Succubus Blues CHAPTER 2

The telephone shocked me to cognizance the following morning. Diminish, cloudy light separated in through my sheer window ornaments, meaning some extraordinarily early hour. Around here, notwithstanding, that measure of light could have shown anything from dawn to high early afternoon. After four rings, I at last stooped to reply, incidentally thumping Aubrey out of the bed. She arrived with a rankled mhew and followed off to clean herself. â€Å"Hello?† † Yo, Kincaid?† â€Å"No.† My reaction came quick and certain. â€Å"I'm not coming in.† â€Å"You don't realize I will ask that.† â€Å"Of course I know. There's no other explanation you'd call me this early, and I'm not going to do it. It's my day away from work, Doug.† Doug, the other right hand chief at my normal everyday employment, was a truly pleasant person, however he was unable to keep a poker face †or voice †to spare his life. His cool disposition promptly offered approach to urgency. â€Å"Everyone phoned in wiped out today, and now we're tied. You need to do it.† â€Å"Well, I'm wiped out as well. Trust me, you don't need me there.† Alright, I wasn't actually wiped out, yet I was all the while donning a leftover radiance from being with Martin. Humans would not â€Å"see† it as Duane had as such, yet they would detect it and be attracted to it †people the same †without knowing why. My imprisonment today would forestall any absurd, lovesick conduct. It was somewhat me, truly. â€Å"Liar. You're never sick.† â€Å"Doug, I was at that point anticipating returning this evening for the marking. On the off chance that I work a move today as well, I'll be there throughout the day. That is wiped out and twisted.† â€Å"Welcome to my reality, angel. We have no other option, not in the event that you truly care about the destiny of the store, not on the off chance that you really care about our clients and their happiness†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You're losing me, cowboy.† â€Å"So,† he proceeded, â€Å"the question is, would you say you are going to come here energetically, or do I need to stroll over yonder and drag you up myself? To be perfectly honest, I wouldn't see any problems the latter.† I did a psychological eye move, scolding myself for the billionth time about living two squares from work. His meandering aimlessly about the book shop's enduring had been viable, as he'd realized it would. I worked under the mixed up conviction that the spot couldn't get by without me. â€Å"Well, instead of hazard anything else of your endeavors at clever, sexual exchange, I guess I'll need to come over yonder. Be that as it may, Doug†¦Ã¢â‚¬  My voice turned hard. â€Å"Yeah?† â€Å"Don't put me on the registers or anything.† I heard wavering on his end. â€Å"Doug? I'm not kidding. Not the fundamental registers. I would prefer not to be around a ton of customers.† â€Å"All right,† he said finally. â€Å"Not the fundamental registers.† â€Å"Promise?† â€Å"I promise.† A half hour later, I ventured outside my entryway to walk the two squares to the book shop. Long mists hung low, obscuring the sky, and a swoon chill contacted the air, constraining a portion of my kindred people on foot to wear a coat. I had decided on none, finding my khaki pants and earthy colored chenille sweater more than adequate. The garments, much the same as the lip sparkle and eyeliner I'd deliberately applied today, were genuine; I had not shape-moved into them. I delighted in the standard idea of applying beautifying agents and coordinating pieces of clothing, however Hugh would have asserted I was simply being abnormal once more. Emerald City Books and Caf?â ¦ was a rambling foundation, possessing very nearly a full square in Seattle's Queen Anne neighborhood. It sat two stories high, with the bistro partition ruling a second-floor corner seeing the Space Needle. A chipper green overhang hung over the fundamental entryway, ensuring those clients trusting that the store will open. I strolled around them and entered through a side entryway, utilizing my staff key. Doug attacked me before I'd made two strides inside. â€Å"It's about time. We†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He stopped and did a twofold take, reevaluating me. â€Å"Wow. You look†¦ extremely decent today. Did you accomplish something different?† Just a thirty-four-year-old virgin, I thought. â€Å"You're simply envisioning things since you're so glad I'm here to fix your staffing issue. What's happening with I? Stock?† â€Å"I, er, no.† Doug battled to wake up from his fog, despite everything finding me and down in a manner I discovered perturbing. His enthusiasm for dating me was no mystery, nor was my consistent dismissal. â€Å"Come on, I'll show you.† â€Å"I let you know †â€Å" â€Å"It's not the principle registers,† he guaranteed me. What â€Å"it† ended up being was the coffee counter in our upstairs bistro. Book shop staff scarcely ever subbed up here, yet it wasn't inconceivable. Bruce, the bistro supervisor, sprung up from where he'd been stooping behind the counter. I regularly thought Doug and Bruce could be twins in a blended race, exchange reality kind of way. Both had long, scraggly pig tails, and both wore a decent arrangement of wool in tribute to the grunge time neither had completely recuperated from. They varied for the most part in their shading. Doug was Japanese-American, dark haired with faultless skin; Bruce was Mr. Aryan Nation, all fair hair and blue eyes. â€Å"Hey Doug, Georgina,† proclaimed Bruce. His eyes augmented at me. â€Å"Whoa, you look incredible today.† â€Å"Doug! This is similarly as awful. I disclosed to you I didn't need any customers.† â€Å"You revealed to me not the principle registers. You didn't utter a word about this one.† I opened my mouth to dissent, yet Bruce interfered. â€Å"Come on, Georgina, I had Alex phone in wiped out today, and Cindy really quit.† Seeing my stony articulation, he immediately included, â€Å"Our registers are practically indistinguishable from yours. It'll be easy.† â€Å"Besides† †Doug raised his voice to a reasonable impersonation of our director's †† ‘assistant administrators should have the option to fill in for anyone around here.' â€Å" â€Å"Yeah, however the bistro †â€Å" † †is still piece of the store. See, I must go open. Bruce'll give you what you have to know. Try not to stress, it'll be fine.† He quickly dashed off before I could decline once more. â€Å"Coward!† I shouted after him. â€Å"It truly won't be that bad,† Bruce repeated, not understanding my consternation. â€Å"You simply take the cash, and I'll make the coffee. We should rehearse on you. You need a white chocolate mocha?† â€Å"Yeah,† I yielded. Everybody I worked with thought about that specific bad habit. I as a rule figured out how to bring down three of them daily. Mochas that was, not associates. Bruce strolled me through the important advances, telling me the best way to increase the cups and find what I expected to push on the register's touch-screen interface. He was correct. It wasn't so terrible. â€Å"You're a natural,† he guaranteed me later, giving over my mocha. I snorted accordingly and expended my caffeine, figuring I could deal with anything insofar as the mochas continued coming. Plus, this truly couldn't be as terrible as the principle registers. The bistro most likely did no business this season of day. I wasn't right. Minutes in the wake of opening, we had a line of five individuals. â€Å"Large latte,† I rehashed back to my first client, cautiously punching in the data. â€Å"Already got it,† Bruce let me know, beginning the refreshment before I even got an opportunity to mark the cup. I cheerfully took the lady's cash and proceeded onward to my next request. â€Å"A huge thin mocha.† † Skinny's simply one more word for nonfat, Georgina.† I scribbled NF on the cup. No concerns. We could do this. The following client meandered up and gazed at me, immediately stunned. Waking up, she shook her head and exclaimed a downpour of requests. â€Å"I need one little dribble espresso, one huge nonfat vanilla latte, one little twofold cappuccino, and one huge decaf latte.† Presently I felt overwhelmed. How had she recollected every one of those? Furthermore, truly, who requested dribble any longer? Endlessly the morning went, and regardless of my hesitations, I before long felt myself livening up and getting a charge out of the experience. I was unable to support it. It was the manner by which I worked, how I helped myself through life. I enjoyed attempting new things †in any event, something as worn-out as ringing up coffee. Individuals could be senseless, positively, however I delighted in working with the open more often than not. It was the way I had wound up in client support. What's more, when I conquered my languor, my inherent succubus mystique kicked in. I turned into the star of my very own stage appear, bantering and playing effortlessly. At the point when joined with the Martin-actuated excitement, I turned out to be out and out overpowering. While this resulted in various proffered dates and pickup lines, it likewise spared me from the repercussions of any slip-ups. My clients found no amiss with me. â€Å"That's good, dear,† one more established lady guaranteed me after finding I'd inadvertently requested her a huge cinnamon mocha rather than a nonfat, decaf latte. â€Å"I truly need to fan out into new beverages anyway.† I grinned back winningly, trusting she wasn't diabetic. Later on, a person came up conveying a duplicate of Seth Mortensen's The Glasgow Pact. It was the main sign I'd seen of today around evening time's groundbreaking occasion. â€Å"Are you heading off to the signing?† I asked as I rang up his tea. Bleh. Without caffeine. He read me for a pregnant second, and I prepared myself for a pass. Rather the person said gently, â€Å"Yeah, I'll be there.† â€Å"Well, ensure you concoct great inquiries for him. Try not to ask similar ones every other person does.† â€Å"What do you mean?† â€Å"Oh, you know, the standard thing. ‘Where do you get your thoughts from?' and ‘Are Cady and O'Neill ever going to get together?' â€Å" The person considered this as I made change. He was charming, in a rumpled kind of way. He had earthy colored hair with a rosy gold glimmer to it, said gle

Texas Attorney General Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Texas Attorney General - Research Paper Example Secure control demonstrates that the court has submitted an adolescent into the safe adolescent remedial facility’s authority for span of a particular program that can run over a couple of months or numerous years. The detainment of adolescents doesn't mean to be reformatory; rather, they get care that is predictable with that of the parent in the safe care. The neighborhood ward or the state have the obligation of giving amusement, advising, training, appraisal, wellbeing administrations and other required administrations in a youth’s upkeep and prosperity in their care. Reservations in the protected confinement are for the adolescents who represent a danger to the security of people in general. Status wrongdoers like adolescents who are accused of liquor ownership or fleeing from home might be held for just 24 hours or less. There are five kinds of private projects in which adolescents are confined. These projects incorporate camps, confinement, amendments, private treatment and network based. The wide arrangement assortment choices are on the grounds that there is no uniform in these projects (Lissitz, Green, 1975). The young people should be agreed the proper administrations either in imprisonment offices or in the detainment places. The administrations accessible contrast from the various offices however by and large, the administrations and projects gave are equipped towards the adolescent needs. The capacity of the offices is to restore the young. The administration that offers essential restoration is instruction and it is required to the kept youth (Marx, 1998). The adolescent offices that run schools, which are profoundly viable, give general equivalency recognition readiness, secondary school educational plan, specialized curriculum and chances of professional preparing. The issues of significant worries in these focuses are incapability and congestion. The offices can make flimsiness with respect to straightforward coordinations and become precarious and it becomes

Are You Utilizing Your LinkedIn Profile Sections

Are You Utilizing Your LinkedIn Profile Sections There many often-overlooked sections you should consider adding to your LinkedIn profile.  LinkedIn frequently adds new sections appropriate for special groups like artists and students, for activities like volunteerism, and for skills like languages. You might fall into one of these categories and be at a disadvantage to the artist who completed a portfolio; the student who completed the student section; or the volunteer with a robust Volunteering Causes section. Furthermore, you might be at a loss when attempting to include all the aspects of who you are into your profile unless you utilize some of these special sections. LinkedIn used to have a section called Specialties, and you might have it in your profile. Here’s a sample of what a Specialties section might look like (this person is a specialist in LinkedIn): (You might also simply list your specialties at the bottom of your Summary). Here is a sample of the more recently popularized section for listing your skills: Skills Expertise: But I already have a Specialties section Isnt Skills redundant? Should you fill out the Skills section even if you already have a Specialties section? YES! If you have a Specialties section (not everyone does, as explained above), then both the Specialties and Skills Expertise sections are important areas in which to list your keywords. Whether or not you have a Specialties section, the Skills Expertise section is your best opportunity to appear in searches conducted for people with your skills. The Specialties section gets searched when people do an Advanced Search, and the Skills Expertise section is searchable from https://www.linkedin.com/skills/ or from the Skills Expertise section of anyones profile (hover over one of the skills and click on it for a list of people in your network with that skill). To add the Skills Expertise section, go to Edit Profile and look to the right. You will have a list of sections Recommended for you. Chances are if you don’t have a Skills Expertise section, LinkedIn will recommend that you add one! If you do not complete these two sections (or at least the Skills Expertise section), you will lose a lot of leverage in LinkedIn searches. You also will not be able to get Endorsements if you do not have a Skills Expertise section. Endorsements can be used by recruiters to confirm that you have the skills you claim to have! Can I reorganize my sections? YES! LinkedIn made it possible to move your sections around. On your Edit Profile page, just click on the plus sign to the left of the section name and you can drag the section to wherever you want it. Are you utilizing the new LinkedIn profile features?   I’d love to hear your feedback on the difference adding these features makes for your LinkedIn profile. Save

I Hate Reality TV Essay - 840 Words

For someone who considers his television a family member, such as myself, the summer season is a harsh, empty period of time. Fresh programming is at a minimum, leaving me to either rehash old broadcasts, scan the wasteland of hundreds of other channels offered by my cable company, or; god help me, just turn the ol TV off. Lately, with the current trend of programming choices, I have been opting for the latter of the three, finding my entertainment in print form (crazy, I know). The primary factor contributing to this oustanding decision has been the broadcasters (and I suppose in turn, Americas) infatuation with the reality genres subset of contest shows. I cannot stand any of these shows. These are the ones where there is a panel†¦show more content†¦Watching someone display his talent and then get torn apart by judges who seemingly know what the rest of us dont is not entertainment. It is watching someone else be miserable. For most people, it is easy to see beyond this point. The show progresses and the losers are never heard from or seen again. Ultimately, a winner arises, and the show ends on a happy note. Everyone likes a happy ending. In the mean time, however, is a string of harsh disappoinments; disappointments where most of the cast of characters do not get their happy ending. Dont get me wrong, in no way am I an advocate of the everybody is a winner philosophy. Games and contests should have clear winners and losers, and not everybody can win. The difference though, is that in these contests of winners and losers, say, like a little league game or a spelling bee, the only people the outcome matters to are the direct participants. The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat are instilled only in those participating (and close family members, I suppose). 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Rhetorical Analysis of “Making a Killing off Captivity” by Melissa Richards Free Essays

Kept in captivity since 1961, orcas have been spectacles for millions of people each year who flock to marine parks around the world in hopes of entertainment and education. The chance to get close to such an incredible creature that one may not have the opportunity to see otherwise is undoubtedly an amazing experience. But Melissa Richards questions in â€Å"Making a Killing off Captivity†, at what cost are we getting this experience? She argues that the positive image big-name aquatic parks create for animals is in actual fact leading people to unknowingly support a cruel industry. We will write a custom essay sample on Rhetorical Analysis of â€Å"Making a Killing off Captivity† by Melissa Richards or any similar topic only for you Order Now Explaining the detrimental effects of taking an orca out of its natural habitat, Richards emphasizes her concern for the conservation of Orcas and the importance of treating these powerful and dangerous creatures with respect. Richards begins by setting a joyful scene of a SeaWorld orca performance, an invitation for the reader to enter a high spirited fun spectacle of an orca. Weighing several tonnes the orca circles, leaps and splashes the delighted audience. Suddenly, the mood shifts horrifically as the trainer becomes victim to an orca attack in front of a stunned audience. The sharp change in mood is established by Richards when she says, â€Å"The show ended to a usual bout of applause and cheers, until ‘Tilly’ grabbed his trainer, Dawn Brancheau, by her ponytail and dragged the woman into his tank. † Just as one would think that the spectacle was over, the reader is shocked at the unexpected ending as the audience would have been at Seaworld. The reader’s perception of the orca as being a fun loving, friendly creature, emphasized by the amusing nickname ‘Tilly’, immediately changes to perceiving the orca as a villain. Richards questions â€Å"what could have prompted this sudden violent outburst from Tilikum, a whale who has been in captivity for almost thirty years? † This question brings new dimension to the matter at hand. Suddenly the situation isn’t as black and white as one would have assumed. She elaborates by stating, â€Å"the stress of being captive and made to perform daily had elicited a frustration against his trainer†. Richards manipulates the reader’s perception towards the orca, from a villain to a victim. The deliberate changes of perception towards orcas helps in avoiding predictability in Richards’ argument, this is an effective way to keep the reader focused and intrigued in her writing. Richards elaborates by stating that captivity has had many detrimental effects on orcas including ‘atypical illnesses, erratic behavior, deformities, neurotic problems and early death’. These conditions bring light to the fact that the matter at hand is life threatening and ‘counterproductive to the goals of wildlife appreciation and conservation’. Intertwining these critical issues of wildlife conservation and animal cruelty, she stresses the urgency in her argument. There is a need to convey the message that action must be taken immediately. It is acknowledged that to know whether the orcas are being mistreated in their artificial habitat, we must know the natural habitat of an orca. Richards does a commendable job of familiarizing the reader the sheer magnitude of a creature that many people are unknown to via statistics. Travelling â€Å"one hundred nautical miles every day† (qtd Landeau 1) and weighing â€Å"1. to 3. 6 tons† it is no wonder that their power and strength has earned them the nickname of the â€Å"wolves of the sea†. Despite the general unfamiliarity of these exotic creatures, Richards draws comparisons of the behavior and characteristics of Orcas to that of humans. Orcas have been found to create social and familial bonds with one another, The idea that whales share similar bonds to thei r family as we do encourages the readers to change their belief that whales may not be as alien of a species as they had imagined. This is further elaborated when Richards states â€Å"Mothers are the main caretakers of their offspring, but fathers will remain with their own matriarchal pod, helping to care for the young within this maternal line. † Words such as â€Å"caretakers†, â€Å"helping† and â€Å"care† appeal to the reader’s emotions as we see how affectionate the orca species can be within their pod just as we are affectionate to our kin. â€Å"The familial bonds within orca pods are very strong and only can be broken through death and capture of member† (qtd Williams 9). Suddenly, the loving image of an orca pod is brought back to our harsh reality as she clearly states that captivity devastates innocent orca families. While Richards draws emphasis to the social behavior of orcas, she also informs us of their impressive cognitive abilities. â€Å"orcas are one of the few animals besides humans to have such distinctive language and shared speech patterns among individuals living in the same area† This shows that not only do orcas have strong communal bond with each other, they also communicate so effectively that this is a rare occurrence in the animal kingdom. She stresses the similarity between the reader and the orca species here, this creates familiarity. Moreover, she compares the habitat and behavior of orcas in the wild to those held captive in marine parks. Incorporating the opinion of a former Seaworld trainer (Jeffrey Ventre), a truly credible source considering her experience, the argument is strengthened by a bold statement. â€Å"the SeaWorld system is the best of all seaquaria in the world, if I was an orca, that would be the last place I’d want to live† This suggests that even at its best, marine parks and seaquarias are far from the ideal habitat for an orca. Ventre compares an orca tank to â€Å"an acoustically dead cement pond† emphasizing the numbing atmosphere of a captive orca’s habitat. Case studies of orcas being neurologically and physically damaged because of captivity add credibility to Richards case. Due to â€Å"inadequate space in which to swim† (qtd Williams 52), the dorsal fins of an orca can collapse. This could happen as a result of colliding with the side of the small tank. The size of orca tanks can have great effect on the neurological stability of an orca where some have been documented to self induce physical damage. According to ‘Listening to Whales’ by Alexandra Morton, a young killer whale was observed â€Å"rushing over to a particular spot and banging her head against the underside of a dock†. Swimming in circles and being separated from their families causes the orca to become neurotic. Isolation can be severely detrimental for an orca as some are forced to be in solitary confinement. If orcas cannot adapt to captivity they are made to endure horrifying conditions as in the case study of â€Å"Junior† who died â€Å"lethargic and psychotic† after being kept in an indoor pool without natural light and other orcas. Richards emphasized that orcas are highly social creatures so the idea that it is common practice for captive orcas to be isolated is truly shocking. To further support her argument, Richards shows us how captivity is harmful to orcas with the use of numbers and statistics. After the first orca was taken into captivity in 1961 â€Å"at least 106 (79%) are now dead† (qtd Williams 4). The average lifespan of an orca is approximately sixty to eighty years, which means the majority of orcas do not die from a natural death. This is addressed when Richards states â€Å"one in five of these deaths were a result of avoidable or preventable causes†. It is clear that preventing the death of orcas is not unachievable if more people knew the risks of captivity. Richards appeals to the reader by explaining how the relationship between a mother orca and it’s offspring can be heartbreakingly affected by living in a tank. After a giving birth to a series of orcas that died in weeks, â€Å"Corky† the killer whale was encountering a problem in which her offspring could not instinctually find the spot on Corky to nurse on. This is because of the circular nature of the tank. In the wild, orcas travel in straight lines that make it easier for the offspring to feed. Corky had been continuously pregnant for almost ten years and â€Å"finally at the young age of twenty one, Corky stopped ovulating. † † The death of multiple innocent babies that was so easily avoidable is tragic and makes the reader sympathize with these creatures. Other occurrences that may not be seen in the wild is aggression between orcas. Richards documents a sickening account of two orcas fighting aggressively. â€Å"As Kandu hemorrhaged into the tank and spouted blood from her blowhole onto the stage, SeaWorld staffed ushered a shocked audience out of the audience†¦ This gruesome event graphically conveys the point that captivity induces strange behavior in orcas, ultimately due to neurological damage. This study makes a point of noting the sheer strength and ferocity that an orca can possess. Overall I believe Richards does a commendable job of conveying her argument. She uses credible sources and reliable statistics in order to support her point of view. I have personally been to an orca show in California, reading this article made me reflect on that experience and completely change my percep tion. At the time the experience was completely positive and almost magical as we stepped in to a fantasy land where Shamu was almost a cartoon character, jumping and leaping out of glee. Reading this article has made me realize that Shamu is far from an enchanting Disney character but is actually one of the fiercest, most powerful predators in the ocean. Richards has achieved this with her various case studies that enlightened me on the magnitude of an orca and its ability to kill not only humans but other orcas too. She has persuaded the reader to support her argument with the use of emotions. However, Richards has made an effort to avoid rambling needlessly to provoke empathy by using clear facts to accompany her opinions. An aspect of her research paper that I would change would be the incorporation of the Vancouver Aquarium. The aim of Richards argument was to eliminate captivity in order to conserve the orca population and animal cruelty. However, she has shown Vancouver aquarium in a positive light by stating it â€Å"eliminates parallel surfaces, reduces noise transmission and improves acoustics within the water†. Although Vancouver Aquarium vowed to end orca shows after the death of an orca in their aquarium, I believe Richards message in this quotation is that these conditions are acceptable for an orca in captivity. My personal belief is that no orca should be taken from their natural habitat and away from their pod at all. I believe that this article was written at a point in time that it was needed the most. Conservation and wildlife protection is of utmost importance as hundreds of species a day are rapidly moving towards extinction. This article has shown that we need to be more aware of how we treat animals. Ultimately, Richards has done a fantastic job of educating the reader about a topic that is alien to many. With the use of powerful statistics, thought provoking points and emotional case studies, she has produced a strong argument. The ultimate reaction I believe many readers will walk away from this article with is disappointment, distaste and disillusionment towards orca shows and marine parks. The next time one makes a trip to SeaWorld they must question whether they are going for a day of education and entertainment or whether they are supporting a business built on exploitation of innocent orcas. How to cite Rhetorical Analysis of â€Å"Making a Killing off Captivity† by Melissa Richards, Papers

Rhetorical Analysis of “Making a Killing off Captivity” by Melissa Richards Free Essays

Kept in captivity since 1961, orcas have been spectacles for millions of people each year who flock to marine parks around the world in hopes of entertainment and education. The chance to get close to such an incredible creature that one may not have the opportunity to see otherwise is undoubtedly an amazing experience. But Melissa Richards questions in â€Å"Making a Killing off Captivity†, at what cost are we getting this experience? She argues that the positive image big-name aquatic parks create for animals is in actual fact leading people to unknowingly support a cruel industry. We will write a custom essay sample on Rhetorical Analysis of â€Å"Making a Killing off Captivity† by Melissa Richards or any similar topic only for you Order Now Explaining the detrimental effects of taking an orca out of its natural habitat, Richards emphasizes her concern for the conservation of Orcas and the importance of treating these powerful and dangerous creatures with respect. Richards begins by setting a joyful scene of a SeaWorld orca performance, an invitation for the reader to enter a high spirited fun spectacle of an orca. Weighing several tonnes the orca circles, leaps and splashes the delighted audience. Suddenly, the mood shifts horrifically as the trainer becomes victim to an orca attack in front of a stunned audience. The sharp change in mood is established by Richards when she says, â€Å"The show ended to a usual bout of applause and cheers, until ‘Tilly’ grabbed his trainer, Dawn Brancheau, by her ponytail and dragged the woman into his tank. † Just as one would think that the spectacle was over, the reader is shocked at the unexpected ending as the audience would have been at Seaworld. The reader’s perception of the orca as being a fun loving, friendly creature, emphasized by the amusing nickname ‘Tilly’, immediately changes to perceiving the orca as a villain. Richards questions â€Å"what could have prompted this sudden violent outburst from Tilikum, a whale who has been in captivity for almost thirty years? † This question brings new dimension to the matter at hand. Suddenly the situation isn’t as black and white as one would have assumed. She elaborates by stating, â€Å"the stress of being captive and made to perform daily had elicited a frustration against his trainer†. Richards manipulates the reader’s perception towards the orca, from a villain to a victim. The deliberate changes of perception towards orcas helps in avoiding predictability in Richards’ argument, this is an effective way to keep the reader focused and intrigued in her writing. Richards elaborates by stating that captivity has had many detrimental effects on orcas including ‘atypical illnesses, erratic behavior, deformities, neurotic problems and early death’. These conditions bring light to the fact that the matter at hand is life threatening and ‘counterproductive to the goals of wildlife appreciation and conservation’. Intertwining these critical issues of wildlife conservation and animal cruelty, she stresses the urgency in her argument. There is a need to convey the message that action must be taken immediately. It is acknowledged that to know whether the orcas are being mistreated in their artificial habitat, we must know the natural habitat of an orca. Richards does a commendable job of familiarizing the reader the sheer magnitude of a creature that many people are unknown to via statistics. Travelling â€Å"one hundred nautical miles every day† (qtd Landeau 1) and weighing â€Å"1. to 3. 6 tons† it is no wonder that their power and strength has earned them the nickname of the â€Å"wolves of the sea†. Despite the general unfamiliarity of these exotic creatures, Richards draws comparisons of the behavior and characteristics of Orcas to that of humans. Orcas have been found to create social and familial bonds with one another, The idea that whales share similar bonds to thei r family as we do encourages the readers to change their belief that whales may not be as alien of a species as they had imagined. This is further elaborated when Richards states â€Å"Mothers are the main caretakers of their offspring, but fathers will remain with their own matriarchal pod, helping to care for the young within this maternal line. † Words such as â€Å"caretakers†, â€Å"helping† and â€Å"care† appeal to the reader’s emotions as we see how affectionate the orca species can be within their pod just as we are affectionate to our kin. â€Å"The familial bonds within orca pods are very strong and only can be broken through death and capture of member† (qtd Williams 9). Suddenly, the loving image of an orca pod is brought back to our harsh reality as she clearly states that captivity devastates innocent orca families. While Richards draws emphasis to the social behavior of orcas, she also informs us of their impressive cognitive abilities. â€Å"orcas are one of the few animals besides humans to have such distinctive language and shared speech patterns among individuals living in the same area† This shows that not only do orcas have strong communal bond with each other, they also communicate so effectively that this is a rare occurrence in the animal kingdom. She stresses the similarity between the reader and the orca species here, this creates familiarity. Moreover, she compares the habitat and behavior of orcas in the wild to those held captive in marine parks. Incorporating the opinion of a former Seaworld trainer (Jeffrey Ventre), a truly credible source considering her experience, the argument is strengthened by a bold statement. â€Å"the SeaWorld system is the best of all seaquaria in the world, if I was an orca, that would be the last place I’d want to live† This suggests that even at its best, marine parks and seaquarias are far from the ideal habitat for an orca. Ventre compares an orca tank to â€Å"an acoustically dead cement pond† emphasizing the numbing atmosphere of a captive orca’s habitat. Case studies of orcas being neurologically and physically damaged because of captivity add credibility to Richards case. Due to â€Å"inadequate space in which to swim† (qtd Williams 52), the dorsal fins of an orca can collapse. This could happen as a result of colliding with the side of the small tank. The size of orca tanks can have great effect on the neurological stability of an orca where some have been documented to self induce physical damage. According to ‘Listening to Whales’ by Alexandra Morton, a young killer whale was observed â€Å"rushing over to a particular spot and banging her head against the underside of a dock†. Swimming in circles and being separated from their families causes the orca to become neurotic. Isolation can be severely detrimental for an orca as some are forced to be in solitary confinement. If orcas cannot adapt to captivity they are made to endure horrifying conditions as in the case study of â€Å"Junior† who died â€Å"lethargic and psychotic† after being kept in an indoor pool without natural light and other orcas. Richards emphasized that orcas are highly social creatures so the idea that it is common practice for captive orcas to be isolated is truly shocking. To further support her argument, Richards shows us how captivity is harmful to orcas with the use of numbers and statistics. After the first orca was taken into captivity in 1961 â€Å"at least 106 (79%) are now dead† (qtd Williams 4). The average lifespan of an orca is approximately sixty to eighty years, which means the majority of orcas do not die from a natural death. This is addressed when Richards states â€Å"one in five of these deaths were a result of avoidable or preventable causes†. It is clear that preventing the death of orcas is not unachievable if more people knew the risks of captivity. Richards appeals to the reader by explaining how the relationship between a mother orca and it’s offspring can be heartbreakingly affected by living in a tank. After a giving birth to a series of orcas that died in weeks, â€Å"Corky† the killer whale was encountering a problem in which her offspring could not instinctually find the spot on Corky to nurse on. This is because of the circular nature of the tank. In the wild, orcas travel in straight lines that make it easier for the offspring to feed. Corky had been continuously pregnant for almost ten years and â€Å"finally at the young age of twenty one, Corky stopped ovulating. † † The death of multiple innocent babies that was so easily avoidable is tragic and makes the reader sympathize with these creatures. Other occurrences that may not be seen in the wild is aggression between orcas. Richards documents a sickening account of two orcas fighting aggressively. â€Å"As Kandu hemorrhaged into the tank and spouted blood from her blowhole onto the stage, SeaWorld staffed ushered a shocked audience out of the audience†¦ This gruesome event graphically conveys the point that captivity induces strange behavior in orcas, ultimately due to neurological damage. This study makes a point of noting the sheer strength and ferocity that an orca can possess. Overall I believe Richards does a commendable job of conveying her argument. She uses credible sources and reliable statistics in order to support her point of view. I have personally been to an orca show in California, reading this article made me reflect on that experience and completely change my percep tion. At the time the experience was completely positive and almost magical as we stepped in to a fantasy land where Shamu was almost a cartoon character, jumping and leaping out of glee. Reading this article has made me realize that Shamu is far from an enchanting Disney character but is actually one of the fiercest, most powerful predators in the ocean. Richards has achieved this with her various case studies that enlightened me on the magnitude of an orca and its ability to kill not only humans but other orcas too. She has persuaded the reader to support her argument with the use of emotions. However, Richards has made an effort to avoid rambling needlessly to provoke empathy by using clear facts to accompany her opinions. An aspect of her research paper that I would change would be the incorporation of the Vancouver Aquarium. The aim of Richards argument was to eliminate captivity in order to conserve the orca population and animal cruelty. However, she has shown Vancouver aquarium in a positive light by stating it â€Å"eliminates parallel surfaces, reduces noise transmission and improves acoustics within the water†. Although Vancouver Aquarium vowed to end orca shows after the death of an orca in their aquarium, I believe Richards message in this quotation is that these conditions are acceptable for an orca in captivity. My personal belief is that no orca should be taken from their natural habitat and away from their pod at all. I believe that this article was written at a point in time that it was needed the most. Conservation and wildlife protection is of utmost importance as hundreds of species a day are rapidly moving towards extinction. This article has shown that we need to be more aware of how we treat animals. Ultimately, Richards has done a fantastic job of educating the reader about a topic that is alien to many. With the use of powerful statistics, thought provoking points and emotional case studies, she has produced a strong argument. The ultimate reaction I believe many readers will walk away from this article with is disappointment, distaste and disillusionment towards orca shows and marine parks. The next time one makes a trip to SeaWorld they must question whether they are going for a day of education and entertainment or whether they are supporting a business built on exploitation of innocent orcas. How to cite Rhetorical Analysis of â€Å"Making a Killing off Captivity† by Melissa Richards, Papers