This female orca took ‘eat the rich’ to a new level

Plus: Rich people flee New York, Zelda is a hit and more Bloomberg This is Bloomberg Opinion Today, the largest species of Bloomberg Opinion’s opinions. [Sign up here](. Today’s Agenda - The orcas eat fish [and ships](. - The rich flee [New York](. - The kids play [Zelda](. - [Walmart]( switches gears. I Am Your [Mother](, You Listen to Me “You’re [beautiful](.” Source: [Bluesky]( There’s nothing quite like [a certain type of mother]( who’s about to host a party for extended family and friends. She is the CEO, lording over everyone to make sure not a single speck of dust is left on the counter. She is the CFO, creating itemized shopping lists with everything from balloons to bacon bits. She is the CMO, sending out animated e-invites months in advance. Everyone knows their place: Nod yes and smile, no matter what sacrifices she asks you to make. In my house, this particular gathering takes place on the Fourth of July — my Dad’s birthday — and her running monologue goes something like this: If I don’t see a tablecloth on that table by tonight, you people don’t want to know what’s going to happen … Why is the fan in the bathroom on?? … Why is this [mopine]( backwards??? Did you use it?! You’re not supposed to use it — it’s DECORATIVE, remember?! Just. For. Show. I don’t find this funny … Wait, who forgot to [burp]( the cookies?? They’re practically stale already! … Are you using the stove today? Ugh. Be careful, I JUST cleaned it. Don’t make it a mess … Please get your seven pairs of shoes out of the hallway and bring them to your room, or else I will throw them all at you … Who moved the Cutco scissors?? I swear we’re going to have to buy a new pair because you keep losing them … It might seem like I’m roasting my mom, but I’m actually admiring her. Moms like her are the glue of societal functions! We’d truly be lost without them — as Sarah Green Carmichael [can attest](. Which brings me to my obsession with [The Orcas](. On May 4, a group of three orcas managed to [sink a $400,000 sailing yacht]( by dismantling its rudder and smashing its hull. And it’s not the first attack of its kind: Since March 2020, orcas have torpedoed three vessels off the coast of Spain and Portugal. Now, maybe you’re wondering, what the hell does this have to do with my mom? Well: “The whales — actually the largest species in the dolphin class — are matriarchal, their pods centered around [dominant mothers who boss everyone around](,” Howard Chua-Eoan writes. Apparently, two of the smaller male orcas involved in the incident were under the “instruction” of a larger female. Her beef with boats is likely part of a larger plot involving [White Gladis](, a fellow female orca who had an ugly encounter with a boat three years ago and has been seeking [revenge]( ever since. Howard is cool enough to have a friend who is a former orca trainer at SeaWorld — John Hargrove[1](#footnote-1) — who reminded him that orcas love to stir up the waters: “These animals love having fun … but they can have a much darker side to their mischief when they don’t like what’s been happening to them.” John witnessed that darker side firsthand, when a captive orca killed a colleague, perhaps out of resentment. “The orca brain seems to be wired for [emotion](,” Howard explains. If one or two killer whales off Spain got agitated or harassed by a human, then they could send clicks and whistles to tell their friends how incensed they are. “Orcas are apex predators and not, despite their coloration, the pandas of the sea,” Howard says, and humans should treat them as such. I, for one, am amazed that the female orca was smart enough to go Oh yeah, let’s hit up a yacht. She took “eat the rich” to a new level. Escape from [New York]( Speaking of rich people, have you heard they’re [fleeing New York](? The state “has been losing people to other states for a while. But something new happened during the pandemic: The people who left had higher incomes than those who stayed behind — much higher,” Justin Fox writes. On one level, I have a hard time feeling particularly badly about this chart. Like: Okay, rich people don’t want to live with [the rats]( anymore? But on the other hand, I am seriously curious whether there’s some hush-hush domino effect that takes place within rich friend groups when somebody leaves. If the queen bee moves to Miami, does everyone’s social life slowly begin to unravel? I can picture it clearly: First, the regular trips to [The Greenwich Hotel]( spa grow infrequent. Then, the weekly book club/gossip session at [American Bar]( gets cancelled indefinitely. After that, it’s your [post-workout kale martinis](. Your friends are moving on to greener pastures. First it was Florida. Now it’s Montana. Next thing you know, all the girlies are gone and nobody’s there to split the [$250 Japanese melon]( with you for dessert: While a city with fewer friends for [Kendall Roy]( sounds appealing, it’s unfortunately bad for paying the bills. New York’s bills, I mean. “If the trend depicted above were to continue, even in less extreme form, it would be disastrous for the finances of a state that relies on income taxes paid by those making $200,000 or more a year for almost half its revenue,” Justin writes. You see, New York’s personal income tax receipts are lower than they were in 2019 — before you became a pandemic gremlin that didn’t see the light of day for months on end: But as you can see in the above, the tax revenue free fall isn’t really unique to New York — the decline in markets has caused revenues to plummet nationwide, which is why we’re a bit early to the debt-ceiling-pickle party. Read [the whole thing](. Telltale Charts I’m really proud of myself for having the willpower[2](#footnote-2) to not purchase the newest Zelda game, but after reading Dave Lee’s [latest column](, I just might have to cave. Over 10 million people scooped up copies of Tears of the Kingdom within three days, and in the US, it’s already Nintendo's fastest-selling game ever. “Nintendo has proven yet again the timeless appeal of its enduring characters, kept fresh by the boundless creativity of its designers,” he writes. The IP of [Link]( just can’t be beat: Walmart earns higher margins on discretionary items — like a [video game]( that comes with a [fancy golden scroll](, for starters. But now that the economy is looking meh, people are more focused on boring necessities — which Conor Sen says [is bad for business](. Luckily, the inflationary vibes that have us spooked appear to be cooling down: “In the past two months, food inflation has been negative. So there are a lot of reasons why inflation in everyday essentials should finally be easing up,” he writes. Have your cake and play Zelda, too, I guess: Further Reading Trump will continue to be a drag on the Republicans. That is, [unless they ditch him](. — Bloomberg’s editorial board AI is helping Nvidia create [the chips that design AI]( chips — and now it’s [the ultimate stock](. — Tim Culpan and Jonathan Levin Repayments on [student loans]( are about to restart. The White House needs to get its act together. — Claudia Sahm The UK wants to [regulate rentals](, but not in a way that helps tenants — or landlords, for that matter. — Marcus Ashworth and Stuart Trow [Saudi Arabia]( needs a wake-up call: Oil demand is shrinking for good. — David Fickling [Water utilities]( are public enemy No. 1 in the British corporate world. — Matthew Brooker AMLO should think twice before trying to become [the CEO of Mexico](. — Juan Pablo Spinetto ICYMI Ohio doctor [helped a rape victim]( and may lose license. The Oath Keepers leader gets [18 years]( in jail. [CBD science]( is no sure thing. Lawmakers push to expand [child labor](. Kickers The [Barbie trailer]( is [beautiful](. Please don’t pick up [baby bison](. Solving a [museum statue]( mystery. (h/t Ellen Kominers) The [Danish Golden Age]( was boozy. Notes: Please send tickets to Barbie Land and feedback to Jessica Karl at jkarl9@bloomberg.net. [Sign up here]( and follow us on [Instagram](, [TikTok](, [Twitter]( and [Facebook](. [1] Howard is such a good friend that in 2014, he even helped John write a memoir. It's called [Beneath the Surface: Killer Whales, SeaWorld, and the Truth Beyond Blackfish](. I will most certainly be reading it by the pool this summer — it has 4.7 out of 5 stars on Amazon!! [2] No hate to Zelda (I love it!) but I bought Breath of the Wild in 2020 during Covid and, despite spending an embarrassing number of hours trying to kill [the boar](, I never managed to do it (iykyk). Follow Us You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Bloomberg Opinion Today newsletter. If a friend forwarded you this message, [sign up here]( to get it in your inbox. [Unsubscribe]( [Bloomberg.com]( [Contact Us]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022 [Ads Powered By Liveintent]( [Ad Choices](