ArcaMax

LOS ANGELES -- When her teen with autism suddenly became angry, depressed and violent, the mother searched his phone for answers.

She found her son had been exchanging messages with chatbots on Character.AI, an artificial intelligence app that allows users to create and interact with virtual characters that mimic celebrities, historical figures...Read more

'LAST BREATH'

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language.

What it’s about: A tense drama based on a real-life survival story about a diver stranded in the North Sea.

The kid attractor factor: Not much — this is more of an adult drama.

Good lessons/bad lessons: Human empathy and teamwork can defy death — and physics.

Violence: Some ...Read more

I came home the other day and my hubby was not home. His car was here, so I figured he had gone for a walk.

He didn’t come home and didn’t come home, so I was concerned he was collapsed on a sidewalk somewhere.

He has never collapsed on a sidewalk before, but when you reach a certain age, and have an active imagination, the possibilities ...Read more

Q. My wife and I have been doing our best to get along with her ex and his partner. We all have kids and have decided we will all be the first to call each other if there is an emergency for the kids. Because of this, we all exchanged keys to our homes in case of emergency. The kids go back and forth on a weekly basis. Yesterday I came home to ...Read more

As usual, Julie Ferris-Tillman had a full evening planned after leaving her office.

By day, she's vice president of a public relations firm in Milwaukee. At night, her world is a stage. She performs in sketch comedy, improv and community theater. On this Wednesday evening when she was 48, she was rehearsing for a murder mystery play opening the...Read more

Hopelyn Gray’s "Soulful Serenades for Calm and Clarity," a collection of meditative and insightful sayings, is a must-read for those struggling to find tranquility and hope.

"Soulful Serenades" covers a wide range of topics to help calm readers’ minds and stir their hearts. Gray reflects on topics such as love, mindfulness, faith, hope, ...Read more

PONTIAC, Mich. — An Oakland County district court judge set a $250 million bond for a Pontiac mother accused of abandoning her three children to live in squalor by themselves for years, deeming her a flight risk.

Kelli Bryant was arraigned Thursday in Pontiac's 50th District Court on three counts of first-degree child abuse and faces life in ...Read more

'THE MONKEY'

Rated R for strong bloody violent content, gore, language throughout and some sexual references.

What it’s about: Twin brothers reckon with the wrath and wreckage that a cursed toy monkey brings into their lives.

The kid attractor factor: Not much, this is an extremely gory horror film.

Good lessons/bad lessons: Everybody dies...Read more

A Michigan mom was arrested for leaving her three young children to fend for themselves in “absolute squalor” and with little interaction with the outside world over the course of several years.

“Throughout my extensive career in this field, I have never encountered a scenario as dire and prolonged as this one, involving abandonment, ...Read more

Calling the trend of children buying antiaging skin care "ridiculous and a paradox," a state legislator has introduced a bill that would ban the sale of such beauty products to customers under the age of 18.

The recent obsession among so-called Sephora Kids for skin care containing potent chemicals has alarmed parents and dermatologists, who ...Read more

Q. How do you tell someone who you have been terrible to that you want them back? Can you say you're sorry enough when you have hurt them so badly, they tell you they never want to talk to you again? My temper got the best of me during an argument, and I pushed my fiancee to the floor. She got up and walked out the door. I want to tell her I'm ...Read more

Parents and grandparents sometimes debate which musical instrument is the most painful in the hands of a beginner.

Our nomination for first place is the violin, with drums coming in a distant second. Sure, drums can rattle the windows, but only a violin can peel paint from the walls.

The xylophone, also under our roof years ago, was the ...Read more

A welfare check led Michigan deputies to a filthy home where three children had been living for several years without outside contact, education or basic hygiene, authorities said.

The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office reported Feb. 16 that the children’s mother, 34, who was not identified to protect the identity of her children, had been ...Read more

Oscar-winning actress Julianne Moore said Sunday it was “a great shock” that her 2007 children’s book “Freckleface Strawberry” wound up among those banned by the Trump administration while under “compliance review” at schools run by the U.S. Department of Defense.

In a post on Instagram, the stymied star wrote her book “is a ...Read more

Roberto Palumbo’s immersive and haunting journey into "1657 The Year of the Plague" showcases the depths of human suffering and the resilience of mankind during one of Europe’s darkest chapters in history. Set in Genoa, this historical novel offers a staunch look at a city gripped by fear, despair, and the unrelenting force of death. At its ...Read more

Incidences for many common types of cancer have risen in recent years, with young women experiencing the brunt of the shift.

According to research from the American Cancer Society, the incidence rate of cancer for women under 50 has increased from 51% higher than men in 2002 to 82% higher than men in 2021, the last year this information was ...Read more

As life would have it, even those successful and satisfied in our current world tend to worry obsessively about the next.

We’re talking about the fear of death — that journey into the unknown. One common antidote is to joke about it. Take the perpetual death-worrier, Woody Allen, whose character Boris from his movie "Love and Death" returns...Read more

I surveyed my friends recently to find out what they’re doing to stay sane.

“Screaming into a paper bag,” said a friend who lives near Capitol Hill in Washington.

“Staying away from the news,” said another friend.

“Who said I’m sane?” said another.

As a massive reassembling of the U.S. government by President Donald Trump ...Read more