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4 powerful moments in 'Moonlight' that illustrate why it won Best Drama at the Golden Globes.

"At some point, you’ve got to decide for yourself who you’re going to be."

On Jan. 8, 2017, "Moonlight" won Best Motion Picture — Drama at the Golden Globe Awards.

The film follows the life of Chiron, an African-American boy born into poverty in Southern Florida, as he wrestles with his sexual identity, dangerous bullies at school, and growing up with an abusive, drug-addicted mom.

Photo by David Bornfriend, courtesy of A24.


Shedding a light on the powerful forces of race, class, homophobia, and addiction, "Moonlight" offers the type of unique perspective that doesn't just tug at heartstrings and win awards — it challenges us to think critically about important issues, too.

Here are four powerful moments in “Moonlight” that illustrate just how important the film really is:

1. You see the gut-wrenching realities of bullying among kids who are, or who are perceived to be, LGBTQ.

In the film, young Chiron (played by Alex R. Hibbert) is forced to hide in an abandoned building after being chased down by boys slinging homophobic slurs.

Later in the film, the bullies are more successful. When teenaged Chiron (played by Ashton Sanders) is in high school, he's brutally beaten up by someone he believed to be a friend. That gut-wrenching scene ends in bloodshed.

Photo by David Bornfriend, courtesy of A24.

Bullying is a problem for many, especially LGBTQ youth, who are 91% more likely than their heterosexual peers to be bullied, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2015.

Seeing bullying play out on the big screen brings that statistic to life.

2. You see how the power of addiction can rip apart families and destroy childhoods.

At one point, teenage Chiron is assaulted by his mother (Naomie Harris), who begs him for cash in order to feed her drug addiction.

Courtesy of A24.

It's a gripping scene that shows how addiction can transform even the most doting parent into a physical and emotional abuser. It also reflects an America grappling with its own addiction crises with opioids and heroin.  

3. You see the complexity in people and why even the "bad guys" can turn out to be the heroes.

In the film, Chiron befriends prominent Miami drug dealer Juan (Mahershala Ali), who ends up feeding him, housing him, and accepting him for who he is — regardless of Chiron's sexual orientation.

Photo by David Bornfriend, courtesy of A24.

While Juan's work in the drug industry has inarguably caused harm — you can see its direct effect on Chiron's own mother — you also see how Juan's compassion saves Chiron, helping him survive his tumultuous childhood.

"At some point, you’ve got to decide for yourself who you’re going to be," Juan says in a pivotal moment on screen. "You can’t let nobody make that decision for you."

4. You see Chiron kiss a boy, Kevin (Jharrel Jerome), on the beach...

Photo by David Bornfriend, courtesy of A24.

...and then come back to his hometown as an adult (played by Trevante Rhodes) years later to find Kevin (André Holland) once again.

Photo by David Bornfriend, courtesy of A24.

It's still too rare to see same-sex love on screen — especially LGBTQ love scenes between young men of color.

Media representation matters. And to thousands of boys and men watching the complicated, contentious, and beautiful scenes between Chiron and Kevin, "Moonlight" has made a difference.

Stories like Chiron's matter. And it's not every day that films like "Moonlight" get the Hollywood recognition they deserve.

Congratulations to the cast and crew of "Moonlight" — not only on their Golden Globe win, but for creating a piece of art that will stay in the hearts and minds of many for years to come.

A pitbull stares at the window, looking for the mailman.


Dogs are naturally driven by a sense of purpose and a need for belonging, which are all part of their instinctual pack behavior. When a dog has a job to do, it taps into its needs for structure, purpose, and the feeling of contributing to its pack, which in a domestic setting translates to its human family.

But let’s be honest: In a traditional domestic setting, dogs have fewer chores they can do as they would on a farm or as part of a rescue unit. A doggy mom in Vancouver Island, Canada had fun with her dog’s purposeful uselessness by sharing the 5 “chores” her pitbull-Lab mix does around the house.

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5-star Scottish resort offers whimsical afternoon tea experience with 'naughty sheep'

Cameron House's Woolly Wellness retreat includes tea in the garden with adorably rude guests.

Cameron House/Naughty Sheep

Cameron House's Woolly Wellness retreat includes a unique sheep encounter.

Remember when "goat yoga" was all the rage? And then "cow cuddling" and "turkey cuddling" made everyone's bucket lists?

Now we can add "nuzzling with naughty sheep" to the mix, but with a fancy Scottish twist.

Less than an hour from Glasgow, Scotland, the Cameron House resort sits on the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond, looking as if it were plucked straight out of a fairy tale. Sprawling green grounds, gorgeous lake views and a four-story castled mansion greet guests as their "home away from home" (only better), and a perusal of the reviews show guests raving about the 5-star resort's elegance, beauty and exceptional service.

I mean, just look at this place:

drone view of cameron house grounds and lakeCameron House sit on Lake Lochmond in Scotland.Cameron House


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A student accidentally created a rechargeable battery that could last 400 years

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There's no better example of that than a 2016 discovery at the University of California, Irvine, by doctoral student Mya Le Thai. After playing around in the lab, she made a discovery that could lead to a rechargeable battery that could last up to 400 years. That means longer-lasting laptops and smartphones and fewer lithium ion batteries piling up in landfills.

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Just think of Elvis. He might have been a universal sex symbol for a time, but it also wasn’t long before his pompadour became passé. Same goes for Paul Newman’s rugged manliness, David Cassidy’s babyface, Tom Selleck’s mustache. Indeed, for everything a season.

Which brings us to the 90s. The age of beach blonde surfer boys (real surfing skills not required, but a plus). Of flannel, lots of flannel, and super chiseled bodies. Let’s not forget this was the dawning of the term “metrosexual,” and also the time period that brought us that Calvin Klein ad with Mark Wahlburg.

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A Eurasian crow.

A family from Denmark has created a touching video montage documenting their unique friendship with a wild Eurasian crow. This crow, affectionately named Russell, has become an honorary member of their household, forming special bonds with each family member, including the pets.

However, the crow's relationship with their son, 2-year-old Otto, is truly extraordinary. “They could spend hours just playing,” Otto’s mother, Laerke Luna, says in a video shared by The Dodo. "When Otto is outside, he will never leave Otto’s side.”

Russell, the free-spirited crow, ventures away from the family's home from time to time, but never for too long. He always comes back and announces his return by tapping on the door, swooping in to lounge on the sofa, or awaiting Otto's return from school atop their roof.

“When we are inside, he will sit inside the window because he wants Otto to go outside with him,” Laerke said.

The family’s relationship with Russell didn’t come out of nowhere. When Russell was a young bird, he had health problems so the family took him and nursed the bird back to health. Eventually, they witnessed his first attempts to fly.

Recently, Russell became friends with another family member, their second child, Hedwig. Although he does get a little annoyed with the bird’s frequent attempts to nab his pacifier.

Even though it’s rare for humans to strike up such a close bond with a crow, according to research, it’s not that surprising. Audubon says that crows are “some of the smartest animals in the world” with an intelligence “on par with chimpanzees.” They are also very social and family-oriented, so no wonder Russell loves Otto and his family.

Crow Named Russell Waits For His Favorite Kid To Get Home From School | The Dodo


Learning

Why you shouldn't throw your dishwasher pod into the bottom of your dishwasher

Dishwashers actually use the dirty water to know how to wash your dishes.

Photos by cottonbro studio and PhotoMIX Ltd. via Canva

Why your detergent shouldn't go in the bottom of the dishwasher

There always seem to be something going on with the pods and powders you're supposed to use in the dishwasher to clean your dishes. Either the pods don't dissolve completely or the powder gets all goopy and hard, never really fully dispensing into the dishwasher.

The inconsistency in product dispensing can leave you wondering if the dishes are even getting cleaned, causing some to toss the detergent pod into the bottom of the dishwasher. It would seem that placing the detergent at the bottom would allow for it to actually reach your dirty dishes. But Melissa Pateras, a domestic expert, explains that doing it that way isn't doing what you think it's doing.

Pateras actually breaks down exactly how dishwashers work to clean your dishes while explaining why putting the detergent on the bottom is ineffective.

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