'Therapy Llamas' Visit Portland Airport to Lower the Stress of Travellers (wsvn.com) 48
"The Portland International Airport in Oregon understands holiday travel is stressful. So this season, it invited a few specialists..." writes the Washington Post.
One TV station describes them as "therapy llamas... two 400-pound fluffballs serving as therapy animals" stationed at Portland International Airport (or PDX) earlier this week, for "travelers, in need of a calming moment."
From the Washington Post: Airports around the globe use a variety of methods to inject some Zen into one of the busiest travel periods of the year. They decorate their halls in holiday lights, host carolers and concerts, and bring in therapy dogs for group canine counseling.
Portland does all of the above. True to the city's quirky spirit, it also invites local camelids to the airport to canoodle with passengers. That's where Gregory, president and founder of Mountain Peaks Therapy Llamas & Alpacas, comes in. "PDX has an ongoing partnership with various therapy animal programs," said Allison Ferre, media relations manager with the Port of Portland, which operates the airport. "So this year, when we were bringing back holiday concessions programing, we just thought, "Who better to lead that parade than the llamas and alpacas?"
This year's theme was "reindeer." Gregory and her daughter, Shannon Joy, dressed the pair in antler headbands, glittery halters with tinkling bells and poinsettia-adorned wreathes. Red velvet banners worn like saddles were inscribed with their names and silvery snowflakes. "They looked pretty fancy," Gregory said...
Though the pair had to pass through security, they didn't have to submit to a pat down, which they might have enjoyed for the extra pets.
One TV station describes them as "therapy llamas... two 400-pound fluffballs serving as therapy animals" stationed at Portland International Airport (or PDX) earlier this week, for "travelers, in need of a calming moment."
From the Washington Post: Airports around the globe use a variety of methods to inject some Zen into one of the busiest travel periods of the year. They decorate their halls in holiday lights, host carolers and concerts, and bring in therapy dogs for group canine counseling.
Portland does all of the above. True to the city's quirky spirit, it also invites local camelids to the airport to canoodle with passengers. That's where Gregory, president and founder of Mountain Peaks Therapy Llamas & Alpacas, comes in. "PDX has an ongoing partnership with various therapy animal programs," said Allison Ferre, media relations manager with the Port of Portland, which operates the airport. "So this year, when we were bringing back holiday concessions programing, we just thought, "Who better to lead that parade than the llamas and alpacas?"
This year's theme was "reindeer." Gregory and her daughter, Shannon Joy, dressed the pair in antler headbands, glittery halters with tinkling bells and poinsettia-adorned wreathes. Red velvet banners worn like saddles were inscribed with their names and silvery snowflakes. "They looked pretty fancy," Gregory said...
Though the pair had to pass through security, they didn't have to submit to a pat down, which they might have enjoyed for the extra pets.
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Maybe because it's a tightly packed area, and anyone not interested in smoking weed would be subjected to your smoke - and when they travel to a place where weed is NOT legal they'll set off all the detectors because of YOUR smoke.
Re:Llamas? (Score:4, Funny)
Maybe because it's a tightly packed area, and anyone not interested in smoking weed would be subjected to your smoke - and when they travel to a place where weed is NOT legal they'll set off all the detectors because of YOUR smoke.
Hey now. Let's not let common sense or consideration for your fellow being come into play. That's crazy talk.
Everyone is entitled to do whatever they want, wherever they want, because it's all about them. Nothing else matters.
Re: Llamas? (Score:1)
also itâ(TM)s insane to imply that someone who doesnâ(TM)t smoke would have enough grounds to be halted âoebecause they smell like weedâ. You donâ(TM)t. After a few hours in a plane, you wouldnâ(TM)t.
So no, not common sense at all, and even implying it is is retardedâ¦
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No, you're wrong. The DEA is part of the executive branch, and Biden can legalize weed with the stroke of a pen (ie. an Executive Order).
He's actually right. An Executive Order would only be able to scale back or stop enforcement of the law, but the law itself would still be in place. Weed would still be illegal and enforcement could start again very easily by an arbitrary decision of the executive.
Granted, scaling back or stopping enforcement would be a good start, but to make weed legal it would not be enough: the law itself would need to be repealed and that's up to the legislative branch, not the executive. Only by making weed actually l
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He's actually right. An Executive Order would only be able to scale back or stop enforcement of the law, but the law itself would still be in place. Weed would still be illegal and enforcement could start again very easily by an arbitrary decision of the executive.
Just to precise my own comment: while the president through an Executive Order could not deschedule weed as controlled substance, there are procedures the executive could follow to deschedule it.
The president could be able to try to influence the scheduling decision e.g. by appointing agency officials sympathetic to the goal of descheduling weed, but it would be a long-game strategy, not something that can be done "with the stroke of a pen".
IMHO amending the CSA would still be the better way.
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No, that is not how things work. The DEA does not make the laws. Congress makes the laws. Executive orders cannot override laws. What congress does not do is make enforcement mandatory, because the cost of prosecuting ever single crime would be prohibitive. Thus, priorities, what percentage of agents will be trying to quash the scourge of fentanyl versus agents trying to stick potheads in jail.
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Because, state vs federal laws. I know people in highly red states are freaking out over some Biden moves, and some want a dictator-as-president, but the president indefinitely cannot rule by decree.
Also, weed, if it is as legal as tobacco, can't be smoken in public places. Second hand smoke is still second hand smoke, even if it gets you higher than tobacco does.
Remember, freedom is very important, unless it's a vice that some tight asses don't approve of.
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Nitroglycerin is a medicine.
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Therapy Peacock (Score:4, Interesting)
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Don't you dare make fun of my therapy alligator. He's so fun and loving! And he eats anything (and anyone) that pisses me off. I can't tell you how relieving that is for my stress level!
And cash-sniffing dogs help police rob passengers (Score:2)
Put it on the evening news with some talking-head idiot who declares "police say" with total ignorance of civil asset forfeiture.
PS: $10 says someone will inevitably demand to take a therapy llama or therapy crocodile on-board the plane, delaying takeoff by an hour.
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One day I'll take my therapy snake onto the plane.
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Peacocks are not good for relaxing, not relaxing at all. They can be agressive, and let off a eardrum bursting cry when you least expect it.
Peacocks are like Kardashians. Nice to view from a distance but you don't want to be stuck in an enclosed space with one.
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Why so complex? Atlanta airport already has robbing passengers down to an art. They have a cop stand on the jetway right before you board and basically seize the cash as the passengers walk by. If you refuse, they stop the line and question you i
I've been around llamas a few times (Score:2)
Many of them tend to be rather bad-tempered.
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yes, hissing spitting biting llamas
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Came here to say the same, we had a few years where our local fair had a llama section and I don't think it was very popular due to their temperament and smell.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
And what about the stress for the llamas? (Score:4, Insightful)
I mean, seriously, llamas in an airport? That's a lot of stress for these animals.
People go there of their own free will, llamas,if given a choice definitely wouldn't.
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living around humans is difficult and risky for any species. i hope these llamas are loved and cared for, then again that might not be the case. anyway, you are right, in the best case scenario this is just mild animal exploitation.
this is specially wrong because all the "good vibe" conveys the idea that animal exploitation is ok, specially for kids. it is not. and this isn't even to plough a field so you can eat, or cure cancer, this is all for entertainment and fun, the goal being fucking marketing. llama
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Confused journalist (Score:2)
Airports (Score:5, Funny)
Airports, they really whip the llamas ass
Keep Portland Weird (Score:1)
This is Zen? (Score:2, Insightful)
They decorate their halls in holiday lights, host carolers and concerts,
Who wouldn't want to be assaulted by flashing lights and continual singing in a location they couldn't escape? That is the height of Zen [wikipedia.org].
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Spit-aful choices (Score:1)
Oh Good... (Score:1)
Flying sucks (Score:2)
It's the closest thing to prison that a law abiding person will ever have to endure
Crowds, lines, delays, cancellations, silly rules and ever shrinking seats are the problem
Llamas won't help and whoever thought of the idea seems to be going for gold in the olympics of stupidity
Winamp (Score:2)
It Really Whips the Llama's Ass
https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
Rama LLama Ding Dong (Score:2)
They just want to make sure that everyone arriving at PDX knows that the people there are even more crazy than SFO.
BTW, if you piss off a llama, they will spit at you, so whoever thought this up is not only crazy but also a moron.
Maybe it's a misprint. (Score:2)
Maybe the airport is actually providing therapy lamas
And nevermind about the putative "3-L lamas"
Llama poem by Ogden Nash (Score:2)
The one-l lama, he's a priest.
The two-l llama, he's a beast.
And I will bet a silk pajama
There isn't any three-l lllama.
Yeah, 'cause nothing is ... (Score:1)
Especially if you aren't a precious little pony and only happened to be walking by when Larry the emotional support Llama lost his cool.
Here's maybe a better solution: stop being such whinging little @#$(!s. There's no reason to be anxious at an airport -- unless you are one of the 1% of people who suffer from certain personality disorders, in which case you probably already have developed coping mechanisms for