Andrea Hurtado
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Mc Donald's didn't create a better hamburger

3/27/2014

1 Comment

 

WHY DO WE CHOOSE TO GO TO 
🍟MCDONALD'S🍔 
WHEN THERE ARE A THOUSAND OTHER RESTAURANTS 
OUT THERE?

BRANDING is the answer. Companies just like McDonald's spend HUGE amounts of money building their identities. How? Through MARKETING.
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Why is it that when you are hungry the first restaurant that comes to your mind is McDonald's or when you want coffee Starbucks pops up in your mind? Because these companies have an identity, a personality.  



Just like people brands build a reputation over time. The better the reputation the more valuable the brand. In Naked Economics they mention how, because of branding, the brand becomes more valuable than the product itself. For example, people don't go to McDonald's because their burger or nuggets taste like no other, they go there because it's McDonald's. In the book, Charles also gives an example about fashion that I can connect to very well. Girls my age think that just because they are wearing Prada cloths or Ray-Ban glasses they are more style and better dressed. 
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The reason why you choose to go to McDonald's for food or to Starbuck for coffee instead of any other fast-food or coffee shops is because you already know what their products look and taste like, their burgers, nuggets and coffee is good and you know you like it. So why go somewhere else? 
Branding can be a +positive+ tool but it can also be considered negative, if used in the wrong way.  On one side consumers no longer face the dilemma of not knowing where to eat,  companies choose for them. The better the identity of the company  the more costumers they will have. Remember the more value you add to your company the more costumers that will be attracted. Additionally consumers no longer have to try out new foods that they might like or dislike. They already know what is good. We choose McDonald's because we know it's good! Why risk it going somewhere else? 
🍔🍟🍴 🍔🍟🍴 🍔🍟🍴
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🍔🍟🍴 🍔🍟🍴 🍔🍟🍴
On the other hand branding can also have a -negative- effect on consumers.  Branding controls and manipulates consumers to buy things they don't need.  By creating advertisements and very good MARKETING they are able to persuade buyers to buy their products  Thus branding is considered a very profitable strategy. Investing in branding is short- term loss, because of all the money put into, but a long-term success.  
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💵$Price MAKER$ 💵 →
"Producers of branded goods create a monopoly for themselves--and price their products accordingly-- by persuading consumers that their products are like no other."
-Naked Economics


Finally, how do companies know how to create amazing reputations that capture us consumers? Companies gather information by paying other companies that have the consumer's personal information. Companies such as Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Whatsapp and more sell individual's personal information to companies like McDonald's so they can brand themselves better and appeal more their consumers.  Surprised? I was too. This is why these apps don't cost because they will make all their profit from selling consumers personal information. 
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1 Comment

Economics Documentary

3/24/2014

1 Comment

 
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After brainstorming all the possible topics for my documentary I finally decided to do micro credit lending in Peru. I want to look at the pros and cons of micro credit lending in Lima, and how this affects the economy positively and negatively. Last semester when I was discussing about possible internships with my dad he told me it would be a good idea to learn about micro credits; the brief explanation he gave me captured my attention. Ever since I've been curious about how it works. What a better moment to learn about this topic than in our economics unit. I have a month to become expert in a topi and create a documentary that serves others.  There couldn't be a more perfect timing. 

Of the few articles I've read about Peru's micro credit lending status I've realized how it has impacted the peruvian economy immensely. It's has served as a weapon to bring down poverty, by giving many impoverished peruvians an OPPORTUNITY. I've also read how micro credit lending in Peru is very effective and successful, so it would probably be interesting to reserch what makes it better compared to other countries in South America or around the world. 
Furthermore from beign an interesting topic I believe it's relevant and valuable. Peru has a good reputation for successfully managing micro credits, but there are still some people who end up in debt because they can't pay back. 

WHY? 

Many times because they are financially illiterate and they don't take into consideration the fact that they have to pay interests and other things that come along with borrowing money from the bank. 

 By creating this documentary I would be able to highlight different clients and capture their story; some who'd succeeded and other's who've failed to pay back credits. Creating this documentary will be show people who watch the documentary, especially those living in Peru, the pros and cons of microcredit lending. Additionally it will give them some background knowledge and idea of the things they should know before asking for a loan. The documentary will serve people and impact them in a positive way.
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Moreover, I believe that it will be easy to access this information and get the footage because my dad works in a bank that concentrates in helping people by giving them loans, either micro or macro credits. I would be able to interview him and the person in charge of the loans area.  

It will be cool to get the perspective of the bank and also of the costumer, person who is doing the micro credit lending. It is powerful to tell stories, we've seen that in the storytelling unit, thus if I include real stories the documentary will be very powerful. 
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Finally I believe that this idea is very specific. It's centered into one ECONOMICS concept, which is micro credit lending, and it will focus in Lima basically. It's specific enough to keep me on track on one path but also broad enough to allow me to explore and learn 
more about economics. 

 I am excited about this topic and I still need to figure out a complete and clear question, but I am sure that I will learn a lot. This topic is very important in economics and by understanding it myself and teaching to my class and other peruvians through the documentary they will be able to learn a lot too. 
1 Comment

Independent Project Progress

3/23/2014

2 Comments

 
Over the summer break when I was halfway through my driving independent project I realized that I hadn't really seen the value in the project. Yes, driving is a skill we must all learn but I didn't believe it was something I was going to be EXTREMELY proud of after completing. Plus, like I said, it's something we all need to learn; it wasn't going to be something new. The independent project to me meant much more than an activity to burn time over the break. I believe that this project allows me to pursue anything that I am passionate about or you believe in, something with VALUE, and I wasn't doing this through driving.
After thinking deeper about other ideas I came up with the photography project. This is something I love to do and I see a HUGE value in. So what a better idea to design a photography project in which I take advantage of the free time in vacation to LEARN and IMPROVE my photography skills and then create an amazing product, like an exhibition or book, to showcase my learning.  
Ever since January 14th I've been working on this new project and I can't tell you how much it means to me and how excited I've been as I've worked through it. So far I've completed part of it and I want to take this day to organize everything I've done and show my progress and everything I've learned so far.

HOW MY INDEPENDENT PROJECT CONNECTS TO MEDIA, BUSINESS AND ENGLISH ↝


PLAN✏

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1. Research different photography academies ✔

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LOCATION: Av. 28 de julio 815 Miraflores
Course: Fotografía Digital I
Schedule: February 3- March 10/ Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday/ 7:00 pm -10:00 pm
Price: $1,200
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LOCATION: Av. Benavides 715 Miraflores 
Course: Foto Digital I
Schedule: January 1 - February  24/ 

 Monday and Wednesday/
 8:00 pm -10:00 pm
Price: $1050

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LOCATION: Av. Benavides 1171, Miraflores
Course: 
Schedule: 
Price: $



*NOT VERY ORGANIZED

2.  Choose one photography academy ✔

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LOCATION: Av. 28 de julio 815 Miraflores
Course: Fotografía Digital I
Schedule: February 3- March 10/ Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday/ 7:00 pm -10:00 pm
Price: $1,200

 4. Attend Photography Lessons ✔

I attended photography lessons from February 3- March 10. I only missed one class because I was sick, but aside from that, I attended all the classes and field trips.

5. Take pictures throughout my trips in vacation ✔

MEXICO 🌅

NEW YORK 🗽

6. Attend internship with Gabriel Barreto ✔

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2 Comments

Externalities

3/20/2014

0 Comments

 
Anything we do, the way we act and the decision we make often affect other people. Usually the transactions we do are made by our own will or meant for our own benefit, however, these may affect others, even if they weren't involved in the transaction, in a negative or positive way.  By economists this is known as

EXTERNALITIES.
"Private costs of behavior are different from the social cost" (Naked Economics)

As we produce or consume things, as individuals or firms, there are always side effects or consequences that come along. Every decision has an impact on the person who makes the decision, private cost, and sometimes on other individuals, external cost. What this means is that an activity (consumption or production), which an individual or firm performs often affect other people without these other people having to do anything in the decision making process.  For example, smokers pay the the price of the cigarettes (by paying the cigarette they pay the materials in it, employees that that to make it and part of the taxes). However, these don't pay for the amount of air pollution they are creating or the health impacts they are generating on people who are around them. This gap between the private cost (smokers paying cigarets) and the social cost (pollution and health threats) of a certain behavior is known as an EXTERNALITY.  

PRIVATE CO$T

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EXTERNAL CO$T

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However don't get me wrong. All externalities are not not considered bad. There are POSITIVE and NEGATIVE externalities. 

+POSITIVE+
EXTERNALITIES

An individual behavior that can have a positive impact on society and are not fully rewarded or compensated for it. 
(Naked Economics)
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✔ Third party benefits

✔ PRICE increases and QUANTITY as well

✔ To generate positive externalities government put laws and taxes

✔ To maintain positive externalities the GOVERNMENT implements subsidies.

-NEGATIVE-
EXTERNALITIES

A decision or activity that imposes a cost on an individual, or many individuals, that haven't been part of that decision. 
(Episode 32: Externalities)

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✗ Third party costs

✗ To stop negative externalities the government implements laws and taxes.

✗ W
hen individuals or firms are producing they try to minimize their cost and they don't pay their externalities. Therefore society is affected by the negative externalities. The government doesn't step in because of the lobbyist who make sure that they doesn't interfere with their activities



PROBLEM: 
Prices don't capture all of the cost of the transaction;
 instead some of the cost is paid by a third party 
which has nothing to do in the decision.

SOLUTION: 
Adjust price so that it concurs with the total cost. 
INTERNALIZING THE COST → Imposing a tax equal to the 
difference between the private price and social cost. 
To force buyer and seller to pay the FULL COST.

INDIVIDUALS are very greedy and selfish. We are only looking at the price and cost something brings to us and the benefits it gives us. But how about that external cost, the impact it has on society? Why should others pay for your private decision? 

This is known as market failure. Market Failure is the examination of a particular instance in which the free market, private consumers and sellers interact with each other, and equilibrium level of output actually reduces the level of walfre in society.
Is there a PERFECT BALANCE? 
NO. 
However, one of the solutions is to charge the external cost to 
individuals or firms as they make decisions. 

SOCIAL COST= private cost + external cost
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#TheInsideJob

3/17/2014

2 Comments

 
After struggling through some economics/ government terms and concepts we finally finished the movie and I was able to understand WHY the economic crisis occurred in United States on 2008. People say that it was a bubble that suddenly burst, but without doubt it was all anticipated.

What most stood out to me from the film was that bankers and all the corrupt people responsible for this crisis knew all along that they were making wrong decisions and gambling money that wasn't theirs. Nothing stopped them, not even guilt, they still did it because it was for their own benefit. 
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Bankers and CEO's were making tons of money; money that they didn't deserve. They had wrong INCENTIVE$ which lead them to the wrong outcomes. 

INCENTIVES MATTER, people with wrong incentives made bad decisions and ignored the i m p a c t of their actions which lead to this C A T A $ T R O P H E. Money was everything, it was all they had in mind. It helped them escape their problems caused by the illegal activities , it became a handy weapon to manipulated people and companies to do whatever they wanted and it became the reward, millions of dollars were made by these bankers. 

This documentary opened my eyes to the world, a sad truth.  It made me realize that its is not all  smiles and honesty there are cruel people out there how don't care about anyone but themselves. Corruption happened, and it still does, inside those expensive bank buildings. How can you be capable of harming so many families, friends and innocent citizens and be proud? It was not only a little mistake but a HUGE fiasco. 

   INCENTIVE$.↴

INCENTIVE$.
INCENTIVE$.



⇾


⇾


⇾

CRA$H.↴

CRA$H.
CRA$H.

In the end the bankers and companies were not the only ones affected, the entire society was. Even those who didn't have a say in the decisions made by the corrupt banks or the government. These type A personality bankers had all the power and took all the decisions. They had nothing more than just ambition in their blood. Their thirst for money went out of control. They were moving every card on the table and cheating as much as possible ONLY for the money. Nothing was fair everything was about LIES, LIES and LIES. This was the easiest and most profitable way to do it.
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MONEY IS NOT EVERYTHING. 
In fact it is nothing if you use or earn it in the wrong way.
All the interviews collected and research done for this movies has helped explained the crisis in an excellent way. It is definitely a challenging topic but this film puts everything together in parts and highlights the most important aspect of the crisis. It does a great job of putting it all together in 1 hour and a half. Those who rejected to appear in the documentary are ashamed; they know they are wrong and this is why they didn't want to get interviewed. I would be embarrassed. 
The Inside Job is "the story of a crime without punishment"
2 Comments

The Inside Job

3/13/2014

1 Comment

 
Money, power, ambition and selfishness are all things that led to the economic crisis on 2008. Businessmen and bankers did everything and used all the power they had to grow the economy and gain more profit. The biggest incentive and greatest motor behind this was money. 

MONEY.MONEY. 
MONEY. MONEY.
MONEY.MONEY.

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Cheating. Deception. Anything was part of the G A M E. It was not about morals or doing the right thing but getting the money. The entire problem started with the corrupt bankers who gave out loans to home buyers that didn't have the money to pay them back-- were known as subprime loans.
In first place people started buying homes because they saw an increase in the price, so if they bought a a house now and sold it later, they assumed it would be worth more in the future. So, as people began to buy homes the demand increased and supply as well. Because of deregulation almost anyone was able to buy a home because the lenders were often giving out loans without an extra initial cost, so in the short term it was beneficial to the house buyers. However, later as the interest was charged and the debt increased, the subprime borrowers weren't able to pay back the lender. 


But lenders didn't care. 


They had passed down the mortgage to investment banks . They didn't have a problem either because they used their money to hire the rating companies to give triple- As to their CDOs (all loans packed together).
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No words. 


It's surprising how companies can cheat and manipulate things and get away with it. With the triple-A CDOs investment banks gained a huge advantage. Investors were now interested in buying this triple-A CDOs because they were highly rated and seemed like a good deal. In the end, since the rating was fake, the investors ended up losing money because the house buyers were not paying back. So who loses? 1. The home buyers because they are in huge debts, and 2. the investors, because they invested in CDOs that were toxic assets. 

HOUSE BUYERS

➜

LENDERS

➜

INVESTOR BANKS

➜

INVESTORS


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1 Comment

WELCOME to the world of ECONOMICS

3/10/2014

1 Comment

 
The first time I heard the word ECONOMICS I freaked out, it seemed complicated, very numerical and boring. It was until I began reading NAKED ECONOMICS that my thoughts change completely about this topic and I began to LOVE IT.  The book started out saying something that caught me and kept me reading for long, "economics can be explained without graphs, charts, and equations". Yes, graphs can explain certain topics better but economics is really about understanding the ideas and concepts behind numbers.
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Economics is underestimated. People think that it is useless, but those who are economically illiterate make the wrong decisions.

"Economics is not only for smart people or experts. These ideas are too important and too interesting. Everyone should know about economics. "

Moreover knowing economics is vital for anyone, it helps you predict behavior, make sense of the world and explains why certain events unfolded or happened the way they did. Economics takes part of everything we do, it can even predict individual behavior and decision making.  

"Economics is like GRAVITY: Ignore it and you will be in for some rude surprises." 
Additionally, we learned one of the most important econ concepts, supply and demand.If the price goes up the company has more money to produce so their supply increases, however, the demand goes down because costumers aren't willing to pay a high price for the product. On the other hand, if demand increases the price and quantity rise as well and there is a shortage of supply. 

There are many non- price factors that can make demand increase or decrease. These involve: change in consumer incomes, change of consumers taste and preferences, change in population size or demographics, change in expectations for future prices and changes in prices of substitute or complement goods. 

This  basic theory could be applied by any entrepreneur or business owner to improve their businesses and manage it better. It could make a big difference.
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SUPPLY vs. DEMAND

-ECONOMICS is life, it's crucial-

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Furthermore, we can't understand issues or how the world works without economics. For example, we humans don't pay the entire cost for everything we purchase, however,  society  does. When we buy a car we pay for the vehicle, insurance, maintenance and the gasoline, but everyone else pays for the car emissions, the traffic, broken roads and danger we put in the highways. Yes, this is a major problem but the only way to understand it and find a solution is through economics. By raising the taxes people will use cars less or some even will stop using them completely. THIS IS ECONOMICS. 
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Finally,
● IDEAS IN ECONOMICS ARE I N T U I T I V E● 
Concepts and ideas come from logic from everyday problems (Naked Economics). 
1 Comment

Last Photography Class

3/10/2014

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The first day I arrived to class I was very nervous. Many thoughts crossed my mind, from the idea that I didn't know enough and the class was going to be to challenging to the idea that I wasn't going to make friends because I am too shy. After a month and a little more of beign in my classes these came to an end today. All those worries that kept me nervous and stressed in the beginning were washed off by the end. I had an amazing time and I will miss coming to class. Although they were long I was able to learned a lot, and I think that I couldn't of chosen a better course or academy to become a better photographer.
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Week one was a little awkward because there were many old people but little by little as we had class discussions, field trips and gave feedback to each other we became friends. Beign in a room with 12 other people that share your same passion is amazing, the energy and the vibe going around just INSPIRED me everyday. I learned independently, from my mistakes, my teacher and even my classmates. The reason why I loved coming to class was because everything that I was taught was VALUABLE and RELEVANT. I can say that I have definitely improved my skills and learned many techniques that as I practice photography will help me immensely and make my pictures of a higher quality. 

Through the course I learned many concepts and key terms but one of the ideas that will stick with me as I pursue this passion is that the only way you can become a better photographer is by making tons of mistakes and practicing taking pictures constantly. Also HARD WORK always pays off, the more dedication, passion and value you add to your pictures the more the audience will like it. Photography is an art, you compose your picture and control every aspect of it and the message you want to deliver. Pictures are very valuable because one shot can say a lot of things. It is a great way of communication and expression. 
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I was very scared when I got to class because I had to IMPRESS my teacher and my classmates. I had spend my entire summer learning how to use my camera, photoshop and techniques and this was my final test. It all came down to five pictures showing off everything I had learn in the class, mistakes were not acceptable. I had spend many hours taking, editing and printing this pictures and I didn't know how everyone was going to react. I was very proud of my work and I wanted people to admire it. 

When it was my turn to present I began by talked about my theme, which was summer in Lima. What I wanted to portray in my four sequential photos was what summer means and how different people enjoy it. However, I didn't want to show off Asia or any other beach were the high class peruvians go because I wanted my composition to be genuine so I went to Agua Dulce, a beach in la Costa Verde, were the lower/ rising medium class peruvians spend their summer weekends. These people aren't very wealthy but they still find ways to have fun over the summer. Once I was done explaining my theme I saw everyone's faces, all my classmates were so SURPRISED. My teacher and everyone began to comment and told me that the pictures were beautiful. Inside I felt a HUGE relief and at the same time I was so proud of myself for creating this. One of my classmates even offered money for one or all the pictures. It was my first PROFESSIONAL composition and I already had a client. 
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From today I learned that when you love something and you are inspired you can create and accomplish great things. That motivation and passion comes off with your product. 
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MY AMERICAN DREAM 

3/9/2014

1 Comment

 

Have you started looking at colleges yet? There are thousands of them out there but not all of them are perfect you.  This is why I recommend you to go out there and explore so you can find your best fit. This is a video I made about my dream and best fit college. I hope it helps and that you find your best fit! 

⚡MY AMERICAN DREAM⚡
▶NYU◀

1 Comment

⟁The Cove⟁

3/6/2014

0 Comments

 


"From FLIPPER'S Trainer to Dolphin Defender"

-NYTIMES

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How can it be possible that 23,000 dolphins are killed every year in Japan and we don't know about it? It is happening right in front of our eyes and we don't see it. Why is this?

 The fishermen carrying out this illegal activity in Taiji have banned filming and photography around the cove, because they know that social media is the most powerful way of showing and communicating this to the world. They know it's illegal and wrong but they still want to carry this out so they prohibit people from filming. They don't want anyone to know about what they are doing with the dolphins so no one stops them. 
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This documentary, The Cove, has revealed the truth behind those "no photography or film" signs. It has given us insight into the slaughter of whales in Japan and how the government does nothing about it. It helps raise awareness so that people are moved and they make change.
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Ric O'Barry was the first to introduce this multi-million dollar dolphin industry. It took him only 10 years to build it, but it has taken him 35 years to bring it down. Guilt is the greatest motivator that keeps him going and fighting to bring this down. Nothing stops him, not even jail. 
Japanese fishermen used to hunt down every whale that came across them; they wanted them for their meat. Once whaling became illegal and it was banned the fishermen began persecuting dolphins. To continue making money they TRIPLED the capture of dolphins. Yes, the economy grew but now dolphins were threatened. Today, dolphins are not only caught for their meat but they are caught for entertainment.
As you visit a water park or aquarium what is the first thing that you want to do? Either swim with the dolphins or go to their show. Dolphins have a high demand and this is why they are worth so much. Dolphins used for the spectacles are worth around $150,000 but their meat is also valuable. Japanese people eat dolphin and they don't even know it. Often times they  change the name on the packaging so people think its whale. Is this right? NO. The fact that they change the tag is already considered a crime but the worst part is that they have no idea the amounts of mercury that a dolphin contains. Kids are born with mercury poisoning or little by little develop a disease from the mercury. 
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➡



➡






➡
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As society becomes more aware of this issue, this problem will no longer be one. People will not support it and therefore they will stop going to aquariums and purchasing the meat. Thus the killing will stop.  The Cove has really opened my eyes to this issue, and I will definitely become more aware of it. Honestly, the documentary was so heartbreaking that I think I will never go to an aquarium, especially not to see dolphins. 
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