Latest news with #DeepThought
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Milwaukee abandoned boat 'Deep Thought' sold to familiar face
The Brief Milwaukee County launched an auction for the abandoned boat "Deep Thought." The winning bid came from the owner of All City Towing, the business that successfully removed the boat from the lakefront. The county hoped to raise around $20,000 but fell well short fo that goal. MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee County Parks launched an online auction for "Deep Thought," the boat abandoned at the lakefront – and it sold Tuesday to a familiar face. Local perspective The auction went live on July 22 and closed just after noon on Tuesday, Aug. 5. County Supervisor Sheldon Wasserman announced the winner with a bid of $2,525 – far short of the county's goal. FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android That bid came from Jeff Piller, the owner of All City Towing, the business that successfully removed the boat from the lakefront. He plans to sell pieces of the boat to fuel charitable efforts. "Have you ever had something when you're cleaning out your house and you just can't throw it away, or you can't let it go?" he said. "I think my staff and I, and everyone involved, has really grown to love it. And we want to keep doing good stuff with it." Piller encouraged local charities that hold auctions to reach out and collaborate on "some nice pieces of artwork" that could be be of interest to bar owners and other local spaces. "It's gonna be very labor-intensive, and a lot of time to be able to make this into good charitable pieces, and we may even sell some small pieces to help pay for the labor of getting rid of the boat," Piller said. Online auction What's next The boat will be sold as-is with no minimum bid required. Milwaukee County Parks is now working with the Milwaukee County Department of Transportation Fleet team, the auction platform provider, to verify details of the bid and confirm payment. SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News While no certificate of title exists, the Milwaukee County Office of Corporation Counsel has created a process for transferring ownership legally and appropriately. The winner, in this case Piller, is responsible for transportation and removal – something his business is all too familiar with. Auction coming up short By the numbers The county hoped to raise around $20,000 to recover some costs of the boat's removal. Leaders hoped the excitement that surrounded the vessel would carry over to the auction, only to see those hopes sink. Despite slow bidding, the county stuck with its plan to sell the 75,000-pound boat (in full size) hoping someone would come along with a higher bid to give Deep Thought a second life. Removal costs Dig deeper Wasserman, chair of the Milwaukee County Parks and Culture Committee, said it cost Milwaukee County $50,000 to finally free the boat. Some donations covered $30,000 of that, but as for the remaining balance? "I hate saying it, but taxpayers are going to have to pay this bill," he said Friday. "I got senior centers that are falling apart, so $20,000 – it does make a difference." The Source FOX6 News interviewed Wasserman and referenced prior coverage related to the boat, its removal and the auction. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Milwaukee abandoned boat 'Deep Thought' auction, bids fall short
The Brief Milwaukee County launched an auction for the abandoned boat "Deep Thought." The county hoped to recoup $20,000 of the vessel's removal costs. With the auction nearly closed, bids have fallen far short of expectations. MILWAUKEE - If you thought the saga of "Deep Thought" was over, think again. Milwaukee County launched an auction for the infamous abandoned boat last week in hopes of recouping some of the money spent on its removal, but the bidding has not drawn nearly as much interest as the boat itself once did. FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android 'Memory in Milwaukee' The backstory It was a moment that made Milwaukee history. Deep Thought spent seven months abandoned at the lakefront between Bradford and McKinley beaches until a towing crew finally freed it in May. "It's good that it's gone, but at the same time it's part of a memory in Milwaukee," said Supervisor Sheldon Wasserman, chair of the Milwaukee County Parks and Culture Committee. Auction coming up short By the numbers The county hoped to raise around $20,000 to recover some costs of the boat's removal. Leaders hoped the insane excitement that surrounded the vessel would carry over to the auction, only to see those hopes sink. "Unless some miracle happens, we are at $1,125 – far smaller than we ever expected," Wasserman said. SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News Despite slow bidding, the county is still sticking with its plan to sell the 75,000-pound boat (in full size) hoping someone will come along with a higher bid to give Deep Thought a second life. Removal costs What's next Wasserman said it cost Milwaukee County $50,000 to finally free the boat. Some donations covered $30,000 of that, but as for the remaining balance? "I hate saying it, but taxpayers are going to have to pay this bill," he said. "I got senior centers that are falling apart, so $20,000 – it does make a difference." Why not stick the boat's owners with the bill? Wasserman said Milwaukee County's attorney decided the legal costs to go after the owners would cost even more money. It's now up to the bidders until Tuesday, when the auction closes. "We want to to sell it as is, and the buyer can do whatever they want. So if the buyer gets this, they could chop it up, they could sell it, they pay their costs," said Wasserman. The Source FOX6 News interviewed Wasserman and referenced prior coverage related to the boat, its removal and the auction. Solve the daily Crossword
The National
13-06-2025
- Business
- The National
Should a supercomputer be a top priority amid a housing crisis?
At a very rough and admittedly simplistic calculation – and assuming you could build a decent flat for, say, £100,000 – the almost £1 billion price tag for the supercomputer could have been used to build around 10,000 homes. Politics is all about priorities and supercomputers seem these days to come before homes for our nation's homeless weans. More than 10,000 of them languish in so-call temporary accommodation today and will continue to do so every day for the foreseeable future. READ MORE: 5 things Scots should know from Rachel Reeves' spending review After the announcement I watched a TV interview with a suitably enthusiastic academic from the university who singularly failed to explain the actual (not theoretical) benefits of the supercomputer. In the meantime, Peter Mathieson, principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, took to the press to say the supercomputer investment will have a 'transformative impact on the UK'. He went on to say 'This significant investment will have a profoundly positive impact on the UK's global standing'. Is this whole project primarily about 'the UK's global academic standing'? I am reminded of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a comedy science-fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. The number 42 is especially significant to its many fans because that number is the answer given by a supercomputer called Deep Thought which takes 7.5 million years to finally answer the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything. Perhaps The National could devote some column inches to an article from the university to inform us of the real – not theoretical – benefits of this massively expensive project and explain why it is at the top of the political agenda. Will it be obsolete before it is even switched on? READ MORE: Scottish Government 'short-changed by £1bn by Rachel Reeves' I am sure the academics of Edinburgh University will enjoy their new toy when it eventually does come online. The homeless of weans of Scotland less so. In sharp contrast, on March 28 2021 the then education secretary John Swinney said: 'If we are re-elected in May, the SNP will roll out a new programme to deliver into the hands of every school child in Scotland a laptop, Chromebook or tablet to use in school and at home. It will come with a free internet connection and full technical support. It will be updated when necessary, replaced when needed and upgraded as technology improves. As a child moves through their school life, it will change with them, going from the simpler devices needed at P1 to the more advanced in the senior phase of secondary'. That pledge has since fallen by the political wayside. So it's a supercomputer for academics but no laptops for our school children. Sandra West Dundee TRUMP'S false charge of race discrimination by the South African government against white farmers and offering them refuge in the US is an act of hostility against South Africa. Since South Africa took Israel to the International Court of Justice charging it with genocide, the US has ramped up its actions against South Africa. Trump's presidential order 'Addressing the Egregious Actions of South Africa' promoted the re-settlement of Afrikaners in the US and stated that South Africa had taken aggressive positions towards the United States including 'accusing Israel of genocide'. READ MORE: David Pratt: Donald Trump is reshaping democracy for authoritarians It added, 'The United States cannot support the government of South Africa in its undermining United States foreign policy which poses national security threats to our nation … and our interests.' It concluded that 'the United States shall not provide aid or assistance to South Africa.' It could not be made clearer that if you disagree with US support for Israel's actions then you will be punished. In South Africa's colonial and apartheid past, land distribution was grossly unequal on the basis of race. This remains the case. Whites own 70% of the land while being only 7% of the population. South Africa in addressing this issue passed the Land Expropriation Act. Land can be expropriated without compensation only in strictly defined circumstances. READ MORE: Donald Trump ambushes South African president with false 'white genocide' claims The United States intervention, making false claims about the act and what is happening to white farmers, whilst offering fast-tracked refuge to Afrikaners, is a disruptive interference in the affairs of a sovereign country. The US actions seem designed to destabilise South Africa and stop its support for the Palestinians. South Africa should be applauded for its humanitarian stance in support of the Palestinians and should also be assisted in its journey to overcome 300 years of colonialism and apartheid. Brian Filling Chair, Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA) Scotland (successor organisation of the Anti-Apartheid Movement)
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Yahoo
Going! Going! Almost gone! Milwaukee's abandoned boat 'Deep Thought' set for public auction
Milwaukee County plans to move ahead with publicly auctioning off Deep Thought, the abandoned boat that was stranded on Lake Michigan's shoreline, provided the county can acquire legal ownership before bidding can begin. "The issue with ownership is Milwaukee County does not have title to this property," James Tarantino, deputy director of Milwaukee County Parks told the county's Parks and Culture committee on June 10. "Because it's now been abandoned, and is really more like a sculpture than a boat, we're trying to determine what that legal bill of sale looks like." Tarantino said that the county is primed to list the boat at auction as soon as the legal details are ironed out in the coming days or weeks. Mississippi-based couple Sherry and Richard Wells left Deep Thought on the lakeshore between Bradford and McKinley beaches after running out of gas during a thunderstorm in mid-October. In May, given the questionable nature of the boat's ownership as well as the Wellses' inability to pay for the boat's removal, it was determined that the county was responsible for salvaging the boat. "At the end of the day, I don't want the county to be on the hook for this," Supervisor Steve Taylor said. In May, the county was left with a $50,000 bill from Milwaukee-based company, All City Towing, for removing the abandoned boat that saw many well-wishers bidding the boat farewell. The county received $30,000 in donations from the Daniel W. Hoan Foundation and an anonymous donor to help cover costs for its removal, still leaving a $20,000 dent in the county's coffers. "I think a summer auction is the way to go," said Supervisor Sheldon A. Wasserman, whose district was home to Deep Thought. "Let's strike right now when the interest in the boat is at its highest." County Corporation Counsel attorney Scott Brown has not ruled out filing legal actions to recover costs, potentially in federal court or another state. "Short version of it, I think, at this point, it's what I would call drilling a dry well. I don't know if these people are collectible. From what my understanding is they are of I think modest means," Brown told supervisors. "We could get a judgment against them, but it may not be worth the paper." Brown said he is still evaluating legal avenues. "This is a bad precedent, you know, that somebody can just leave their boat on Milwaukee County property, and we have to take care of it," Supervisor Steven Shea said. "This is about as big a public nuisance as we can get." In May, Wisconsin lawmakers proposed a new bill that could subject any boat owners who abandon their watercrafts for longer than a month to prison time. Supervisors also asked about the possibility of establishing a policy or action plan if a similar situation arises in the future. While Tarantino said he is waiting to see how the state legislation plays out, he is reluctant to establish something as concrete as policy given the unique nature of the Deep Thought incident compared with most boats that moor on Lake Michigan's shoreline. Tarantino applauded the fact that the County Board raised the fees for illegal dumping earlier this year. "That's an example of a policy that we think is a good deterrent," he said. "We are absolutely committed to dealing with these problems as they come up. We're just unfortunately not resourced if this continues to happen more frequently." Contact Vanessa Swales at 414-308-5881 or vswales@ Follow her on X @Vanessa_Swales. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee's abandoned boat Deep Thought headed to public auction
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'We don't want to pay for it': County readies to auction off 'Deep Thought' abandoned boat
You want to bid on Deep Thought, Milwaukee? Now could be your chance. Milwaukee County is floating the idea of publicly auctioning off the infamous abandoned boat that became a staple of Lake Michigan's Milwaukee shoreline, according to Milwaukee County Board Supervisor Sheldon A. Wasserman. "Deep Thought captured the hearts and minds of Milwaukeeans," Wasserman told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "At the same time, we don't want to pay for it." And, the good news doesn't stop there. The auction might supplement the $30,000 in donations received following the epic saga of Deep Thought's removal near Milwaukee's Bradford and McKinley Beaches, Wasserman said. In May, the Daniel W. Hoan Foundation donated $10,000 to the effort. Now, the anonymous donor who contacted Milwaukee's Mayor Cavalier Johnson to provide financial support for part of its removal has offered up $20,000, Wasserman said. The money will go toward paying off the $50,000 bill from Milwaukee-based company, All City Towing, for removing the boat in early May. An MATC student even sold a handful of salvaged pieces of Deep Thought for $10 the day it was removed from Lake Michigan. County Board Supervisor Steve Taylor expressed his concerns that taxpayers would be left to foot the bill for the boat's removal in an email to County Executive David Crowley and other department officials on May 7. Deep Thought's journey began when it was left stranded by a Mississippi couple, Sherry and Richard Wells, who ran out of gas during a thunderstorm in mid-October, landing on the lakeshore. For weeks, efforts were unsuccessful to remove the boat, turning it into a temporary tourist site. On May 6, a crowd of roughly 100 onlookers gathered to cheer and mourn as Deep Thought was finally dragged off the shoreline. In May, the county was still considering pursuing legal avenues for reimbursement. But, given the tenuous nature of the boat's ownership and the Wellses' inability to pay for the boat's removal, it was later determined that Milwaukee County was responsible for salvaging the boat. The county will provide an update on the status of the boat and its future during its Parks and Culture meeting June 10. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Deep Thought readied for auction, after abandoned boat raises $30K
