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‘Hunger Games’ is an opportunity to bond for many familiesFamily members have been reading ‘The Hunger Games’ books and plan to see the movie together next week. Tales of multigenerational bonding over this harsh parable abound.
Five myths about video games Why they aren’t as scary or one-dimensional as many parents think.
Top video game markets in the world The United States remains No. 1, but other countries, notably in Asia, are rising fast. Many countries, too, are sweetening tax incentives to lure video game developers in their quest to create jobs. Here are the top 5 video game markets for 2010, as outlined in a 2011 study by PricewaterhouseCoopers, the big accounting and consulting firm.- Video game trivia, part 2: On to the next level
OK, you got 10 out of 10 on the easy quiz. You think you know something about how video games get made? Their history? What role they play in American culture? Here's the hard quiz. Get your game face on. Let's see how you do. Hey! We see you. Stop 'Googling' before you click on the answer.
- Video game trivia: How much do you know?
From the origins of the industry to the number of American youth who play, a quiz on video games, based on the Monitor's Mar. 19 weekly cover story.
The next 'Potter'? 'Hunger Games' takes kids to darker, more violent place.The buzz over the 'Hunger Games' movie suggests a new blockbuster young-adult franchise is being born. But the coming-of-age tale set in a fascist future has less humor than 'Potter.'
Three in 10 young adults live with parents, highest level since 1950sA weak economy and high debt levels are prompting more young adults to return to the family nest, a new survey shows. Perhaps surprisingly, most are happy with their living arrangements.
Bath salts: police and hospitals befuddled by new drug crazeBath salts are a synthetic powder that acts like cocaine and can be bought over the Internet or in some convenience stores. Hospitals and drug experts are trying to play catch-up.
- Gun laws: How much do you know?
Test your knowledge on where you can and can't carry concealed weapons in the United States and other facts about guns.
Cover StoryGun nation: Inside America's gun-carry cultureWhy Americans now carry handguns in so many public places, from parks to college campuses. Is it making the country safer or more dangerous?
'Shahs of Sunset' reality show: Is this what Iranian-Americans are like?'Shahs of Sunset' purports to introduce Americans to the culture of Iranian-Americans. But by casting an ultrarich family, some say, it will seem more like 'Keeping up with the Kardashians.'
Pat Robertson backs legal marijuana. Will other conservatives follow?Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson has called for legal marijuana, saying the US incarceration rate is taking a social toll. Advocates call it an important moment, but critics dismiss it.
Los Angeles Times joins the crowd, erects pay wall for the news onlineThe Los Angeles Times is offering a wide range of online subscriptions. But will pay walls save ailing print newspapers or just guarantee their ultimate demise?
Justin Bieber birthday: He got a Fisker Karma electric car. Should you?A Justin Bieber birthday present – the $100,000 Fisker Karma – is causing a bit of a stir. Maybe it should. Fisker is trying to pioneer the luxury electric car. One critic calls the Karma 'beautiful.'
Davy Jones, cast as lead singer for 'The Monkees,' was heartthrob for millionsDavy Jones, who died at his home in Florida at the age of 66, was best known for his lead role with 'The Monkees,' which pioneered techniques exploited by other TV shows for years.
Support for gay marriage rises among California voters, poll findsAn accelerating shift is under way among California voters on gay marriage, with 59 percent now in favor of allowing it, a new Field Poll suggests. That's up from 49 percent in 2009.
- How the 1 percent lives: Yes, the rich take more candy from kids, study finds
A Berkeley study conducted seven tests to gauge the ethical behaviors of different economic classes. It finds that the rich are more likely to cut somebody off in traffic and lie to get ahead.
Billy Crystal in blackface: Are the Academy Awards out of touch on race?Many African-Americans were, at best, rubbed the wrong way by the Academy Awards telecast. The performance by Billy Crystal was just one of the complaints.
With Oscar winners 2012, Hollywood stays in its comfort zoneNostalgia and historical fare carried the day at Sunday's Academy Awards. 'The Artist,' a black-and-white silent film celebrating Hollywood history, topped the list of Oscar winners 2012.
At 2012 Academy Awards, 'The Help' appeals across party lines (+trailer)Sometimes Republicans and Democrats have different film tastes. Last year, it was "True Grit" vs. "The King's Speech." But this year, Americans across party lines are enjoying "The Help," the film about African-American maids during the civil rights era, a Christian Science Monitor/TIPP poll shows.
