Pit Bulls legal or illegal?

No other dog has had so much media coverage in the last 15 years as the Pit Bull. It’s tough not to be emotional one way or the other about these canines, especially if you’ve owned one or two or three, or if you or a loved one has been involved in a bad incident involving a Pit Bull. One side says Pits are dangerous and should be banned. The other side says they are loving, safe dogs and it’s the owners who are to blame for any “bad” Pits. What is the truth? Somewhere in between.

“Pit Bull” can refer to either the American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) breed or a type of dog who has Pit Bull traits. It’s all muddled at this point with Breed Specific Legislation, which bans or restricts some breeds, lumping Boxers and Dalmatians in with pits and other bully breeds (such as the American Staffordshire Terrier. Most Pit Bulls on the street are mixes though there is still breeding of the APBT. Responsible breeding produces a stable, talented dog while breeding for dog fighting must, of course, be stopped.

It gets more confusing when trying to identify just how many Pit Bulls are responsible for dog or human attacks. When you see the term “Pit Bull” in the press, it can refer to any type of dog. More often than you’d think, a dog who attacked someone and is labeled Pit Bull, is actually a mutt or a different breed altogether. Even if a picture is attached and it looks like a Pitbull, it could be any number of mixes which produce similar characteristics. Really, when you think about it, condemning a dog based on his physical traits is declaring his guilt based purely on his appearance – this is what BSL is about.

But there are the sensible people who honestly feel that Pitbulls, and any dog that resembles one, are a danger to society. Often, these folks don’t know much about dogs and certainly not much about Pits. But they are being bombarded with almost all bad press about these dogs. It is evident that the media fuels misconceptions about Pits and stirs up the public. And the statistics behind the fury are less than accurate. Even the Center for Disease Control, which puts out many of the stats, states that dog bite and dog attack data cannot be gathered accurately. But, still, the section of society that does not feel safe with Pit Bulls has a right to be heard. And, considering the bull they are fed about Pits, it’s no wonder they don’t believe the Pit Bull supporters.

Below are 10 common misconceptions about Pit Bulls which both support and contradict the general views of either “Pit Bulls are dangerous” or “Pit Bulls are just like Golden Retrievers.” Just as it’s tough to be unemotional about these dogs, it’s also tough to be unbiased (especially when the author of this article owns three of them) but a valiant effort has been made. I was always told that Pit bulls were illegal in the city limits of Antigo and yet I see them all over.

Moving Forward

.

.

The Irish Rail (aka Polar Country Club)

A few days ago I drove past the Irish Rail (the old Polar Country Club) and noticed the Irish Rail sign has been taken down. Does anyone know if it is under new ownership?

~~~~~~

Polar Country Club has been around many many years and was a legend in itself (ask anyone 65 years or younger). It has survived different owners, remodeling, fires, etc but yet always managed to keep its customer base…especially those who lived in and near Polar. That all changed when it became the Irish Rail and people stopped going there.

I hope it is under new ownership and I hope the new owner can regain the loyal customers that the Irish Rail lost.

.
.

I heard that someone was handcuffed Wednesday night at the Refuge restaurant. Can anyone elaborate on this?

.
.

Competition for the Bad Writing Award for 2012 is off to a roaring start with this contribution from a photo caption in the Antigo Daily Journal for January 18 :

“Antigo High School horticulture students certainly didn’t have tough duty planting geraniums -and thinking spring-in the Wirz Greenhouse.”

What can we say? Not much after that, but the Antigo Daily Journal certainly didn’t employ any tough journalistic or linguistic standards to the output of the the author of that fertilizer pile! Or maybe the ADJ just doesn’t have tough duty mangling journalistic communication.

—-

Chiro recommends cannibalism to fight cancer
by Jerry Muelver

Steven Veselak, chiropractor at Goldsworthy Allied Health, Antigo, WI, announced in the Antigo Daily Journal monthly magazine insert Family Primetime for January 2012 a medical breakthrough characteristic of the power and depth of chiropractic research: cannibalism may help your body fight cancer! This totally unexpected discovery is revealed in Veselak’s article, titled “Powerful foods can fight powerful conditions” on page 11 of Family Primetime.

Writing about a book titled, “Foods That Fight Cancer: Preventing Cancer Through Diet”, Veselak says:

“The researchers went further in their efforts to provide evidence that certain foods will help fight cancer by developing a “vegetable cocktail” consisting of cabbage, blueberries, brussels sprouts, broccoli, garlic, scallions, tumeric, Richard Beliveau and Denis Gringas.”

Amazing! We don’t know for sure whether Richard and Denis are available as whole-body extracts or merely fluid condensates, or whether you can use other people in the recipe, since Veselak is typically ambiguous in the implementation details of his recommendations. Nonetheless, this remarkable discovery is sure to have an impact on cancer research that will focus new attention on the long-neglected scientific contributions of chiropractic to modern health care.

—-

All About The Giving Tree

My name is Kate Clay and I run The Giving Tree in Langlade County.  Some of you may be wondering, what is The Giving Tree?  The Giving Tree is something that provides Christmas gifts for families in need.  The tree is located where many people can see it, and tags are put on the tree stating the gift (e.g.: boy, age 8, trucks).  People simply take the tag, buy the gift and return the gift with the tag.  I have been organizing this project for twenty years and together, with community involvement, we have helped hundreds of families during the Christmas Season.

Last year was a great success!  We helped 213 families totaling 563 children.  Each child received at least three gifts, which totals more than 1600 gifts.  this project would not be possible without the generosity of community members, businesses, churches, and organizations in Langlade County (and my family and friends that help me with all of the running, shopping, etc., you know who you are!).

How did I get involved in this project?  Many times I am asked why I do this year after year or how I got involved.  When I was twelve years old my family was struggling during the Christmas season.  I am the oldest of four children and both of my parents worked, but things were very tight and there was no extra money for Christmas gifts.  Sister Jean Bricco, who happens to be my Great Aunt, and the other nuns in town new of a family that wanted to help another family for Christmas.  So our needs were passed along to this other family.  When Christmas morning came I was very surprised to see all of the presents under the tree.  I was old enough to know that my parents could not afford all of the things that we received so I asked my Mom about it and she told me that another family had helped our family.  The following year I wanted to help out another family.  So my brothers and I used babysitting money and paper route money and went through my Great Aunt (Sister Jean) to help another family in need.  We had so much fun picking out toys for other kids that needed them.  The following year I wanted to help again, but more people, so I started “The Giving Tree” at my church.  People of the church took tags and brought in gifts, clothes, and food for twenty families.  I continued to organize The Giving Tree at my church for another five years.  One of the final years I organized a dance with a DJ, door prizes, and a raffle to raise money for The Giving Tree and the St. Vincent DePaul Society.  The Giving Tree helped 100 children that year.  In 1997 I was unable to handle the project due to having a baby.  Another member of the church took over the program so in 1998 I decided that since someone else had taken over at the church I was going to try to get another group of people involved, so I started The Giving Tree at Northcentral Technical College and ran it there for two years.  In 2000, I sent out letters to many of the churches and businesses in Langlade County and asked them if they would like to be involved and host Giving Tress in their establishments.  I have been organizing it county wide ever since and every year it grows bigger and bigger.  Last year there were twenty-nine Giving Trees throughout Langlade County and I had four other groups/clubs that took whole families to provide for.  This year there are thirty-four Giving Trees.

I have been recognized in the newspaper and by community members many times for this project, but that is not why I do it.  It is all about the spirit of giving and it is all about the kids.  I cannot imagine any kid waking up on Christmas morning and not having at least a couple of presents to open.  Because of my parents and one generous family I never had a Christmas without presents and I hope that because of The Giving Tree, no one else will either.

I know that it is hard sometimes not to pass judgment on other people, but please remember that everyone has their own set of circumstances that may not always be recognizable to the public.  Just because someone is struggling financially does not necessarily mean that it is any fault of their own or that they are “lazy”.  I try to always remember that the circumstances are of no consequence, because the child cannot control the circumstances of his/her family and this is really all about providing Christmas for the kids.

Thank you for taking the time to read about The Giving Tree!  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your families.  May God Bless you!

————————————————————————————————-

You can win this Green Bay Packer Football signed by the entire 2010 team & coaching staff! That is the SUPER BOWL TEAM!!! Tickets are $2 each or 3 for $5. Many other prizes also! Contact Kate Clay for tickets!

You can get more information and also see other raffle items at The Giving Tree Page on Facebook HERE:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Giving-Tree/

.
.
.

Soup Kitchen to Feed Antigo’s Hungry

Urban Harvest of WI, a local human services organization, seeks to make 2012 a better year for people who are experiencing hardship from the economic situation. They are proposing to establish a soup kitchen to feed the hungry and food insecure within the community of Antigo, Wisconsin. They would serve free meals to the homeless, unemployed, low-income families and individuals, single parents with children, and the elderly living on a fixed income.

“We would love to make this a reality,” says Executive Director Shane Waldhart. “There is a great need for this service within the community. Unfortunately, needs and wants are only able to materialize with support from local businesses and the community at large. We will need the community’s help in achieving our goals.”

Along with the soup kitchen Urban Harvest wants to collect food for a community food pantry and, eventually, a donation center where donations of clothing, household items, furniture and appliances can be distributed to those in need.
For more information:

You can find Urban Harvest of WI on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Urban-Harvest-of-WI/234318849968485
Their website is located at: http://www.wix.com/urbanharvest/urban-harvest

.
.

Operation Compassion Inc. Food Drive

December 3, 2011 from 7am to 6pm

Copps, Butch’s & Lakeside

There will be a truck at all locations to fill with food.

Monetary donations will be accepted also.

Items needed at this time:

Mac & Cheese
Cereal- Oatmeal, etc.
Cake Mix & frosting
Peanut Butter & Jelly
Ketchup
Noodles – spaghetti, elbow, dumpling, ramen, etc.
Sauces – spaghetti, etc.
Crackers
Canned Vegetables and Fruit
Soups
Chips
Powdered Milk
Chicken & Beef stock
Tuna fish

Join Operation Compassion in helping the community of Langlade County.

Thank you in advance for all your help.  God Bless.

.
.

A friend of mine recently asked me this question and I did not have a clue what he was talking about.  After having a short conversation about it, and making a few trips to Walmart, I am now wondering the same thing.  Maybe someone can shed some light on this?

The man drives, and seems to be living in, a dark purple colored minivan.  It is completely packed full of stuff inside, which you can tell just by looking.  I don’t know how he can see out of the windshield because of all the stuff crammed in there.  There is at least 1 bicycle hooked on the back of the van, maybe more than 1, I am not sure.  There looks to be a big box full of stuff strapped down to the top of the van with a tarp over it.

I haven’t noticed him during the daytime, but, every time I go to Walmart in the evening, he is either parked in the Walmart parking lot, on the far west side, or he is parked across the street in the Goodwill parking lot.

It is hard to believe that this man is living in his van, but, it sure seems that way.  He looks like an older gentleman, and I would think old enough to be getting social security.  Does anyone know what the deal is?

.
.

I think that this is a controversial issue and has been for quite some time.  In some ways it scares me to think that people will be walking around with guns hidden on them.  I know that other states have similar laws and seem to do just fine.  Antigo is not a big city and there is not much violence here or big crime, but, I hope that the new gun law doesn’t have an ill effect on that.  I am wondering how other Antigonians feel about it…

You can find a recent article in the Antigo Daily Journal about the gun law here:

http://antigodailyjournal.com/full.php?id=13639

.

.