Welcome to For Your Consideration, The Huffington Post's breakdown of all things Oscars. Between now and Feb. 28, 2016, entertainment editors Matthew Jacobs and Joe Satran will pore over awards season and discuss which films will make the most noise at the 88th annual Academy Awards.

At last, the final countdown has begun. It's been a grueling -- but never uninteresting -- Oscar season. With a week left until nominations are announced on Jan. 14, we're still looking at the haziest Best Picture race in recent memory. Even though "Spotlight," "The Big Short" and "Mad Max: Fury Road" seem like the category's headliners, the precursor awards have been so erratic that a few surprise nominees could unseat everything. Just deciding which movies -- remember it can be anywhere from five to 10 -- will make the shortlist is a daunting task. Could "Straight Outta Compton" or "Trumbo" topple "The Hateful Eight" or "Room"? Should we have included "Ex Machina" on this list now that it scored a surprise nod from the Producers Guild Awards? It's entirely possible. Let's rank the contenders. 

From earlier in the race, read our handicapping of the other five major categories:

• Best Director

• Best Actress

• Best Actor

• Best Supporting Actress

• Best Supporting Actor

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Toward the end of last year, the number of searches for the word "refugee" increased five-fold. Those hoping to educate themselves about the millions of people fleeing Syria and its surrounding countries to seek asylum elsewhere likely found a befuddling mix of opinions and news clips.

In November, over half of America’s governors announced that they would not house refugees. Obama denounced the move as un-American, but that didn’t stop many Republican presidential candidates from airing their vicious concerns.

Amid such frank Islamaphobia, Syrian families have begun to resettle in America, hoping their new home will be a safer one. A three-part series on The Huffington Post followed one such family’s attempt to live, work and generally become more comfortable with their lives in New Jersey.

To remind decriers of the fundamental nature we all share, a Swedish design company called Essen International and Solvatten made a simple font that swaps out the word "refugee" for the word "human." The font is called Common Sans.

The website for Common Sans notes, “Being a refugee is a temporary status, being a human is permanent. Humans are amazing. A stamp on their passport should not let us believe otherwise.”

To which we say: !

It’s a simple gesture, but one that can hopefully bring us collectively closer to a place of acceptance and understanding. You can download the font here.

[H/T Wired]

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The star-studded results are in! BabyCenter has released its annual list of the "best and worst celebrity baby names" of the past year.

Based on survey results from 1,100 users, BabyCenter found that parents preferred celebrity baby name choices like the royal Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, Carrie Underwood's Isaiah Michael and Chanel Nicole, the daughter of Ice-T and Coco Austin. Their least favorites included Saint West and Ashlee Simpson's son Jagger Snow. 

"Celebrities provide more access to their lives than ever before," BabyCenter Global Editor-in-Chief Linda Murray said in a press release. "As a result, moms feel more connected to them and free to pass judgment on their choices.”

“This year’s survey shows moms prefer conventional names," she continued. "A little quirkiness is OK but when celebs choose truly unique names that break new ground, moms give them the thumbs down.”

Without further ado, here are BabyCenter parents' choices favorite and least favorite baby names from famous moms and dads. 

Favorite Celebrity Baby Names:

Charlotte Elizabeth Diana (Prince William and Duchess Catherine)

Chanel Nicole (Ice-T and Coco Austin)

Brooklyn Elisabeth (Nick and Vanessa Lachey)

Isaiah Michael (Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher)

Atticus James (Jennifer Love Hewitt and Brian Hallisay)

Least Favorite Celebrity Baby Names:

Saint West (Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West)

Jagger Snow (Ashlee Simpson and Evan Ross)

Sailor Gene (Liv Tyler and David Gardner)

Bowie Ezio (Zoe Saldana and Marco Perego)

Elsie Otter (Zooey Deschanel and Jacob Pechenik)

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It's not always easy to find your inner Buddha. Especially when your phone is dinging, your email Inbox is flooding, and you can't remember where you left your mantra. 

Illustrator Molly Hahn has created a charming and compact illustrated guide to finding your happy place no matter the circumstances. Titled Buddha Doodles, the pillowy publication features watercolored sketches of little Buddhas going about their days with enlightening captions such as "Honor your resilience," or "Say hello with love." 

Hahn began the doodle process as a daily meditative sketch practice in 2011. Following a series of traumatic events, the sweet drawings with deep messages helped the healing process take its course. Keep reading for some inspiring illustrations sure to make you Namaste a little longer. 

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Dreams do come true: Hermione Granger is starting a feminist book club. 

On Wednesday, Emma Watson announced on Twitter that she will be creating a feminist book club and that she needed some help from her followers to name it.  

"I want to start a feminist book club but so far have only brainstormed 'Feminist Book Club' and 'Emma Watson Book Club,'" the actress and U.N. Women Goodwill Ambassador wrote on Twitter. 

Watson's Twitter followers did not disappoint. She received hundreds of awesome ideas in response to her tweet. 

Scroll below to read a few of our favorites. 

Actress Sophia Bush later joined in on the action, making us that much more jealous of this growing-cooler-by-the-minute club. 

One genius Twitter user even invited J.K. Rowling to be a part of the book club.

Watson eventually decided on the name "Our Shared Shelf" by Twitter user @EmilyFabb. 

So does this mean we get to be in the feminist book club now? Pleaaaaseee? 

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Thursday marks the anniversary of the deadly attack on the Paris office of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, where two masked gunmen affiliated with al Qaeda killed 12 people.

The murders were considered a terror attack on press freedom and spurred social media users around the world to use the hashtag #JeSuisCharlie in solidarity with the cartoonists and staff who were killed. 

Charlie Hebdo, which issued its own anniversary issue this week, had long been the source of controversy for its cartoons satirizing political and religious figures. Before the mass shooting, the magazine had been subject to threats and a firebombing in 2011. 

One year after the attack, artists around the world drew cartoons to remember the victims of the tragedy. Many shared messages of hope saying that the journalist's pen is mightier than the assassin's rifle.

Take a look at some of the cartoons below:

"I am Charlie. Always," the text reads.

Charlie Hebdo's own anniversary edition, published Monday, features a cover that reads, "One year later, the assassin is still out there."

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When the news broke that Amy Schumer has been dating a very handsome man named Ben Hanisch, the Internet was excited, but reasonably put off by the lack of further information about this mystery man. The absence seemed, for lack of a better word, intentional.

Fans demanded to know: How did they meet? Online? At a bar? Did he ask her out first? Were they introduced by mutual friends? Speed dating? Did they touch the same newspaper at a corner store, lock eyes, and BLAM?!

All we know for sure is that they didn't meet on Bumble.

Sorry, Schumer, that's not good enough. This is a HUGE deal, and we deserve to know everything.

Thankfully, we have this fan theory to hold us over until more information comes out.

Theory: Their meeting was divine intervention because Amy Schumer's Boyfriend is Jesus of Nazareth reincarnated, marking the end of days.

I know. I KNOW. But lemme give you evidence before you believe it.

(via ICantFeelMyFaceWithoutSchumer)

Ben Hasich claims to be a "furniture designer" which is basically a 2016 way of saying carpenter. He's tall, white, skinny, humble, and considerate. All qualities shared by the son of god.

The comparisons don't end there.

Get the guy on the right a crisp black suit and we're talking about an exact carbon copy of the man on the left. 

The Schumer superfan also cites this quote from the Bible describing Jesus as further evidence.

(via Daniel 10:5-6)

I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, a man clothed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude.

It's like Daniel was straight up looking at Ben's insta when he said that.

But the clearest evidence comes from Amy Schumer herself.

Schumer posted two pictures on twitter with the caption "fam and man at the whitehizzy."

We can assume that fam = family and whitehizzy = White House. But "man"? Why would she call her boyfriend "man"? Like the embodiment of mankind? Like the son of man? The man who some believe died for our collective sins? I'm sorry, but to label a person "man" seems like an obvious tip that he is the human representation of the god on earth.

Now, if this fan theory is true, if Jesus is real and dating Amy Schumer, it would unmake reality as we know it. Countries would crumble, chaos would rule -- not to mention it would confirm that hell is real and most of us are probably going there when we die. So understandably, the Schumer camp would want to keep this under wraps. Or label this as some crazy ramblings on the web. But if it is true, we appreciate Amy risking armageddon by teasing these little nuggets out.

If you have any Amy Schumer's boyfriend fan theories, PLEASE post them in the comments and we will investigate.

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Photography is a popular way to capture and document birth, but mom and painter Amanda Greavette has found another medium for illustrating the uniquely powerful experience.

For a series called "The Birth Project," Greavette creates stunning paintings of pregnant women, often in labor or bonding with their newborn babies. "After I had my second child I was drawn to the epic subjects of birth, pregnancy and mothering," the artist told The Huffington Post. "I felt there was so much happening in this brief but intense period, and I wasn't able to find much other contemporary art exploring it."

Greavette has given birth five times -- twice in a hospital, three times at home, once with a doctor, and four times with midwives. The mom has given birth on the floor, on beds and in water. "All of my births were very positive experiences," she said, adding, "I really cherish the process and love how exciting and powerful it is."

The subjects of Greavette's Birth Project paintings are real mothers, from friends and family members whose births she attended in person or observed through birth photography to women who have shared their birth stories and images through email or social media. 

"I want [my paintings] to be relatable and real, and convey the expressions and emotions we have when we're laboring and birthing and meeting our children," Greavette told HuffPost. "Birth is intimate and private but it's so visceral and rich that it's an amazing subject to explore."

Though she's been working on the series since 2007, the painter said she's seen a positive shift in how people respond to the birth-related art. Her paintings have appeared in birthing centers and used for childbirth preparation as tools for visualization and meditation. 

"Our bodies are so strong, so incredible, and beautiful even with flaws and scars and weaknesses," Greavette said. "Many birth stories have a lot of pain, sadness, disappointment or guilt in them, and I want to provide a space with my work to sit with these things as well." 

"The response I hear from my audience is that these resonate in a unique way, and that women everywhere have births that are amazing, empowering, and very meaningful," she continued. "They want to see it, talk about it and have it recognized and validated."

That certainly occurs in this bold artwork. 

Keep scrolling and visit Greavette's website to see her powerful Birth Project paintings.

The images below may be considered NSFW to some readers.

H/T BabyCenter

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If you've been paying attention to the news, you've noticed the commotion in Oregon, where a group of armed protesters have taken over a federal building in an occupation that's lasted for several days.

One person has certainly noticed: Colin Meloy, frontman of the indie rock group The Decemberists, as well as an author, found the situation of a group of male ranchers holed up in a chilly outpost indefinitely to be rather suggestive, and he took to Twitter to pen erotic fanfic about the gang.

Probably not the hoped-for result from the group's old-fashioned, anti-federalist adventure.

Some backstory: On Jan. 2, a group of armed protestors rallied at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Burns, Oregon, to call attention to the plight of two local ranchers recently sentenced to prison time for arson -- unfairly, in the view of the protestors. Now, the militia, led by Ammon Bundy, the son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, is occupying the building until, they claim, their demands are met.

Nearly from the beginning, the militiamen have attracted more ridicule than fear or admiration. "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah" mocked the militants for almost immediately posting a list of things they would like sent to them on Facebook, including "snacks," "cold weather socks," and "anything you think will help." The government seems to simply be waiting for them to get bored and leave. Even the locals aren't pleased.

Meloy's snarky Twitter hashtag, #BundyEroticFanfic, expertly mashes up the current attitude of disdain toward the rather hapless, unsympathetic band of militants with the trend of satirical erotic fanfic.

With the Republican field littered with outsized personalities, the media has started to pick up on absurd "fan fiction" about candidates like Ted Cruz and Donald Trump. Though these sexy stories fall into the category of fan fiction, technically, it seems the intent is often mockery rather than glorification.

Lacey Noonan, who also wrote the absurdist erotic fanfic A Gronking to Remember, carried her silly, sexy touch over to a Cruz fic, A Cruzmas Carol: Ted Cruz Takes a Dickens of a Constitutional, which overtly tweaks many of Cruz's more Puritanical social policies.

Erotic fan fiction isn't inherently a joke, though the Meloy-inspired hashtag certainly contains plenty of knee-slappers. I could argue that using erotic fanfic as a tool to degrade opponents runs the risk of overshadowing how valuable sexy fics -- slash, het, and beyond -- can be for people who can safely explore their sexual needs in a fanfic context. 

Moreover, with conservative politicians, the humor of lascivious fictions tends to rest on promiscuous behavior being enacted by figures known for sexually rigid public moralizing. For #BundyEroticFanFic, the militants may be anti-government and, from all evidence, conservative, but their message doesn't exactly rest on anti-sexuality or homophobic statements. The "Brokeback"-style twist on the Bundy militia's occupation could smack a little bit of old-school homophobic humor, framing an opponent as gay in order to make him seem less worthy of respect.

Despite these caveats, there are moments of true, undeniable comic genius in Meloy's fanfic that target the most mockable aspect of the Bundy militia: Their self-serious, self-aggrandizing romanticization of what, so far, boils down to an extended, if well-armed, camp-out in a federal wildlife refuge building. 

Indeed, some things are more important than snacks.

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If you think your morning regimen is intense, just check out the primping involved in giving Golden Boy his epic mane. 

Rotterdam-based filmmaker Thalia de Jong films the glorious process from start to finish, as this supreme diva is coddled, curled, teased, fluffed and puffed into guinea pig perfection. So long, drab coat of pathetic Petco fur, hello fabulous floor-length locks that would put Rapunzel herself to shame. 

H/T Creators Project

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This adventurous pup is a world traveler with an impressive modeling portfolio - and isn't afraid of exploring parts unknown.

Claire is a three-year-old bulldog terrier with penchant for visiting abandoned buildings with her trusty owner and accomplice, Alice Van Kempen.

Van Kempen, a professional photographer, got the idea to travel to deserted locations across Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands a little over two years ago, and decided that Claire would be the perfect subject for her work.

"She’s very obedient," Van Klempen told HuffPost, "She loves it. You can see she thinks its fun and sometimes you can see almost a smile on her face." 

The urban exploring duo have visited countless decrepit hospitals, mansions, castles and homes that society has long forgotten. Many of these spaces have been abandoned for more than 40 years, with decaying furniture worn down by time and neglect.

Claire poses with found objects that have been left behind by previous owners and is a total pro when it comes to modeling. 

"She's such a brilliant dog," Van Kempen says, "She has to sit absolutely still for a second which is very hard she can’t blink or move her eyes."

Because many of the buildings they visit still technically belong to someone, they will only go inside if there's a window, door or hole in the wall to jump through. 

"I want to make sure we don’t break in, so we don’t destroy anything," Van Kempen said.

Van Kempen scours the depths of the internet looking for clues about little-known places that are begging to be explored. She uses Google Earth to see a street view of the building to make sure it's a good setting for her work.

"Finding the locations itself is a problem because they’re all kept a secret," she said, "so you have to be sort of like Sherlock Holmes to find out where they are."

Though many of the places they visit seem spooky or dangerous at first, Van Kempen is never scared as long as Claire is by her side. And for Claire, the thrill of exploration is as exciting as the chance to bask in the limelight. 

"She loves the spotlight," Van Kempen said, "As long as she’s got attention, she’s prepared to do anything."

Check out more photos of Claire's travels below:

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Missouri lawmakers believe reporters should be able to do their jobs -- unless they're trying to do them at the state Senate.

On Monday, Republican lawmakers in Missouri made public a letter demanding that the University of Missouri fire Melissa Click, an assistant professor in the school's communication department who became notorious last year after she called for student journalists to be forcibly removed from a campus protest.

The lawmakers' letter, originally sent Dec. 18, was co-signed by more than 100 state representatives and 18 state senators. It became public this week just days before members of the Republican leadership in the state Senate introduced a proposal to bar reporters from the Senate floor. That measure passed the state Senate on Thursday, and will go into effect in March.

The irony was not lost on observers.

Click became the object of intense backlash last year after a Nov. 9 protest at Mizzou related to the then-recent resignation of President Tim Wolfe. In a video, Click can be seen telling student journalists that they're not allowed in a certain area of campus -- an area that protesters had asked to be respected as a media-free "safe space," but one that was legally accessible to reporters under the First Amendment.

"I need some muscle over here," Click calls to someone in the video, after telling a reporter to "get out."

Click apologized for her remarks the next day, and at least one of the journalists in the video forgave her. But critics were incensed, saying that Click should have known better as a member of the school's communication department.

However, Click has defenders: At least 115 faculty members at Mizzou have signed a letter to university administrators saying that her actions were a "regrettable mistake," but that she's proven herself a worthy instructor and researcher. 

"We believe that Click has been wronged in the media by those who have attacked her personally and have called for her dismissal," says the faculty members' letter, which was made public Tuesday. "We affirm our support of her as a colleague, a teacher, and a scholar, and we call upon the University to defend her first amendment rights of protest and her freedom to act as a private citizen."

Meanwhile, the Missouri state Senate's rule change will restrict reporters to the fourth- and fifth-floor galleries of the chamber, and will prevent journalists from coming onto the Senate floor. Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard (R) sponsored the rule change, and Missouri Senate Majority Leader Mike Kehoe (R) defended it to reporters this week, saying the lawmakers "have been talking about it for years." 

Both Richard and Kehoe signed the Dec. 18 letter that rebuked Click for harassing journalists who were trying to do their jobs -- "jobs which are soundly protected by the Constitution," as the letter put it.

Richard said the rule change was needed because journalists were tweeting what they overheard senators saying on the floor, according to Kansas City Star reporter Jason Hancock.

The rule change passed the Senate 26 to 4.

Jeremy LaFaver, a Democratic state representative in Missouri, joked that Click would be hired as the Senate's "doorperson."

Jeff Rouder, a Mizzou professor in the psychological sciences department who signed the letter in defense of Click, said he'd thought at first that the senators had proposed their rule change ironically.

"The fact that they are not sarcastic makes it all the more sad," Rouder told The Huffington Post.

Richard and Kehoe did not respond to requests for comment. Click and the University of Missouri, as well as the student protesters whom Click was trying to defend in the Nov. 9 video, likewise did not respond to requests for comment. One of the student journalists who appears in the video declined to comment for this story.

Read the letter from GOP lawmakers asking that Click be terminated from Mizzou: 

Read the letter from Mizzou faculty defending Click from calls that she be fired:

_______

Tyler Kingkade is a national reporter covering higher education, and is based in New York. You can contact him at tyler.kingkade@huffingtonpost.com, or find him on Twitter: @tylerkingkade.

Related Coverage:

• Mizzou Professor Melissa Click Gets Death And Rape Threats


• Melissa Click Issues Apology For Confrontation With Reporters


• State Rep. Withdraws Bill To Revoke Mizzou Athletes' Scholarships

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Sex: It's definitely not like what you see in the movies. 

BuzzFeed writer and illustrator Loryn Brantz gets it. Brantz drew nine hilarious comics (seriously, they are totally effing hilarious) showing the differences between the "sexpectations" and reality of straight sex.

Because everyone has had an awkward reverse cowgirl moment at some point. No shame in it.  

Head over to BuzzFeed to see the rest. 

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An artist created a magical world by putting an adorable twist on our favorite "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" characters.

Brian Kesinger, a story artist at Walt Disney Animation Studios, combined the intergalactic characters with the artistic style of "Calvin and Hobbes" to produce a series that'll knock your socks off. 

Just look at these! Did you ever think Kylo Ren could be quite so cute? 

In addition to Kylo Ren, Kesinger's series includes other "Calvin And Hobbes-ified" takes on Darth Vader, Poe Dameron, Finn, BB-8 and Rey. The artist told The Huffington Post in an email that he felt the similarities between the comic strip and the films made for a perfect mashup. 

"The two things that both properties share are great characters and more importantly strong relationships and bonds between those characters," said Kesinger, who's worked on animated movies, including "Tarzan."  

While this particular series has been extremely popular on social media, Kesinger has done various other mashups including those between "Star Wars" and "Adventure Time," as well as "Peanuts" and "Big Hero 6." He said he's always been drawn to blending different characters and concepts -- old and new -- together into one, unique realm. 

"The fun for me is taking two groups of very well-known characters and putting them in scenarios together to see what would happen," he said. "This trend has become very popular among fan artists and it's a great way to make someone reconnect with their childhood."

Indeed this latest series has hit us -- as well as the rest of the Internet -- with a pang of nostalgia. 

"Everyone has cherished memories of 'Calvin and Hobbes' and 'Star Wars,' he said. "It's like the peanut butter and chocolate of pop culture."

To see more of Kesinger's work, head on over to his Instagram here. 

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The temperature was over 100 degrees, or rather, 40 on the Celsius scale, as Courtney Barnett wondered if she was going to die while pulling weeds in her Melbourne, Australia, garden. The 20-something, as yet unknown musician struggled back inside. Later, she recalled to The Huffington Post, "I was just looking at myself in the mirror and freaking out."

Up until this point, Barnett had been a smoker. On this day, just the physical activity of gardening combined with the high heat was enough to force her to take an ambulance despite the unaffordable cost.

"I was like, oh, my God, why do I smoke?" Barnett said with a laugh.

She'd quit a month later and write a song about the whole thing.

The now 28-year-old canonized this incident with the song, "Avant Gardener," which became Barnett's first massively popular hit as a musician after its 2013 release. Although the song has no clear chorus or pop structure, Barnett found a way to make a very specific incident from her life relatable. One memorable line repeats throughout the song: the declarative, but vague enough, "I’m having trouble breathing in."

Since this early success, Barnett has continued to find a both wide and critic-heavy audience following this diary-esque approach to songwriting. Her latest album, "Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit," was recently named one of the top 10 of 2015 by publications such as Rolling Stone and Pitchfork.

"Avant Gardener" has been heard millions of times. In the song, Barnett sings, "The paramedic thinks I'm clever cause I play guitar / I think she’s clever 'cause she stops people dying."

When you just worry about doing what you know, you have a chance at being the best for the job. 

Back on her fateful gardening day, Barnett accrued an expensive bill along with the discovery of a rash all over her arms and legs, which she thinks might have caused by an additional allergic reaction to a plant in the garden. According to the musician, the doctor didn't know what to diagnose her with. The episode had no clear, complete villain to blame.

All Barnett could do was try and become better to try and avoid the same pain in the future. You can curse the sun, but some inevitable forces of pain can't be defeated. The cigarettes could stop. Writing could help make sense of it all in her own head and restore her power over the situation and herself.

The ambulance bill ended up getting waived, which is lucky, as Barnett wasn't in the position to easily pay for it. Around that time, Barnett had worked local jobs such as a shoe salesman -- "I wasn't really of the kind of hard-sell mentality" -- and bartender, but was focusing on setting up a record label for her and her friends' music.

Barnett founded that label, Milk! Records, in 2012, with the help of her fellow songwriter girlfriend, Jen Cloher. The two still run the label from their shared home in Melbourne, with Barnett's recent meteoric success certainly changing the bottom line.

In publication profiles, the musician is often described with terms like "needless" or "slacker," but that seems more based in her aesthetic than reality. Barnett said that she has a "fear of failing," explaining that sometimes her mentality is along the lines of, "Well, I'm just not going to try because then I can't be bad at it." Barnett continued, "Because I know that I'm bad at it and it would take a lot of work [to try something], so it's just me being lazy."

But as a musician and songwriter this perceived laziness really isn't true. Even at the early age of 10, the left-handed Barnett pushed through on learning how to play a right-handed guitar, the only kind available to her. She then re-learned on a left-handed guitar in her early teens and now can play both. Her New Year's resolution for 2016 is to learn piano by taking on a Beatles songbook, along with the other planned touring and recording. She writes constantly in books and books of lyrics, as producing rhymes is her self-prescribed activity for boredom.

Barnett may not have put in the hours to become a paramedic, but instead found her own thing. "I don't really have any massive goals. I think every day, just take it as it comes, see what happens," Barnett said. When you do you, producing isn't insurmountable, but inherent.

Speaking about "Avant Gardener," Barnett claimed, "I remember kind of working hard on it and it had come out of this very surreal experience, so it was important to me." Barnett continued, "When it all came together, I felt such a sense of accomplishment, because it was hard to fit all those words in. Get the whole story."

As long as you really do try to be better, just care about what you care about.

The first lines of "Avant Gardener" are "I sleep in late / Another day / Oh what a wonder / Oh what a waste." By the end of writing, recording, self-releasing and touring the song, Barnett certainly seized the day in her own way. 

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BOSTON (AP) — "Moby-Dick" fans from around the world are getting ready for their own grueling quest — a marathon reading of Herman Melville's classic.

The New Bedford Whaling Museum this weekend is holding its 20th annual nonstop reading of the seminal man vs. whale novel, with a few new twists to mark the anniversary.

What started with just "a couple of die-hards and some grog," according to museum president and CEO James Russell, has grown into a four-day event that culminates in a cover-to-cover, 25-hour reading of the book aloud by about 150 volunteers. Hundreds attend the live event, and thousands more watch a live stream.

The event has become so popular that this year's reading spots were snapped up within an hour.

"This is my favorite museum event of the year," Russell said. "It touches on so many dimensions: the literary experience, the physical works of art, the theatrical performance, the workshops and focus groups."

The readers are teenagers and nonagenarians. They include Melville scholars and Melville descendants. They come from across the country and overseas. This year's celebrity reader, who traditionally kicks things off by reading what has been called the most famous opening line in literature, "Call me Ishmael," is award-winning author Nathaniel Philbrick.

Portions will be read in foreign languages including Spanish, French and Dutch.

The reading starts at noon Saturday and moves through different galleries of the museum, even at one pointing sailing up the cobblestone street to the Seamen's Bethel — the Whaleman's Chapel in the novel.

New for this year are a four-hour reading of a Portuguese adaptation of "Moby-Dick," and a two-hour children's version, read by kids ages 8 to 12.

Philbrick, who wrote "In the Heart of the Sea," which won the National Book Award for nonfiction and was made into a movie of the same name, called it an honor to get things started.

"It's written with such force and complexity and beautiful language," he said.

Philbrick confesses he didn't read "Moby-Dick" until he was "forced to" as a senior in high school, even though his father was a university English professor who specialized in American maritime literature. Now, he estimates he's read the book a dozen times.

"Ishmael was the best friend I had not met and I was completely harpooned," he said. "It's become like my personal bible."

Every year about 25 to 30 caffeine-fueled Melville aficionados manage to stay awake for the entire reading, Russell said.

"It's an immersive experience," he said.

___

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New Year's resolutions are slippery little suckers. We all start out in January with the best intentions to eat better, exercise more, save money, and so on. But 12 months later, we've often abandoned these goals as busy schedules and work stress take over.

Enter the vision board. Research shows that ambition can make you happier -- so why not make it tangible? A vision board is a tool that turns your ephemeral New Year's resolutions into a real, concrete goal. By putting pen to paper and sketching out how you want to feel, look, and grow in the new year, you can start to bring those dreams to life. 

So ... how do you create a vision board?

First, think about your goals. Research shows that when you write down your ambitions, you're more likely to accomplish them. What new skills do you want to learn? Where do you want to travel? What do you want to improve about yourself? These are just a few starter questions to get the vision board ball rolling. 

Next, focus on how you want to feel this year. By reflecting on how you want to feel rather than the things you want to have, you immerse yourself in good vibes.

Finally, do the damn thing. Grab poster board, magazines, scissors and glue. Cut out your favorite images and affirming quotes and put them in a big pile. Lay the photos out on your board however you see fit. Trust your instincts; whatever you create should feel right to you. 

Once your board is complete, hang it where you can see it every day. Studies suggest the more you're reminded of your goals, you're more likely to complete them. Congratulate yourself when you've accomplished a pursuit, and spend time visualizing how you can achieve the rest. The end result? A happier mind.

As part of the HuffPost Happiness Challenge, we'll be working on our happiness vision boards all month long. Follow us on Pinterest as we pin fun photos and inspirational quotes!   

Are you as happy as you could be? Sign up for our newsletter and join our happiness challenge to become a happier, healthier version of yourself. We’ll deliver tips, challenges and advice to your inbox every day.

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JOHANNESBURG (AP) -- The gentle chorus of maximum security prisoners sung over simple guitar chords has earned Malawians their first Grammy nomination, but it took nearly 10 days for them to find out.

"I Have No Everything Here" is a 20-track collection of sometimes melancholic songs performed by the inmates of Malawi's overcrowded Zomba prison, documenting life on both sides of the crumbling red brick walls.

The track "Listen to Me" is a warning to young women to stay out of trouble. Other tracks include "Prison of Sinners," ''Last Wishes" and the more upbeat "When They See Me Dance." Eighteen of the 20 tracks are sung in the Chichewa language.

The Zomba Prison Project has been nominated for best world music album, on the heels of previous winners and now fellow nominees such as South Africa's Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Beninese singer Angelique Kidjo.

Grammy recognition will not lead to a world-touring career for the Zomba Prison Project, though. Many performers are serving life sentences in the prison's sandy yard and cramped quarters.

Cut off from the world, the inmates heard about their nomination via charity workers and prison officials, album producer Ian Brennan said in a telephone interview from Paris.

Brennan, who has built a career as a producer determined to promote new international music, said he was nevertheless surprised that his "massive, money-losing labor of love" has garnered international prestige.

Born in Oakland, California, Brennan has also worked in psychiatric facilities for over 20 years, becoming an expert in violence prevention. Music is a tool for empathy, he said.

Brennan struck a deal with prison officials in Malawi that he would give workshops on conflict prevention to inmates while getting the chance to record their haunting hymns and traditional songs. The prisoners were paid in money, clothes and other commissary items, all handled by the guards.

Brennan used his own funds to pay for the album, which was released by Six Degrees, a San Francisco record company known for its international catalog. He recorded 60 hours of music in the prison yard in August 2013, competing with the grinding from the prison's carpentry classes.

The men's side of the prison already had a relatively successful choir that toured other prisons with donated instruments, Brennan said. The women prisoners at Zomba, only a few dozen out of thousands, made do with overturned buckets and a few traditional drums. The women were apprehensive about performing until inmate Gladis Zinamo stepped to the microphone.

"Share with the earth your happiness," she sang, and the first words of the album track "Don't Hate Me" created a domino effect of other women coming forward to sing, said Brennan. Women inmates wound up being the singers for more than half of the album.

Grammy-winning Brennan has also produced Rwanda's The Good Ones, South Sudanese band Wayo: Trance Percussion Masters and the Malawi Mouse Boys, a gospel group that once made a living selling mice on sticks as roadside snacks.

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The Atlantic recently published a thorough exposé on the changing definition of adulthood, and how we define it today. The author spoke with developmental psychologists and cited a survey of anecdotes to conclude that the once-definable life stage is increasingly nebulous -- some report that it begins as soon as financial independence is reached, and others not until raising a child.

To account for the huge range of events and states of mind now associated with growing up, some psychologists have crafted a new label for that ever-awing period that exists between heading off to college and nesting comfortably in a place that’ll likely remain unchanged for decades: “emerging adulthood.”

According to The Atlantic, “While [...] adolescence clearly ends at 18, when people typically leave high school and their parents’ homes, and are legally recognized as adults, one leaves emerging adulthood... whenever one is ready.”

Whenever one is ready. That adulthood has necessarily become less about checking off certain life markers -- a house, a spouse and a gaggle of kids -- and more about an internal state of feeling responsible for one’s own choices, means defining oneself as grown-up can feel murky.

One anonymous reader noted that as a 56-year-old married woman with a career and no children, she would describe herself as an adult. But, the status is less a permanent identity marker than a state achievable when necessary. She likens being grown-up to a fish “glittering in water,” a slippery thing she can snag in moments when maturity is needed.

“You know it’s swimming around there and you can reach out and maybe touch it, but to catch it would destroy everything,” she writes. “And the moments when you do catch it -- when you have to attend a brother-in-law’s funeral or euthanize a paralyzed pet -- you grasp it and you do it fully and well but you long to toss it back in the pond, blast David Bowie, and sit on the grass contentedly, watching adulthood glint in the sunlight.”

It may be useful, then, to offer a new narrative about growing up. It’s a privileged one, to be sure -- not everyone has the luxury of keeping responsibility on a shelf, and socioeconomic factors certainly influence when individuals fully enter adulthood. But for those eschewing marriage, parenthood, home ownership, and other choices that promote stability rather than spontaneity, maturity can be seen as a skill rather than a lifestyle, a way of treating oneself and others rather than an adherence to a monolithic template.

If many of us could be categorized as emerging adults -- people picking and choosing which responsibilities suit our personal beliefs -- could that help explain why our bookshelves are as likely to house Paper Towns as they are Leaves of Grass? The trend of adults reading Young Adult literature has been linked to a sort of mass juvenilization, but when we view YA readers as people dipping their toes back into youthful naivety, a clearer picture emerges.

Although YA books often circumvent the grittier parts of life -- “gratuitous” sex and drugs are generally omitted -- the experience of reading them can be as squarely adult as blowing the dust off a beloved Bowie record. To reenter a carefree state of mind from the vantage point of a more responsible human is a means of escaping said responsibilities, but it's also a means of reflecting, and considering who we were, who we thought we were, who we wanted to be, and, finally, who we’ve become.

If emerging adulthood is about maintaining a state of flux and freedom while slowly acquiring the responsibilities that matter to us, looking back on our lives’ trajectories can be a meditative act.

This could begin to explain what author Kate Axelrod described on Literary Hub as “the ever-blurring lines across literary genres.” Although her book, The Law of Loving Others, is about a college student coping with her mother’s mental illness, publishers insisted on packaging it as YA due to the protagonist’s age. Disappointed, Axelrod wrote, “To me, all YA suggested was that I had failed, in some critical way, to captivate an adult audience.”

Of course, this is inaccurate. A 2012 survey showed that over half of YA readers are adults (or, perhaps, emerging adults). The survey doesn’t include data on whether those readers are picking up titles more suited to their age group in addition to The Fault in Our Stars, and if they aren’t, the juvenilization complaint may be founded. But I’m willing to guess that these readers’ shelves are diverse and that, like their real-life responsibilities, their literary habits waffle between serious, thoughtful, nostalgic, and purely fun.

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With the transition from 2015 to 2016 come many different lists ranking the best movies, restaurants and entrepreneurs.

The folks behind the popular baby naming website Nameberry have decided to join in the rankings fray with their list of best baby names. For parents set to welcome new babies in 2016, here are Nameberry's picks for the 100 best baby names and the reasons for each choice.

Abel -- Biblical boy name with a capable sound

Adelina -- The next Isabella

Agnes --Vintage 'A' name set for a major comeback

Alice -- Storybook heroine back in the top 100

Amias -- Undiscovered masculine name whose meaning we love

Apollo -- A Greek god at home in the modern world

Arden -- Shakespeare’s forest makes this a literary nature name

Arlo -- Upbeat Arlo is a folk singer and an animated dinosaur

Athena -- As smart as Sophia

Atlas -- Mythological name that holds its own

August -- The Oscar of 2016

Aurora -- Ancient name seeing a new dawn

Beckett -- Literary name and Hollywood favorite

Benedict -- Ben name glamorized by leading man Cumberbatch

Blaise -- A saint’s name with a fiery image

Bodhi -- Surprising spiritual name entering the mainstream

Brooks -- Brooke is fading for girls, but Brooks is white-hot for boys

Cait and Cate -- New ways to spin classic Kate, inspired by Jenner and Blanchett

Cassian -- Roman rarity poised for 21st century discovery

Charlie -- Modern parents increasingly prefer Charlie to Charles, or Charlotte

Charlotte -- A Nameberry favorite turned royal baby name

Clementine -- Edible appellation back in the U.S. Top 1000 list

Cora -- The "Downton Abbey" name most likely to succeed

Cordelia -- Lear’s loyal daughter, and a recent returnee to the U.S. Top 1000

Crosby -- Irish surname name that’s part-crooner, part-NHL

Cy and Si -- Claire Danes picked Cyrus, Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel chose Silas, and Zoe Saldana simply Cy

Declan -- Ryan and Brian’s little brother

Delilah -- Biblical name rehabilitated

Delta -- Southern belle baby name chosen by Dax Shepherd and Kristen Bell

Dinah -- Undiscovered Biblical girls' name

Dorothea -- Distinctive classic rich with great nicknames

Edith -- 2016’s Abigail, and Cate Blanchett’s youngest

Eloise -- Childhood literary heroine ready for the real world

Elsie -- Rising nickname-name chosen by Zooey Deschanel

Emmeline -- Alternative to popular Emma and Emily, and Meryl Streep’s "Suffragette" character

Emmett -- An "Em" name for a boy, boosted by "Twilight" and "The LEGO Movie"

Everest -- Nature name with a hint of danger, featured on the big screen last year

Ezra -- As Biblical as Noah, plus with the zippy ‘z’

Fable -- Modern spin on Mabel just right for a writer’s child

Fay or Faye -- A more inventive and vintage middle than May or Ray

Flannery -- As literary as Harper, but far more distinctive

Flora -- Halfway between Nora and Daisy, yet all the way more unusual

Flynn -- Dashing Flynn, part-"Tangled," part-Finn.

Ford -- The chicest of the car names

Fox -- An animal name as snappy as Max, as modern as Bear

Frances -- A classic that’s thrown off its dowdy image to feel fresh and wearable

Freya -- A Norse goddess name long popular in the U.K., and newly discovered in the U.S.

Grey – Color name possibility for boys, rising thanks to -- or despite -- Fifty Shades

Hank -- Casual Jack-like name chosen by Andy Roddick and Brooklyn Decker

Harold -- Former grandpa name now following Henry into wider use

Harvey -- A name that’s been out for so long in the U.S. that it’s suddenly very in

Hawk -- Fierce nature name worn by Jeremy Renner in "The Avengers"

Hazel -- Once an out-there star-baby choice, now a vintage favorite

Holiday -- Cooler than Holly or Noel, more approachable than Christmas or Easter

Huck -- This year’s Finn or Sawyer

Imogen -- U.K. and Nameberry favorite slowly catching on in the U.S.

Inigo -- Rare saint’s name that deserves wider use

James -- The most enduring of boys’ names, now also a possibility for a daughter

Jane -- Quirky television series "Jane the Virgin" makes classic Jane a cultural-crossing possibility

John -- Top name for CEOs, appropriate for an upwardly-mobile child

Juniper -- Jennifer’s daughter, and an energetic nature name on the rise

Justus -- Ancient Roman name meets modern word name

Leilani -- A Hawaiian name feeling more at home on the mainland

Leonora -- Leonine girls' name that's familiar, yet rare

Linus -- Finally out from under the blanket

Louisa -- Lovely, literary, and back in the Top 1000

Luca -- Handsome, Italian spin on Lucas and Luke

Lucia -- A favorite with parents looking to bridge cultures

Luna -- Spacey Harry Potter name that has stuck

Maeve -- Authentically Irish, without the spelling and pronunciation challenges of some imports

Magnolia -- The hottest new-old floral name

Magnus -- A ancient royal name in Norway and Sweden, Magnus shares a meaning with Max that any little boy would love: the greatest.

Maisie -- Sweetly vintage nickname name

Malala -- Nobel Peace Prize-winner that deserves wider use

Margot or Margo -- Sophisticated o-ending spin on classic Margaret

Marigold -- A golden-hued "Downton Abbey"-inspired option

Marlowe -- Harper, Harlow, and now Marlowe are last names succeeding in first place for girls

Matilda -- Roald Dahl’s girl power heroine for a new generation

Nathaniel -- Biblical favorite that never feels overused

Nova -- New -- literally! -- and celestial

Ocean -- Water-inspired nature names are hot, from River to Ocean

Olive -- Starbaby favorite with ties to the natural world and a peaceful image

Ophelia -- Once-tragic Shakespearean name, now an alternative to Olivia

Orson -- An ends-with-son name that isn’t overused

Paris -- The City of Lights shines on, classic for boys or modern for girls

Poe -- Poetic surname name boosted by new "Star Wars" hero

Poppy -- Flower power pick big in the U.K., finally catching on in the U.S.

Rafferty -- Cool and confident surname name for boys

Robin -- Back on the boys’ side

Romy -- Former one-person name ready for wider use

Royal -- A name that rules, with ties to the World Series champs

Rufus -- Neglected boy name that feels fresh and fashionable

Saint -- A celebrity baby name sure to find wider use

Saoirse -- Irish import boosted by rising actress Saoirse Ronan

Sophia and Sofia -- The name heard ‘round the world

Stellan -- One of the best n-ending names for boys

Susannah -- Classic spin on Susan currently given to fewer than 100 girls

Titan -- Powerful mythological name now in the US Top 1000

Xanthe -- Mythological but modern, with the "x" factor

Zephyr -- Breezy nature name with stylish "r" ending

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