Pitbull attacks son of Pittsburgh Steeler

It’s sad news on any day when you hear that a child has been injured. That doesn’t change where the child has a parent that is famous or not. Because we all want children, anyone’s child, to be safe at all times.

But there is something in this story that infuriates me. The source of the injury to Pittsburgh Steeler’s linebacker James Harrison’s child was a pitbull dog. And I’ve heard these kinds of stories way to often. The breed should never be around children. In fact, I believe the entire breed should be destroyed.

But before I go on, let’s get this into perspective. The pitbull is NOT part of dogfighting. The dog was not abused, or mistreated. There have been no reports of the dog causing trouble, or getting loose, or anything that would indicate it would harm anyone. This is not a Michael Vick kind of situation. This is all about the breed.

Pitbulls are a breed of dog bred for one thing, fighting. They are known for their aggressiveness, and the injuries they give to adults as well as other dogs and animals. They are prone to sudden vicious attacks, without cause. In my experience, every pitbull will at some point turn and attack without cause at some point in their lives. And the manner of raising the pitbull, and it’s parentage have little to do with that.

Case in point, back in the mid-90’s I was working at a stock brokerage firm in NYC near Wall Street. In the middle of one day a call came in that the daughter of one of the brokers I knew had just been taken to the hospital. The cause of her injuries was the one of the family’s pitbulls.

This pitbull had been raised with the child from birth. It was bred as a family dog, and the broker was a recognized breeder. All of his dogs were raised in a gentle surrounding, with good bloodlines. Up to that point there had never been an incident with the dog. The attack occurred in the kitchen, with the mother and a family friend present.

The little girl was just 6 years old. The dog was 5. For no apparent reason the dog turned on the girl as she entered the kitchen. It bit her face, requiring plastic surgery though she face would always retain marks from the attack. But at least she survived.

Just as James Harrison’s son will survive. He was bit in the leg. He will be in a hospital for at least another day, as the injury is considered severe but not life threatening. Just as with the experience my broker acquaintence learned about, Harrison’s dog attacked without provocation. 2 adults, one being the mother of James, were also injured while trying to rescue the boy.

Why do people continue to have these animals? Especially around children? I just don’t understand it.

They are beasts at the best of times. They are popular because drug dealers in the 80’s used them to protect crack houses from police raids. They serve no purpose, and are without any merit in my opinion.

How many children will need to suffer from attacks by these beasts before they are destroyed? How many people will be attacked? How many more headlines will it take before the status of owning such a vicious and unpredictable creature fades?

Owning a pitbull leaves you with one result. Given time it is bound to attack. I’ve found that to be true in every case of someone owning a pitbull. And sadly, children often are the victim of these attacks.

Canada, Australia, England, Norway, France, Singapore, Iceland and even Serbia get it. They all restrict or forbid the breed. Various cities and counties across the nation including Sioux City, Overland Park, Miami-Dade, Youngstown, and Sparta among many others get it. Even the state of Oklahoma has proposed the ban of these dogs.

I am sorry to hear of the injury to Steeler’s linbacker Harrison’s child. But I hope that if any positive can come out of this horrific attack, it is that it helps to end the existence of this breed so that no other child ever goes through this again.

2009 Super Bowl ads: Best, worst, and original

Like so many of us I too had a bit of a hangover after watching the Super Bowl yesterday. I honestly did not think that would happen as I had expected Pittsburg to win. By the end of the 1st quarter my expectation was that it would be a blowout game. The 100 yard run by James Harrison at the end of the first half locked that idea in my mind. [Unlike the voice in the video, I think Harrison did a phenomenal job.]

Up to the middle of the 4th quarter there was nothing to question a Steelers win. Then it got interesting. And then the drinks came.

Such was the experience that most of the people in the bar with me had as well. So I think we all can understand being a bit slower today than usual.

Still I think some of the commercials in the Super Bowl were the result of some people celebrating far too soon. Generally I would say that this year’s commercials were by and large uninspired. Either that or spending $3 million a spot left no money for the writers to think with.

Of course there were a few good ones. To me the best were the following:

Conan O’Brien was spot on here. Sarcasm, wit, self-depricating humor. This was the best to me.



Following closely was the competitive and way over the top commercial for Cash4Gold. Who knew that Ed McMahon and MC Hammer could be so funny?



Doritos makes the better half of these commercials only for the final seconds of the commercial, which had me laughing out loud.



Normally Budweiser is the king of Super Bowl ads. They tend to have some of the best ideas and most unique way of displaying that idea. This year Bud missed out on each try, except this one. Considering the cost I would have expected a bit more.



And another big winner was Bridgestone. They had the music, the feel, the idea of 4-wheeling on the moon, and getting your tires jacked. It just worked great.



E-Trade had commercials just not worth reliving. Pepsi bombed. And Godaddy was cute, but boring.

The worst may well have been the ‘revisioning of the classic Mean Joe Green Coke ad. It was horrible, and felt every bit the ripoff it was. Yet another reason I hate revisioined anything (which Hollywood seems to adore versus original thought these days).



Of course there is the new Transformers sequel movie trailer. It too looks as boring and uninspired as the original. Sure to make tons of money since as a friend says, “It has lots of explosions and big graphics. Who needs a plot.”



Under a similar theme is the trailer for Fast and Furious. Overall the trailer was ok, except for Michelle Rodriguez and Vin Diesel in the last seconds. That alone makes the movie seem interesting. But box office smash? I doubt it.



But the most original 2009 Super Bowl ad had to be the one from Careerbuilder.com. This was an original idea, got the message across, was entertaining, and funny.



So there you go. That’s how I rate the 2009 Super Bowl ads. What did you think?