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So… You’re Likely Going to Get the Coronavirus; COVID19. But… Just Maybe Not This YearI’m a retired anesthesiologist, father, husband, caretaker to an elderly parent and basically your average disabled American digesting what’s happening on Earth in 2020. About a month ago I wrote about COVID19, on Facebook, although, at the time, it was called 2019-nCoV – “The Wuhan Coronavirus” but has been now officially labelled as COVID19.This is a long answer and meant for those that have some minutes to read and some minutes to digest it. First a short answer for those without the time right now.Short Answer:The bad news is that COVID19 is not going to be contained globally. The decent news is that the United States (and many other countries) has/have done some things correctly to slow the spread of the disease for this 2019-20 Season. Hindsight will be 20/20 on this one and there will have been mistakes made, however, in my opinion, preventing COVID19 in the United States will eventually be found to have been impossible.Why? Basically, two reasons for such a fast spread:1) It appears there is a long period of time (more than 72 hours) when one has COVID19 and is infectious to others. Hence, the 14-day quarantine model being used.2) Initial data shows that 80% of people get a mild to moderate illness, about 15% of people experience a severe illness and 5% get labelled critical. Hence, there are a bunch of people sick but not sick enough to avoid others.Example: You are feeling not-great, but it’s Friday and you have these one or two things that need done at work before the weekend. You go into work, have a great day ‘work-wise’ even though by the end of the day you are exhausted and ready for the weekend. On Sunday, you have a fever of 100.8, cough a bit, and know you are sick. Later, you find out you got it from the gal who did this the last Friday at your workplace. She got it from her kid the week before who could not miss the three tests in school that he had the Thursday (because he studied so hard for them) and… because he was going on a high school sports team trip over the weekend… etc. Yep, the whole sports team has it now, too. And… the other team has it, too. And… the other team’s parents.This is how the virus will spread so fast throughout the world. There is no cure for human-to-human contact, although the Chinese have tried! This is not the whole story, though.Long Answer:My own four kids have all used ‘being sick’ as a way to attempt to get out of school. Yep. Some more than others. Just as often, they have lied in the other direction, stating they are fine, about being not-being-sick because of the pain of make-up work. Especially during their junior and senior years of high school. Just imagine, in your mind, a high school hallway, thick with teen spirit and pheromones, between classes and a virus that is transmitted by air, on all those voices, all those laughs, a few coughs, numerous high fives, fist bumps and playful slaps and all of that in very close proximity. Inevitable.The distribution of mild/moderate, to severe to critical cases of COVID19 makes global spread inevitable. Four out of five people with COVID19 have symptoms like the common cold or mild flu. I would guess, at least 50% of those people will go to work (when maybe they should not), go to school (when maybe they should not), congregate with friends (when maybe they should not), visit family (when maybe they should not), or ‘get through’ their normal days without so much as a thought that they are really ‘that sick’ and the pattern will repeat for families, for communities and for cities and countries. Human Nature.Well, that sucks. It does. It has happened before and will happen again, just like every novel human illness before this one. Think of your own city. I look at my own hometown of Columbus, OH. The “Arnold Sports Festival” is March 5-8, 2020 and was already the largest multi-sport event in the world by 2018. This is an amazing experience with people who train year-round to compete. It’s a people watchers dream. Last year, in 2019, Columbus saw over 22,000 athletes competing! The event – which ran from Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019 to Sunday, March 3, 2019 – had an economic impact of $54.1 million on Columbus last year! Even if 50% of the athletes choose not to come and 50% of the crowds stay home and everyone washes their hands all the time… even then, this airborne virus will spread here in my hometown. Then, back to where everyone was coming from.Life continues; my wife travelled this week to Colorado, domestically, but there’s a lot of people between here, in Ohio, all the way by airport to Colorado and then back next weekend. The following week, our Spring Break, I, my wife and my two youngest will travel domestically. This whole week, those younger ones are attending school. My two eldest are in graduate school, attending classes and my eldest son is travelling with his NCAA Volleyball team. Life goes on. We have not stopped our lives.I fielded a bunch of medical questions in late January and early February. Since then, here are the top three I’ve received from non-medical people across multiple platforms:Should I wear a mask? The only mask that would help is what they call an N95 mask and that has to be fitted properly to work properly. Hospital employees will be using these when treating people with airborne illness, like COVID19. For the average person travelling or living their lives, masks will likely not prevent you from getting COVID19, but if you are sick with any cold or flu, wearing any mask may reduce the spread of your own infectious droplets (airborne or otherwise) to other people, surfaces, your own hands, etc. I say, may, because you have to be diligent not to spread your own germs.To be as safe as we can for all colds and flus, learn this, teach this to your kids:• WASH YOUR HANDS• TOUCH LESS THINGS AND PEOPLE• TOUCH YOUR FACE LESS• COUGH OR SNEEZE INTO ELBOWWhat’s the treatment? For the 80% of people that will have a mild to moderate illness when contracting COVID19, it’s fluids, rest and recover. Take your temperature every day and treat fevers, that means a temperature greater than 100.5 degrees, with Acetaminophen (Tylenol) or Ibuprofen (Advil).[ EDIT ADDED March 18, 2020 - There is a publication, that includes a warning by French Health Minister Veran that Advil (Ibuprofen) and other NSAIDs may make the course of COVID19 illness worse. The warning followed a recent study in The Lancet medical journal that hypothesised that an enzyme boosted by anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen could facilitate and worsen COVID-19 infections. Here is the paper: Are patients with hypertension and diabetes mellitus at increased risk for COVID-19 infection? END EDIT ADDITION ~Chris ]For the 20% that get severe or critically sick; They are going to need the best care they can get and if they develop further disease, perhaps hospitalization. If you are older, or have cardiac issues, or lung issues, or just have had a chronic illness, like diabetes for decades, you will be at greater risk of getting more sick than the average person BUT that’s true of every cold and flu you get!Can my kids get it? It would appear that they can but the CDC states, “there is no evidence that children are more susceptible [to COVID19]. In fact, most confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported from China have occurred in adults. Infections in children have been reported, including in very young children. From limited information published from past Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) outbreaks, infection among children was relatively uncommon.” *Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)This past week, I think for obvious reasons, the questions I received turned more financial than medical in nature!Except one new medical question this week: If I get COVID19, can I get it again? The truthful answer is there is not enough good data to give a definitive answer, yet. It’s true, this is a new, or novel, form of coronavirus, but our human race has encountered many novel illnesses over time and ones much worse than COVID19. My medical suspicion will be that most people who get this year’s COVID19 virus, will not likely get it again. It is also my suspicion that most Americans will get COVID19 next year, not this year, if they are going to contract it.As for economic impacts, watching $3.6 Trillion dollars of value vanish for the S&P 500 was difficult for most Americans with an IRA to watch. As an individual, one thing I have learned about investing is that you, an individual, cannot ‘time’ the market, you can only time yourself. I’ve counselled many young new doctors and dentists just beginning their retirement accounts to “Bet on the USA” because they are all “individually” about 30 years old and have 35 years before they retire. Their ‘timing’ of the markets is to buy every month with their IRA contributions. Lori and I are 50 years old, our ‘individual’ timing is different, we retire in 15 years. Our elderly parent is near 85 years old, his ‘individual’ timing is different.I’ve been asked for advice (financially) a bunch this past week: (This is what I tell almost everyone) and I rarely answer anything about finances.GENERALLY SPEAKING: If you are under 45 years old and have less than $500k in retirement, you should by the least expensive (fee-wise) S&P500 Index Fund (I believe that’s Vanguard as of today) and you do not need to look or to care until you hit $500k in your retirement accounts. No individual will out-guess the thousands of business leaders running America’s 500 best companies! If you are over 45 years old and/or have more than $500k then go interview (3) financial advisors, yes, (3) of them, and pick the one that you and your spouse like the most. From 45 to 65 years old, meet at least annually and plan your retirement path. It is a marathon, not a sprint. Lastly, if you work with an advisor, do a 3rd party audit every 3 to 5 years (no matter whom you work with, double check their work every 3 to 5 years)… which is simple because most financial advisors are happy to review what you are doing in hopes of landing future business with you or your family.That’s it. Yep, that’s it. Really. It is simple, actually, we (humans) just make it complicated because of fear, mostly, perhaps, greed, intermittently over our lives. Speaking of fear and money, here is a quick glance at the past global illnesses and the effects or impact on the stock market the past 40 years:Green is a good color here. I hope seeing all that ‘green’ in the picture above makes some of that fear go away. Go ahead, look again, there is a lot of green!That’s money, but if you don't have your health, who cares.2019-nCoV – “The Wuhan Coronavirus” and now known or relabeled as officially COVID19 is going to propagate through the end of April 2020 in the northern hemisphere of Earth. By the middle of May 2020, the new case numbers will fall off and continue to decline for the end of the 2019-2020 Cold/Flu Season.However, it will come back next year in the 2020-2021 Cold/Flu Season.How do I know this? To answer: How is the Corona virus spreading all over the world so fast? Is there no cure for that? more completely let’s look at few things about colds and flus.What is a Flu Season or The Cold & Flu Season? Well, microbes, like those that cause the cold or the flu, do not do well in UV radiation… sunlight kills microbes surprisingly well. For the northern hemisphere of Earth, this means basically from the middle of May through the first week in October there is so much sunlight and UV radiation where people are and interact or congregate that colds and flus, and the microbes responsible for them, just can’t really spread effectively. Every time humans walk outside, their skin, their clothes, all get naturally radiated… while it can give your skin a tan or a sunburn, to a cold or flu microbe, the sunlight is deadly. The warmer ambient air temperatures also cause droplets to vanish much faster in the summer months. That means all the surface-to-surface or people-to-people transmissions are reduced dramatically. However, starting in October and continuing to the follow middle of May, the power of the sun fades in the northern hemisphere, people meet indoors more than outdoors, droplets in cooler air linger longer before evaporating and transmission rates for microbes’ surface-to-surface or people-to-people increases.For the Flu: (AS AN EXAMPLE ONLY)The 40th week of the year, in the northern hemisphere, where the USA and a lot of the world’s population lives, is usually the first full week in October. This is when cases of the Flu begin to show up, usually. The 46th week of the year, which is the middle of November, is when Flu cases double and then climb into the “Flu Season” each year. The 20th week of the year ends in the middle of May and concludes the “Flu Season”. We are in the 10th week of 2020.Let’s first look at last year, the 2018-29 Season:Adopted from: National, Regional, and State Level Outpatient Illness and Viral SurveillanceFirst, notice, the “Flu” is really a number of different types of Influenza with (2) major types for last year. The Flu Shot you may elect to get each year usually has the 3 or 4 most likely flu variants or types most likely to cause the flu illnesses that next season. While the ‘effectiveness’ of the flu shot bounces between 20% and 50% (2005-2018), millions of people likely do not get the flu or get a milder version of it because of the vaccine and transmission rates, overall, are slowed considerably. So, the above picture is a snapshot of the 2018-29 Flu Season.This year is the ongoing 2019-20 Season:Again, adopted from: National, Regional, and State Level Outpatient Illness and Viral SurveillanceYou see different colors in the bar graph for this year, a different curve and timing to the shape of the overall curve and basically, a different flu season compared to last year.We will all see how this cold and flu season ends but, in my opinion, even flu infections are going to fall off sooner and faster than last year because many people are being way safer (because of the COVID19 outbreak and the news cycles about it) and maybe Spring will get here earlier, too:• WASH YOUR HANDS• TOUCH LESS THINGS AND PEOPLE• TOUCH YOUR FACE LESS• COUGH OR SNEEZE INTO ELBOW• HOPE FOR AN EARLY SUMMERTIME!!!If COVID19 is at least similar in transmission to the Flu(s) we get in American Society and everything else being about the same for society, then you are very likely to get COVID19 next season if you do not get it this year. “But… there will be a vaccine!”Maybe, but it may also only be 50% effective. And… honestly, there may not be an effective vaccine, or not enough can be made and/or distributed and/or injected in time for next season, or a hundred other little issues with vaccines, rates of distributions, effectiveness and so, we just do not know what we do not know for next year.We do know this about coronaviruses in general:From: Coronavirus National Trends showing the seasonality of coronaviruses (matches the classic Flu Season) and notice that different coronaviruses (different color lines) peak differently each year AND repeat from one year to the next.My bet is that COVID19 will be a big part of next year’s colds around the world and in the United States, but COVID19 does not look much more deadly than the flu based on what’s been reported. This is a very good thing for the future outlook of the disease.After that, assuming COVID19 does not mutate in some manner and assuming most, 99.9%, of healthy humans, once they get COVID19, form proper antibodies to COVID19 and cannot get it again or there is a vaccine distributed, each new cold/flu season will see less and less beginning 2021-22. COVID19 will fade into history after that.There is no ‘cure’ for the Cold & Flu Seasons on Earth, not yet.I wrote this answer today for those of you who want to know what you can do, today, right now:WASH YOUR HANDS – with warm water, soap for 20-30 seconds, thoroughly dry. Antimicrobial gels (alcohol based) can be used when mobile or interacting but the tried and true method of washing your hands regularly is the habit you should work on for yourself and your family.TOUCH LESS THINGS AND PEOPLE – not saying you need to go Howie Mandel, who’s phobia of touching exists secondary to his extreme case of obsessive-compulsive disorder – he claims he went eight years without shaking hands with others! The point is that you do not need to touch as many things as you do in a given day… but when you touch a bunch of stuff that is not yours, outside of your home… WASH YOUR HANDS.TOUCH YOUR FACE LESS – and this is a very hard habit to break! My method was to write on the back of my dominant hand “DO NOT TOUCH FACE” in a sharpie. However, if you need to touch your nose, lips, face or eyes… form the habit of excusing yourself, go to the washroom, wash your hands… THEN touch your face all you want.COUGH OR SNEEZE INTO ELBOW – this should become a habit for all of us!I also wrote this today to mention what I have written for years and years online – we can all do a better job of self-care. Including me. I’ve written the following ‘prescription,’ first in 2003 for a pain patient who was at her wit’s end and nothing worked to solve her pain. Online, the following, or something close to it, has appeared in hundreds of posts from me:EAT RIGHT — vegetables and fruits, rice and beans, some nuts to make up for calories. Pay attention to get at least 40-50 grams of protein each day from vegetable and grain sources. Little to no meats, almost no dairy, little to no alcohol, little salt and use spices for taste, avoid processed foods, especially sugars – this reduces your body’s inflammation state dramatically. Drink mostly water, black coffee or plain tea.SLEEP RIGHT — this means 7.5–8.5 hours per night. Most people need to discontinue screen time 35–45 minutes before they want to be asleep. THE BIGGEST KEY to sleeping right is waking up at the same time every day… that’s 6:06am for me… I know, yikes, coffee helps make the transition each morning, for me.EXERCISE RIGHT — I used to promote “walk every other day 25–35 minutes” but new research shows moving and walking around 6-10 minutes each hour of the day is far more effective. Swimming is a great alternative. Be smart about physical activity but do it consistently.Like I began with, this is a long Quora answer and meant for those that have some minutes to read and some minutes to digest it. I’m going to cover one more piece of this unfolding COVID19 story and that is Fear, itself.I’d be lying to you if I said that in the past six weeks, I had not experienced fear. Fear of the unknown. Check. For sure, that’s part of this human journey. Fear of what I know about medicine, people, human nature and a host of really bad thoughts and possibilities… all of which brought me some level of fear for myself, distantly, and my family, mostly my family, mostly my kids.The worst fear I experienced was the fear of the Present State of Communication(s), social media(s), news(s), paper(s) – dating myself with that one, forum(s), blog(s), etc… made for profit’s sake, for the sake of getting eyeballs to tune in, or finger(s) to click something… and everyone is likely aware, for political sake(s) or stake(s) on both sides of the aisle in an election year.Instead of pontificating over how I wish all our leaders might conduct themselves and how information should be disseminated about things like COVID19 – because I am not going to impact either… I can only tell you how I will conduct myself to be part of the solution:Right now, today:• WASH YOUR HANDS• TOUCH LESS THINGS AND PEOPLE• TOUCH YOUR FACE LESS• COUGH OR SNEEZE INTO ELBOWThis year, this Spring and Summer, learn to do this 6 of 7 days for all the rest of your days:• EAT RIGHT• SLEEP RIGHT• EXERCISEIf you get sick with the cold/flu sniffles, fever above 100.5 degrees, body aches and pains:• WASH YOUR HANDS• TOUCH LESS THINGS AND PEOPLE• TOUCH YOUR FACE LESS• COUGH OR SNEEZE INTO ELBOW• AVOID OTHERS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE UNTIL NO FEVER FOR THREE DAYSDespite many unfortunate events in my own life, many of which fuel my passion to write, I continue to believe in the optimistic outcome for the human species. We will get there, better in the future than we have been in the past, of that, I have no doubt.Peace. Love & Life to you All.~Chris

Here goes, this is my list of top 20 favourite anime,Oh boy! This is really tough. Can't really rank these in order. Anyways, here goes,,20. One-Punch Man - Seriously, how could I not include our favourite Hero-for-fun into this list of top 20, I agree, Season 2 was a huge letdown. But season 1 made it worth placing it at this spot. One-Punch Man is pretty much exactly like what it sounds. We got a bald guy named Saitama who literally beats his opponents with a single punch. He is so powerful that throughout his life, he gets bored with the opponent he fights with. Because when a guy like him can beat up opponents with just one punch, it doesn’t get very fun right? Regardless, Saitama has a heart of gold and in this series, we follow his daily adventures as a hero, as the man who one punches his enemiesOne Punch Man19. One Piece - I know, this isn’t supposed to be at such a low position, but what can I do? I am not even past first 100 episodes. So, I guess the list will change once I reach 200 episodes. But, that’s fine I guess, this anime seemed really promising till the episodes that I’ve watched. I don’t think I need to introduce or explain about this anime to anyone here :POne Piece18. Ghost In The Shell series - Ghost in the shell shows a realistic description of an idea of the future with better technology, humans with cybernetically modified brains and a connection of brains over a huge network. And besides presenting you this amazing futuristic world in this movie many fundamental questions appear, like: "Because DNA is just a code, which can be recreated artificially- is it possible for a robot to be a living person?" or "how can you define life?". The world around GitS is very complex and interesting and will fascinate you in its own way, showing you not only the bright ideas of this future but also its dirty sides, the criminality and its weak spots. You can connect the whole idea very much with the already existing internet, only in Ghost in the Shell, a hacker targets humans rather than a computer.PS - I am yet to finish this series :PKoukaku Kidoutai: Stand Alone Complex17. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures - Okay, this is one of those anime which you’ll have to have some patience to watch and continue watching After putting off JoJo for years, I finally watched it. Finally, I've seen what everybody has been talking about. For the first time, the crowd is right. This anime is freaking amazing. This anime starts off on the wrong foot. The first part is pretty lame, slow, and would have caused me to drop JoJo's if I wasn't already dead-set on watching it in full. As a warning, don't drop this anime thinking it won't get better. It does. It gets so much better. This is now one of my favourite anime.PS- Still haven’t finished the series.JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken (TV)16. Steins; Gate - First of all, you have to understand that Steins; Gate is completely unique compared to other anime, in terms of storyline. Now, with such a complex plot, it would be incredibly easy to mess series completely. Except that they didn't. If they did, it wouldn't a masterpiece. Steins; Gate explores the world of time travelling and timelines, putting in acknowledgements to theories such as the butterfly effect and how, once you change a minor thing of the past, the future transitions into one large scrambled egg. Once you pass the first slow starting episodes, the intrigue and mystery begin to crawl under your skin, and the pace of the series accelerates. The plot throws in numerous surprises and sudden, unexpected turns that, in turn, creates a powerful ending that is almost flawless. Also, you're hit bluntly in the face with quite a lot of feels early on in the series.Steins;Gate15. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood - A perfect shounen genre which attracts teens and youngsters. But I don't think this is for adults who are more into psychological, seinen and some serious action. Anyways, Fullmetal Alchemist is, in a way, unique. It is very much a mainstream series, with the appeal of a huge cast of unique characters, the action that commonly involves special powers, a fairly straight forward story with some most obvious symbolism, and a mix of comedy, action, drama, and even some romance. These are all common staples of long-running anime series that lean towards a more commercial and public appeal. And yet, for a mainstream series, it manages to continually surprise with a very mature and serious tone. There is a great deal of tragedy and some moments are even frightening and memorable.Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood14. Ergo Proxy -Here's one for you. This is one of those anime which makes you wonder what the hell you're watching and wonder how did you even get this far in the show :D I guess the genre I'd put Ergo under would be sci-fi psychological thriller (oops, that's more like three genres, isn't it? -.- ;). It's definitely a treat for those who want a break from the mainstream, with an outstanding original story and character development that seems to be rarely seen in most popular series. Ergo certainly takes the normal robot-living-beside-human-turned-crisis to a whole new level and turns it on its head with a unique plot full of more than enough plot twists.Ergo Proxy13. Shingeki no Kyojin - For someone who has been a fan of gore bloodshed and violence in an anime, The show is incredibly engaging, and intense because the combat animations are executed perfectly, giving a really personal front-row seat throughout. Not only this but peril is constantly a reinforced aspect of the anime, and what's scarier is the accurate scale of death that isn't afraid to engulf those that the viewer has become connected to. I'm liking this logical order because with death brings me to the next area I'd like to explain: Drama! Oh boy, you'll be astounded by the dramatic, emotional and often angry outbursts of the characters. I personally would rank Shingeki no Kyojin highly in all of its presentation methods.Shingeki no Kyojin12. Hajime no Ippo - Okay, so here's one for sports anime fan which is so indulging that you feel like following Ippo's routine in your daily life. This is such an influential anime. Characters are definitely the shows major attribute. All the characters are well developed and are unique from one another, whether they are friends or foes. Ippo the star of the show has now earned a spot in my favourite characters ever. The side cast is definitely not in the shadows, Takamura Mamoru is a deuteragonist, he certainly had me in stitches with all his antics, however, his insights in the art of boxing are second to none and he KNOWS THIS VERY WELL! This is exactly what drives his ego through the roof and it's hilarious to watch. Ippo and the members of Kamogawa Boxing Gym's coach (Kamogawa Genji) is a definite homage to the coach of Rocky Balboa from the movies, however, in my eyes is way better structured and thought out. I could talk forever about the cast, but take it from me, this is the highlight of the show.11. Grand Blue - Here comes the best anime for youngsters. Grand Blue is fundamentally a frat house farce in the vein of something like American Pie or The Hangover in the anime version. Its comedy definitely has a lot of consistency when it comes to making people laugh. If you want a show who you can watch with your friends with enjoyment and laugh this show deliver all the things you needed. Funny events timing is impeccable, making great use of situations, and even manages to make repeating the same punchline funnier the second time. Overall it's a pretty good and satisfying show and definitely one of the best gag anime ever made also the funniest one but again you’ll have to really love booze jokes, funny faces, and gags about guys being caught naked with little censorship marks obscuring their junk.Grand Blue10. Vinland Saga - How can I even not include this in my top 10 list? I mean seriously, this is one of those mind-blowing animes with a really really dark theme. Got attracted to this series because I am a huge fan of 'Vikings'. Where do I even begin? Cards on the table, I'm almost certain this is a masterpiece in the making and that anyone who sleeps on it is going to regret it. Stunning visuals, brilliant world-building, fleshed-out characters, gorgeous realistic action sequences with an excellent exploration of Norse mythology and medieval history. This anime has it all and is arguably the best anime of the 2019 summer, thus in my top 10 list.Vinland Saga9. Naruto/Naruto Shippuden - One of the benefits of such a long story like Naruto is that it truly feels epic. When you finish the series, you feel like you have been through it all with these characters. The story is character-driven as you see our main protagonist, Naruto, and the difficult journey that he experiences throughout his life. This series is quite a bit darker than the original and very mature. This works in this series benefit as its a seriousness that is needed for many of the key moments in the show. It spans through various story arcs that will always have their fair share of intense and "edge of your seat" moments. I want to note that there are many times where you will find yourself freaking out due to a particular storyline or amazing moment.Naruto: Shippuuden8. Great Teacher Onizuka - now for someone new to anime, this is a very old one trust me and one of the best anime out there. A classic if there ever was one. This is one of the shows that made me an anime fan in the first place that didn't involve giant mechs (Gundam). The number of episodes may be off-putting to some people who don't want a lengthy show but trust me its very worth it. Being a show made in late '90s when anime was just becoming popular, its artwork is not very flashy. Think "Akira" before the remaster. Trust me though the show is top-notch. Lewd humour, strong moral lessons, and not terrible voice acting for its time. In fact, I'd say its probably one of the best-dubbed animes for its time! You'll recognize the voice actors immediately since there was only a handful of notable ones at the time.Great Teacher Onizuka7. Vagabond - Did someone say OPM was the best-drawn manga ever? Well, hold your horses, for I am about to tell you which manga is much better than OPM, it’s VAGABOND. It starts off with a rather rude and yet beautiful jerk, depicting the scene of a battlefield in splendid watercolour. The manga just rides on from there, rising from peak to peak. The fights get better, and the character himself grows. He grows realistically, he stumbles, he falls, he falls so hard that he finds it difficult to get back onto his feet, he takes the wrong path, goes the wrong way, makes the wrong enemies, and kills the wrong people, but he gets back up, and the story continues. It is just so completely believable, so persuasive and so artistic all at the same time that with this manga just feels so raw and yet so real.Vagabond6. Code Geass: Hangyaku No Lelouch - Such a sad and violent story. Filled with death and decay, yet I enjoy it so much. This anime fits perfectly into my description of a good anime. It forces you to think hard after every episode, develop theories what the Zero's next step will be and completely devote yourself to it while watching. The political criticism(at least I think it is) in this show is huge. I draw parallels to the colonisation of the world, lead by Brittain and other European countries, that lead to the first world war. This is almost exactly what happened in Code Geass.The story in this show is so twisting and turning that I never once knew what was going to happen. The thing is, it's so well thought through that the most obscure things can happen and still it fits into the story. Truly a masterpiece.Code Geass: Hangyaku no LelouchNow heading towards my top 5 anime, which I consider to be the greatest anime of all time…5. Haikyuu!!- As a sports show, most often or not, it involves competition. But to build from that, we have to start from scratch. Haikyuu!! does that essentially by creating a foundation for the sport and its competitors. While Hinata is the main protagonist, his teammates aren’t left in the shadows. The story focuses them each individually and collectively as a team as they work their way on their journey. While not an easy one, the anime smoothly details their motivation and development. In fact, the story is relatively simple as it takes place in Junior High School, a setting perfect for growth. As a young boy, Hinata develops a fascination for volleyball after witnessing a national championship on TV. From that one single memorable moment leaves a profound memory in his mind. To put it simply, he wants to be like them and perhaps even win a championship himself. Beginning as a club but later capturing the attention of other fans as a resilient team, Hinata is what some people can describe as the hardcore underdog.Haikyuu!!4. Hunter X Hunter - Considered to be a masterpiece or in a class of its own. Definitely one of the finest animes I’ve watched ever in my life so far! What makes a show great? Is it the engaging story? Is it interesting characters? Is it the immersion the show creates? I find myself always asking these questions whenever I start a series. Hunter x Hunter was no exception. I hadn't heard much when I first started it, but I had heard comparisons to Fullmetal Alchemist and Attack on Titan, both of which are some of my favourite shounen. Still, I had my doubts. "148 episodes? How could there possibly be that much interesting plot without fillers?" I asked. I was a fool. Let me tell you right now, 148 episodes are not enough. I would give anything for more episodes of arguably the most outstanding series I have ever had the good fortune of watching. Each arc varies in tone. The show starts off pretty light and gradually gets darker. My god does it get darker. Not to imply that the light arcs are inferior; they're still immensely enjoyable. The show just contains many different forms of entertainment. The darker arcs will include scenarios and scenes of such intensity, drama, and action, that you won't understand how anyone could've possibly waited a week for the next episode. The fighting system Nen is very complex and offers near to a thousand different possibilities to fight. There are almost no emotion-based Power-Ups in this Anime, most fights are decided by pure tactics, which makes the fights so interesting, at least for me.Hunter x Hunter (2011)3. Cowboy Bebop - Do not let the age fool you. Despite being over a decade and a half old, the animations in Cowboy Bebop are amazing in providing the dangerous rugged environment of criminal filled space. This was one of the first anime that truly impressed me. One of the first anime that convinced me the anime genre as a whole had something going for it, that anime has qualities that separate it from other forms of entertainment. It is a show that has withstood the test of time and is often viewed as a masterpiece by many. With such popularity and praise, there is bound to be a group of the opposite extreme that dislike the show. Now I bear in my mind that although this group is a minority their points are valid. As a reviewer, I look at all angles and try my best to keep bias at an all-time low. Having said that, regardless of my attempts to locate the flaws of this show my overall consensus is that Cowboy Bebop is in multiple ways a masterpiece.Cowboy Bebop2. Monster - Okay, so this is by far the most realistic and most intriguing anime I've ever watched in my entire life so far. This greatest Psychological Thriller anime. The writing in Monster is exceptional. The pace is a slow burn that smartly captivates the viewer with moments of shock, awe, and depravity, which are masterfully combined with well-executed moments of anticipation and proper denouement. Once the show has established the setting and many of the players, the series begins a thrilling, rollercoaster of action, suspense and character development. The viewer will rarely feel as though they have missed an important piece of information, and will instead find themselves riveted to the screen as the overarching mystery unfurls. Dialogue is not wasted in frivolity for Monster. The anxious atmosphere is enhanced with carefully crafted lines that provide insight into characters' personalities and cast shadows of suspicion. The intelligent interconnectedness of all the characters, especially towards the climax of the show, speaks volumes about the care given to crafting living individuals in appropriate circumstances.Monster1. GinTama - Yes, the most underrated anime ever with one of the best storylines I’ve watched tops my list. Gintama is a journey, a pilgrimage. Is Gintama the best anime of all time? I dare not to pass judgment unto that, simply because Gintama is so unique and unconventional that I feel it falls into a category of its own. There is no competition for this anime in its specific category because it’s the only one that ever made it there. This is not the best of all anime, this is just Gintama, don’t lump it together with all the others! Even if they’re brilliant, if they’re entrancing, if they’re masterpieces, don’t make that mistake. I myself who is speaking so highly of this anime have other favourites; this is simply Gintama, no need for comparison. If you plan on taking a shot at Gintama and you’re not completely hooked after the first few episodes bring a lot of patience, it will pay off. IMO, GinTama should be a genre of its own xD xDGintamaSo there, this is (my) list of top 20 anime in (my) preferenceImages Source - My Phone and LaptopAny suggestions are welcome :)Thank You and Sayonara

The dark past of SeaWorld? Oh yes, there is certainly a dark past to this industry that, surprisingly... and very conveniently for SeaWorld... doesn't seem to be in the public eye. Is this past surprising? It shouldn't be, After all, SeaWorld is a corporation. It's Big Business. It's about the almighty $. Yet, somehow, their bad behavior and discretion has been buried. In the days of industries like Big Tobacco, having to pay the price (you may have seen their "confession" recently, which was mandated by the government... admitting to secretly and deliberately designing cigarettes to maximize addiction), SeaWorld appears to have gotten a pass, with no apologies and no confessions. Well, I say it's time to shed a bit of light on this subject. The public is ready for it. Movies such as Free Willy have certainly helped get the ball rolling (although Hollywood doesn't get a pass on this either, as I will explain in a few minutes), and then we had "Blackfish", which really pulled back the curtain, for us to see. Yes, SeaWorld has done the right thing now. No more breeding of orcas in captivity. They want us to say "Great job! Thank you, SeaWorld!". And yes, we should say that. However... let's be clear that $ was the reason... not a sense of decency. Nevertheless... they have made the move to slowly eliminate the torture of innocent, highly intelligent and social orcas through lifetime imprisonment. They've finally done the right thing, their reasons, notwithstanding. We move forward to better times for our beautiful black and white giants of the sea.But... I'm not giving them a pass by continuing to leave their dubious past in darkness. We need to know more about this, so that future legislation and sneakiness does not cause a backslide. Allow me to shed this light with a little history of the incarcerations of cetaceans. I won't go back to ancient history, as it's somewhat irrelevant right now. We are all aware of man's penchant for capturing wild animals for our enjoyment. We've always done it, and will probably continue to do it. It's man's nature. So let's focus on the relatively recent times, beginning in the 19th century.Boston Aquarial Gardens in 1859 and pairs of Beluga Whales in Barnum's American Museum in New York City museum—dolphins were first kept for paid entertainment in the Marine Studios dolphinarium founded in 1938 in St. Augustine, Florida. It was here that it was discovered that dolphins could be trained to perform tricks. So, okay... that was the 1800's. Ignorance about dolphins and whales abounded. Curiosity was the reason we captured these bright animals. We learned a tremendous amount about them, despite the fact that this was the beginning of worse things to come for our seaborne friends. But... now we know better, so we must do better, right? That wasn't to be for quite a while yet. In the 1800's there were a few places that profited off these dolphinariums. It was a curiosity and people flocked to see them. This continued as a novelty for about a hundred years, on a fairly small scale. But then... and here it comes... Hollywood played their card and changed everything. As a matter of fact, it happened the year I was born. 1963. Out came a very popular movie titled Flipper! And because of the popularity of this movie, it wasn't long before dolphin dollars grew bright in the movie executive's eyes, and out came the TV series named Flipper. I grew up on Flipper! It was awesome! Flipper the dolphin was the star. Flipper was the aquatic equivalent of Lassie and Mr. Ed. Oh, how we delighted, laughed and clapped, watching Flipper the dolphin go through his weekly adventures, always helping his human friends, and doing his famous tail-walk across the water. There was even a very popular song that some of you may remember, to start the weekly program.They call him Flipper, Flipper, faster than lightning,No-one you see, is smarter than he,And we know Flipper, lives in a world full of wonder,Flying there-under, under the sea!Everyone loves the king of the sea,Ever so kind and gentle is he,Tricks he will do when children appear,And how they laugh when he's near!They call him Flipper, Flipper, faster than lightning,No-one you see, is smarter than he,And we know Flipper, lives in a world full of wonder,Flying there-under, under the sea!Yes, the Flipper theme song. We sang along. We marveled at how this fascinating fish... what? It's not a fish? Okay, whatever... We marveled at how the fish... err... animal... wait--what exactly is it, if it isn't a fish? Okay whatever... We marveled at how this fish was always smiling and laughing. Gosh, it would be great to work with this animal! So, there began the world's love of dolphins. Boy, that was one happy fish! Suddenly... dolphin dollars again lit up in the eyes of entrepreneurs across the country, and this is when the era of Dolphinariums... no, let's stick with Aquariums... began to take off! But to cash in on this craze, we need dolphins! Now the boat captains couldn't cast their nets quick enough, to capture dolphins for all the aquariums sprouting up all over the place. They couldn't shoot adult dolphins quick enough to capture the baby dolphins quick enough (those adults... they were really against being captured! We'll take em if we can get em, but if not... a rifle-shot will do, and then we can scoop up the young ones). A whole bunch of dolphins were taken by hook and by crook to fill the demand. Because... you know... Flipper! People would shell out the cash to see these remarkable animals in swimming pools. Kidnapped out of the deep blue sea, so we could watch them play volleyball with the trainers and splash us all that were brave enough to sit in the front row. Show time was fun time! What happened behind the scenes wasn't really known.But... it wasn't long before a few of us actually DID wonder how they got these animals to do all these tricks. And where did they come from? What kind of life did these animals live... in the ocean... and in the pools? Slowly, it started to become a social issue. Not a big one, but activists did begin to chip away at the social conscience. The inhumane way that these animals were captured… the murdering of entire pods and families in order to get one good one... yeah, some began to notice. In fact, these early activists did a pretty good job, under the circumstances. They did make a difference. Meanwhile, the giant among the public aquariums... SeaWorld, began to get nervous and angry. This was their main meal ticket! So they fought back. This went on for a while, and the activists made some progress, but eventually they hit the wall of corporate profits, and all the lawyers, and finally a compromise was reached. It wasn't completely satisfying for the animals rights people, but... it was something. They scored a major victory with the passing of the 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act in the United States. This was big news! People... people who were ignorant to the real story, began to understand, and these aquarium acts began to suffer due to public opinion. Marine Mammal Protection Act had repercussions around the world as people's eyes were opened to the intelligence of these perpetually smiling creatures, as they learned that those weren't smiles of happiness. Dolphinariums and aquariums began to close all over the world. From many hundreds, we went to many dozens. But then it stopped. The many captured dolphins were released or killed, or the shows continued with less profits. This was the best that the activists could do, it seemed. People still loved to see them, but at least the worst of the collection methods were now made illegal. This made things very tough for places like Seaworld. They still needed dolphins, and... orcas! Orcas could be trained too! Namu taught us that, after being the first orca to be captured and sold for public display.So, before we go on, let's go back a bit and find out more about the introduction of orcas onto the stage and into the limelight. In fact, allow me to give you chronological history of capture events, for both orcas (Killer Whales) and dolphins, that occurred during this heyday of public aquariums, and what SeaWorld's and the other aquarium's involvement was all about:[1]1961, November ~ Marineland of the Pacific, south of Los Angeles, discovers a single orca feeding alone in nearby Newport Harbor. They corral the female Killer Whale, finally hoisting it onto a flatbed. When the orca is introduced into the tank, she smashes head-on into the wall. Frank Brocato, Marineland's head animal collector at the time, recalls: "We'd suspected the animal was in trouble because of its erratic behavior in the harbor...But the next day, she went crazy. She started swimming at high speed around the tank, striking her body repeatedly. Finally, she convulsed and died." The autopsy reveals she suffered from acute gastroenteritis and pneumonia.1962, September ~ Frank Brocato, Marineland's head animal collector, and his assistant, Boots Calandrino, bring their 40-foot collecting boat, the Geronimo, to Puget Sound, Washington, to search for another killer whale for the aquarium. After a month of searching, they found a mature male and female orca in Haro Strait, off San Juan Island. "The female, who seemed to be chasing something, headed straight for the boat. At that moment, Brocato saw a harbor porpoise cross the bow and skirt the ship...The porpoise was followed by the female orca, in hot pursuit." The two animals circled the boat, the little porpoise apparently using the boat as a shield. "'I reeled there was a good chance to use the lasso,' said Brocato, remembering he incident. 'So I put my partner out on the bowsprit and told him to watch for that porpoise... because the orca might be right behind it. And it was. He slipped on the lasso. We had her. But then everything started to go wrong.' The cow cut sharply and dived under the boat,...its last few turns caught the heavy nylon line and wound it around the propeller shaft, immobilizing the boat. ...The female ran the end of her 250-foot-long tether and surfaced at the edge of the mist. Then Brocato heard screaming high-pitched piercing cries coming from the female. ...the big male appeared out of the mist a few minutes later, and together, the two animals started swimming at great speed toward the boat. They charged several times, turning away only at the last instant but thumping the boat with a sound thwack of the flukes as they passed. ...Brocato grabbed his 375-magnum rifle and started shooting. He put one bullet into the male, who then disappeared. But it took 10 shots to kill the female. ... That night, Brocato towed the carcass to nearby Bellingham to have the animal weighed and measured. ...Brocato took the teeth as souvenirs, and the animal was rendered for dog food.1964 ~ Moby Doll, the first live orca exhibited in captivity. Harpooned as a sculptor's model, he survived for three months in a makeshift pen in Vancouver harbor. Vancouver Aquarium collectors had harpooned him off the coast of British Columbia.1965 ~ Namu is accidentally snared in a fisherman's gill net near Namu, British Columbia, Canada. Ted Griffin, the young owner of the Seattle Public Aquarium buys Namu for $8,000 cash. The bull killer whale is the first captive orca to perform for the public. Namu dies in July 1966 - 11 months later- due to an infection from polluted water in his pen.1966-early 1970s ~ Don Goldsberry and Ted Griffin develop a netting technique for capturing orcas in Puget Sound, selling the animals mostly to Sea World. By the early 1970s, Goldsberry has captured more than 200 orcas. About 30 were sent to various aquaria. The rest went to SeaWorld.1970 ~ Penn Cove, Washington, killer whale capture. 80 killer whales are corralled by the Seattle Public Aquarium's collectors. Several orcas die during the capture. Their bellies are slit and they are weighed down with steel chains. A few of these orcas wash ashore and cause public outcry against killer whale captures in Washington's waters.1970, August 8 ~ A four year-old killer whale named Tokitae was brutally taken from her mother in the Puget Sound and brought to the Miami Seaquarium where she was placed in a 35 foot wide tank and renamed 'Lolita." In the waters of the Puget Sound of Washington State, a pod of killer whales were attacked and rounded up by a group of killer whale herders, led by Ted Griffiths and Don Goldsberry. Using speedboats, an airplane and releasing explosives in the water, they forced the orcas into Penn Cove. The juvenile orcas were separated from their mothers, as the infants were prime candidates to be sold to aquariums, while the adult orcas were released and free to leave. However, the adult pod would not leave their offspring and refused to swim free, vocalizing human-like cries, until the last baby was pulled out of the water, never to return again. One adult and four infant orcas were killed during this capture. The industry, in an attempt to keep the orca deaths from the public, instructed the herders to slit open the bellies of the dead animals, fill them with rocks, and sink the creatures with anchors, hoping they would never be discovered. It is because of the large number of violent orcas captures by the marine park industry in Washington State waters, that an entire generation of orcas was eliminated, and as a result, this orca population is now considered an endangered species.One of the orca infants captured was a 4 year old named Tokitae, who was sold to the Miami Seaquarium. She arrived at the marine park on September 24, 1970, where she was renamed ‘Lolita’ and has lived there ever since. She performs tricks during her scheduled shows, and has done so for the past forty-six years. She lives in a small swimming pool.1976 ~ Washington State waters are closed to killer whale captures, in the aftermath of the notorious Budd Inlet killer whale capture of the same year. The whale roundup and capture was witnessed by Ralph Munro, an assistant to Washington State Governor Dan Evans. Munro happened to be sailing in Puget Sound at the time. He reports that SeaWorld's captors were using aircraft and explosives to herd and net the killer whales; a clear violation of the terms of their collection permit. When Washington State Governor Dan Evans learned of this, he sued SeaWorld. All of the killer whales were eventually released, and a Seattle district court ordered SeaWorld to give up its permit-granted right to collect killer whales off Washington. Washington State waters became an unofficial sanctuary for killer whales, and so far, no organization has ever again applied to capture killer whales from these waters.1976 ~ With Washington state waters off limits, SeaWorld turned to Iceland for its killer whale captures. After Puget Sound, SeaWorld did not want to be officially involved, but Don Goldsberry agreed to unofficially assist W.H. Dudok van Heel, zoological director of Holland's Dolfinarium Harderwijk, and Jon Kr. Gunnarsson, director of Saedyrasafnid, an aquarium near Reykjavik. During the fall herring season, they netted two young orcas, and airlifted them to Holland. One of these was forwarded to SeaWorld in San Diego after six months. The following October, the same consortium captured six orcas. In October 1978, Goldsberry and Gunnarson caught another five. In just two short years, SeaWorld had nine new killer whales, and at this point, reportedly dropped out of the picture.1976-1979 ~ According to Gunnarson, 21 Icelandic killer whales, mostly young ones, were sent to aquariums from 1976-79. Besides SeaWorld's nine, two each went to Dolfinarium Harderwijk, Marineland of France, Canada's Marineland, and Kamogawa SeaWorld in Japan. Single animals were sent to new aquariums in Hong Kong and Switzerland.1980 ~ Hardy Jones captures on film Japan's dolphin drive fishery. It is broadcast worldwide and international outrage brings an end to these drives for a few years.Mid-1980′s ~ The drive fisheries start up again, but with a new twist. The fishermen drive in false killer whales and dolphins as before, but now they set aside the most beautiful ones for sale to aquariums and to the U.S. Navy and then slaughter the rest.1989 ~ The last capture of killer whales in Iceland's waters (four orcas caught).1993 ~ Marine World Africa USA of California is challenged by animal protection groups over the park's import permit for false killer whales from Japan. They cite the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, which requires documentation that the marine mammal captures were humanely conducted. The National Marine Fisheries Service denies Marine World's import permit for Japanese-caught false killer whales because, in essence, the park violates the terms of its own import application, and had no observers present to document that the capture was humane. (Letter from NMFS Acting Administrator of Fisheries, Nancy Foster, to Michael D. Demetrios, President of Marine World Africa USA, dated May 7, 1993):"Your application described a seine-net capture method to collect animals swimming past the coastal bays and inlets of the Taiji area. ...The actual location of the capture (Iki Island) and the actual capture method (drive fishery) are not those described in your application. ...You ...also stated that no one associated with Marine World Africa USA was present during the capture of these animals" and thus don't "have the firsthand knowledge necessary to conclude that the capture operation was `humane' and conducted in a manner consistent with that described in your application."Many public aquaria and marine theme parks as well as the U.S. Navy had already acquired dolphins and false killer whales from Japan's drive fishery.July 16, 1993 ~ The movie "Free Willy" is released. Public awareness begins its most recent groundswell regarding the inhumanity of captive performing cetaceans.1996, October 17 ~ Futo, Japan"During October 1996 fishermen and others chased into Futo Fishing Port, on Shizuoka Prefecture's Izu Peninsula, over 200 bottlenose dolphins, a number over three times the allotted quota, and about 50 false killer whales, for which there was no quota at all, and began selling them to aquariums, in addition to slaughtering and butchering [them] for sale as meat. ...Ten aquariums in Shizuoka Prefecture and nearby prefectures were involved in this capture, but only six of those facilities actually received dolphins; ... The order in which aquariums chose dolphins on this occasion was apparently decided by drawing lots, ...the surrounded dolphins were of course in a state of panic, and gradually sustain more injuries in their quest for an escape route because they crash themselves into boat hulls and the wall, become entangled in nets, and scrape their underbellies on the rocky bottom in shallows. Dolphins also collide forcefully with one another as they flee about. ...Because many aquariums were involved, and because they all wanted uninjured females from 1.5 to 2 meters in length, those appearing to be the best were chased around the harbor many times. Owing to this repeated chasing and surrounding with nets, as well as the panic it caused, many dolphins were exhausted and sank to the harbor bottom." Because they had caught more than their permitted quota, the fishermen were required to release 100 of the bottlenose dolphins they had captured. On October 22 and 23, the Futo Branch of the Ito City Fishing Cooperative sold 26 bottlenose dolphins and six false killer whales to aquariums. The aquariums were forced to release these six false killer whales, as there had been no permit to capture them." (The above is from "A Report on the 1996 Dolphin-Catch- Quote Violation at Futo Fishing Harbor," by Sakae Hemmi,Elsa Nature Conservancy, Institute for Environmental Science and Culture.")February 7, 1997 ~ Taiji, JapanJapanese fishermen capture a pod of killer whales. In all, ten killer whales are rounded up and driven into the shallow water bays of Taiji. Five whales are taken to Japanese marine parks. To date, two of these killer whales have died, a female and her calf. Japanese and international animal groups continue to press for the release of the remaining three killer whales.July 16, 1997 ~ SeaWorld Inc. is issued public display import permit for one adult beluga whale from Vancouver Aquarium.August 14, 1997 ~ Dallas World Aquarium, Inc., has applied to import four Amazon River Dolphins from Venezuela, according to the Federal Register. However, it states: "The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) has included the species in the 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals under the category `vulnerable,' i.e., taxa believed likely to move into the endangered category in the near future if causal factors continue operating. population data concerning Inia geoffrensis in Venezuela is limited and the application states that no census has been taken of the subject wild population/stock. Therefore, NMFS has concerns about the status and conservation of the dolphins in the Orinoco river system and the potential impacts of the permanent removal of four sub-adults from this population/stock. Additionally, NMFS is concerned that holding this species in captivity may involved a significant risk to the health and welfare of the animals held. Historically, study results conclude that due to a number of factors this species has fared poorly in captivity in the United States, with an average longevity of 32.6 months for the 35 animals for which data was available." (Source: U.S. Federal Register, August 14, 1997)2013 ~ The movie "Blackfish" is released, enraging a new generation, regarding orca captivity.2013 ~ Some scientists suggest that the "unusually high" intelligence of dolphins means that they should be recognized as "non-human persons". In 2013, the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests prohibited the captivity of dolphins on these grounds, finding it "morally unacceptable to keep them captive for entertainment purpose".2015 ~ The House of Commons of Canada passed Bill S-203, Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act, and sent it to the Senate of Canada. Two facilities would be affected, Marineland of Canada and the Vancouver Aquarium. In 2018, Progressive Conservatives in the Senate were accused of using procedural obstruction to keep the bill from moving to a vote. In June 2018, such senators added amendments intended to exclude Marineland and the Vancouver Aquarium from being covered by the bill. After three years, the eventual outcome is not yet known in October 2018.That brings us up to the present, and the fight continues. SeaWorld has gotten on board, as public pressure was too intense and they were losing money. Ending the captive breeding of orcas will also be a tremendous blow to their profits, but it was the lesser of two evils, as far as potential profits were concerned.Meanwhile:[2]Lolita’s tank is the size of a hotel swimming pool. Lolita is the oldest living killer whale in captivity, in the smallest orca tank in the country.[2]It is now known that killer whales are incredibly intelligent, sentient and social creatures. Resident killer whales from the Pacific Northwest, which Lolita is classified as, stay with their mothers their entire lives. Lolita's mother, known as L25, is still alive today at approxinaltey 90 years old, and is photographed regularty by scientists and conservation organizations. Lolita currently lives alone with no other killer whale companions. When not performing in her show, Lolita floats listlessly in her tank. In the wild, killer whales swim hundreds of miles a day, diving as deep as 500 feet. In her tank, she swims in circles inside the 35 foot wide area and can only go as deep as 20 feet, in a small area in the center of the tank.For information on Lolita, her proposed release plan and how to get involved, please contact the Orca Network at:[email protected] Lolita | Raising Awareness for Lolita the OrcaIf you’re interested, there is a bit more information here: Stefan Pociask's answer to What animal would you ban from zoos?If nothing else, this all is proof that activism does work. Don’t be disheartened by slow progress. If nobody cared enough to join with the small voices, we would never hear them turn into big voices, and wonderful creatures like orcas, whales and dolphins would be in a far darker place with no hope for their future. Don’t be afraid to spread the word and get involved. It works.If you’d like to know how the movie star Flipper the dolphin died (her real name was Suzy), it’s right here. It would be hard to believe if it wasn’t coming right from the actual, and regretful, trainer who worked with her all those years: Dying to make us happy: The bloody truth behind the dolphinariumPLEASE RESHARE AND ASK OTHERS TO, AS WELL. VISIT THE LINKS. YOU REALLY CAN HELP.CITATIONS:[1] PBS Frontline Other Captive Orcas - Historical Chronology[2] Save Lolita | Raising Awareness for Lolita the Orca*** Feel free to contact SaveLolita.org to see how you can help.