Although major video game releases have slowed somewhat over the past couple of years due to the pandemic forcing most development teams to abruptly shift to working from home, 2021 has been a great year for gaming, and 2022 surely will be, too.

Before you read anything further: find a full body mirror right quick. ... OK, you're back. Could you see the culture you come from looking back at you? Is it in the fuzzy socks Grandma knits and gifts every Christmas? The gold or silver cross hanging from a chain in the center of your chest?

Devyn Burdett prefers being independent, from driving for errands to advocating for people with disabilities. In March 2020, the Coeur d'Alene resident lost use of her legs. Her paralysis was thought to be caused by transverse myelitis, a rare neurological disorder.

Colder weather – rain, wind and snow – has arrived, which means it’s time for our annual mitten coloring contest. The contest is open to children ages 12 and younger. Entries will be judged by a panel of The Spokesman-Review staffers who will select winners in three divisions.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: How, if at all, does one acknowledge or comment on the gender change of a friend’s child?

Metal iconoclasts Iron Maiden will return to Spokane next autumn. The British band, while on its Legacy of the Beast world tour, will perform Sept. 30 at Spokane Arena. The word has been that this might be Iron Maiden's last big tour. It'll be worth catching the group, which redefined heavy metal.

"There are no right or wrong answers." So says Johnny, a patient, constantly curious radio journalist portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix in a gratifyingly mellow, unmannered turn in "C'mon C'mon." As the film opens, Johnny is in Detroit interviewing young people for a "This American Life"-adjacent project.

In early November, laboratories in South Africa's Gauteng province began picking up something unusual while processing COVID-19 tests: They weren't able to detect the virus gene that creates the spike protein enabling the pathogen to enter human cells and spread.

Dear Miss Manners: I am based in the Washington, D.C., area and must correspond with colleagues all over the world, particularly in Europe. When I log in for the day, I see correspondence from them already because of the time difference. When I respond, should I greet them by writing “good morning”?

SANTA FE, N.M. — Authorities pursued new leads Tuesday on possible sources of live ammunition involved in actor Alec Baldwin's fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the New Mexico set of a western movie, as they searched the premises of an Albuquerque-based firearms and ammunition supplier.

For Native basketball star Jaci McCormack, the journey from the Nez Perce Reservation in Idaho to building a Native nonprofit organization has been one of community and resilience. Now, McCormack is sharing that story on screen.

Dear Annie: Please tell “Ready to Die” that she can get disability payments because she has a mental health disorder. The problem is that people tell the disability examiners how badly they feel. But that is not the examiner’s job to assess. They want to know how dysfunctional your daily life is.

Sooner or later, even the most diehard Thanksgiving fans hit capacity on leftover turkey sandwiches and soup. For them, and for those who don't care about the big bird in the first place, consider an unexpected, post-holiday-splurge dish: a fully loaded South American hot dog courtesy of Virgilio Martinez. 

Sweden's most-popular breakfast bread will get more expensive after energy prices soared to a record. Pagen, a bakery in the south, will increase prices for its sourdough lingonberry bread next month after electricity costs tripled over the past year, according to a spokeswoman for the baker.

Holiday Pie and Rolls Ordering – Handcrafted pies using fruits from Sunset Orchards in Green Bluff. Flavors include peach, peach huckleberry, apple, caramel apple, cherry, pumpkin, pecan and chocolate pecan. Laminated rolls available by the dozen in original flavor, orange cranberry and garlic parmesan.

By now we've helped ourselves to more than one plate of Thanksgiving leftovers, and the turkey of a few days' past is now a distant memory. Our thoughts have firmly moved on to the holiday season and the trappings of it, most prominent of which is, perhaps, gift giving. 

HONG KONG – Walk down just about any street in Hong Kong, and you will see, and smell, meat. Aromas of freshly steamed barbecue pork buns, siu mai and beef balls waft from traditional Cantonese restaurants. Rows of tanks containing live grouper and shrimp entice peckish passersby.

Golden as sunbeams and almost as light and feathery as goose down, a good panettone is difficult to find. Those red, green and gold boxes at the drugstore and supermarket are laden with artificial flavors and preservatives – and not worth your time.

Dear Doctors: My older brother is 33 years old and was recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. I don’t want to bother him with a lot of questions, but I would like to learn more about it. Can you please explain what it is, how it’s treated and what to expect? Dear Reader: Multiple sclerosis is a degenerative disorder.