"The Killer in the Pool" & CNN Film, "Blackfish"

I was one of many viewers last week tuned into the CNN film, Blackfish. I was moved by the documentary and watched the interviews afterwards. I learned that the flame that ignited the film was the article, The Killer in the Pool, by Tim Zimmerman in 2010 after the death of SeaWorld's killer whale trainer, Dawn Brancheau. The article centers around a killer whale named Tilikum, which ironically means "friend" in Chinook. Both the article and the documentary start by mentioning the death of Brancheau and then working back through Tilikum's life. Essentially, both pieces raise the questions, why did Tilikum kill Dawn Brancheau?, and should killer whales be kept in captivity?

Dawn Brancheau's safety spotter on the day of her death claimed that Tilikum had grabbed her ponytail while she was lying next to him during a routine show. Once she pulled back it became almost like a game of tug-of-war for him. According to the scientists that both Zimmerman and the production crew for the documentary interviewed, Orcas in captivity tend to become restless rather easily. They are used to swimming up to and sometimes more than 70 miles a day in search of food. The whales at SeaWorld and other marine parks around the world are not given that opportunity. These killer whales are expected to perform like circus animals for a large crowd of people several times a day. After awhile this becomes boring and frustrating for the animals. While they aren't sure what triggered Tilikum's attack on Dawn, many believe that the orcas are able to sense and know just how far they are going. Trainers think that they know if they take it too far that they can kill them and so there is a possibility that Tilikum meant to kill Brancheau that day. It still doesn't explain what motivated the attack, but boredom seems to be the main factor.

Zimmerman raises the question to readers and viewers of the documentary, "should killer whales be kept in captivity?" Knowing what we know now, that there are no documented cases of killer whales attacking, hurting, or killing a human being in the wild, and yet we have one whale with a death toll up to three in captivity. Some scientists believe that keeping the killer whales in such a small "pool" with limited stimulation drives them to become psychotic. The documentary focused on how the killer whale's brain is very complex and it has a certain portion dedicated to socialization and emotions. The orcas live in pods of 20 to 50 and within those pods they have families. It's a matriarchal society and the babies stay with their mothers even after they're grown. There's a scene in the documentary where SeaWorld decides to remove the baby from the mother. She just sits in the corner of the enclosure and cries. The scientist explaining what was going on said that she was using long range vocals because she was trying to search for her baby. As a mother, that was heart breaking. If these whales stay connected to their babies and families than why would it be in their best interest to separate them? The article has a quote from Jean-Michel Cousteau, president of the Ocean Futures Society, that I think sums up the articles findings,

"Maybe we as a species have outgrown the need to keep such wild, enormous, complex, intelligent, and free-ranging animals in captivity, where their behavior is not only unnatural; it can become pathological... Maybe we have learned all we can from keeping them captive."

I respected that Zimmerman did praise SeaWorld for some of the things that they do for the marine animals. They have excellent breeding techniques, advanced veterinary care for their animals, they preserve the species, and they also play a major role with non-profit conservation organizations. He acknowledged that SeaWorld and other marine parks around the world have given this species awareness to the public. Before the 1960s killer whales were used as target practice and the United States has come a long way in order to protect these mammals since then. I do think that Zimmerman and the crew of Blackfish has opened the eyes to many of the kind of life that these killer whales lead. It's sad, lonely, and can be a death trap waiting to happen. They have definitely raised many questions and hopefully will make a difference.

City of Fallen Angels

 After reading City of Fallen Angels I was a little surprised that the author did not stick to her original plan and end the series with the third book, City of Glass. In this book the group all has returned from Alicante and is back home for about six weeks. Every single person seems to have been paired off; Clary and Jace, Alec and Magnus Bane, Jocelyn and Luke, and Simon, Maia, and Isabelle (yep, Simon has two girls for a bit). Shadowhunters from the old "circle" are being murdered and no one seems to know who is behind it. Their throats are cut and they are being placed in other Downworlder's territories, leaving a lot of finger pointing. The murders eventually lead to Camille, the world's oldest vampire. She is cunning and not to be trusted, but swears to the Shadowhunters and Magnus Bane that she is not acting of her own volition. She was summoned to commit these crimes. The Clave (along with Simon, Clary, Isabelle, Alec, Maia, Jordan, and Jace) soon find out that Camille is the least of their worries. The dead Shadowhunters, dead and deformed babies, hooded cult followers, and the resurrection of Sebastian/Jonathan all lead to the world's oldest greater demon, Lilith. There is definitely a struggle between good and evil in this novel and it seems as though evil may be the victor.
 I think one of the things that really bothered me with this book was the relationship between Jace and Clary. He was isolating himself from her just as they first became an official couple. He was having bad dreams and they were running into his personal life. It almost seemed as though Clare had reincarnated Twilight's Edward through Jace. He had the mentality that if I love her, I have to stay away so she doesn't get hurt.
"I can't talk to you, I can't be with you, I can't even look at you." - A little harsh, huh?!
While it ended up making sense in the end (kind of), it was really annoying.

Clary, for me, is just an irritating character. She seems clueless most of the time and puts herself into situations that could easily be avoided. One scene that I just found ridiculous was in Jace's bedroom at the Institute. Jace and Clary were being intimate, Jace grabs a knife, and almost stabs Clary. It was just odd that Clary gets extremely upset when Jace ignores her, but if he almost stabs her she's not freaking out and quick to forgive  him.

While I do think The Mortal Instrument series should have ended a book ago, I will do my best to finish. It was a quick, easy, and interesting read. I'll be interested to see where the series goes from here.

My thoughts on "Saving June"

I will admit that I had to lay this book down and come back to it because it took me awhile to get into it. Saving June follows the narrator and main character, Harper Scott. Her sister, June, has just committed suicide, seemingly out of the blue. June was the "perfect" sibling, while Harper is considered a disappointment. June had always wanted to go to California, but never got the chance. Harper and her best friend, Laney, devise a plan to take June's ashes to California and spread them in the Pacific. Just as Harper and Laney think that their trip may be impossible, in comes Jake Tolan in shining armor and riding in a black creeper van named "Joplin." Jake definitely has some connection to June that Harper can't quite figure out, but agrees to Jake's offer to drive the trio to California. Together the three of them trek across the country, find themselves, and ultimately learn that life is worth living.

I would only give this book 3 out of 5 stars because the author could have done so much more with this story. It had a good, but somewhat predictable and cliché plot. It just left me a little disappointed at the end. I think the one thing that really annoyed me was the characters- especially Harper.

Harper: She's made out to be this strong, confident, and stubborn girl, but I just didn't see that at all. She didn't cry after her sister's death, but then she is almost bragging about the fact that she didn't cry. I felt that the author was portraying Harper as "strong" by showing that she doesn't cry. She does end up having a few emotional break downs later in the book.
  She also doesn't really seem to have her own tastes or beliefs. Jake, who is obsessed with music, asks her what type of music she likes to listen to, but she can't really answer him. She starts naming music that Laney listens to. As she starts to fall for Jake, she ends up liking his music. Also, the topic of religion is thrown around throughout the book. Harper doesn't believe in God or organized religion, but she doesn't have a good reason as to why. It seems she chooses not to believe because she doesn't want to be like her bible-thumping Aunt Helen.
  I did, however, enjoy Harper's self discovery throughout the road trip to California and her return home. She realized that she wasn't as much of a disappointment as she had thought. My favorite scene with Harper is on the boat and she says,

     "I'm sorry... For everything I did. For everything I didn't. I wish you were here. I know it's not enough, but this is the closest I'm going to get, to saving you."

Laney: She was probably my favorite character throughout the whole book. She was funny and optimistic. She had her own opinions and didn't let others sway her decisions. She wasn't afraid to try new things. She loved adventure. I think the only issue I had with her is that she didn't tend to stick up for herself. She kind of let comments and put-downs slide off her back instead of becoming defensive. She always ran to Harper's defense, but at times she seemed to allow others to walk all over her.

Jake: He was kind of your cliché dark, mysterious, asshole-at-times, and sexy love interest. Throughout the book you wonder how deep the connection between Jake and June went, and are once again disappointed because that isn't really explained. He admits to her playing a significant role in his lifestyle changes, but you don't really get to see any glimpse or flashback of the two of them. I think that would have been a really important scene for readers. I knew from the moment that Harper saw Jake at June's wake that they would become "involved," but I had hoped for more of a connection.
  Jake is really into music, which is great and all, but also very annoying at times. They act like enjoying music like, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, The Beach Boys, ABBA, and Johnny Cash (among others) is a rarity and is supposed to add to his "mysterious" charm. I found that to be a little ridiculous. All of the music he liked is readily available and still widely played. It made them seem much younger than they were.
  I did really enjoy how he interacted with Harper. He didn't pity her. He was honest and told her what he was thinking. She always knew that she could trust the things that he told her. I think through Jake she started to realize that she wasn't as much of a failure as she had previously believed. My favorite quote from Jake is during a conversation where Harper is expressing that June was better at everything.

              "Well, you're better at living," he reasons. "You're the one still here, aren't you?"

June: While she is dead throughout the entire book, she does play an important role. she is the one that kind of binds Jake and Harper together. I think that this is where the author really dropped the ball. June is a well-liked, intelligent, and seemingly "perfect" girl. I find it hard to believe that NO ONE saw anything wrong. I also think that the author should have delved farther into why she committed suicide. I really thought the book would eventually reveal that (especially the letter), but it did not.