Is this a JOKE?

[Joanne98]

My son is in a Texas prison and he wrote me a letter saying that Bob Barker of The Price is Right, is making money selling tennis shoes to the inmates. My sister was googling Bob Barker and she came up with THIS..http://www.bobbarker.com/webguest/bGuestProd.asp?product=505

It's a suicide suit. Is this a parody website? It says Bob Barker.com.

:nuke:

[skipos]

1. How can you tell it is the same Bob Barker?

I didn't see anything that verified that.

[TomInTib]

2. I called them but the offices are closed.

Somehow I doubt that this is that Bob Barker.

[GreenPartyVoter]

3. You sure this is the same Bob Barker? And you are right that suit

sounds like a joke.

Maybe snopes it?

[Madspirit]

4. Odd

I think it's real but I don't think it's THE Bob Barker. I mean he's progressive, vegetarian and rather sensitive. It doesn't seem like something he would do. I could be completely wrong but that is just my guess. It's not THE Bob Barker.

I only bring up the vegetarian part to show his sensitivity...<g>

Freaked me out though.


Lee

[eppur_se_muova]

5. It appears the suit is for prisoners likely to attempt suicide ...

"Flame-resistant and virtually impossible to tear. Can't be easily disassembled. Can't be easily twisted into knots or nooses. Our blankets and smocks are designed and constructed to meet the challenge of your tough safety and security issues."

This appears to be a genuine prison supply company, it's been mentioned on DU before.

[AWESOM-O]

6. This is Bob Barker Company Inc.

[Greyskye]

7. Looks like a different "Bob Barker"

http://www.bobbarker.com/webguest/bAboutUs.asp

In the business for over 30 years, Bob Barker Company, Inc. is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, The American Correctional Association, The American Jail Association, The Direct Marketing Association and Dun & Bradstreet.

I couldn't find any connections between the 2 "Bob Barkers", other than the name. :shrug:

[AlCzervik]

13. well hell someone has to be "America's leading Detention supplier". over at Halliburton

someone is getting fired in the new business ventures department.

[Joanne98]

16. In the prison my son is in they say it's the Bob Barker on TV!

They say his son went to prison and had crummy tennis shoes so he decided to start a company. Making tennis shoes for prisoners. Obviously he's branched off into other products.

[yewberry]

17. It's not.

Different men altogether.

[AlCzervik]

19. Bob Barker looks like a negative. he reminds of Brides that go to tanning before their wedding.

[Joanne98]

8. My son told me that Bob Barker makes a fortune off of selling shoes to inmates.

That's all i know. i was wondering if it was a parody website. Because it's just so OUTRAGEOUS

[Freddie Stubbs]

43. Perhaps prisoners aren't the best source of information

[yewberry]

9. It's not the same Bob Barker.

The one that supplies prison stuff is a former senator from NC, not the game show host.

See pic:

http://www.campbell.edu/news/releases/sp07/ns_rel.0088.html

[Joanne98]

18. Thankyou very much> I"M GOING TO CRUCIFY THIS GUY!

[Omphaloskepsis]

10. A WHOIS..

BOB BARKER COMPANY, INC.
PO BOX 429
FUQUAY VARINA, NC 27526-0429
US

Domain Name: BOBBARKER.COM

Administrative Contact , Technical Contact :
SHEETS, DAVID **
[email protected]
134 N. MAIN ST
FUQUAY-VARINA, NC 27526
US
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Record expires on 05-Aug-2008
Record created on 06-Aug-1996
Database last updated on 09-Oct-2006

Domain servers in listed order: Manage DNS

DBRU.BR.NS.ELS-GMS.ATT.NET 199.191.128.106
DMTU.MT.NS.ELS-GMS.ATT.NET 12.127.16.70

Show underlying registry data for this record


Current Registrar: NETWORK SOLUTIONS, LLC.
IP Address: 12.1.241.133 (ARIN & RIPE IP search)
IP Location: US(UNITED STATES)-NORTH CAROLINA-FUQUAY VARINA
Record Type: Domain Name
Server Type: IIS 5
Lock Status: clientTransferProhibited
Web Site Status: Active
DMOZ 2 listings
Y! Directory: see listings
Web Site Title: Object moved
Secure: No
E-commerce: No
Traffic Ranking: 2
Data as of: 27-Nov-2006

[Joanne98]

14. Does this mean it IS Bob Barker?

[NYCGirl]

15. No. Tofunut posted this above:

http://www.campbell.edu/news/releases/sp07/ns_rel.0088.html

Bob Barker, businessman, is the one on the right of the pic:

[Omphaloskepsis]

20. I would say no.

Simply someone else with the same name.

[Bucky]

11. What a weird website.

I'm trying to cut down on my use of obscenities, so I didn't type "What a weird-ass website". But it's really a weird-ass website.

[Joanne98]

12. Can somebody do WHOIS I'm trying but it's not working

http://www.bobbarker.com/webguest/bGuestProd.asp?product=505

[stillcool]

21. According to Wiki

he has no children

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Barker

Occupation TV Presenter, Game Show Host

Gender Male
Marital status Widower
Spouse Dorothy Jo Gideon
(1945–1981)
Children None

:hi:

[Joanne98]

22. Bob Barker google cache

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=t&ie=UTF-8&rls=RNWE,RNWE:2006-10,RNWE:en&q=Bob+Barker+%2b+prison+Industries

[Joanne98]

23. Bob Barker Suicide prevention products...

http://www.bobbarker.com/webguest/bGuestCat.asp?category=00000156

[Joanne98]

24. Isolation/Suicide Cell All-In-One Bed

Isolation/Suicide Cell All-In-One Bed
http://www.bobbarker.com/webguest/bGuestProd.asp?product=BBSSB

Click image for enlarged view
Our innovative combination sleeping surface, blanket, and pillow provides an enhanced level of considerate care with no compromise to safety and security.
Extra polyester batting in both the sleeping surface panel and the self-contained pillow provides an increased level of comfort, and makes sleeping or resting easy.
Generously sized and open on three sides, our All-In-One Bed does not inhibit movement or make the sleeper feel unnecessarily confined.
As with all our Isolation/Suicide Cell products, the calming Sherwood Green color is stain-resistant and suitable for use by both men and women.
Measures 75''L x 35''W with an attached 48'' blanket.
Weighs approximately 15 lbs.
Launder in commercial-size equipment.
Patent number D477,958.
Click here for more details about our Isolation/Suicide Cell products.

Bob Barker Company, Inc. manufactures the products shown on this page. Other companies and correctional industries produce similar products. However, for the best quality, performance, and delivery, insist on Bob Barker's Isolation/Suicide Cell products. Call us today.
http://www.bobbarker.com/webguest/bGuestProd.asp?product=BBSSB

[Joanne98]

25. calling all DUer's who care about the prison issues to follow this up!

I have to go to bed but i will be back on this outrage tommorrow.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

26. And remember to have your inmates spayed or neutered.

[Ino]

27. The suicide suit is real

That's what inmates under suicide watch have to wear.

[Joanne98]

32. How do you know?

[Ino]

39. Well, not from first-hand experience!

I used to frequent a board discussing the Scott Peterson trial, and at one point he was on suicide watch and there was much talk about this suicide suit. It's called a Ferguson Safety Smock.

Here's a bit of interview that mentions it, with reference to John Mark Karr...
http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0608/24/ng.01.html
He`s also under a suicide watch. He was very unhappy about that, but he will be segregated under the suicide watch, which are -- if I understand it correctly, there are clothes that are specially designed that you cannot make a knot out of them.

Here it is mentioned on the National Commission on Correctional Healthcare site
http://www.ncchc.org/veh/prodsvc.html#nonmedical%20supplies

Here's their website
http://www.preventsuicide.com/

[hlthe2b]

28. Those smocks really are used in jails for suicide watch

I toured one of the largest in Metro Denver two weeks ago and saw those in the special/medical areas for class 1 and 2 suicide watch.

[Joanne98]

33. You TOURED?

[hlthe2b]

38. Yes... in the course of my work.

[PsN2Wind]

29. Sorry Joanne98

to hear your son is in prison in Texas. My son got in some trouble in Texas and his defense attorney told us we should do whatever it takes to keep him out of the Texas system. He said they are mostly ran by the Mexican Mafia and it's a damn tough place to be a Gringo.
We were fortunately able to keep him out of there.

[Joanne98]

34. Thanx good luck to your son. !

[MonkeyFunk]

30. it's not a joke....

it seems to be a legitimate prison supply company. it has nothing to do with the Bob Barker from Price is Right. Different guy altogether.

[Joanne98]

31. BUSINESS LEADER MAGAZINE!

http://www.businessleadermagazine.com/index.aspx?page=articles.nov06.nov06_coverstory

SOMEBODY PLEASE FOLLOW THIS UP!

The Power Of Independent And Objective Thinking
By Thomas Beam
Convening a board meeting for the Bob Barker Company in Fuquay-Varina used to be as easy as going to Sunday dinner at the Barker household. Dad was the CEO, Mom was the executive vice president and the children were being groomed for management positions. As the company grew and Mom and Dad started thinking about the leadership changeover and the intricacies of running what had become a large business, it became apparent that some additional experience and expertise would be helpful.

That’s when daughter Nancy Johns – who succeeded Bob Barker (previously mentioned as “Dad”) as president of the company – first had the idea to add independent members to the board of directors. And by independent, she meant people with different last names and not relatives.

The Bob Barker Company, founded in 1972 by Bob Barker (aka “Dad”), has grown to be the largest supplier of products and supplies for inmates in correctional facilities throughout the U.S.

“We thought having independent directors on the board would be a great resource in making the transition from the first to the second generation,” Johns says. “The company had also grown to the size where we needed more policies and procedures, more structure.”

The Bob Barker Company, founded in 1972 by Bob Barker (aka “Dad”), has grown to be the largest supplier of products and supplies for inmates in correctional facilities throughout the U.S. Prisons can’t buy such items “off the rack” at the local Wal-Mart because the products and even the packaging have to be customized for security and for the needs of prisoners. The company has 220 employees, 180 of whom work in North Carolina.

Bob Barker management team members.

George Snead, one of the company’s bankers, joined the board in 2003. As a privately held company, the Bob Barker Company is not required to have independent directors. In fact, as a private company, it’s not required to have directors at all. But the effects were immediate and very beneficial. “One thing I brought to the company was the perspective from the lending and financial community,” Snead recalls.

“Having an independent board member made us become more clear and explicit in our communications to each other,” Johns explains. “Before we were kind of lackadaisical because we were family. It also helped all of us really step up and make the company more professional.”

Johns decided after a few years to pass the position of president on to younger brother Robert Barker so she could spend more time with her children. At the same time, there was a growing interest in possible merger opportunities for expansion.


More at link.....

-------------------------------------
EDIT: COPYRIGHT. PLEASE POST ONLY
4 OR 5 PARAGRAPHS FROM THE COPYRIGHTED
NEWS SOURCE PER DU RULES.

[Joanne98]

35. MORE!

Thursday, November 04, 2004
Made in Sweatshops
http://eddyzheng.blogspot.com/2004/11/made-in-sweatshops.html
When a new prisoner comes to prison, he's given a "fish kit." The "fish kit" consists of one wool blanket, two sheets, an 8oz plastic drinking cup, a plastic spoon, a plastic fork, a toothbrush, an .86oz tube of generic toothpaste, and a bar of mint chocolate-sized soap.

The prisoner will pick up his other laundry the next day from the distribution area.

The boxers, t-shirts, and socks are made in the Prison Industry by pirsoners as well as many other items. There are other items that are brought in bulk from other countries.

For example, kungfu shoes made in China, white towels made in Bangladesh, wool blankets made in Mexico, etc.

Today I had the luck of getting a Bob Barker Company blanket that is 55% polyester, 30% synthetic fiber, and 15% others. Not everyone gets to have a Bob Barker blanket. I'm sure somewhere in the women's prisons someone is wearing a Kathy Lee Gifford bra.

What do I have to complain about? At least I'm not sleeping under the bridge, begging on the street, or stealing bread...

Right? Right.
posted by Eddy Zheng at 2:16 PM

0 Comments:
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http://eddyzheng.blogspot.com/2004/11/made-in-sweatshops.html

[Joanne98]

36. kick

:kick:

[LoZoccolo]

40. Kick just because this is one of my favorite threads in a long time.

:kick:

[tammywammy]

37. I'm 99% sure it's a different person

[jmowreader]

41. Be 100-percent sure

It's a different man.

The Bob Barker in North Carolina attended a Baptist madrassa named Campbell University, set up a prison supply store in the back of a barbershop in Fuquay-Varina, and is now the biggest supplier to the Prison Industry.

The Bob Barker in California probably doesn't even know where Campbell University is, hasn't been to Fuquay, and soon won't even supply bad game shows to the Prison Industry.

[yurbud]

42. looks real

[stillcool]

44. hey Joanne....

it took me a while to get back to you...but here's some info...not the same Bob Barker, but very much the real deal

https://www.bobbarker.com/webguest/4pageFAQ_brochure.pdf
http://www.sheriffs.org/home.shtml
The National Sheriffs Association is excited to announce its DHL shipping program for members. DHL brings NSA members a full suite of domestic and international shipping services, covering over 220 countries and territories around the globe.
Through NSA's partnership with DHL, members are also eligible for special association member pricing. To find out more about your DHL benefits and set up your account, or if you have questions regarding your current account, please contact the dedicated association hotline at 1-800-MEMBERS (1-800-636-2377, 8 am – 7 pm , ET) or log onto www.1800members.com/sheriff .

The Bob Barker Company, founded in 1972 by Bob Barker (aka “Dad”), has grown to be the largest supplier of products and supplies for inmates in correctional facilities throughout the U.S.

“We thought having independent directors on the board would be a great resource in making the transition from the first to the second generation,” Johns says. “The company had also grown to the size where we needed more policies and procedures, more structure.”

The Bob Barker Company, founded in 1972 by Bob Barker (aka “Dad”), has grown to be the largest supplier of products and supplies for inmates in correctional facilities throughout the U.S. Prisons can’t buy such items “off the rack” at the local Wal-Mart because the products and even the packaging have to be customized for security and for the needs of prisoners. The company has 220 employees, 180 of whom work in North Carolina.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Campbell University graduate, Barker has served on numerous commissions, including the Fuquay-Varina Economic Development Council and the Industrial Managers Association of which he was a founding member. He has been mayor of Fuquay-Varina and Apex, N.C., and served as a North Carolina state senator from 1972-1974. He is a current member of the Campbell University Board of Trustees.
BBC was selected by the Department of Defense to supply uniforms to the U.S.-managed prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and has supplied footwear, clothing and suicide prevention products to the U.S.-managed Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
http://www.campbell.edu/news/releases/su05/su05/ns_rel.0041.html


Barker’s son BBC President Robert Barker, Jr., said the decision to renovate the already existing building into new corporate headquarters was made strictly for the employees. “We wanted to provide an environment that was more productive to their activities,” he said. “We’ve given them more amenities such as plenty of windows, all new furniture and a spacious new break room with Plasma TV.”
The building also contains five conference rooms and a strategic planning room, the Kitty Hawk Room, furnished in colorful leather couches and dry-erase wallboards for brainstorming and problem-solving.
The Bob Barker Company manufactures and sells approximately 4,000 products to correction facilities.