Llamas Are Trending

In Favor of Llamas

Llamas are trending.

What in the world is a llama? The llama is a domesticated pack animal in the camel family. They reach heights around five feet and nine inches, and they can weigh up to 440 lbs.

The llama is an interesting creature because it offers a lot of uses. People use llamas for their wool and they are considered smart, friendly, and easily trained.

In the United States llamas are growing in numbers. The 2012 census by the United States Department of Agriculture stated that there were 76,086 llamas in the United States.

It doesn’t hurt when llamas get a celebrity like Christy Teigen to talk about them. She told Refinery 29, “Before I was a mom I would have never know the fascination with llamas and giraffes and anything with floppy ears or anything with a squishy nose. There are just certain things that they take to and really love.”  

It appears llamas are replacing unicorns when it comes to pins on Pinterest. They are on cakes, mugs, and almost anything you can place a llama image on for that matter. Pinterest said their statistics show saves for llama home décor is up 1,049 percent from a year ago.

Pinterest isn’t the only site saying llamas are trending. Etsy list llamas as a trending. Search Llamas on Etsy and you will find a large range of items ready for purchasing.

There are also children books with the llama featured as the main character. The Llama, Llama books by Anna Dewdney featured a llama named Little E and he is set to appear for a second season on Netflix.

What about cakes that look like llamas? They are gaining popularity too.

But it is hard to find an expert that can explain why the llama is trending the way it is right now. It probably won’t rattle the llama because they seem to be a trend that keeps gaining momentum.

The Gig Economy

The labor market is starting to see a greater percentage of employees working part-time jobs. Experts have labeled this phenomenon the Gig Economy.

Market-Edison Research Poll found that a quarter of American workers are working in the Gig Economy. The numbers might be higher because there really is no system to count all the gig employees because the government doesn’t really have a concrete system to count all these part-time employees.

These gig workers tend to be Uber drivers, freelance writers, ethical hackers, nannies, tutors, housekeepers, and computer programmers.

As competition increase for these part-time jobs, so does the use of technology to land these jobs. This means that a job seeker needs to be connected to the internet 24/7 to land a job and requires them to buy phones that keep them connected to potential employers.

Where humans might have controlled who got a job in the past. On the freelance job sites, the algorithms and rating systems decide who receives the job. So, workers with higher numbers get the highest percentage of jobs. This seems unfair to those just starting out in the business.

Pay can also low on these sites. Workers must move at a pace that causes stress because they need to complete a lot of jobs to make a living.

Poor working conditions are also a consequence of the Gig Economy. Oxford Internet Institute at the University of Oxford did a study on the effects of working in such remote gig jobs.

“Our findings demonstrate evidence that the autonomy of working in the gig economy often comes at the price of long, irregular and anti-social hours, which can lead to sleep deprivation and exhaustion,” said Dr. Alex Wood, co-author of the paper.

The Harvard Business Review pointed out that the US tax and labor practices reward the fulltime employee. These freelancers lose the benefits that come with fulltime work and lack the rights that fulltime employees enjoy.

There isn’t a lot of regulations when it comes to gig jobs, and this is a cause of concern for some politicians that fear that there need to be more laws protecting the rights of temporary employees.

These gig jobs don’t offer a lot of security. They are only temporary in nature and there is no guarantee that past clients will need any more services.

These gigs do offer benefits to people that are just looking to supplement their income or because they offer flexibility in hours and pay. They also offer a variety of work and there are just some people that need the freedom that comes from being their own boss.

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The Valmy Thresheree and Antique Machinery Show

Ta-pocketa-pocketa-pocketa-pocketa-pocketa is the sound of an old John Deere moving so slowly its shadow passes it at the Valmy Thresheree and Antique Machinery Show.

Admission is $8 dollars for anyone 13 and older and is located at 5005 Country View Road in Valmy.

This year John Deere is the headliner of the 36^th Annual Valmy Thresheree and Antique Machinery Show in Jackson and it runs from August 16 to August 19.

Visitors will get a glimpse of the equipment farmers used in the early days of Door County farming. These vintage tractors look like little toys compared to the gargantuan tractors that work today's farms.

The Valmy Thresheree and Antique Machinery Show started in 1983 when Bernie and Shirly Geisel wanted asked a group of local farmers to show the old ways of farming. The Northeastern Wisconsin Antique Power Association formed and started operating the event. The first 15 years the event took place on the Geisel farm, just north of Sturgeon Bay.

In 1997, the club moved the even to a 30-acre farm at 5005 County View Road. The club also purchased 10 acres that adjoined the farm in 1998 and that is where the Thresheree remains to this day.

Friday the show begins with John Welch Band.

Saturday there is a chainsaw competition at 9:30 am. The antique tractor pulls with four weight classes of tractors built before 1955 starts at 11:30 am, and there will be trophies for the top three in each weight class.

The Jerry Voelker Orchestra will play polka music for a barn dance from 2 to 5 pm. They will also play for the polka mass and 5:30 pm and celebrated with Rev. Tony Birdsall. The day finishes with music from the Modern Day Drifters at 8pm.

Sunday’s events start with a Lutheran church service officiated by Rev. Ben Enstad at 8:30am. At 10am the children have a pedal tractor pull that is followed by a “Little Farmer” contest. From 10 am to 2pm there are pony rides. A garden tractor pull starts at 10 am. There is a break at noon so the antique machinery can parade in front of the main grandstand.

The day’s events conclude at 3:30pm with the pig wrestling. Teams of four people try to catch a pig and place it on top of a barrel in less the minute. Officials will ensure that the pigs are kept safe. Contestant must preregister for this event.

Visitors can also purchase tickets to win a 1952 Ferguson tractor with loader. 500 tickets will be sold at $20 each. The drawing is at 5pm Sunday. The proceeds benefit the Valmy Thresheree Foundation.

For more information call 920-743-4859 or go to www.valmythresheree.org. The website offers a list of all the equipment that will be used over the weekend. 

Getting Old

Janet Clark is retired and wondering what she is going to do now that her income took a hit because her one pension check stopped coming. The pension plan is from the time she worked at R-Way in Sheboygan, WI. The pension came from the Local 800 Furniture Union.

She received a letter from the union telling her that due to funding and pension shortfalls that she will no longer be receiving money from the pension fund. That means she won’t be receiving $231 a month.

“I planned on getting so much from that pension fund and counted on it to be there for me. I called the union and I am waiting for them to get back to me. I just want them to explain it to me in a way that makes sense,” Janet said.

Her case is like a lot of retirees that learn that the pension benefits they were promised aren’t what they expected when they retire.

The hard part for Janet is finding the extra money to make ends meet. She did the budget cuts that help make up for the lost income. She looked to the government for some assistance, but she has too much money because she is about $900 above the poverty line.

Being above the poverty line means that Janet will not receive assistance for her healthcare and housing expenses. But she was hesitant to even see if the government could help her.

Getting a job at 68 isn’t a reality for someone that can’t stand for extended periods of time. There aren’t a lot of places she can work, even if she could work for a couple of hours.

Her body has the normal aches and pains of repetitive work, but some of her joints don’t work the way they used to, and her knees need some help from the surgeon’s hand to make them work better than they are working right now.

Medical bills are part of Janet’s life, but on a fixed income, these bills aren’t easily paid. The lost income from a pension that doesn’t pay isn’t helping her.

What to do?

She put off the surgery her aching knees because she can’t afford to pay all the bills she has now.

Janet can expect to pay $180,000 in healthcare cost during her retirement, if you divide the cost of $260,000 in half, according to Fidelity. That means that Janet can expect to spend $8,572 a year of her own money.

“When I was young, I didn’t worry about retirement because I worked at a place that offered a pension through the union. I feel the union sold me a package of lies,” Janet said.  

Janet did start a 401k after R-Way closed their doors and she found a different job. She didn’t think about a place that offered a matching program, but she took the job that offered a good paycheck. She only regrets not starting a 401k retirement plan sooner, because she didn’t save enough money for retirement. Her medical bills wiped out her savings.   

I Defend No One

The odd behavior seems the new norm is understandably upsetting for the people that crave normal behavior or a lack of public appearances from their President. I view Trump as the greatest distraction from the realities of the world. He makes some pretty funny faces while distracting us from the news around Washington.

When he gets on the campaign trail, well, he is bound to say some crazy things.

For the press the other day he appeared compassionated and reserved, but no the campaign trail he was the opposite.

I can only imagine there is some level of frustration that comes with how Washington operates day-to-day business. He probably thought he picked a safe nominee because the guy went through six FBI investigations to get to that point in his life. Seems a safe bet, but wait, enter the reality of a boy being a dumb boy.

Yes, Kavanaugh drank and that makes his story just as believable as Dr. Ford's story because the time frame was so long ago and drinking really isn't known for improving memories and making the drinker do the morally right thing when tossed into that situation.

I just wonder what Kavanaugh's wife knows or feels. She seemed annoyed from day one when Donald Trump picked her husband. I just wonder if she feels like her husband was a dumbass or is a dumbass when he drinks.

On the surface, drinking seems to be Kavanaugh's Achille's heel. He seems to drink but doesn't seem to get wasted. Sounds plausible if still believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. Drinking shouldn't ban you from the Supreme Court, but at the end of the day, drinking won't be what stops Kavanaugh from getting his dream job because it will the be the stupidity of child that drank way too much.

If Kavanaugh could back in time, I bet he would beat the crap out of his younger self and probably would never pick up a beer so he wouldn't have to see himself on the national news saying he likes beer.

What should have been a slam dunk for Trump is turning into a missed layup. He had other options but I still feel Kavanaugh was picked to please the Bush family. I could be wrong with that, but I feel Kavanaugh has close ties to the Bush family and Trump seems to be making amends for all the stuff he said about the Bush family and he his making those amends by picking a Bush friend.

What Is the Truth

It is hard not to believe a crying woman who knows her attacker.

The media would have us believe that the country is divided by the whole controversy. On the surface, the country is probably divided by political allegiances and not the latest controversy of a president that seems to be distancing himself from his nomination.

Dr. Christine Blasey Ford stands by her allegations that Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her.

Brett Kavanaugh denies doing it.

There are a few problems with the story because of the nature of the memory. Yes, she got technical with how the memory got coded into her brain. But is she right that the memory is solid?

A 35-year-old memory will never be as accurate as we hope. She didn't really deal with the issue until she was in marriage counseling, so this calls into question if the memory is one of suggestibility of the counseling session? We know that they were in counseling for a disagreement about adding a second door, but if you look at the records, the house was still the address of the marriage counselor they were using to help them overcome the door issue. Was the couple going to counseling for a second door considering the building permit was expired in 2012?

I think these counseling notes might be harmful to the character of Dr. Ford and might call into question her story, but that is just an opinion. Why else do you hide those notes? We already know that she never named Kavanaugh in these sessions, but her husband remembers her saying Kavanaugh's name, so why didn't the therapist write down the name?

Dr. Ford is a teacher of psychology. She is familiar with memories and how they work. We still don't know why she was in marriage counseling, because that might have some real insights to why the memory was brought up in session.

It is too easy to be seduced by experts. Dr. Ford is an expert. She is credible and has a story to tell. Her credibility lends credence to her story, even if it happened 35 years ago.

But what about our bias when it comes to judging the truth? Maybe our bias allows us to believe that a sexual predator like Donald Trump would pick a sexual predator like Brett Kavanaugh. I don't see Brett threatening to sue Dr. Ford. It kind of makes me wonder if there is some truth to the story or if he feels sorry for Dr. Ford and doesn't want to cause her any harm that might come from a lawsuit.

It is an interesting fact that in 2012 Brett Kavanaugh was being mentioned in the media.

Another interesting fact is that Brett Kavanaugh's mom oversaw the foreclosure hearing of Dr. Ford's parents.

What does any of this have to do with memory? Do friends laugh in similar ways? If the laugh is how you pinpoint someone, well, how accurate is that when it comes to picking someone out?

The most glaring fact of the whole situation is how President Trump is backing away from his nomination. If he truly believed in the guy he wouldn't say that he hardly knows the guy because that makes it look like he is repaying the Bush family by picking a Bush friend.

This whole ordeal will never be over, but what it teaches us as a nation is something we are good at ignoring. The truth is biased, the truth is ugly, and we can't accept the fact humans aren't perfect.