for breaking news visit www.timesnewsweekly.com JULY 23, 2015 • times 19 Astoria Museum exhibit on internet cats BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO aaltamirano@queenscourier.com @aaltamirano28 Cat lovers, unite. Next month, the Museum of the Moving Image, located at 36-01 35th Ave. in Astoria, will launch a five-month exhibition called How Cats Took Over the Internet, looking at how these furry felines have mesmerized a generation of online users with their quirky actions and adorable looks. The exhibit, which runs from Aug. 7 through Jan. 31, 2016, will examine the history of the growing popularity of online cat-centric content while taking a look at things such as Caturday, lolcats, cat videos, celebrity cats and more. “The Internet’s collective obsession with cats offers a window into the way we understand ourselves. This exhibition examines the many reasons for this deceptively frivolous phenomenon and highlights the new ways we’re creating, consuming and sharing culture,” said Jason Eppink, associate curator of digital media, who organized the exhibition. How Cats Took Over the Internet will include a video screening at the museum’s amphitheater and features a gallery including a selection of Internet cat videos, GIFs and images that take a critical look at subjects such as anthropomorphism, the aesthetics of cuteness, the Bored at Work Network and the rise of user-generated content. Together with the video screening, there will also be a selection of cat videos projected in a continuous loop, organized by Will Braden, curator of the Internet Cat Video Festival in Minneapolis. There will also be a multimedia timeline capturing the significant moments of cats online, joined with a historical looks at the representation of cats in photos, film and other visual media. The exhibition will also feature interactive stations where visitors will be able to create their own lolcats and contribute their favorite cat photos, GIFs and videos to the exhibition. There will also be a world map of international animal memes by The Civic Beat, a collective of researchers and writers focused on civic technology. As part of the various live events that will occur throughout the five months, on Oct. 10 there will be The Cat-vant Garde Film Show in the Sumner M. Redstone Theater. This show will focus on how cats have inspired experimental films such as “Nightcats,” “Cat’s Cradle,” “Catfood,” “How to Draw a Cat,” and more. Other programs will be announced later on. The Museum of the Moving Image is open Wednesday and Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on the weekends from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, visit www. movingimage.us. Images courtesy of The Infinite Cat Project CHOICES OF KID FRIENDLY PETS By Tresa Erickson Kids in general love animals, so it’s only natural that parents would want to bring a pet into their family. Some pets are better with kids than others, of course. Snakes, for example, generally do not make good pets for kids because of their size and strength. Dogs and cats, on the other hand, often make great pets for kids, especially more affectionate breeds. Following are some tips for selecting a kid-friendly pet and helping kids respect it. Of all the pets available, dogs and cats are often the best choices for kids. Dogs and cats tend to interact more with people and are more apt to put up with spirited kids. Some breeds do better with kids than others, so it pays to do your homework. Find out what breeds are considered kid friendly and focus on them. If you are adopting a pet from a shelter, ask the caretakers what the best choice would be for your household. You want a dog or cat with the temperament to deal with kids. If you’re looking for a pet that is a little less hands on, hamsters are ideal. Kids can get a great deal of enjoyment watching a hamster run around its cage, in and out of tunnels and around andaround on the wheel. And, when kids are interested in a little cuddling time, the hamster can be removed from its cage and held in the hand for a bit of petting. Just make sure you supervise the activity, as hamsters will nip. While fun to watch, hamsters do not live a long time. Keep that in mind. You don’t want to traumatize your kids with the death of one hamster after another. For parents looking for a pet that is completely hands off but pure fun to watch, fish or turtles might fill the bill. An aquarium of colorful fish darting this way and that can keep kids entertained, as can a turtle moving around in its cage. Because they are so hands off, however, some kids can grow bored of their pet fish or turtle. Whatever pet you choose, you must teach your kids to respect it. Kids who respect animals tend to have fewer disastrous run-ins with them. Kids need to understand that pets are animals, and like them, they have preferences. Kids don’t like to be bothered when they are eating, drinking or sleeping, and neither do pets. Kids don’t like to be smacked or teased, and neither do pets. Kids don’t like their spaces to be invaded, and neither do pets. When teaching kids to deal with pets, supervision is crucial. Watch them carefully, especially when handling more delicate species like hamsters, kittens and puppies. Kids and pets can go hand in hand with the right teaching. Select a good kid-friendly pet for your household and teach your kids to treat it with care. PETS
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