The 17th-century Spanish artist Diego Velazquez was the top painter in the court of King Philip IV. He painted in the dramatic and detailed Baroque style. While he painted numerous historically and culturally important scenes, he was best known for his portraits. Dozens of portraits of Philip were painted by Velazquez, as well as images of the rest of the royal family and common people. Up until the 19th century, Velazquez was not well known outside of Spain. But in the 19th century, realist and impressionist painters began to model their work after his. Modern artists like Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, and Francis Bacon have all expressed their admiration of Velazquez.

Each night, thousands of pounds of garbage are set on sidewalks in front of stores, restaurants, and homes in Manhattan. As soon as this happens, a small group of people that call themselves freegans arrive. They sort through the garbage and take leftover food and other products that they can use. Most freegans are not homeless, and they have jobs. They don't eat out of the garbage because they have to, but rather as a rejection of capitalism. Taking things from other people's waste allows them to avoid buying things themselves. It's also a protest against the waste, overproduction, and overconsumption of our culture. Freegans see these things as causes of all the world's problems, from starvation to global warming.

A study of more than 34,000 workers has shown that having a long commute can lead to poor health and low productivity in the workplace. According to the study, people with a daily commute of less than 30 minutes have seven more days of productive work time per year than people with a commute of 60 minutes or more. What's more, workers with long commutes were shown to be 3 3 % more likely to experience depression. According to the researchers, the best way for companies to deal with this problem is by offering their employees flexible work hours. They say that workers who have the ability to adjust their schedule are more productive and less likely to become depressed. Interestingly, the study showed that these benefits are not enjoyed by workers who have the option to work from home but are not given flexible hours.

Recommender systems are used to suggest items to consumers based on product preferences or user ratings. Many online companies employ them because they can accurately predict which item a user is likely to purchase or enjoy. There are two basic types of recommender systems: content-based ones and collaborative filtering ones. Content-based systems utilize information about items that have been viewed by a user to present a list of other items like this. This can be an effective approach because people are likely to be interested in items similar to the ones they are currently considering. In contrast, collaborative filtering systems are based on user ratings. They choose which items to recommend by calculating the average rating given by similar users. This is useful since similar users tend to enjoy similar items.

Emotions affect our spending habits. The results of a study show that sadness in particular may cause us to spend more money when we shop. Researchers conducted an experiment in which they showed a group of participants a video that caused sadness. Other participants watched a video that was emotionally neutral. Afterwards, the people who had watched the sad video were willing to pay four times more for a bottle of water than those who had watched the neutral video. According to the researchers, this was caused by the fact that sadness makes people view their possessions, as well as themselves, as having little value. As a result, they are willing to spend more on new things to make themselves feel better.

Most of us can recognize another person with a quick glance at his or her face. However, there are some people who can't recognize their own friends after they change their hairstyle. This is because they suffer from prosopagnosia, a condition more commonly known as face blindness. It is believed that face blindness affects approximately 2% of the population. Some people are born with it, while others develop it after experiencing a brain injury. There are different degrees of face blindness. In a mild case, the person may have difficulty telling the difference between two people with a similar appearance. People with severe face blindness, however, can't recognize faces at all. They must rely on other visual clues, such as hair or body type, in order to recognize others. This is why something as simple as a new hairstyle can make an old friend seem like a total stranger.

Bats regularly find their prey by making sounds and listening for the echoes that reflect off of insects. Some moths, however, have found a good way to avoid bats. They have special ears that allow them to hear bats' calls; they then fly in such a way that the bats cannot catch them. Until recently, scientists believed that these moths had an advantage over all bats. However, a study has shown that one type of bat has found a way to overcome this edge. Instead of using its normal calls when hunting, it whispers. Using this strategy, these bats can easily catch the moths that other bats cannot. The researchers were amazed by this discovery, as predators rarely evolve an advantage over their prey.

The imposter phenomenon is a condition that is often experienced by celebrities and other people who suddenly become successful or famous. It occurs when people are unable to accept the fact that they are responsible for their own success. Instead, they feel like there was some sort of mistake or that they were just lucky. As a result, deep differences develop between these people's self-image and the way they are viewed. Because they are aware of these differences, they begin to feel as though they are dishonest and have somehow fooled other people into admiring them. This condition can lead to serious problems. People suffering from the imposter phenomenon feel constant anxiety about being revealed as fakes and often stop trying to achieve further success.

Lobster is now considered to be extremely delicious and is one of the most expensive foods in the world. But it wasn't this way in the past. Prior to the 20th century in places like Maine, there were so many lobsters in the sea that they washed up on the shore in huge piles. Because they were so easy to collect, they were viewed as food for the poorer members of society. However, everything changed after the introduction of refrigerated transportation. This allowed Maine to ship its lobsters all over the world, and people who had never eaten lobster before fell in love with it. Before long, most major cities had lobster restaurants where rich diners came to eat the famous seafood. Its popularity among the upper classes changed lobster into the expensive treat that it is today.

The black widow is the most dangerous spider in the United States. It is most common in the southern states, but it can be found throughout the country. It got its name because the female has been known to kill the male after mating and, as a result, becomes a widow. The black widow is rather distinctive in appearance. In detail, it has a shiny round body, the size and shape of a pea, and is marked on its underbelly with a red or yellow spot. If a human is bitten by it, the spider's poison can cause severe illness and pain. Black widow bites have occasionally resulted in death, but it is uncommon.

During times of economic crisis, companies around the world face serious difficulties. Despite efforts by regional governments, many are forced to make tough decisions, such as cutting employees. Germany, however, is in a better position than others. Consider the example of the German companies that have been able to avoid laying off full-time employees during economic recessions. They use a special system that allows employees to work more hours during busy times and fewer when things are slow. Even when production stops, the company provides employees with new training so they can work on different projects. Because of these policies, companies can avoid layoffs, and the German jobless rate does not rise.

Most of us have experienced a painful ice cream headache at some point in our lives. It happens after we eat cold foods, like an ice cream cone or a milkshake. It only lasts a short time but can be very unpleasant. These headaches are caused by something cold touching the roof of your mouth on a hot day. The nerves in this part of your body overreact to the cold and try to warm up your brain. This makes the blood vessels in your head dilate, which gives you a headache. So the best way to avoid an ice cream headache is to keep cold things from touching the roof of your mouth.