Better, faster, stronger: These words are either part of a Kanye West song or how you want to feel in the new year. Sure, you could look at the whole endeavor pessimistically. Jan. 1 is just another day on the calendar, as much of an opportunity to prime oneself for failure by setting unrealistically high goals as the other 364 days. But there is something undeniably appealing about boarding the bandwagon with the rest of the hopeful resolutioners around the country. (Even if they do take up all the ellipticals each January.) Along with acquiring fatter wallets or slimmer abs, many aim to be brainier, whether it's by committing to a weekly Sudoku practice or sticking one's nose in a book more often than before. 

"How do you find the time to read?" a colleague asked me during a holiday party after I'd mentioned reading over 50 books in 2015. It's true, there are endless distractions tempting us away from our well-intentioned to-be-read lists: friends, jobs, Netflix, phone apps. Living in New York provides even more worthy diversions, but also serves as a dreamscape of sorts for the bibliophile: an excess of cozy bars, libraries, live readings and indie bookstores for every interest somehow leave me with more books in my tote bag than when I'd started my day. But, aside from humble-bragging, I'm here to tell you that you can get better at reading more, TV binges and all. (Commutes on public transit are a big help.)

No judgment, though, if your main goals exclude books. The Cool Kids Book Club -- which, if you have picked up a book ever, you are a part of -- is open to everyone, but truly is for the willing. If reading White Teeth is like pulling teeth (but, um, why would it be), we're not here to shame you.

Let's talk about ways you can be a better reader in 2016, whether your goal is to finish one tome or 100.

Write down what you read.

Part of the reason I made it to 57 books in 2015 was thanks to the handy community-based website Goodreads (which, it must be mentioned, was purchased in 2013 by the somewhat book-unfriendly Amazon). The site allows users to set a reading goal, which updates with every book logged. It will even tell you if you're on track for the year. Gamifying your reading goals and seeing the physical progress made throughout the year provides easy motivation to keep going (and, even better, a simple way to recall exactly what you've read).

Narrow your scope.

Staring down at a mental image of ALL THE BOOKS! is pretty intimidating. Instead of going into the year hoping you'll read "books," why not try focusing on "sci-fi books," "books written by women," or "books by authors of color," just to name a few? (More fun ideas: Books in translation! Famous authors' first books! Non-fiction!) This is a useful idea if you're already a good reader but worry you're in a rut -- for example, after realizing my 2015 book list skewed heavily toward contemporary authors, I'm aiming to read at least 12 books published in 1980 or earlier. 

Make reading social.

If you live near even a mid-sized city with a library or bookstore, chances are there's an author visiting you soon. While visits from huge names even your mom will recognize (David Sedaris, Elizabeth Gilbert, etc.) are few and far between, there are plenty of authors with more modest followings that hold readings for recently released books. Research one who sounds intriguing and make yourself go -- at worst, you got out of the house, and at best, you've found a new book to take home (and an author you can say you saw way back when).

The benefits of an exercise buddy have long been touted for keeping a workout routine -- why not apply the same idea for reading? Even if you and a friend are reading different books or at different paces, it's always exciting to have a pal to encourage you and offer recommendations. If no friends are interested, posting about your reading on Instagram or Twitter will add a sense of accountability, and make you feel more likely to grab your book instead of trying to reach the next Candy Crush level. 

Be realistic. 

If your goal is to read a book a week, don't beat yourself up if you don't reach it with doorstops like Infinite Jest or Les Miserables on your list. This doesn't mean you should necessarily stick to novellas in order to reach your goal. Reading just for the sake of bragging about numbers may cause you to skip major details or pass over a book's nuanced language, not to mention miss out on the many science-backed benefits of reading. Instead, realize that your goal, like age, ain't nothing but a number, and just make sure whatever you're reading is a juicy, engrossing story.

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It's quite a challenging feat to document the everyday happenings of the most important office in the world, but White House Chief Photographer Pete Souza and his team beautifully lived up to that challenge in 2015.

As we head into the final year of President Barack Obama's term, here's a look back at the great images taken by the official White House photographers this year. 

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We have our eyes and we have our cameras. Through both, we see the world. While our eyes have the ability to perceive what's around us, our cameras have a much wider grasp, capturing images from all over the world, making it look from one angle oh-so big, and from another, surprisingly small. 

Every year, the National Geographic Photo Contest honors photographers who, through their work, make their most memorable visions our memorable visions. The competition honors images from around the globe that transport us, move us, and incite us to action.

Well, the winners are out, and boy, do they accomplish all of the above. 

The selected photographs this year are divided into three categories, People, Places, and Nature. Below, feast your eyes on a rare tornado near Simla, Colorado, a group of female Iranian students playing around an abandoned tank on the Iran-Iraq border, and an adorable Orangutan taking shelter in the rain.

Read on for a quick visual tour through this wondrous world of ours.  

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From angry cat ladies to uptight man-haters, there are some very specific, negative images people associate with feminists. But where did these (false) stereotypes come from? Associate Professor at Occidental College Lisa Wade did a little digging to find out. 

In a recent Sociological Images article, Wade pointed out that many of these enduring and damaging stereotypes may have originated from the propaganda used against the British Women's Suffrage movement in the early 1900s. Using postcards, posters and newspaper ads, anti-Suffrage groups created and perpetuated myths that the women fighting for equality were angry, uptight, unfeminine, anti-family and anti-men. 

While the general understanding of feminism and public perception of women who identify as feminists has come a long way, these stereotypes still linger. Today, feminists are often still assumed to be uptight, angry, whiny and man-hating. (Side note: If we're angry it's probably for a good reason. And let's not forget dudes can be feminists, too.) 

Scroll below to see a few anti-Suffrage postcards from the early 20th century and the negative stereotypes they reinforce -- which, unfortunately, feminists are still fighting against today. 

In conclusion: These ideas are still as misguided as they were 100 years ago. And for the record, a feminist can be a person of any gender, sexual identity and ethnicity, so this whole stereotyping thing has got to go. 

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Instagram's latest it-girl isn't a model or young starlet -- it's a 93-year-old Japanese grandma. And we're absolutely in love. Meet Emiko, who is the nonagenarian star of her granddaughter, Chinami Mori's, Instagram page. 

Mori weaves incredible clothes with vivid designs in a rainbow of bright colors for her grandma to model. Her work was featured on the social media site's blog, where she talked about her craft. 

Mori uses a special Japanese weaving technique called "Saori," which allows her to mix up many different colors, resulting in specular patterns. 

But as beautiful as her weavings are, we really think it's Emiko that truly makes them stand out. And her granddaughter agrees. 

“She’s my favorite person in the whole world,” Chinami tells Instagram. “I make grandma happy, and that’s just so much fun for me, too.”

Emiko isn't the only Instagrandma to take social media by storm. Earlier this year we wrote about the fabulous 90-year-old Betty Bailey, who is also an Instagram star known for her eclectic fashion sense. And of course, there's the ultimate Instagram diva, Baddie Winkle, the 86-year-old who has over 1.7 million followers and has even starred in a fashion campaign thanks to her newfound fame. 

Head over to Instagram to see more of Emiko's photos. 

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On Aug. 30, Miley Cyrus finished her hosting duties of the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards by playing a set with Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne and then announcing that her new album -- a collaboration between the two artists -- was immediately available for free online. 

After the middling turn at hosting the annual awards show --arguably a night  most remembered for the moment Nicki Minaj seemed to go off-script during an acceptance speech, going after Cyrus with the meme-able line, "Miley, what's good?" -- early reviews for the record weren't sure what to make of it all.

Publications knew they had to quickly say something about the collaboration due to Miley's high-profile stardom, but how does one quickly formulate critical thoughts about something so out of left field? It was one of the biggest pop stars of the decade going around her label to put out a free passion project with a 54-year-old king of psychedelia.

By the end of the week, critic scores were all over the place. Entertainment Weekly gave it an A-. NME an 8/10. Many settled for a rating of 3/5 stars (or a C score), but other publications went on the offensive, with Pitchfork notably giving the effort a 3/10 and publishing this long takedown sentence:

But on the whole "Dead Petz" is a borderline unlistenable slog through dorm-room poncho bullshit and blissfully ignorant acid koans ("Can’t you see, all the clouds are dying?"), delivered earnestly from an ex-child star seemingly unaware of how fundamentally inseparable her own privilege is from her "do whatever the fuck you want all of the time" ethos, and enabled by a 54-year-old who should know better.

The Huffington Post recently had a long conversation with Coyne about the reissue of "Clouds Taste Metallic," the iconic Flaming Lips album that turned 20 this year, as well as his recent collaboration with Cyrus. Since the release of "Dead Petz," there has been considerable curiosity about how this came about, why this happened, and of course, to what extent Cyrus -- who is not known for creating her own songs -- truly collaborated on the songwriting.

Perhaps the best place to start in unpacking these mysteries is how Coyne described the genesis for the song's standout track, "Karen Don't Be Sad," as he started, "Well, it's a song that I had, I think, really since about 2005 or 2006," the rough era the Flaming Lips released two of their most famous songs, "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song" and "The W.A.N.D."

Coyne and the group had decided the song didn't work too well with him singing, and so they'd been looking for a singer for quite some time. They almost did the song with Kesha -- another pop star friend of Coyne's -- but it eventually got used for the Cyrus album. On the very first day of being at the studio with Miley, she and Coyne recorded a bit of the tune and used Miley's very first take -- a stunning feat -- for the song's opening verse. "First take, blammo! When she hits that very first chorus, it's like, it still sends chills up my back," Coyne said.

When this session was done, both Cyrus and Coyne would show it off to friends. "Almost everybody that heard it was just like, 'Oh, my god, do more stuff like that,'" said Coyne. "I don't know if we got other stuff that was of that level, but ['Karen'] definitely has that emotional quality."

Coyne and Cyrus first started getting to know each other after the pop star started saying that the Flaming Lips were her favorite band. The pair collaborated on a Beatles cover -- "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" -- for the Flaming Lips Beatles tribute, "With a Little Help from My Fwends," out in 2014.

"With someone like Miley Cyrus," Coyne told HuffPost, "we're just in each other's shit every day." Coyne said the two are constantly making music and art together, explaining, "We're friends, but it's because we're in each other's shit that we're deep into being friends because we're working together."

The two are becoming closer collaborators, but in terms of making this specific album, Coyne admitted, "So much was done real fast. She's got a lot going on and we got a lot going on. And there's these moments where you'll do the beginning of the song and then two months later you have another piece of the song, and now you're connecting pieces of songs together."

Coyne added with a laugh, "But, I mean, every day with Miley is insane and memorable ... I mean, there's never a day when you just go, 'Oh, we're just going to go record.' There are always 100 things that happen and then we happen to record on that day."

Coyne seems to be in love with both Cyrus' work and party ethic -- "always going 1000 miles an hour" -- and the alluring possibilities of that ethic could be the basis of their perhaps unlikely pairing. "Working with Miley Cyrus, I mean, you get to run into a lot of people, you get to run into people that you'd never ever get to run into," Coyne explained. "Even hang around Kanye West or something ... but I don't know if I would like to be collaborating on the level that we are with Cyrus with anybody else."

According to Coyne, he's never come across another musician with the relentless abilities of Cyrus to produce. "She is relentless. She can work longer and harder than anyone I've ever run into. I think that's why we're a good team, because if she gets weak I'll be like, 'I can do it,'" and vice versa.

But just because lots and lots and lots happens between the two artists, does that mean any of it is worthwhile art? "Between us, there's not much that's going to get in our way. It doesn't mean the music's going to be good, but we'll just keep trying and trying," said Coyne. "I mean, every day is like that. It's just a complete clusterfuck of everything happening at one time and you can never know exactly."

And how was all this energy fueled? "As far as like, drugs and all that sort of stuff goes, that would be every day. It's always insane," said Coyne. After a moment, he concluded the only day that was more low-key was the day after the pair's "Saturday Night Live" performance on Oct. 3, as Cyrus was a bit ill and the after-party went on to 7 a.m. But he still concluded, "That day was crazy too. We just didn't leave the hotel room."

Near the end of the conversation, Coyne spoke about how Cyrus and he reacted to the all-over-the-place reviews of "Dead Petz." Coyne said that after decades of being in music, negative reviews no longer affect his mood. "But I'm old. I'm 54 or 55 or something," explained Coyne.

The Flaming Lips frontman related past experiences to what he understood to be Cyrus' reaction. "I think with Cyrus, she gets hurt by it and then she gets a lot of good things said about her too, and so she gets very happy, and very hurt," he said. "She's 22 years old [at the time of this interview] so she recovers quickly. It could be the worst thing ever and then five minutes later, it's like, 'Oh, best day ever.'"

But Coyne believes in his new friend and thinks people who give her the chance will eventually come around. "Years from now, they'll probably say, 'I didn't really like her when that record first came out, but now i love her,' and I'll say, 'I know.'" 

"She's an easy target, and she knows that and we all know that. And it's like, so what?" said Coyne. "In time, anybody that wants to throw quick insults, they'll do it, and she'll keep going."

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Mein Kampf, or My Struggle, Adolf Hitler's hate-filled screed that paved the way for the Holocaust, is set to be printed for the first time in Germany since the end of World War II next month.

Is that a good idea? Or a very bad one?

It's certainly controversial. After the Allied nations' victory over the German Nazi party in 1945, Mein Kampf copyright fell to the state of Bavaria, which promptly banned its publication in Germany. But as of Jan. 1, 70 years will have passed since the year of its author's death. Under Bavarian law, that means the 800-page polemic will enter into the public domain, its ban lifted. Seeing the copyright's expiration on the horizon, Germans have been debating the merits of allowing the book to be published within its borders for years.

In 2012, the state approved funding to support a Mein Kampf edition with academic annotation for publication in 2016 to place the work in a clearer historical and moral context. Following complaints, that decision was reversed the next year. In 2014, the state reversed its decision once again, announcing its support for an academic edition, without financial backing. At the time, Bavarian Minister of Culture Ludwig Spaenle stated that the project -- which had also secured support from The Central Council of Jews in Germany -- promoted "freedom of science." 

Technically, as of Jan. 1, anyone can publish Mein Kampf in Germany. But the annotated edition, published by Germany's Institute of Contemporary History of Munich (IFZ), is aimed at countering any far-right neo-Nazi prints that may crop up. At a whopping 2,000 pages, the IFZ edition contains thousands of annotations broken up into two volumes. It'll be sold for about $65. 

If you ask IFZ director Andreas Wirsching, the annotated diatribe isn't just helpful research material -- it's a public necessity. In an interview with Deutsche Welle, Wirsching said that allowing the work to slip into publication without commentary would be "irresponsible." By publishing Mein Kampf, his organization aims "to cut off Hitler's demagogic discourse, fully exposing his half-truths, his provocative remarks and his downright lies."

"Any Hitler sympathizers who might be interested in the book are better off looking elsewhere," Wirsching said. Hitler's partly autobiographical work, written in a Bavarian jail in 1923, was released in 1925 and earned the Führer millions despite poor critical reception. (It's been described as "repetitive" and "pedantic.")

For Germans, however, the book still remains a symbol of a destructive past, and its publication divisive. In the 21st century, is Mein Kampf a cautionary tale against extremism? Or a dangerous source of racist ideology?

As recently as this fall, a YouGov poll showed that opinion was almost perfectly split: 51 percent of Germans did not think it should be printed in their country. Some librarians consider it too dangerous for public consumption.

Jewish community leaders also differ in opinion. Josef Schuster, President of The Central Council of Jews in Germany, voiced support for the annotated edition in a statement after former president Charlotte Knobloch spoke to Agence France-Presse against it.

"It is a Pandora's box. One does not know what's going on within the reader's mind," Knobloch said, adding, "Of course it is in the interest of right wing militants and Islamists to spread these ideas."

Josef Kraus, president of the German Teachers' Association, acknowledged Knobloch's remarks in an interview with Deutsche Welle, but they did not alter his belief that Mein Kampf should not only be printed but taught in schools -- albeit with caution.

"What's much more dangerous is remaining silent or completely banning the book," Kraus said. He hopes including select passages from Hitler's work in history classes might help "immunize" young people against extremism.

Of course, the manifesto has long been easy to get ahold of, even in Germany. A quick Google search yields a number of sites hosting it. Hitler's rambling work is allowed to be printed and sold in all but a few countries, such as Austria and the Netherlands -- where, consequently, copyright expiration in Germany will not automatically dissolve bans.

Where it is available, it consistently sells itself. A 2003 estimate by Cabinet magazine put the number of English-language copies sold annually at around 20,000. Suggesting a pervasive curiosity in the book, cheap paperback editions have shot to the top of bestseller lists in Turkey and India in the past decade, and sales of ebook editions (which defy judgment from nosy neighbors) reached record highs in 2014.

Yet the question of who or what should profit off the hateful title has long been a sticky one. In the U.S., where Houghton Mifflin has printed the book since 1979, public criticism arose after news of the publisher's six-figure earnings came to light in 2000. Houghton Mifflin announced it would donate all accrued profits to an unnamed charity. In the U.K., Random House also donated royalties from Mein Kampf from the mid-70s until 2001, when the charity it partnered with was publicly revealed. The charity soon returned the donations. As the sun sets on Bavaria's copyright Dec. 31, that's an issue that publishers in Germany wishing to print the book will have to consider as well.

Through 2016 and beyond, how Germans choose to regard Mein Kampf -- educational resource or poisonous execration -- will help shape national identity in a country still wiggling out from the shadow of its former dictator.

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2015 was a year not unlike many others when it comes to race in America.

In a lot of ways, it felt as though the worlds of white and black America couldn't be further apart. Racial injustices, insults and aggressions from white people were as routine as the many times black folks banded together to speak out against them.

In the video above, the HuffPost Black Voices team is completely transparent about the things we want to set straight when it comes to race. While we certainly can't list everything, we are honest about a few of the things we think, feel and want white America to know for 2016 -- and every year following. 

Watch and absorb, folks. 

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Call it panda-monium.

On Dec. 16, Hungarian artist Gergely Dudás (also known as Dudolf) posted an illustrated puzzle to his Facebook page asking his followers to “find the panda” amongst a flurry of snowmen. That post went viral.

Some people found the puzzle easy, others found it difficult, but Tracy Lynn Heightchew of Louisville, Kentucky, found it familiar. In fact, it reminded her of a picture that hangs over her kitchen sink.

She decided to post her real life version of “find the panda” on Facebook.

“I knew that everyone would enjoy this too.”

So, can you find the panda in the picture above? Don’t worry, the panda is there, we’re not trying to bamboo-zle you.

“It's a photo I bought at a thrift store,” Heightchew told The Huffington Post of the August 1978 picture that was originally snapped at a Junior Achievers National Conference in in Bloomington, Indiana. It includes a bunch of kids wearing silly glasses and clothes. Many of whom are holding different stuffed animals.

Heightchew stared at the photo for years until one of those stuffed animals finally popped out at her -- a panda.

“I love pandas, so the day that the panda jumped out at me, years after I bought the pic was a sweet day for me,” she said.

[SPOILER note: Still can’t find the panda? Here is the answer]

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While Cinderella would have been able to stand in those sparkling glass slippers, she would have almost certainly ended up with a sliced foot the moment she tried to run away from Prince Charming.

That's according to physics students at the University of Leicester in England, who published a study in October, "Cinderella's Shattered Dreams," attempting to figure out how, exactly, the princess could have rocked glass shoes at the ball and still complied with the laws of matter and energy.

The students concluded that "in order for Cinderella to run away from the prince at midnight she would have to have a glass shoe with a heel of less than 1.15 [centimeters in height]" -- much smaller than the size often depicted in adaptations of the fairy tale.

The Cinderella study is among a number of papers recently published in the university's Journal of Physics Special Topics, in which students put science up against fiction and fantasy.

"There’s only one real world," UL physics Professor Mervyn Roy, who oversees the course, told National Geographic last week. "Students can run out of relatively simple problems because other groups have done them in the past. But once you start to look at fiction, there’s a huge realm of things to explore."

Below, you'll find eight more scientific studies that will have you rethinking your favorite characters and stories.

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2015 was nothing short of inspiring, shocking, devastating -- and everything in between. This year, contributors to The Huffington Post published thousands of blogs, offering their perspectives on topics ranging from LGBT rights to gun violence to body image.

In no particular order, here are some of our most talked-about blogs from 2015. We can't wait to see what our ever-expanding roster of bloggers have in store for 2016. 

11 Habits Of People With Concealed Depression

Lexi Herrick 

"Love when it's difficult. Cry when you need to. Reach out when someone closes the door. Open your heart, even if it feels terrifying to do so."

The Likely Cause Of Addiction Has Been Discovered, And It's Not What You Think

Johann Hari

"The opposite of addiction is not sobriety. It is human connection."

I, Racist 

John Metta

"White people are in a position of power in this country because of racism. The question is: Are they brave enough to use that power to speak against the system that gave it to them?"

States Of Fear 

Anthony D. Romero

"Our country is stronger because of the energy and talent that millions of refugees have contributed to it. The suggestion that we should deny sanctuary to those who are fleeing persecution loses sight of this. ... We don't have to give in to hate and fear."

Message To My Freshman Students 

Keith M. Parsons

"At university, learning is your job -- and yours alone. My job is to lead you to the fountain of knowledge. Whether you drink deeply or only gargle is entirely up to you."

A Year After The Failure To Indict, My Father's Killer Is Still On NYPD's Payroll

Erica Garner

"One year after the failure to indict Daniel Pantaleo for killing my father, all we want is justice. I urge us all to consider what we are fighting for. Is it reform or revolution?"

Today, We Fight Back

Cecile Richards

"We know exactly what Planned Parenthood does for millions of people in this country ... and we will not stand for this relentless assault on reproductive health care."

Your Mental Health Is More Important Than Your Grades

Kristen Lee Costa 

"Know that education is a privilege. Education can transform you and allow you to become better equipped for change agency ... Keeping this perspective is vital."

I Underwent Cosmetic Surgery For My Body Dysmorphia... And I Wish I Hadn't

Reid Ewing

"Before seeking to change your face, you should question whether it is your mind that needs fixing."

A Hard Day's Work Deserves A Fair Day's Pay

Barack Obama

"America is at its best when we look out for one another."

What Not To Wear After Age 50: The Final Say 

Michelle Combs

"One of the best things about getting older is realizing that we don't have to spend our energy worrying what other people think and we get to be comfortable in our own skin with our own freak flags."

What I Learned From 4 Years Working At McDonald's

Kate Norquay 

"If you think you are better than those [McDonald's employees], because you work in retail or organize files as a receptionist, you are wrong."

What They Should Have Told Me Before I Rescued My Pit Bull

Ashley Gulla

"Nobody tells you your heart will change. But it does. They should have told me I was going to learn how to love better. That loving this pit bull was going to change my whole life."

I Had No Alcohol And No Caffeine For 15 Months, And This Is What Happened

Tobias van Schneider

"Removing coffee/caffeine from my diet not only made me more relaxed, I also poop like a king."

10 Things The Adult Child Of An Addict Wants You To Know

Joni Edelman

"Being the child of an addict is complicated, and we can't always verbalize how so. Even if we've had enough therapy to buy our psychiatrist a boat, we still may not even know we are dysfunctional."

Facts Are Your Friends: Vaccinate Your Children

Kristen Bell

"As to the benefits of vaccinations, it has been proven; they work. That's enough for me to climb up on a soap box, make some ugly cardboard sign in my garage, and let other mothers know that it's safe, important and bigger than emotion: It's the truth." 

Dear America: Here's Your Gun Solution

Sara Benincasa 

"When you have a greater ability to take a human life, you have a greater responsibility to prove your fitness to wield the tools that may create that end."

Something Extraordinary Is Happening In The World, And Most People Haven't Noticed

Gustavo Tanaka

"Silently, people are being woken up and are realizing how crazy it is to live in this society." 

The New Normal: Navigating Life After Harris' Death

Stephanie Wittels Wachs

"There is no end to grief. There's only navigating the way to a new normal."

Thank You, Donald Trump!

America Ferrera

"No, Mr. Trump, you may not reduce us to drug dealers and rapists. We are moms and dads, sons and daughters ... we are the future of America."

How Living With And Loving Bruce Jenner Changed My Life Forever

Linda Thompson

"Our uniqueness, our individuality, and our life experience molds us into fascinating beings. ... We are all in this life together."

Every LGBTQ+ Person Should Read This

Sarah Prager

"Chances are you don't even know that you are holy or royal or magic, but you are. You are part of an adoptive family going back through every generation of human existence."

I Know What Causes Autism

Carrie Cariello

"I am not a scientist. I am not smart enough for that. But I am a mother. ... Together, we will fill in autism's canvas until a clearer picture comes forward."

This Billionaire Governor Taxed The Rich And Increased The Minimum Wage. Now, His State's Economy Is One Of The Best In The Country.

C. Robert Gibson

"It's official: Trickle-down economics is bunk. Minnesota has proven it once and for all. If you believe otherwise, you are wrong."

They Should've Warned Me

Jenny Studenroth Gerson

"Crying because you're happy is actually a thing, and it's a thing you can't control when you're a mommy and you behold the beauty in your arms."

Yes, Homosexuality Absolutely Is A Choice

John Pavlovitz 

"Yes, LGBT people are absolutely making a choice. They are choosing to be the most honest, authentic versions of themselves."

We Lost Our Daughter To A Mass Shooter And Now Owe $203,000 To His Ammo Dealer

Lonnie and Sandy Phillips

"It is unfathomable to me that the billion-dollar gun lobby can intimidate our Congress and some state legislatures into passing laws that give the gun industry immunity against irresponsible acts that enable them to arm, and profit from, domestic terrorists and other killers."   

12 Lessons Learned In 12 Years Of Marriage

Justin Ricklefs

"Marriage is hard and messy, but also beautiful and redeeming. In the end, love wins. It conquers all." 

The Thing All Women Do That You Don't Know About

Gretchen Kelly

"It's the reality of being a woman in our world. It's laughing off sexism because we felt we had no other option." 

10 Struggles Of Having Big Thighs

Samantha Matt

"No matter your size, you should embrace your body and flaunt when you got. After all, thick thighs are strong thighs, and strong IS the new skinny."

We Are All Muslim

Michael Moore

"We are all children of God (or nature or whatever you believe in) ... We are all Muslim. Deal with it."

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If you think of the city of the future as being filled with impossibly tall skyscrapers, think again. Instead, we could one day become people of the sea who live in "oceanscrapers."

That's according to Paris-based architect Vincent Callebaut, who released a series of futuristic and delightful drawings last week showing what sustainable, floating cities of "oceanscrapers" off the coast of Rio de Janeiro could possibly look like.

He imagined that the 3D-printed villages would use water turbines on the ocean floor to capture energy, bioreactors to recycle organic waste, and biofuel production to neutralize ocean acidification, Discovery News reported.

"The people of the seas' objective? To explore the abyssal zones in a respectful way, in order to speed innovation and to democratize new renewable energies -- by definition inexhaustible -- massively," Callebaut said in a statement.

As of now, there are no plans to actually engineer these structures, but regardless, they're a fascinating idea about the faraway future. 

Scroll down to see the imaginary yet innovative "oceanscrapers."

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Singer-songwriter James Blunt isn't fazed by fans and critics who mistake him for gay. In fact, the five-time Grammy nominee considers it a great honor. 

"I sing songs that aren’t very macho, and so people will say, ‘Oh you’re effeminate,’ or ‘gay,’ as if calling me gay were an insult," Blunt, 41, told the BBC. "But to call me gay is a compliment."

He went on to joke that he'd like to be considered "an honorary gay man," primarily because "I’m totally at ease with myself." 

Interestingly, the "You're Beautiful" singer sees much of his sensitive side as stemming from his earlier days in the British military, and as an armored reconnaissance officer in the NATO deployment in Kosovo.

"My job was going out there ahead of my commanders -- to go and find the enemy and locate the enemy," he said. "To do so, I had to be incredibly sensitive to the surroundings.”

Being less of a "macho" performer, he added, has its fringe benefits, too. 

"If I’d been macho, I’d just have had an audience full of men," Blunt, who is expecting his first child with wife Sofia Wellesley, said. "By singing the songs I have, I have an audience full of women, and I'm happier that way around." 

Although he may be straight, Blunt, who released his last album, "Moon Landing," in 2013, may have found a bromantic soul mate of sorts in fellow singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. In November, Sheeran joked that he and Blunt had gotten "engaged" after the pals strolled the red carpet at Australia’s Aria Awards hand-in-hand. 

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Whether you’ve promised yourself that 2016 will be the year you’ll read more books, the year you’ll read books more thoughtfully or the year you’ll read fewer curmudgeonly comments sections, we have a few new releases worth considering.

We’re looking forward to bold familial debuts, whimsical fable-like stories and sprawling sagas by the usual suspects (we’re looking at you, Don DeLillo). Our list has you covered through May -- here’s hoping you’re resolute with your reading resolutions until then!

JANUARY

The Past by Tessa Hadley

Jan. 5

Hadley’s popular reputation, especially in the U.S., hasn’t caught up with her critical one. But this novel, which uses her much-praised perceptiveness and her fine-brushed prose to tell a story of familial secrets and tensions, may help her break through. -CF

Your Heart Is a Muscle the Size of a Fist by Sunil Yapa

Jan. 12

Yapa’s debut is a searing, stylishly written novel voiced through seven characters navigating the treacherous territory of the 1999 Seattle WTO protests as they devolve into violence. -CF

This Census-Taker by China Mieville

Jan. 12

Mieville is the type of sci-fi writer who’s skilled at creating new worlds without bogging down his plots with heavy-handed exposition, so his short, inventive book about isolation and identity is sure to entertain. -MC

The Portable Veblen by Elizabeth McKenzie

Jan. 19

When Paul, a charming neurologist, proposes to Veblen, her answer is a hesitant “yes.” Things don’t exactly improve from there, as the betrothed couple's lives are complicated by wars, class-oriented and otherwise. -MC

 FEBRUARY

The Book of Memory by Petina Gappah

Feb. 2

Full of Nabokovian allusions and unreliable narration, Gappah’s novel is told through the voice of Memory, an albino Nigerian woman who has been imprisoned for the murder of her adoptive father -- a charge of which she claims she’s innocent. -CF

The High Mountains of Portugal by Yann Martel

Feb. 2

The Booker Prize-winning author of Life of Pi is back with a novel that spans 100 years of Portuguese history, beginning with a man hunting for a mysterious artifact. -MC

And After Many Days by Jowhor Ile

Feb. 2

An ambitious debut, And After Many Days tells the story of a young man who disappears in the midst of political upheaval in Nigeria, and the complex interplay of the past and present, the personal and the political. It’s a book about how we tell stories and how we uncover the truth -- oh, and it’s a suspenseful mystery. -CF

The Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee

Feb. 2

If you pay attention to literary Twitter, you’re familiar with Chee, the quintessential author/good book-world citizen. Now he has a new novel coming out for the first time in over a decade, an intriguing tale of operatic blackmail and suspense. -CF

Sudden Death by Alvaro Enrigue

Feb. 9

This is a book about the outlaw-painter Caravaggio, and also about tennis, although Enrigue confesses in its introduction that he has never watched a tennis match. The seemingly disparate topics collide in this very funny satire. -MC

The Lives of Elves by Muriel Barbery

Feb. 9

Nearly a decade ago, Muriel Barbery enchanted readers the world over with her novel The Elegance of the Hedgehog -- and she’s back with a still-more twee tale of two children brought together by their almost supernatural connections to music and the natural world. -CF

The Lost Time Accidents by John Wray

Feb. 9

Waldy Tolliver, a sort of modern-day Billy Pilgrim, gets unstuck in time, tasked with a daunting expedition to uncover the mysteries of his ancestors. His father is a sci-fi writer, his great-grandfather a physicist -- and their stories are threaded together by the wild flow of time. -MC

Shylock Is My Name by Howard Jacobson

Feb. 9

The second in a new Hogarth series of Shakespearian retellings from master novelists (the first was Jeanette Winterson’s The Gap of Time), Jacobson’s modern spin on The Merchant of Venice throws Nazi footballers into the mix for a poignant meditation on the enduring power of anti-Semitism. -CF

Free Men by Katy Simpson Smith

Feb. 16

In her debut novel, historian and writer Smith brought the sins and struggles of a post-revolutionary Carolina family vividly to life. Free Men promises to do the same for a harrowing tale of three men on the run from the law, and, in at least one case, the shackles of enslavement, in the late 18th-century South. -CF

The Girl in the Red Coat by Kate Hamer

Feb. 16

Narrated by a missing girl and her distraught mother, Hamer’s book is a moving, voice-driven narrative. As much an examination of loss and anxiety as it is a gripping page-turner, it’ll appeal to anyone captivated by child narrators or analyses of the pains and joys of motherhood. -MC

MARCH

Blackass by A. Igoni Barrett

March 1

In a sharp twist on Kafka’s Metamorphosis, Barrett’s novel opens with the protagonist waking up one morning in Lagos to realize he’s been transformed -- into a white man. A searing, provocative satire ensues. -CF

Innocents and Others by Dana Spiotta

March 8

Female friendship is finally considered worthy of literary analysis, a movement for which we have Elena Ferrante and Alexandra Kleeman, among so many other bold female writers, to thank. Spiotta’s latest is the story of two female filmmakers who, in spite of being close friends, just don’t see eye-to-eye when it comes to their artistic medium of choice. -MC

Half a Lifelong Romance by Eileen Chang

March 8

The celebrated author of Love in a Fallen City wrote this novel about Shanghai in the '30s, now being translated into English for the first time, nearly 50 years ago. Star-crossed lovers are ripped apart by fate, holding out hope that they haven’t separated for good. -MC

What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours by Helen Oyeyemi

March 8

The author best known for gracing her contemporary stories with a fairy tale-like air has a brand-new short story collection, promising to fill readers’ hearts with wistful whimsy. Each story centers on the idea of keys, real and imagined. -MC

Hold Still by Lynn Steger Strong

March 21

This literary suspense novel, which is being touted as the Everything I Never Told You (Celeste Ng) of 2016, melds psychological insight, precise plotting and limpid prose. -CF

The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney

March 22

One of the most-anticipated debuts of 2016 -- possibly thanks to a shining endorsement from one Amy Poehler -- The Nest follows a squad of siblings dealing with the potential loss of their inheritance. Each imagined exactly how the money would change their lives, and confronting the adjustment comes with more than a few dredged up old arguments. -MC

The Association of Small Bombs by Karan Mahajan

March 22

Protagonist Mansoor narrowly dodges death after surviving a tragic bombing in Delhi. His friends, two brothers, aren’t so lucky, and leave their parents’ lives in shambles. Mahajan’s second novel tells their story, peppered with scenes from the life of a bomb maker, to craft a meditation on the scope of even “small” acts of terrorism. -MC 

APRIL

Everything I Found on the Beach by Cynan Jones

April 5

Everything I Found on the Beach is coming to our shores in April, although it was written before Welsh novelist Jones’ 2015 U.S. publication, The Dig. A slim, chilling novel, it follows three desperate men hoping to better their lot, at a cost that may be far greater than they reckoned with. -CF

The Bed Moved by Rebecca Schiff

April 12

Schiff’s stories are plumb with youthful tragedies, both timeless and pegged to the Internet era. If you’ve ever been on an online date or to a geeky summer camp, there’s something here for you to love. -MC

Lazaretto by Diane McKinney-Whetstone

April 12

McKinney-Whetstone has won awards for her evocative historical fiction in the past. In Lazaretto, at the quarantine hospital for immigrants to Philadelphia, the black live-in staff have found comfort and family with each other shortly after Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, but their fates remain vulnerable in the turbulent times. -CF

Hystopia by David Means

April 19

Means is one of those “writers’ writers” you always hear about, and in this novel he sets his tightly crafted sentences to work imagining what America might be like if President John F. Kennedy survived his assassination and the Vietnam War never really ended -- a wrenchingly brilliant alternative history. -CF

MAY

The Veins of the Ocean by Patricia Engel

May 3

Engel continues to capture the immigrant experience with the story of Reina Castillo, whose parents’ marriage was rocked by infidelity and whose brother is a death-row convict. Her life converges with a Cuban exile, in a story of companionship Roxane Gay calls “exquisite.” -MC 

Zero K by Don DeLillo

May 10

Few literary announcements are as joyous as news of a new DeLillo novel, full as his writings are of wry wisdom. Zero K will be about eternal life, a DeLilloian subject if ever we heard one. A billionaire tries to cure his ailing wife by preserving her body until researchers figure out the whole living forever thing. -MC

LaRose by Louise Erdrich

May 10

Erdrich won the National Book Award for her tumultuous novel The Round House, about a crime committed on a reservation. Another crime, which ripples out to influence each character, sits at the center of her latest book: A hunter targeting deer mistakenly shoots his 5-year-old neighbor, spurring deep grief for everyone involved. -MC

The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes

May 10

The latest from Booker-winning author Barnes is a historical novel about a composer whose work has been denounced by Joseph Stalin. Rather than facing exile, he’s turned into a Soviet puppet in what is sure to be an emotionally wrought read. -MC

Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler

May 24

Danler’s own experience waitressing at hot Manhattan joints informs her much-anticipated debut. The heroine of Sweetbitter, a 22-year-old New York City transplant who’s over her head and searching for belonging, finds work as a waitress, and is quickly swept into the language and rhythms of restaurant life. -CF

Some Possible Solutions by Helen Phillips

May 31

After publishing an odd, inventive little novel in 2015 (The Beautiful Bureaucrat), Phillips is coming out with a collection of similarly odd, inventive short stories featuring premises like people’s skin suddenly becoming transparent. -CF

Modern Lovers by Emma Straub

May 31

It’s summer reads season, and that means brand-new Straub -- this time, she sets her observational wit on three middle-aged friends (former college bandmates) who find themselves in a crisis of identity as their now-grown children head off to college themselves. -CF

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In the opening scene of Falling Down, a man Bill Foster (played by Michael Douglas), is stuck in gridlocked traffic on the hottest day of the year when he decides to abandon his car on the freeway when it breaks down. After one frustrating encounter after another, he goes on an citywide rampage, targeting everyone from convenience store clerks to freeway construction workers.

The scene epitomizes the frustrating experience that is driving in Los Angeles. The city of angels, famous for its glitz and glamour, is just as notorious for its nightmarish commutes, absurd car culture, and heinous traffic.

The Billboard Creative wants to change that experience for the better, while bringing attention to emerging artists’ work. Funded by submission fees, the Los Angeles-based nonprofit takes unused and remnant billboards and turns them into public art, displayed in a quintessential Los Angeles medium.

While Mona Kuhn was curating the current billboard show, she chose most of the works through a blind selection process without knowing the artist’s identity or background. She chose the works based on how they would integrate into the locations of the billboards and amidst two common types of traffic -- either flowing or gridlocked.

“If people are passing by quickly, the graphics have to be quick, strong messages,” said Kuhn. “If the audience is stopped, I wanted the work to be more poetic and sublime -- able to transport them away from the traffic jam and the boredom of their daily commute.”

Over the course of the show’s month-long run, thousands of commuters will see these billboards -- a boon for emerging artists trying to show their work. The inclusion of work by an established artist such as Ed Ruscha also helps bring more attention to these young, talented voices, said Kuhn.

One fresh talent is Shannon Rose, a senior at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, who was the only student chosen to be part of the show this year. Her joy over being selected is palpable.

“My billboard is up on a street that I used to walk down as a teenager with my first 35mm camera, so seeing one of my photographs large-scale, in a place so public and yet so close to home and where I started is incredibly surreal and exciting!” said Rose in an email to The Huffington Post.

Another emerging artist featured in the show is Spanish-born Laura Niubo, who has a full-time job as an art director at an advertising agency. The selection of her work by Kuhn, who is a successful visual artist herself, holds potent meaning for Niubo at a defining moment in her artistic career.

“2016 represents for me the year I want to finally change my routine and work situation and invest more time on my art,” said Niubo in an email to The Huffington Post. “Being selected -- it’s the kind of sign sometimes we need to keep pushing our dream forward.”

One of the artists with a more established career is Panos Tsagaris, who has been making a living from his art for more than five years. Even though he’s been exhibiting his work internationally for even longer, Tsagaris recognizes the unique opportunity that the show offers.

“What's so special about The Billboard Creative project is the fact that it turns the city of Los Angeles into a gallery,” said Tsagaris in an email. “Besides the amazing exposure that it gives to all the artists work, it also offers a break from all the visual noise created by the endless advertising.”

According to Adam Santelli, the founder of The Billboard Creative, the project is as much about benefiting the community as it is about supporting the artists. In conceiving the show, he said he thinks about the busy life of the two-income family, raising a kid and possibly commuting an hour to two hours a day.

“Even though people are stuck in their cars, they can have a little bit of exposure to culture and art in a simple, non-aggressive way,” said Santelli. “If we can show them a little bit of what’s out there in the art world, maybe it will draw them in into a gallery or museum or get them interested in art. Because Los Angeles and America needs to be more invested in the art community.”

Kuhn reflected a similar sentiment, “In the turbulent times we’re living, we need more artists, more curators, more writers, illuminating our culture and creating more inspiring projects out there.”

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So long, farewell, 2015. You had your ups and downs, but one thing is for certain: You provided us hungry art book fanatics with some great and beautiful reads. Behold, the 32 most compelling combinations of text and image published this year. We are forever grateful. 

1. The Art of Typewriting

Who would like this? Anyone who worships at the altar of E. Remington or just loves the power behind a vintage typewriter.

2. Piet Mondrian: The Studios

Who would like this? Lovers of Mondrian's paintings and the interiors of art studios. Or just anyone who can properly pronounce "De Stijl."

3. Agnes Martin

Who would like this? Anyone who cannot wait for Martin's upcoming exhibition at the Guggenheim, or enjoys looking at silence.  

4. Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo in Detroit

Who would like this: Anyone who worships at the mighty altar of Frida Kahlo. 

5. Artists Living With Art

 Who would like this: Everyone with a soft spot for interior design or who loves imagining which museum masterpieces would look best in their bedrooms. 

6. Basquiat: The Unknown Notebooks

Who would like this: Anyone with a soft spot for Basquiat, and who enjoys asking the question, "Is this art, though?"

7. The Passion According to Carol Rama

Who would like it: Any radical feminist who appreciates body parts and potty humor. 

8. Lives of The Great Photographers

Who would like this: Anyone who's as interested in who's behind the camera as what's in front of it. 

9. Cabin Porn

Who would like this: Anyone who likes their mother nature with a heavy helping of luxury. 

10. Lee Miller: A Woman's War

Who would like this: Anyone who knows a muse is always more than just a muse.

11. Djerbahood

Who would like this: Anyone who longs to see the many painted walls around the world.

12. About Women

Who would like this: A creative woman who can't live without her tribe.  

13. Lost: Lost and Found Pet Posters from Around the World

Who would like this: Anyone obsessed with the small instances of art that are often not recognized as such.

14. Not My Blotting Tissues

 Who would like this: Anyone who stares a little too long at their tissue after a good sneeze. 

15. Mumbling Beauty

Who would like this: Anyone with a complex relationship to their anatomy and their mother. 

16. There Is No Right Way To Meditate

 Who would like this: Anyone who is both intrigued and intimidated by the idea of meditation. And who loves doodles. 

17. Cats Galore

 Who would like this: Any art history buff who's more than a little kitty crazy. 

18. Women Artists

 Who would like this: Anyone who likes their history served feminist. 

19. More Than Words

Who would like this: Anyone who spends way too long writing handwritten letters. 

20. Raw Erotica

Who would like this: Everyone who likes their sex like they like their art: a little on the strange side. 

21. We Go to the Gallery

 Who would like this: Any art lover with a little class and lot of sass.

22. The World of Charles and Ray Eames

Who would like this: Anyone with an eye for design and a taste for romance. 

23. Listening to Stone: The Art and Life of Isamu Noguchi

Who would like this: Anyone who sees space as sculpture, and sculpture as space.

24. Covert to Overt

Who would like this: Everyone whose love of skateboards only compares to their love of stickers.  

25. The Rap Yearbook

Who would like this: Anyone with an encyclopedic rap knowledge and a knack for deconstructing Biggie.  

26. Patternity

Who would like this: Anyone who zones out staring at ceilings, floors -- anything with tiles. 

27. Body of Art

Who would like this: Anyone with a body ... Yes, that's you. 

28. 100 Years Of Color

Who would like this: Anyone who dreams of becoming a Pantone color master.  

29. What Else Is in the Teaches of Peaches

Who would like this: Anyone who likes to rock out with their lady parts out. 

30. Alice Neel: Drawings and Watercolors 1927-1978

Who would like this: Anyone intrigued by domestic spaces, intimate relationships, faces, people, mysteries. 

31. Art Nouveau: 50 Works of Art You Should Know

Who would like this: Anyone who believes their true calling in life is being a dancer at the Moulin Rouge.

32. African Textiles

Who would like this: Any textile nerd who wants to travel without leaving the couch.

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The Huffington Post launched its Love+Sex podcast in January 2015 and over the last 12 months co-hosts Carina Kolodny and Noah Michelson, as well as producer Katelyn Bogucki, have explored everything from sex in outer space to what it's like to visit a BDSM dungeon.

To celebrate a year of podcasts, Kolodny and Michelson headed into the studio to last week to chat about their favorite episodes and what their own personal sex and relationship resolutions are for 2016:

Below, you can check out a few of the most talked-about episodes from 2015 and be sure to visit iTunes or Stitcher or your favorite podcast app to stay updated on all of the latest Love+Sex podcasts in 2016.

The Power Of The Clit

Here's What It's Like To Be A Straight Man Who Has Sex With Other Men

Can A Magic Spell Really Help Your Love Life?

Everything You Want To Know About Anal Sex (But Are Too Afraid To Ask)

This Is What Living With An Adult Diaper Fetish Is Like

The HuffPost Love+Sex podcast is produced by Katelyn Bogucki and edited by Nick Offenberg. Production assistance and design is provided by Lauren Bell.

Like Love + Sex? Subscribe, rate and review our podcast on iTunes.

Have an idea for an episode? Find us on Twitter at @HuffPostPodcast or email us at loveandsexpodcast@huffingtonpost.com.

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Graphic tees may be fun and occasionally charming, but for retailers, they can lead down a pitfall-strewn path. This week, bargain retailer Old Navy faced social media backlash for stocking T-shirts for toddlers -- reportedly marketed toward little girls -- bearing the mottos "Young Aspiring Artist Astronaut" and "Young Aspiring Artist President." 

On Twitter and Facebook, many customers and commentators expressed disappointment with the tees' message, which seems to imply that young kids shouldn't dream of becoming artists.

One parent, Kelly McKernan, noted that she herself is an artist: "As a mother and a career artist, I'm astounded that a company as large and influential as you are could approve of a design that encourages toddlers to stifle their creativity," she wrote on Facebook. "I'm horrified at the thought of putting a shirt like this on my own 20 month old daughter." 

Typically, more irreverent chains such as Urban Outfitters or Abercrombie & Fitch have drawn public rage for casually racist, sexist or generally insensitive tees marketed toward teens and young adults.

As Mic's Theresa Avila pointed out, Old Navy seems to have been making a ham-handed attempt at female empowerment, creating shirts for little girls that suggest they could succeed in traditionally male-dominated professions by taking a jab at artists.

A glance through the retailer's graphic tees for toddlers suggests the company might have been thoughtlessly overcompensating. While Old Navy's boys' T-shirts generally sport slogans about adventure and smarts, the girls' selection mostly features gauzy clichés about family and free-spiritedness, and quasi-romantic sayings about love. A few of the boys' shirts: "Smart and Awesome Brother," "My Future Is Looking Bright," and "Today Is For Exploring." A few of the girls' shirts: "I Can't Even," "When I Dream of Happiness I Dream of You," and "Home Is Where the Heart Is." (Again, these are for toddlers.)

Old Navy has pulled the "Young Aspiring" tees from its site and announced that it is taking steps to remove them from stores after a wave of media coverage and social media outrage. In a statement to BuzzFeed, company spokeswoman Debbie Felix explained: "Our toddler tees come in a variety of designs including tees that feature ballerinas, unicorns, trucks and dinosaurs and include phrases like, 'Free Spirit.' They are meant to appeal to a wide range of aspirations."

Still, it's something of a mystery why Old Navy decided to pick on artists in this particular design. While becoming a working artist may be difficult, it's certainly not impossible -- by the numbers, aiming to become an astronaut or president is far more impractical. According to NASA's website, there are currently fewer than 50 working American astronauts, in addition to around 30 astronauts no longer eligible for flight duty. (For president, this should go without saying -- we can only have one every four years in the entire country.)

Meanwhile, graphic designers, illustrators, art teachers, cartoonists, animators, photographers and tattooists are all working visual artists, and that's just skimming the surface. The people who design Old Navy's shirts and act in their commercials power the company's business -- and they're artists! The numbers bear this out: In a survey spanning 2006-2010, the National Endowment for the Arts counted roughly 2 million working artists across the nation.

What's more, Old Navy targeted a demographic that's more than capable of fighting back. Clever redesigns of the shirt have already popped up on social media, like this forthright rebuke:

Other parodies have already popped up for sale, like this design on the Etsy shop Uncomfortable Yeti:

Perfect.

Uncomfortable Yeti's redesign might be the only one worth putting on a toddler: Whether you'd like your little girl to grow up to be an artist, an astronaut or a homemaker, the most important thing is to remember is that it's her life. Graphic tees that put our kids into tiny boxes before they have any idea what they really want are the problem, not the solution.

But remember, if your daughter grows up to be an artist, don't weep. Though artists are an easy punchline in a STEM-obsessed era, Old Navy's own reliance on creative professionals proves the arts are nothing to sneeze at, or cross out.  

H/T Jezebel 

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This New Year's weekend is a blissful time to visit movies you didn't catch in 2015. You can do that in theaters, where many of the year's best releases are still playing, or you can curl up on your very own couch. Whether you're hibernating before returning to work, avoiding lingering relatives or planning your first Netflix-and-chill session of 2016, here are 11 movies you can fire up without paying a dime (beyond your streaming-service subscription and requisite popcorn, of course).

Or, if you're willing to shell out a few bucks, here are some excellent titles currently available on iTunes:

"Amy"
"Chi-Raq"
"Clouds of Sils Maria"
"The End of the Tour"
"Ex Machina"
"Goodnight Mommy"
"Inside Out"
"It Follows"
"Love & Mercy"
"Mad Max: Fury Road"
"Magic Mike XXL"
"The Martian"
"The Overnight"
"Spy"

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LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) - While Disney has to be pleased with the way its $4 billion acquisition of Lucasfilm is turning out, thanks to the galactic success of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," the man who created the "Star Wars" universe doesn't feel the same way.

In an interview with Charlie Rose, George Lucas spoke about everything from his and Disney's branching vision to the deal itself. Lucas, who has always been protective of his series and even refers to them as his "kids," hasn't been looking back well on the deal with Disney (via Collider).

"I sold them to the white slavers that takes these things, and...," Lucas said before laughing and deciding it better not to finish.

The father of "Star Wars" also opened up about why he and Disney were split on their decisions for the franchise's future.

"They looked at the stories, and they said, 'We want to make something for the fans,'" Lucas said. "They decided they didn't want to use those stories, they decided they were going to do their own thing. ... They weren't that keen to have me involved anyway -- but if I get in there, I'm just going to cause trouble, because they're not going to do what I want them to do. And I don't have the control to do that anymore, and all I would do is muck everything up," he said. "And so I said, 'OK, I will go my way, and I'll let them go their way.'"

Lucas described "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," the film that resulted from Disney's vision, as "a retro movie."

"I don’t like that,” he said. “Every movie, I work very hard to make them completely different, with different planets, with different spaceships, make it new.”

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" has been a massive success in the two weeks it has been out, becoming the ninth-highest box office performer ever with $1.23 billion in global box office receipts.

The last three "Star Wars" movies produced under Lucas' tenure were also commercial successes, but they were largely panned by critics. By contrast, "The Force Awakens" has garnered glowing reviews -- the best in the series since Lucas' original in 1979 -- and even serious Oscar buzz. 

UPDATE: Lucas issued a statement on Thursday walking back his comments on "The Force Awakens," in which he said that he misspoke when he compared Disney to "white slavers," describing it as "a very inappropriate analogy." Here's the full statement: 

I want to clarify my interview on the 'Charlie Rose Show.' It was for the Kennedy Center Honors and conducted prior to the premiere of the film. I misspoke and used a very inappropriate analogy, and for that I apologize. I have been working with Disney for 40 years and chose them as the custodians of Star Wars because of my great respect for the company and Bob Iger’s leadership. Disney is doing an incredible job of taking care of and expanding the franchise. I rarely go out with statements to clarify my feelings but I feel it is important to make it clear that I am thrilled that Disney has the franchise and is moving it in such exciting directions in film, television and the parks. Most of all I’m blown away with the record breaking blockbuster success of the new movie and am very proud of JJ and Kathy.

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