Americans Divorcing Marriage?
For better or worse, Americans always have embraced the concept of marriage; but that may be changing. A new study by the Pew Research Center finds that nearly 40 percent of us believe the institution of marriage is becoming obsolete. Americans may fret abut the state of marriage in part by looking at youth attitudes toward tying the knot. Only 54 percent of adults are married, according to the latest census—down from 57 percent a decade earlier and 72 percent in 1960. Youth are getting married later, too: The average man doesn’t settle down until he’s 28, and the average woman waits until 26—a full year later than folks typically were getting hitched a decade ago. Youth ages 18-29 were among the most pessimistic about the state of marriage with 44 percent saying it was growing obsolete. That said, experts caution that marriage isn’t going anywhere yet. “If four in 10 are saying it’s becoming obsolete, they’re registering an awareness of a very important social change,” says Paul Taylor of Pew. “It doesn’t necessarily mean marriage is about to disappear or has disappeared.” (USA Today)

Video Games OK…for Most Teens
Video games aren’t so bad for kids after all, according to a new study from Yale University. The study, which examined the gaming habits of more than 4,000 teens, found that most youth who play video games handle the habit just fine. The study also found that gamers who spent the most time playing games—and whose gaming habits held some telltale signs of addiction—were more likely to smoke, use drugs and get into serious fights. (Los Angeles Times)

With Friends Like These…
Most of us work hard to make friends; but on Nov. 17, many Facebook users went out of their way to lose a few. Comedian Jimmy Kimmel declared the day to be “National Unfriend Day,” saying most of us could stand to shed a few virtual buddies. “Friendship is a sacred thing, and I believe Facebook is cheapening it,” Kimmel said on “Good Morning America.” “Here’s how you can tell who on Facebook is really your friend: Let’s say on Friday, you post a status update that says, ‘I’m moving this weekend and I need help.’ The people who respond, those are your friends. Everyone else isn’t.” We don’t know how many people participated in National Unfriend Day, but it certainly garnered its share of attention. Lisa Kudrow, one of the former stars of the sitcom “Friends,” even recorded a fake public service announcement. “Your friends on Facebook are not your real friends,” she says. “Real friends are people you meet at Central Park, people who watch you play guitar and sing and pretend to like your cat no matter how bad it smells. Real friends have hair styles named after them.” (ABC News)

Four Loko Capitalizes on Ban
The federal government recently ruled that Four Loko and other caffeinated, alcoholic beverages are unsafe, asking the drink makers to reformulate them or else. However, the ruling hasn’t hurt the bottom line of Four Loko’s maker, Phusion. In fact, it might have led to a spike in sales. Retailers reportedly are selling out of Four Loko—with users snapping up cases of the drinks before Phusion changes the formula. Herman Harris plans to throw a “Four Lok The Last Call Edition” party. “People are going out and buying Four Loko like hotcakes,” he said. “If you didn’t know about it before the ban, you know about it now.” Four Loko earned a measure of notoriety after dozens of college students were sent to the hospital after drinking the stuff. Each 23.5-ounce can is as much as 12 percent alcohol—about the equivalent of four or five beers—and loaded with caffeine. The caffeine allows users to drink far more than they ordinarily would, leading to alcohol poisoning. (USA Today)