There's no getting around it. Americans have just gone through an annus horribilis, to borrow a phrase from Queen Elizabeth. The year of 2015 has been filled with disturbing news about acts of terrorism and the threat of more, mass shootings, racial unrest and major questions about how our criminal justice system works — or doesn't.
When you add on what many see as unsettling and contradictory political pronouncements about our future, is it any wonder that we feel frightened, frustrated and without hope? Fear — of homegrown or lone-wolf terrorists, gun violence, policy brutality, racial strife, our children's futures — has become the new American normal.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" has reached $1 billion at the box office, achieving the milestone with record-setting hyper speed.
The Walt Disney Co. said "The Force Awakens" crossed the billion-dollar mark Sunday, accomplishing the feat in just 12 days. The previous movie to reach $1 billion the fastest was Universal's "Jurassic World," which did it in 13 days in June. "Jurassic World" also had the benefit of record grosses in China. "The Force Awakens" doesn't open in the world's second-largest movie market until Jan. 9.
