Recent research from Sweden found “that when dogs solved the problem and earned a reward they wagged their tails more and were more eager to repeat the experience than if they were just given a reward.” The study was inspred by earlier research showing a similar effect in cattle. (How could they tell?)
Tag: 08.08.14
Spanish Government Wants Four Famous Old Master Paintings Back From The Prado
The canvases, which include Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights, have technically been on loan from the royal family’s collection ever since the Spanish Civil War. But now the National Heritage Office is building a new museum to house the Royal Collections, due to open in 2016.
“The Versailles Of Latvia”, Now Restored After 50 Years Of Work
Art historian and Painter Imants Lancmanis first came to Rundale Palace, a grand 54-room pile completed in 1740 for the Duke of Courland, in 1964, while he was an art student in Riga – and he spent the next half-century renovating it. (During the Soviet years, of course, work went very slowly.)
Met Opera Rejected Pay Freeze Offer From Union: Report
“Sources tell NY1 that a letter from James Claffey, the President of Local 1, sent to members in the stagehands union earlier this week, said the Met rejected a proposal to freeze union wages for the next five years. Instead, opera management pushed for a 14.5 percent cut in pay and benefits.”
Multidisciplinary Public Art Event Actually Wins TV Ratings (It Was Amazingly Popular In Person, Too)
Lumenocity, a collaboration between the Cincinnati Symphony, Cincinnati Ballet, and video artists Brave Berlin – projecting intricate images onto the façade of Music Hall – was that media market’s top-rated TV broadcast last Saturday. And all 42,500 free tickets available for the three-night run were snapped up in 12 minutes. (includes video)
FringeNYC – Not Your Father’s Fringe Festival? Well, It Is Now
“Common sense might suggest that artists well ensconced in their careers would look askance at FringeNYC’s no-frills, DIY ethic … But to Ms. Prince and other longtime grown-ups, the chance to present a show cheaply in New York is a potent lure, even if each production has only 15 minutes to put up its set and 15 minutes to strike it afterward.”
Enormous Increase In Work By Women At This Year’s Edinburgh Fringe
The organisers of the main comedy awards at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe have put a surge in female performers this year down to the success of women in two of the main prizes 12 months ago.”
A Toronto Titan At 70 And His Plans To Transform The City
“Plans for the still massive and transformative project he and architect Frank Gehry are orchestrating for King St. W. could take a decade to execute. But there’s no sign that the man who runs the empire created by his father, a.k.a. Honest Ed, has any plans to scale back his own role as presiding czar.”
Radio Station Cuts All Songs To Two Minutes
“In a nutshell, QuickHitz doesn’t care if you’re Drake, Lorde or Lana Del Rey. Your single is going to get cut down to about two minutes, with a hard target of 24 songs — about twice the number common to a patient society — during each hour of airtime.”
$20 Million Loss As Cancellations Mount At Israeli Festivals
Summer is the high season for large-scale outdoor concerts and festivals — “a city like Jerusalem has festivals practically every week”. And though local performers are inured to the threat of attacks, local police are refusing to grant permits for outdoor gatherings. The result is that hotels, restaurants and bands take a financial hit. “Suddenly, they’re stuck in Europe for two days. If they’ve got a large entourage and crew, putting them up can be quite expensive.”