is just a "concrete box" youre delusional. This is going to be a maximum security federal site, this has NO place near homes, much less schools. You are seriously missing the point.
I'm sure he would invite INS into his building to run through all of his employees. It's not the fact that it's an ICE Prison...It's a PRIVATE PRISON... Their Secrecy BREEDS Human Rights Violations!! Grow up!
I guess you are a "GANG OF 6". or one of the CRONIES. If not go educate yourself on the CORRECTIONS CORP OF AMERICA.
Go to North Fork Okla. CCA could use you there. What makes you believe you are intelligent and above us. You didn't quote facts. We have. You must be the" GANG of 6", or their" CRONIES"


text:
Though O'Neill doesn't blame Carter for that bit of bad luck, both he and Hurwitz have raised questions about how their former professor spent the group's money. Their suspicions were first aroused at their campsite, when Hurwitz saw credit-card receipts indicating that Carter had paid only $218 apiece for the roundtrip plane tickets from Miami to Puerto Ayacucho. She and the other students had been under the impression that Carter spent substantially more.
"When I confronted Professor Carter about the discrepancy [on the way home], he got very angry and defensive," Hurwitz recalls. "I asked for my plane ticket back and he refused to give it to me. I couldn't believe it."
Carter insists that the cost of the tickets is irrelevant. "The point is, they agreed to pay a price for a trip and they got that trip. They have no idea how much things cost and what went on behind the scenes. They couldn't have done [the same trip] as cheaply on their own. If they had not gotten food or lodging or airfare, then yeah, I should be accountable for that. But they did."
A few days after returning, Hurwitz and O'Neill got together to try to tally how much money Carter had spent on the aborted trip -- and how much he owed them. By their estimate, Carter had between $1000 and $1500 left over. When O'Neill called Carter to demand that he return the surplus, however, Carter asserted that there was no money to return.
"They got a deal," Carter says adamantly. "And they are trying to tell me that I got rich off this. That's what's annoying. I didn't even get paid [by FIU] to go down there."
Hurwitz, who says she exhausted her savings to pay for the trip (additional supplies and vaccinations brought her total expenses to nearly $2000), recently sent a letter of complaint to FIU administrators. "I feel like we were misled and mistreated," Hurwitz explains. "The trip was nothing like how it was billed."
"I was disappointed," seconds O'Neill, adding that aside from the disorganization and discomfort, Carter failed to come through on his promise. "I expected we'd be living with real indigenous Indians, people who were close to the land. But the people I encountered had nicer haircuts than me. We never even got into old-growth rain forest. It was more like a camping trip to Maine, except that I was wet all the time."
Though she prefers not to involve herself in a dispute with Carter, Roxanne Robinson says the accounts of the trip supplied by O'Neill and Hurwitz are accurate.
The fourth student, Marlene Bombalier, says that despite all the snafus, she had a great time. "The scenery was beautiful and the people were wonderful. It was an amazing experience," says Bombalier. "Sure, things went wrong. But those were unforeseen circumstances, stuff that is typical in Latin American countries. I don't think it was fair to blame Nick." Bombalier says that based on the experience, she is even considering switching her major to environmental studies. Her companions, she contends, are "missing the point of the trip" by making allegations about their guide.
Carter admits that plans went awry, but in his opinion the students' own intolerance was the key problem. He claims, for instance, that despite the guardsmen's assessment of the permits, the military expelled them because villagers had lodged complaints about the Ugly Americans in their midst. "The military chief told me that the villagers had called the military asking to get rid of us because of particular people's attitudes and behavior," he says. "I told the students over and over about the rain and the bugs and the bad food before we left. But it became apparent when we were down there that they were not cut out for [the rain forest]."
As to the quarreling that went on, Carter says, "If people had been respectful toward me, I would have responded with respect. There was one student on the trip who treated me with respect and that person is very happy and satisfied," he adds, in reference to Marlene Bombalier.
The same cannot be said of FIU administrators. "The financial part of this trip is unusual and does raise some questions," comments Art Harriet, the Arts and Sciences dean who oversees environmental studies. "Because normally we would have to review and approve a budget for an independent-study trip, and in this case that didn't happen. In fact, it appears that Professor Carter was not even on the FIU faculty when he took this trip." Harriet says he plans to ask Carter for an accounting of the expedition's finances.
There is also the issue of whether the students will receive course credit for the trip; Carter had assured all four they would be able to get independent-study credit for the experience if they registered and paid for the credits under university guidelines. Only Patrick O'Neill registered for credit before they set off.
"It's hard to say what will happen in terms of credits," says Jack Parker, director of FIU's environmental-studies program. "Because the way independent study works at FIU is that an individual professor agrees to oversee a student's academic research. No one at FIU ever formally approved of anything about this trip. All the university saw, in this case, was that Patrick had registered for independent study with Carter. The problem now is that Carter is no longer a member of the faculty."

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Humminbird PiranhaMax 175 Fishfinder
The Humminbird® PiranhaMax™ 175 Fishfinder boasts a 4" display, 240V x 160H, 16-level grayscale screen. The PiranhaMAX 175 is Dual Beam capable with a power output of 1600 watts PTP and 200 watts RMS. Depth is 600'. Sonar coverage is 16/28 degrees. Standard transducer XNT-9-28-T mounts inside hull or transom. Temperature included.
- 4" Display
- 16-Level grayscale screen, 240V x 160H
- The Humminbird Piranha Max 175 Fishfinder
- Dual Beam capable
- Depth: 600'
- 1600 Watts Peak-to-Peak and 200 watts RMS
- Sonar coverage: 16/28 degrees
Manufacturer model #: 408640-1.
Outdoor Answers
Get help about this item from fellow customers.
Ask your questions. Share your answers.
If hard mount only, any suggestions on a decent portable finder?
as the screen scrolls across the screen, what profile of the bottom is in the screen view?


text:
Enrollment is up. Sales are up. Recruiting is going well. Auburn didn't win the BCS title game, but the Tigers are nonetheless reaping the benefits from the national showcase.
Click here for the original story.
Welcome to SECTalk.com
Welcome to SECTalk.com -- The Home of 6 Straight National Titles! You are currently accessing our site as a guest which means you can't access all of our features such as social groups, sports betting, and many more. By joining our free community you will have access to all of these great features as well as to participating in our forums, contacting other members, and much more. Registration only takes a minute and SECTalk.com is absolutely free, so please join today! If you have any problems registering or signing in, please contact us. |
Latest Topics
Latest News
Top Bettors
Top High Fived
Football and beyond: How Auburn benefitted from BCS run
Started by Spunk, Jan 23 2014 02:03 PM
Posted 23 January 2014 - 02:03 PM
Similar Topics
Irvin to Headline LSU Football Coaches Clinic
Started by SECTalk.com, 02 Mar 2015 In: The West → LSU Sports → LSU News- 0 replies
- 34 views
Two Auburn football players harass veteran and her service dog
Started by Dawgfan4life24, 18 Feb 2015 In: The West → Auburn Sports- Hot 40 replies
- 919 views
Ranking SEC football/basketball coaching tandems
Started by PuddingTime, 17 Feb 2015 In: SEC Sports → SEC Football Talk- Hot 85 replies
- 1,481 views
Jaguars Head Coach Gus Bradley to Speak at Annual Spring Football Clinic
Started by TheRealBrave, 20 Feb 2015 In: The East → Georgia Sports → Georgia News- 0 replies
- 59 views
UT Football Coaching Clinic (April 9-11)
Started by SECTalk.com, 19 Feb 2015 In: The East → Tennessee Sports → Tennessee News- 0 replies
- 63 views


text:
Senior Executive- Design
Software engineer/developer/programmer
HTML/UI Developer
Retail Planner
Responsibilities: Assist the Design Team to execute to Seasonal Concept direction, line plan, design tech packs, completion of product development.
- Assist in R&D of new trends, fabric, print techniques, construction details, trims
- Creating new silhouettes, design details, graphics in line with the inspiration boards
- Prepare Tech packs for product development & communicate with Sourcing, Technical team & vendors
- Assist in reviewing the products in detail & communicating the comments to other teams
- Support design team by preparing necessary visual tools (i.e. sketches, presentation boards, fabric swatches, color standards, etc)
- Assist in the preparation of seasonal product review meetings
- 1 to 2 years experience in Design or product development
- Excellent organizational & verbal communication skills, team player, fast execution, focused
- Background in menswear & knits as well as in fit, fabric development, finishes and construction details
- Creative Skills- an eye for Trends, pattern & color
- Fashion Taste- Ready to wear, Premium, Basic, Chic, Modern, Casual
- Computer skills a must – Adobe Illustrator, Adobe photo shop, MS Office
Location: Gurgaon | Experience : 1-7 YearsTo apply send your resume at firstname.lastname@example.com


text: HomeHydroponicsHydro SystemsYaroots X-Tank 20 Pots MAXI Yaroots X-Tank 20 Pots MAXI 1 Reviews | Add your review PRODUCT CODE: 1229 SHORT DESCRIPTION New! CD-ROM userg guide and assembly now included.The Atami Wilma is an active hydro system offering the precision and control of hydroponic feeding combined with the flexibility of growing in pots. I... The Atami Wilma is an active hydro system offering the precision and control of hydroponic feeding combined with the flexibility of growing in pots. Inspired by drip irrigation the Wilma is the most versatile system on the market. Pots are placed on a support tray that rests on a nutrient tank and periodically nutrient solution is delivered to each plant through a dripper to each pot. So for those of you who chose to grow in pots you can now save yourself hours and hours of work and automate your feeding. If you don't want to grow the number of plants supplied with the system simply remove some of the pots! There is a choice of 5 sizes and each one is supplied with a choice of drippers making them compatible with any media you want to grow in. Why use a Wilma? Effortless setup and automatic feeding saves hours of work. Excellent drainage whatever medium is used. Easy pump access for maintenance and monitoring of nutrient solution. High quality pots are ideal size and reusable. Self-contained system greatly reduces chance of leakage. Comes with a selection of drippers suitable for any medium. New! CD-ROM userg guide and assembly now included. Others formats: Yaroots X-Tank 4 Pots MINI - € 72,19 Yaroots X-Tank 8 Pots MEDIUM - € 116,91 Yaroots X-Tank 10 Pots MEDIUM - € 116,91 Yaroots X-Tank 16 Pots MAXI - € 233,84 Buy Yaroots X-Tank 20 Pots MAXI + Hydrokorrels Clay Pebbles - 8-16mm 45Lt + Mega Pack CELLMAX HYDRO Hydrokorrels Clay Pebbles - 8-16mm 45LtMega Pack CELLMAX HYDRO Specifications Dimensions 122 x109x43 Cm Tank 180 Lt Plants 20 Suggested Growing Media Hydrokorrels Clay Pebbles Ports 20 Manufacturer Yaroots System Dripping Additional items recommended Hydrokorrels Clay Pebbles - 8-16mm 45Lt € 13,18 Mega Pack CELLMAX HYDRO € 62,50 Digital Timer STEP 1min € 15,86 Generic pH- 1L € 6,40 Segmental Timer STEP 15min € 7,32 Easy Kit 600W HPS + SonLight AGRO 600W € 122,47 PH Test Kit Liquid 20ml - PRO € 7,02 Digital Combo Thermo-Hygrometer € 13,91 Reviews Overall opinion Product quality Easy to use Expected results Add your review Alexandru 12/03/2012 "Perfect ++++++++++++++++"


text:
As you probably know, the Motorola XOOM Android 3.0 tablet is shipping without LTE support, but this is coming in about three months by way of a free hardware upgrade.
And to get it, you'll have to ship your XOOM to Motorola.
Here's how it'll work:
Once the LTE upgrade is available, you will request the upgrade and receive a box with which to ship the XOOM to Motorola. Techs on the receiving end will then perform a hardware upgrade, removing a placeholder mini-PCI card inside the XOOM and replacing it with an LTE-compatible wireless modem. The XOOM will then be shipped back to you. The whole process is supposed to take 6 business days.
iFixIt.com has an article on the XOOM's innards which sheds some light on the upgrade process, and Verizon has a page detailing what you should do to get ready for the upgrade before you ship the XOOM off – but you have plenty of time to prepare as the upgrade is not expected to be available until May.


text:
Nashville, TN Optical Care
Bellevue Eyecare Center
If you are looking for quality eye care with a personal touch, visit Bellevue Eyecare Center of Nashville, TN.
Bellevue Eyecare Center's Services Include:
- Comprehensive eye exams
- Treatment of eye disease
- Lasik consultation
- Optical dispensary
- Contact lenses
- Eye glasses frames
Bellevue Eyecare Center's facilities and equipment include Topcon TRC - NW8 digital retinal camera, Topcon Autorefractor - keratometer, Xpert Plus Non - contact Tonometer, and Octopus visual field.
Call Bellevue Eyecare Center today at 615-457-8558 for an appointment. Please click here to learn more about our eye care services.
Hours of Business:
Mon | Thurs: 9am - 6:30pm
Tue | Wed: 9am - 6pm
Friday: 9am - 5pm
Saturday: 9am - 2pm
Methods of Payment:
Cash and Checks


text:
General Forums >> The Lobby >> Thoughts on current events
Thoughts on current events
2650 posts back to top |
Posted about 2 years ago 12/30/12 I was having conversation the other day with a psychologist that was focused on the shootings in Newtown, CT. She is an admitted Liberal and believes in strict gun control and other "Liberal" points of view. I (believe it or not) am more of a Moderate but disagree with her stance on this particular issue. During the discussion I asked her to think back on when we began to see these horrific events happening on, what seems to be, a regular basis. We both agreed that this has been going on since the late '70s / early '80s. It was then that I pointed out to her that this was about the same time that many mental institutions were being forced to close due to a variety of reasons, including inhumane conditions for patients and a new viewpoint was introduced that mental illness can be successfully treated on an outpatient basis. I also pointed out that the homeless population exploded at about the same time. She thought on this for a minute and then said that I had a very interesting point that should be researched. Now, before I get attacked for this, I want to unequivocally state that I am NOT condoning a return to the horrible conditions and treatments that were part of the mental health treatment of that time. I think the current debate should be more focussed on the treatment of mentally ill people rather than on the availability and access to firearms and the Second Amendment. Thoughts? PL MENTORING TEAM MEMBER "Don't underestimate the drawing power of the Garden State." From the film "Dogma" Trying to stay sane in an insane world... |
1075 posts back to top |
| Posted about 2 years ago I do want to say that I myself have had one heck of a time getting my health insurance to cover much related to my daughters depression. They use any excuse to deny any inpatient services. If anything is going to change insurance companies need to acknowledge that mental illness needs to be treated properly. It may be a little off your topic Nick. I feel the truth needs to be told. Mental illness is a real disease. Insurance companies need to pull their heads out of the sand. Real help is needed for people with mental illness. Most people can't afford uncovered medical services. You are definitely correct in assuming that violence has increased due to mentally ill people being forced into the streets. I don't think the deplorable conditions were the way to live either. There has got to be a happy medium. I don't have all the answers but I wish there were better services for my daughter. Thank you for posting this topic. |
2600 posts back to top |
| Posted about 2 years ago 12-30-12 I agree with both of you. About 10 years ago down the street from me a man killed his brother with a bow and arrow just a few days before his wedding. The parents were scared of him but were unable to get him committed. Some people with mental illinesses are dangerous and should not be out in public. It is hard enough for some of us to deal with everyday things. How can we expect someone who is mental not all there to deal with these things. Kristine unless you have been there it is hard for people to understand depression. It is real and hurts everyone envolved. YaYa Sister
8841 posts back to top |
| Posted about 2 years ago When you see cutbacks being done, it is often off the backs of the voiceless. By that I mean the profoundly needy - poor elderly, infirm and children. Folks want to say institutions were closed because community programs 'work better.' That's how the idea was sold anyway. Ship 'em off and med 'em up. Then those programs got cut. It was just easier to do it that way, wasn't it? People look the other way when they see these tragic figures roaming our freezing streets, filthy and humped over in pain. Of course, you don't see the elderly out in our communities in their true numbers. Many of them are despairing behind closed doors. Eating catfood or something. As for the legions of Adam Lanza's knocking around the house, zoned out in cyberspace...I shudder to think. Folks lost their homes, their jobs, their way of life. Talking of depression and anxiety, has anyone done stats linking heart attacks, strokes and diabetes to the mortgage crisis? Joe and Jennie Average are walking wounded at their 9-5. Look at the media fare. If it isn't a shrill Snarkfest, its more CSI corpsework. Meanwhile the kids are brainsplashing the universe in video games. Well, that's the Prozac Nation for you...Or is it? Know what? I was in Smart and Final today. Folks were smiling at each other, filling up their carts with all kinds of party food. It was like the old days before the Long War. Everybody was upbeat. There was joy in the air. Know why? In the back of their minds, they were wondering if we'd make it. They realized we can. They are slapping down the dough. The leftover dough they saved from Christmas. Maybe Prozac Nation is waking up to a new day. I'm glad we're talking about these things again, BigNTS. We have got to get our unified selves together in brotherhood. It's the only way. |
1406 posts back to top |
| Posted about 2 years ago nick, i think you had some valid points in your remarks and the additional comments by our members also, and i will add that the insurance companies are the vilest most contemptable criminal organizations we have created. I have a friend recently, he pays about 600. per month for insurance for himself, he goes to doctors and hospital for heart checkup problems, over ten thousand dollars in bills, insurance only covered 3 hundred and change, for one doctor visit with tests the bill was 6 hundred plus dollars and the insurance co paid him 16 dollars. And shall we look at the poor people who, after hurricaine sandy, were told their insurance did not cover the loss of their homes because of one technicality or another, i have read some of the stories and they are outright criminal. |
8841 posts back to top |
| Posted about 2 years ago Maybe since they are a danger to themselves and others we should commit the insurance companies to mental health institutions for a ninety-day observation. |
2650 posts back to top |
| Posted about 2 years ago MarlyB says ... And there it is...I whole-heartedly agree with you, Marly! PL MENTORING TEAM MEMBER "Don't underestimate the drawing power of the Garden State." From the film "Dogma" Trying to stay sane in an insane world... |
6079 posts back to top |
| Posted about 2 years ago In Colorado any police officer or doctor has the authority by statute to committ any person who is a danger to themselves or others. The have to be held in a mental health facility on a 72 hour hold for evaluation. Problem is after the 72 hour hold is up it is the descretion of the mantal health facility to either hold or release. I cannot tell you the number of times I have committed someone, and went back to thier residence four days later and found that they had committed suicide. Very depressing. The mental health community must do a better job at evaluating these people. They are screaming for help and not getting it. |
1004 posts back to top |
| Posted about 2 years ago I think that all we need to do is Pray oh wait that is not allowed anymore maybe we need to spank the bad kids oh wait that is not allowed anymore maybe we n eed to put crazy people somewere that they have a structed life oh wait were not allowed to do that anymore maybe we should oh never mind they will say we cant do that either |
1280 posts back to top |
| Posted about 2 years ago All you have to do is look at the PL news and realize that, in addition to being shot, there are numerous victims who are stabbed, bitten, pushed onto subway tracks, set on fire, etc. Absolute and perfect gun control would have no effect on these, no sulotion as long as you focus on tools not tool weilders. |
664 posts back to top |
| Posted about 2 years ago Bump, Cedardale. |
Anonymous 0 posts back to top |
| Posted about 2 years ago Bump ALL! Nick, great forum topic! |
2650 posts back to top |
| Posted about 2 years ago snhadley says ... Thanks, Steve. It grew legs better than I thought it would. PL MENTORING TEAM MEMBER "Don't underestimate the drawing power of the Garden State." From the film "Dogma" Trying to stay sane in an insane world... |
6052 posts back to top |
| Posted about 2 years ago There are many elements that make up the "why's" as to the seeming increase in Sandy Hook-type incidences. Mental illness plays into the entire picture. As well as substandard insurance benefits, the removal of controls at schools, increasing apathy, people looking out only for themselves, and general angst in America. I am sorry to say, our current Washington agenda is not working. Check this out for an interesting statistic. There are 5 billion cellphones in the world. There are 6.9 billion people on earth. Like TV's, everyone has one. But when will people 'buy' the idea of public safety other than for themselves? TV, the internet and violent video games til the soil. Lack of parental oversight at home fertilize fantasies. Opportunity then provides the act. Whether it is a school (even an Amish school in 2006), a theatre, or mall, a church, a post office, a military base or any other place, violence can happen. And it has happened. School shootings have been going on since the 1800's. But the ability to make it a global event is recent. For someone who wants to go out in a ball of fire, media has made this all too easy. Gun control? There are guns out there older than the people using them. Are there hundreds of millions of guns out there? How is this: School adminstrations expelled 3,500 kids for bringing a firearm to school (1998-1999). It's a big topic, Nick. Your point is valid. |
2650 posts back to top |
| Posted about 2 years ago TheSarge says ... That is a scary stat, Sarge. PL MENTORING TEAM MEMBER "Don't underestimate the drawing power of the Garden State." From the film "Dogma" Trying to stay sane in an insane world... |
6052 posts back to top |
| Posted about 2 years ago Affirm. But we don't hear about that kind of stuff. We just get feed what will bring in the advertising dollars and the viewership. Hey, does any know of an excellent and totally reliable news site (internet) or newspaper in the U.S.? I had heard many years ago that the Christian Science Monitor was reliable but I never followed up on it. I have an app called Zite. It seems ok. I keep tabs on Fox News but I take it was a small grain. |
8841 posts back to top |
| Posted about 2 years ago Sarge where did you get that expulsion stat? Also, I heard another downplayed stat is the middle-school and high-school suicide rate.You might be surprised what you find out about your local schools stats on self-murder. If you can. Hazing. Used to be kids hazed each other in person. Maybe they passed notes. Now kids have added cel phones and social websites to their torture arsenal. Glory-Seeking. A normal behavior, all screwed up. A healthy outlook among adolescent boys used to mean knowing you could defend yourself with your fists. A lot got settled that way. Often the combatants became friends. In any case, a fist-fight was a rite of passage. Nowadays most boys couldn't fight their way out of a wet paper bag. So they stew. Now glory means how many video surrogates you can brainsplash, including sexy female enemies. Boys lean on the controls like Pavlov dogs until they are mentally and emotionally spent. Competency in outdoorsman skills, a natural outlet, has also nearly vanished as a rite of passage. In single parent households, many boys are trying to become men in a total vacuum. They are trying to figure it out on their laptops. And...Yes, sob, the Christian Science Monitor is but a shadow of its former online self. I used to read it all the time. |


text:
Kernel 2.6.25: 64 Bit Systems At Risk
The changelog for kernel 220.127.116.11 includes just a single entry, however, it seems to be so important that the Kernel Stable Team urgently advises users to upgrade the kernel on 64 bit multiple user systems.
The patch by Geman developer Michael Karcher remove an issue in the local descriptor table (ldt) on x86_64 systems. Details of the bug have not yet been disclosed. In his release announcement Greg Kroah-Hartman writes that systems with unrestricted user accounts should definitely be updated. It can be assumed that logged in users are able to escalate their privileges thanks to the bug.
A couple of days ago, the kernel 188.8.131.52 release removed two vulnerabilities both of which affected the x86_64 platform. The first bug affected several drivers and could be exploited to run arbitrary code, or crash the kernel. The second bug affected the "sys32_ptrace()" function in "arch/x86/kernel/ptrace.c" and could cause an overflow of the "refcount" field in the "task_struct" structure, thus causing a number of system errors.
The bugs affect all 2.6.25 series kernels. The kernel development team urgently advises users to install patches.
Issue 173/2015
Buy this issue as a PDF
Old Vulnerabilities Are Kept Alive Through Bad Configuration
HP's annual Cyber Risk report offers a bleak look at the state of IT.
Linus Torvalds Announces Linux 4.0
But what do the big numbers really mean?
Microsoft Frees CoreCLR
.NET Core execution engine is the basis for cross-platform .NET implementations.
New Trojan Attacks Linux Servers
The Xnote trojan hides itself on the target system and will launch a variety of attacks on command.
Cisco Releases Annual Security Report
Spammers go low-volume, and 90% of IE browsers are unpatched.
Zero Day Exploits Target Flash
Adobe scrambles to release patches for vulnerable Flash Player.
Intel Unveils Compute Stick
Four-inch-long computer on a stick lets you boot a full Linux system from any HDMI display device.
Obama Proposes Personal Data Notification Law
New statute would require companies to report break-ins to consumers.
TGXf Project Warns of File Transfer through Screen Pixels
Weird data transfer technique avoids all standard security measures.
Industry Giants Announce a Fix for the Password Mess
FIDO alliance declares the beginning of the end for old-style login authentication.


text:
Shower Enclosures
With it being one of the most used areas of your home, you want your bathroom to be just right. Look no further than BathEmpire for an extensive range of contemporary Shower Enclosures in a variety of styles, including Quadrant, Sliding Door, and Wet Room Enclosures. These enclosures are kept in our vast, fully-stocked UK warehouse, meaning you won't ever suffer the frustration of not getting what you want when you come to us!
As we manufacture each BathEmpire shower enclosures from the finest materials available, you can be sure that your shower cubicle will stand the test of time. All our shower enclosures feature tempered safety glass that more than meets BS6206 standards, and our shower cubicles have a chrome encasing or twin roller design. This means that your glass is fully supported, and will not wobble or come off its runners during use.
Shower Cubicles
Whatever look you are going for in your bathroom, be it modern or traditional, rest assured at BathEmpire we stock the widest range of shower enclosures to suit both your style and budget.
We have quadrant shower enclosures, sliding door shower enclosures, walk-in shower enclosures, pivot shower enclosures, and a bi-fold shower enclosure range as well as fittings for wet rooms.
Regardless of which range of shower cubicle you buy from us, all our shower screens receive a free 10 Year Warranty. Covering our products for a decade demonstrates our commitment to you as to the superlative quality of our shower cubicles. Why plump for an inferior product that will cause you untold hassle when you get the very best from us?
BathEmpire Guarantees
Order now online or over the phone to get Free or Next Day Delivery on your shower cubicle. Call our dedicated Customer Care team on our free phone lines here to deal with any product or payment enquiry you may have. We are available 7 days a week at 8:30am-9pm Monday-Thursday, 8:30am-5:30pm Friday, 9am-5:30pm Saturday and 10am-4pm Sunday for your convenience. When you buy shower cubicles from BathEmpire, you receive a huge 10 Year Warranty for your peace of mind. Look no further for your perfect shower enclosures!


text:
Current Time
Salzburg restaurants
No city cooks up more assured Austrian signature dishes than Salzburg (even the schnitzel tastes delicate here) or offers such historic dining settings, from medieval abbeys to beamed cafés. But the city is also slowly updating its traditional repertoire, and a new wave of restaurants is recognizing the beauty of the seasonal Austrian larder and tweaking tradition with cleaner, contemporary renditions of classic dishes.
Austrians are mad for coffee, of course, and this Belle Époque institution is a fine place to join them. Try a slice of Sacher-Torte, a traditional...more
A local landmark since 1705 and the oldest café in town: Young Mozart was a regular. Come here for tea, coffee, ice cream, people-watching, and most of...more
If you're craving Italian food, look no further than the wine cellar at Hotel Elefant. Tucked away downstairs, Cantinetta Marchese serves authentic delights...more
The Hohensalzburg Fortress's former outdoor dining area with its beer tables and benches has been spruced up into an echt restaurant serving the Austrian canon;...more
More informal than its sibling restaurant at the Goldener Hirsch, this folkish dining room is situated right next door to the hotel, with its own entrance. The...more
Claiming to be Europe's oldest restaurant (established in the year 800), this local landmark—part of a sprawling Benedictine abbey in the middle of the...more


text:
Hardware news tagged Kilimanjaro
Saturday, February 16, 2013
OCZ Technology Will Continue to Use Third-Party SSD Controllers.
[4:19 am]
OCZ: Our Next-Generation Own-Brand Controller to Be Enterprise-Focused
Thursday, May 31, 2012
OCZ to Showcase Enterprise-Class Everest 2, Kilimanjaro-Based SSDs, Thunderbolt SSD Next Week.
[9:36 pm]
OCZ to Demo New Consumer, Enterprise Solid-State Drives at Computex Taipei 2012
Thursday, April 12, 2012
OCZ Works with Marvell on Its Solid-State Drive Controllers.
[5:28 pm]
OCZ's Indilinx Everest Controllers - Rebranded Marvell Chips


text:
Spartans Return from NCAA Outdoor Championship
In a sport like track and field, you win some and you lose some. In a place like Eugene, Ore., home of this year's NCAA Outdoor Championship, it is hard to not go in with high expectations.
Michigan State track and field saw five of their top athletes take on the nation's best this past week at the Outdoor Championship. Junior Leah O'Connor was the star of the week, with a well-planned first place finish in the 3,000m steeplechase on Friday. Since her last visit to Eugene for the 2013 Outdoor Championship, she has made it her goal to stand on the podium and take part in the "victory lap" tradition.


text:
19541 Players currently online!
Man vs. Machine - good luck!
Turn-based games at any time!
Vote for the best move to win!
Do you have what it takes?
Sharpen your tactical vision!
Get advice and game insights!
Learn from top players & pros!
View millions of master games!
Your virtual chess coach!
Perfect your opening moves!
Test your skills vs. computer!
Find the right private coach!
Can you solve it each day?
Bring it all together!
Beginners, start here!
Make friends & play team games!
News from the world of chess!
Search all Chess.com members!
Find local clubs & events!
Who's the best of your friends?
Read what members are saying!
Melbourne, Australia
Hi, I am a 40 year old male and have loved chess since I was a kid. I have joined this site to browse the forums and read the great articles here. Most of my time is spent playing Chessmaster and using Komodo 5 / Stockfish DD on Arena 3.5. I am also completing an in depth study of the chess skill of M.Carlsen and R.Fischer using Stockfish. There must be the secret to their talent in there somewhere...
We are working hard to make Chess.com available in over 70 languages. Check back over the year as we develop the technology to add more, and we will try our best to notify you when your language is ready for translating!


text:
Washington, D.C. – Nevada Senator Harry Reid issued the following statement after Nevada's unemployment rate dropped to 13 percent in November:
"While I'm encouraged that Nevada's unemployment rate has slightly decreased, far too many workers in our state remain out of work and struggling to put food on the table. We must continue our focus on creating jobs and getting our economy growing again. The last thing Nevadans need is a thousand-dollar tax hike beginning January 1st, which is why House Republicans should support the bipartisan compromise that overwhelmingly passed the Senate two days ago. It's long past time for Republicans to put politics aside to help middle-class Nevadans get back on their feet."


text:
Distilling spirits is as much the art of preparing the fermented wash to distill as it is the actual distilling. These recipes were prepared so that the beginning distiller can have early success in producing quality spirits. These recipes are for 5 gallons of fermented wash and the ingredients can be adjusted proportionally for greater or lesser quantities. You will need a large stock pot and a fermentation vessel large enough for the batch you wish to produce. Equipment used for home brewing beer is typical.
Rum is usually the spirit first recommended to the new distiller. It is the easiest to produce with ingredients locally available to everyone. Rum is the distilled fermentation of molasses. Molasses is the by product of refining sugar cane into white granulated sugar. Molasses still contains sugar ranging from 40% sugar content in blackstrap molasses to as high as 55% in light table molasses. While it can be argued that the best rum comes from a fermentation of pure table molasses and water, the quantity of molasses required for such becomes very expensive for the hobby distiller. Brown sugar is white sugar with a coating of molasses (use only "Cane" sugar, if the package doesn't say "Cane Sugar" then it is beet sugar). Brown sugar (use the dark variety) can produce very tasty rum at far less expense than using pure molasses. Be aware that we are using two pounds of brown sugar per gallon. If you have access to reasonable cost unsulphered table molasses the recipe could be altered to substitute two 12 oz jars of molasses per pound of the sugar. Do not use more than three 12 oz jars of molasses per gallon as the osmotic pressure due to the density of molasses will be too high for fermentation. One could also use a combination of white granulated sugar and table molasses (say 10 jars of molasses and 5 pounds of white sugar).
10 lbs of pure cane dark brown sugar
4 gallons (approximate) of prepared water (see other distilling information)
1 sacket of Gert Strand Rum Yeast (for substitution see other distilling information)
Heat 2 to 3 gallons of the water to approximately 130 F (hot enough to dissolve the sugar but not boiling) in a large stock pot. Dissolve the brown sugar in the water. Pour the sugar water into your fermentation vessel. Top off with cool water to a total volume of 5 gallons. Let cool to 80 F. Sprinkle yeast across surface, allow to stand for 15 – 20 minutes and then stir in. Ferment for 5 to 7 days (as long as fermentation continues). Siphon into your still boiler keeping as much of the yeast sediment from entering the still as possible. Distill per still instructions. Age for 30 days at distilled strength shaking once a day. Dilute with aerated distilled water to 80 proof. Enjoy!
Easy Bourbon Recipe
Bourbon is made from the fermented mash of corn with the remainder being malted barley and other fermentables. Commercial distilleries use sophisticated procedures and chemical enzymes to convert the starches in the grains to fermentable sugars. This recipe utilizes easily obtainable Beano tablets as the enzyme and then makes up for the relative inefficiency by using sugar as an additional fermentable to boost the alcohol production.
4 lbs corn meal (grocery store grade)
3.3 lb can of unhopped malt extract syrup
5 lbs of pure cane sugar (if it doesn't say "cane" then it is beet sugar)
3 crushed Beano tablets
1 sacket Gert Strand Prestige Whisky Yeast w/AG (substitution not recommended)
12 toasted oak chips (for aging)
Procedure Overview:
Heat 2 to 3 gallons of the water to approximately 200 F (just shy of boiling). Stir in the corn meal and stir. Dissolve the sugar and malt syrup in the corn meal/water porridge. Pour the mash into your fermentation vessel. Top off with cool water to just over 5 gallons. Check temperature. Stir in and dissolve crushed Beano tablets when temperature has cooled to at least no higher than 110 F. Let cool to 80 F. Toss yeast per directions on package and ferment for a week or longer till fermentation is completed. Strain mash into the still boiler using a large straining bag or clean white pillow case. Distill per instructions provided with the still. Age at distilled strength with the oak chips for 30 days or longer shaking once daily. Strain off oak chips and dilute with aerated distilled water to 80 proof. Enjoy!
Equipment: Fermenting a mash or wash for distilling requires the same type of equipment used for home brewing beer. Sanitation practices will also be the same. You will need a large stock pot, a fermentation bucket (preferably with an air lock), a thermometer, a large straining bag (a clean white pillow case will substitute), and at least one gallon jug (for aging). You will also find it very helpful to obtain an alcoholmeter. An alcoholmeter is very similar to a hydrometer in that it floats in a tall slim test jar. It measures proof or alcohol percentage. Alcoholmeters can be obtained mail order off the internet from the same shops that sell turbo yeasts (just Google it).
Water: The quality of your water is important to making good spirits. The water should be clean, chlorine free (chlorine can kill yeast), ideally have some calcium content (but devoid of iron content) and be approximately 5.5 to 6 on a PH scale (just slightly acid).
Chlorine can be removed by boiling but boiling also removes the necessary oxygen that the yeast needs initially. Boiled water will need aeration prior to pitching yeast.
PH can be measured and adjusted with supplies purchased from a homebrew shop. If you want to proceed without actually measuring the PH most municipal water supplies and bottled store water have a neutral PH of 7 to 8. Add ¼ tsp of lemon juice per gallon and then your water will likely be in the ballpark. Calcium content can be increased by adding 1/8 tsp of gypsum per gallon. Aeration can be accomplished by filling a sealable container half full with your water and shaking it vigorously for 60 seconds. Aeration can also be done with an aquarium air pump used with new clean tubing and a new clean bubbler stone. Pump bubbles through your water, wash or mash for 20 minutes.
Yeast: Different yeasts can be used successfully. Bread yeast does work but it will die at only 8-9% alcohol and settles out poorly. Turbo yeasts already include the nutrients (no additional nutrients required) that aid in fermentation and can be used with most any type of spirit. Gert Strand Prestige turbo yeasts are perhaps the best known and are of high quality. They also have specific yeasts for each of whiskey, rum, and fruit fermentations. Generic distillers yeast works well in any grain mash but requires added nutrients in sugar type mashes. Wine yeast is often obtainable rather economically (try Lalvin EC-118) and will also require added nutrients in sugar mashes. Wine yeasts are sold in small sackets so you will need one for every 2 gallons of wash. Homebrew beer yeasts can be used for grain mashes but they are typically not used very often for distilling purposes as they are limited to about 10% alcohol fermentations and develop flavor profiles which are suitable usually just for whiskey. For yeast nutrients you will find that homebrew and wine making shops sell a variety. You will need one that includes both vitamins/minerals and DAP (diammonium phosphate) or buy the two separately. If nothing else is available to you at least throw a few raisins into your wash to add nutrients. Grain mashes typically require little added nutrients.
Fermentation Temperature: Yeast works in a very narrow temperature range. Most all yeasts will die at high temperatures (above 85 F) and work very slowly (if at all) at low temperatures (below 65 F). Keep your ferment around normal room temperature (70 to 74 F) for optimum results. Be aware that the fermentation process itself generates some heat particularly with large batches. It may be necessary to keep your fermentation vessel in a cooler place than your desired temperature especially for the first few days.
Fermentation Time: Complete fermentation can take from 5 days to two weeks depending on the ingredients, the yeast being used, and the temperature of the fermentation. Rigorous fermentation will be obvious during the 2nd and 3rd days after tossing your yeast but will become much more subtle after that. The best way to tell when fermentation has ceased is to use a fermentation vessel with an air lock. That way you will see when the air lock stops bubbling entirely. Generally speaking it is OK to leave a wash sealed in the fermentation vessel for an extra day or two if needed before you distill.


text:
Don't Miss
- This driver helps rookie truckers learn the ropes
- Home-schooling in a truck means the country is a classroom
- This driver sees the world through Google Glass
- A career trucker brings his tales of the road to people in hospice
- How driver Paul Sedlak finds motivation to reach his fitness goals
- I Love Trucking: More than a job, driving is a way of life
- Big Rig Books: Driver delivers books to underprivileged kids
- Driver Chris Jackson captures moments of beauty on the road
- Trucking Couple: Why June & David got hitched
- Owner-operator Fritz Elmhorst puts his competitiveness to good use
All posts tagged "tire pressure"
- Understand what you'll get from the latest technology
This is the information age, and the trucking industry is seeing the benefits of advanced technology. Drivers and fleets can optimize miles per gallon, control operating costs and maximize uptime thanks to all sorts of devices now...
- Posted March 5, 2013
- Truck Tires and Gauges
I've been using a stick truck tire gauge for as long as I've been trucking. However, I've never given much thought to how they function.
- Posted September 15, 2010


text:
Faux backsplash ideas?
Taylor CFebruary 24, 2013
I am renting an apartment and love the kitchen space but not the decor. I have decided I can deal with the dated wallpaper but would love to update the counters, backsplash and doorways if possible. Options that are easily removed or temporary are ideal. Any input would be a HUGE help!
my choice would be to paint over the wallpaper and leave the woodtrim as is,or put up new wall paper easier to do than sanding and painting (i think) and for the backsplash there are lots of options too,would the owner be prepared to help out with the changes you are making or is it all your own budget?
For the backsplash have you thought about those faux tin panels you can get at Home Depot or Lowe's? I think I would check into that if I were you. Because they are lightweight, you could probably attach them using double faced tape and they come in a lot of different nice colors.
Kalyana White
For an affordable option, we used beadboard for a backsplash and it looks great! It comes in 4' sections at Lowe's for about $20, primed and ready to paint. You could attach it with adhesive and put some quarter round trim at the top and bottom. Use semi-gloss white trim paint, and that makes it really easy to wipe clean.
Here's an idea:
Here's an idea:
Denice Shuty
Temporary wallpaper - many companies have online catalogs, just google it.


text:
RIKON Benchtop Bandsaw Now $229.99
Add a great bandsaw to even the smallest shop! Buy Now & Save $60
New SawStop Jobsite Saw!
Get the safety of a SawStop wherever the job takes you. Learn More!
HTC-2000 Mobile Base Now $49.99
Put your shop on wheels! Save $20
Look up product instructions, videos and articles about your favorite tools using our Learning Center.
Join us on your favorite social network! Share your projects and learn from other woodworkers.
Please Note: This item can only be shipped ground to the 48 contiguous states. Some items cannot be shipped via air due to being flammable, magnetic, contains batteries, hazardous fumes or where contents are under pressure. Please use a physical address not a PO Box during checkout.
(12 reviews)
Product Information:
(based on 12 reviews)
of respondents would recommend this to a friend.
Best Uses
Displaying reviews 1 - 10
Back to top
| Next »
Great product, works smoothly
By Ontario HS Woodshop Teacher
from Ontario, Ca.
About Me Professional
Comments about WoodRiver Large End Vise Slide :
I turned vise this on its side and used it as a Wagon Wheel Vise, then added a 6"x6" plate to make it even WIDER!
Not worth your time.
By Alex M.
from Kansas City
About Me Avid Do-It-Yourselfer
This design was not well thought out at all. The bolt hole on the left side makes it impossible to install for left-handed use without additional machining (despite the customer service rep's claim to the contrary before I bought it). The top plate was countersunk on the wrong side. If your time is worth anything to you, pay the extra for a quality alternative.
Large Tail Vise - Challenging Install
By Davethewoodworker
from Southeast Missouri
Although I am happy with the price of the vise, I would probably spend more money for a different one if I had it to do over again. The top guide plate was badly bowed, but Woodcraft promptly replaced it for me. When I tried to install the two guide plates, I found the bolt holes did not line up and I had to enlarge one of the holes. The two screw holes for the top guide plate were countersunk on the wrong side, so I had to do some machining on them. Building and installing the vise was very time consuming and anyone trying to do this without a drill press will find it very difficult. After all the work , it turned out OK and will serve the purpose I bought it for.
With this vise your on your own!
By Andrew
from Staten Island, NY
This product arrived with absolutely NO instructions, no screws #8 countersink screws and the design leaves alot to be desired. I had to weld cross peices to the outer guides to (a) keep them square and (b) act as an attachment point other than the 2 pre-drilled they give you only in the top guide
Good vice
By Richard
from Ky
About Me Casual Do-It-Yourselfer
Not a simple install, but worth it
By Holmslice
from Cincinnati, OH
The vise is not easy to install, and the #16 screws is suggests aren't available at the typical big bix stores, but it is very nice after it is installed. I would plan to spend about 6-8 man-hours installing it over the course of a couple days.
Why no Screws?
By Rohcna
from Minneapolis, MN.
It works nicely but it lacks basic install instructions and NO SCREWS! and the screws are hard to come by.. special order in a standard hardware store and you wont find em in the big box do it yourselfer stores at all.
End Vise - disapointing
By Chiseler
from Northern Wisconsin
First off it came with bent bolts which were promptly replaced by Woodcraft. (Thanks). Second I had to reface the part which has the female threads in it. My friend had purchased one several years ago from Woodcraft and the same vise was made in Germany and reflected Quality. Now this one is a Chinese "knock off" which they apparently copied and it is definetly not the same quality for sure. (We compared them).
Solid, nicely finished hardware
By Dave
from New Zealand
Haven't yet added to the bench I'm building, but it appears that it will be the foundation of a solid tail vise.
Nice vise
By cliff
from Las Vegas
This would have been better if they would have included the #16 screws. These are diffucult to find.


text:
hooray for the Gayest night on tv (besides monday night football) | 9:38 pm | 5 June 2005
the Tonies! Yay. Questions:
- Why is this little annoying queen talentless hack thinking when he's impersonating this even more annoying, overrated queen?
- "Who's this moistened bint with a cup in her hand?," asks Russ…
- of COURSE it's a METAPHOR, is there really anyone yet who hasn't read The DaVinci Code?
- STROBE! damned seizures
- "Find your grail. With Miller High Life, the Champagne of Beers." -Russ
- Oh, Kathleen Turner, your plastic surgeon is not your friend. That's a shame.
- Notable: first, hopefully last, winner thanks "god"
- What is UP with that fucking TIAA/Cref ad? It's all about selling health insurance, but if they knew where the song came from — DUDE, THEY DIED. And sing the damned song right, anway. OMFG!!!! Hugh Jackman is FUCKING SINGING IT. RIGHT NOW. How the hell much did they pay for THAT?!
- Speaking of ads, can there be more? Starting with a 20 minute TiVo buffer, plus 30 minutes for dinner… and we're out of buffer. Jeeeebus.
- Suppose I was a Bee. A Gay Bee… or, Tevye…
- SEVEN MINUTES of commercials? Oy.
- and finally: How do you win best musical but none of the rest of what you've been nominated for, and how do you win best musical, the grand finale of the night, but get orchestraed off in fifteen seconds?
Overall, though, this was way more fun than the Oscars; better writing, better performances, and just way, way happier. One thing that would be great, is if in addition to all the musical numbers, they featured scenes from all the nominated plays.


text:
Cramer's 'Mad Money' Recap: The New Reality
Search Jim Cramer's "Mad Money" trading recommendations using our exclusive "Mad Money" Stock Screener.
NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- Don't get used to today, Jim Cramer warned his "Mad Money" viewers Tuesday as he opined on the first up day the markets have seen in a while.
Cramer said the bulls won't come out in force until they see that good news isn't sending interest rates up sharply, and that isn't happening quite yet.
Cramer explained that for years the markets have grown accustomed to a Federal Reserve that was determined to keep interest rates low so our economy could recover. But with so many data points like new home sales and consumer confidence picking up steam, the Fed can no longer afford to keep rates near zero.
But investors aren't prepared for this new reality, said Cramer, as many are still invested in the wrong types of stocks and are simply waiting for any strength as an opportunity to sell. This trend will continue until good news doesn't immediately send interest rates sharply higher, as they did today. So while the markets may have looked strong at today's close, there were still several times throughout the day that they were on the cusp of breaking down, Cramer cautioned. That's why investors need to remain vigilant and keep one eye on interest rates and the other looking for bargains in stocks.Invest in America: DuPont
Continuing with his "Invest in America" series, Cramer spoke with Ellen Kullman, chair and CEO of DuPont (DD - Get Report), the chemical producer that's transforming itself from a commodity player to a specialized solutions provider. Kullman said she was visiting DuPont's latest global innovation center, the company's twelfth such location that is committed to connecting DuPont's 10,000 engineers directly to their customers. She said DuPont continues to invest heavily in research and development and their focus on the customer is the engine that continues to drive growth. With so many lofty goals including energy, safety and health, Kullman said that DuPont's approach to integrated science helps the company stay diversified. For example, she said DuPont's research in enzymes has allowed it to develop everything from stain removers to ethanol to bio-plastics. One area of research has a wide range of end markets, she said, which is why enzymes alone will account for $1 billion in revenue for DuPont.Check Out Our Best Services for Investors
Action Alerts PLUS
Portfolio Manager Jim Cramer and Director of Research Jack Mohr reveal their investment tactics while giving advanced notice before every trade.
Product Features:
- $2.5+ million portfolio
- Large-cap and dividend focus
- Intraday trade alerts from Cramer
Quant Ratings
Access the tool that DOMINATES the Russell 2000 and the S&P 500.
Product Features:
- Buy, hold, or sell recommendations for over 4,300 stocks
- Unlimited research reports on your favorite stocks
- A custom stock screener
Stocks Under $10
David Peltier uncovers low dollar stocks with serious upside potential that are flying under Wall Street's radar.
Product Features:
- Model portfolio
- Stocks trading below $10
- Intraday trade alerts
Check Out Our Best Services for Investors
Dividend Stock Advisor
David Peltier identifies the best of breed dividend stocks that will pay a reliable AND significant income stream.
Product Features:
- Diversified model portfolio of dividend stocks
- Updates with exact steps to take - BUY, HOLD, SELL
Trifecta Stocks
Every recommendation goes through 3 layers of intense scrutinyquantitative, fundamental and technical analysisto maximize profit potential and minimize risk.
Product Features:
- Model Portfolio
- Intra Day Trade alerts
- Access to Quant Ratings
Options Profits
Our options trading pros provide over 100 monthly option trading ideas and strategies to help you become a well-seasoned trader.
Product Features:
- Actionable options commentary and news
- Real-time trading community


text:
Heart attack at six metresAn English woman in Queensland was saved by a holidaymaking doctor and nurse after suffering a heart attack at six metres while scuba diving off the Whitsunday Islands. She had rapid attention and CPR from them on board the dive boat. Rescue doctor Fran Kinnear said the heart attack was a result of pressure changes while diving. The decompression injury resulted in a number of neurological effects to the patient including temporary blindness. Article reprints or information email firstname.lastname@example.com |
News ArchiveRelated Products |
The Magazine |