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A movie went behind the scenes, and now SeaWorld is just trying to stay afloat.

People love orcas, but things have changed since they learned the real cost of seeing them perform.

Orcas are amazing creatures.

They're also called “killer whales," even though they're actually members of the dolphin family. Orcas are smart, endearing, and social. They live in communities called “pods" when they're in the wild.

Unfortunately for them, orcas can also be awesome performers in captivity.

Marine parks around the world draw big crowds to orca shows, and big bucks.

One of the most well-known marine parks is SeaWorld.

SeaWorld has been around since 1959 when it was a small bird sanctuary and garden associated with Anheuser-Busch. It's long presented itself as a place for educational entertainment that teaches kids and their families about marine animals.

In July 2013, though, a movie — “Blackfish" — exposed what life is like for whales at SeaWorld when the crowds leave. It shocked a lot of people and triggered a series of events that look an awful lot like a downward spiral for SeaWorld.

Here's why what happens to SeaWorld is really important.

Every entertainment venue in the States and around the world that relies on captive wild animals has to be watching what happens to SeaWorld with concern. The lesson those venues may be learning is that properly respecting animal rights and more seriously considering their quality of life is the only way to stay in business now that audiences have shown how much they care.

Here's some of what's happened to SeaWorld, starting with the release of “Blackfish."

July 2013: "Blackfish" is released.

"Blackfish" is the story of one orca, Tilikum — a performer who wound up killing several people.

In telling Tilikum's story, the film reveals what it's like to be an orca in captivity. The film suggests a link between these conditions and Tilikum's violence.

November 2013: Students upload a message to SeaWorld on YouTube.

February 2014: SeaWorld is cited by the USDA for Animal Welfare Act violations.

"We stored these whales at night in what we call a module, which was 20 feet across and probably 30 feet deep."
— former SeaWorld trainer

According to SeaWorld's own information, their average orca is over 21 feet long. Um, 20 feet across?

March 2014: A legislator proposes banning orca captivity.

State Assemblymember Richard Bloom introduced the Orca Welfare and Safety Act, which would make it illegal to “hold in captivity, or use, a wild-caught or captive-bred orca for performance or entertainment purposes." The penalty for violating the law would be up to a $100,000 fine and/or six months' jail time.

May 2014: SeaWorld's attendance drops by 13%

In January, February, and March 2014, attendance was down by 450,000 visitors compared to the year before.

July 2014: Southwest Airlines ends its relationship with SeaWorld.

For 26 years, SeaWorld had partnered with Southwest Airlines, with planes painted to look like SeaWorld orca Shamu. No more.

August 2014: SeaWorld Entertainment's stock plunges 33%.

November 2014: Protesters grab attention at the televised Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

December 2014: SeaWorld CEO leaves the company.

CEO Jim Atchison steps down from SeaWorld — with a $2.5 million severance package, mind you — and a board member resigns as well.

February 2015: SeaWorld loses 1 million visitors.

Compared to February 2014, SeaWorld's attendance is down by a million visitors.

You can check out the entire timeline video from The Dodo of SeaWorld's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year and a half.

Hopefully, everyone gets the message.

SeaWorld's learning the hard way that earth's creatures are not just there for our amusement, and other companies like them have to be reading the writing on the wall for this kind of entertainment. It's time to come up with less invasive, more respectful ways of getting to know these animals.

There are still orcas at SeaWorld.

We're fascinated by these creatures, and if we didn't understand what they'd been going through before, now we do. It's never been our intent to see animals like orcas suffer, and hopefully, that suffering's going to come to an end soon.

Community

Facebook group brings people together IRL to make meaningful friendships

True

Making new friends as an adult is challenging. While people crave meaningful IRL connections, it can be hard to know where to find them. But thanks to one Facebook Group, meeting your new best friends is easier than ever.

Founded in 2018, NYC Brunch Squad brings together hundreds of people who come as strangers and leave as friends through its in-person events.

“Witnessing the transformative impact our community has on the lives of our members is truly remarkable. We provide the essential support and connections needed to thrive amid the city's chaos,” shares Liza Rubin, the group’s founder.

Despite its name, the group doesn’t just do brunch. They also have book clubs, seasonal parties, and picnics, among other activities.

NYC Brunch Squad curates up to 10 monthly events tailored to the specific interests of its members. Liza handles all the details, taking into account different budgets and event sizes – all people have to do is show up.

“We have members who met at our events and became friends and went on to embark on international journeys to celebrate birthdays together. We have had members get married with bridesmaids by their sides who were women they first connected with at our events. We’ve had members decide to live together and become roommates,” Liza says.

Members also bond over their passion for giving back to their community. The group has hosted many impact-driven events, including a “Picnic with Purpose” to create self-care packages for homeless shelters and recently participated in the #SquadSpreadsJoy challenge. Each day, the 100 members participating receive random acts of kindness to complete. They can also share their stories on the group page to earn extra points. The member with the most points at the end wins a free seat at the group's Friendsgiving event.

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friendship
Democracy

This Map Reveals The True Value Of $100 In Each State

Your purchasing power can swing by 30% from state to state.

Image by Tax Foundation.

Map represents the value of 100 dollars.

As the cost of living in large cities continues to rise, more and more people are realizing that the value of a dollar in the United States is a very relative concept. For decades, cost of living indices have sought to address and benchmark the inconsistencies in what money will buy, but they are often so specific as to prevent a holistic picture or the ability to "browse" the data based on geographic location.

The Tax Foundation addressed many of these shortcomings using the most recent (2015) Bureau of Economic Analysis data to provide a familiar map of the United States overlaid with the relative value of what $100 is "worth" in each state. Granted, going state-by-state still introduces a fair amount of "smoothing" into the process — $100 will go farther in Los Angeles than in Fresno, for instance — but it does provide insight into where the value lies.

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money
Identity

One man turned nursing home design on its head when he created this stunning facility

"What if we design an environment that looks like outside?" he said. "What if I can have a sunrise and sunset inside the building?



92-year-old Norma had a strange and heartbreaking routine.

Every night around 5:30 p.m., she stood up and told the staff at her Ohio nursing home that she needed to leave. When they asked why, she said she needed to go home to take care of her mother. Her mom, of course, had long since passed away.

Behavior like Norma's is quite common for older folks suffering from Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia. Walter, another man in the same assisted living facility, demanded breakfast from the staff every night around 7:30.

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Pop Culture

People are sharing the adult problems that 'nobody prepared you for' and they're so true

Here are 21 of the most relatable.

via PixaBay

Being an adult is tough.

Nothing can ever fully prepare you for being an adult. Once you leave childhood behind, the responsibilities, let-downs and setbacks come at you fast. It’s tiring and expensive, and there's no easy-to-follow roadmap for happiness and success.

A Reddit user named u/Frequent-Pilot5243 asked the online forum, “What’s an adult problem nobody prepared you for?” and there were a lot of profound answers that get to the heart of the disappointing side of being an adult.

One theme that ran through many responses is the feeling of being set adrift. When you’re a kid, the world is laid out as a series of accomplishments. You learn to walk, you figure out how to use the bathroom, you start school, you finish school, maybe you go to college, and so on.

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adulthood
Joy

7 things Black people want their well-meaning white friends to know

"You, white friend, need to speak up and say something when I can't."

Silver Sprocket/YouTube

Growing up black in a white neighborhood.

I grew up black in a very white neighborhood in a very white city in a very white state.

As such, I am a lot of people's only black friend.

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Education

Warren Buffet's partner, Charlie Munger shared his most valuable advice on becoming a success

The billionaire passed away on November 28 at the age of 99.

via Nick / Wikimedia Commons

Charlie Munger of Berkshire Hathaway.

Charles Munger, Vice Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway and Warren Buffet’s closest business partner, passed away on Tuesday, November 28, at 99. Buffett and Munger's partnership lasted over 50 years, producing Berkshire Hathaway, one of the largest and most successful conglomerates in history.

When Munger passed, his estimated worth was $2.6 billion. Buffet, 93, is believed to be worth $119 billion.

But Munger was far more than just a wealthy man. Apple CEO Tim Cook called Munger a “keen observer of the world around him,” and he was known for his pithy bits of common-sense wisdom known as “Mungerisms.”

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wisdom
Health

If you're grieving a loved one this holiday season, here's a gift you can give yourself

After losing her almost-4-year-old daughter to epilepsy, Kelly Cervantes created a "grief companion" that meets people wherever they are in their grief journey.

Images courtesy of Kelly Cervantes

Kelly Cervantes wrote her way through grieving the loss of her daughter, Adelaide.

Kelly Cervantes begins the Introduction to her book with five words: "Grief sucks. It's also weird." It's a concise truth that anyone who has lost a loved one knows all too well.

Grief is a universal experience—none of us get through life without loss—but it's also unique to each person. Most of us are familiar with the popular "stages of grief" theory, but denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance (along with guilt and a host of things) are less like sequential rungs on a ladder and more like pools you fall into at various times as you stumble your way through the grief process. Grief is not linear and it's not neat and tidy and it's not predictable.

Take it from someone who's been there. Kelly Cervantes lost her daughter, Adelaide, to epilepsy just shy of her 4th birthday. Using writing as a therapeutic tool to help her process Adelaide's medically complex life, death and everything that came after, Kelly created the book she wished she'd had as she was trying to navigate her own grieving process.

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grief
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