-- When a series of video games is beloved by fans, it"s risky for makers to put a new game in the series out for testing.

(CNN) -- When a series of video games is beloved by fans, it"s risky for makers to put a new game in the series out for testing.

The fans can be brutal if a sequel doesn"t live up to expectations about the franchise.

But sometimes the risk pays off.

Here are some of the best of the best upcoming sequels, set to be released this fall and in the spring. The list is based on interviews at the recent Comic-Con convention in San Diego, California, where professional gamers and amateurs got a chance to demo these new titles.

"Gears of War 3"

Kevin Pereira, of G4"s "Attack of the Show," was especially interested in playing the third edition of the popular "Gears of War" franchise.

"I might have to scurry down there and throw an elbow to play it," he said at Comic-Con.

The game delivers. Rod Ferguson, the executive producer, said it features methods of play that are different from previous versions.

"We"re showing off our five-player beast mode. It"s a cooperative mode. You can play a monster and tear apart the humans for the first time," he said.

"Gears of War 3" hits stores April 5 and costs $59.99.

"Marvel vs. Capcom 3"

Also going for the trilogy is "Marvel vs. Capcom 3," which is due out in the spring and also will retail for $59.99.

Fans at Comic-Con got to test out this comic-book-themed game inside a boxing ring on the convention show floor. Those who tested it had mixed reactions.

One critique came from a longtime fan of the series.

"Prior to playing it, I was really excited, but afterwards I felt it was too dumbed-down," said Henry Wan, a conference attendee from Vancouver, Canada.

"There"s just one punch button and one kick button."

"Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2"

The sequel to "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed" has been building buzz ever since news broke that a fan-favorite character, Boba Fett, will be featured.

Both the original and this sequel, which are based on the popular movie franchise, allow players to command the powers of the Force and those of the Dark Side. Developers demonstrated the game, which is set for release October 26 for $59.99, for the first time at Comic-Con.

"We were really cognizant of the fan feedback from the first game," said the game"s executive producer, Haden Blackman.

"We"ve overhauled a lot of our [artificial intelligence] to make it more tactically relevant and really think about what powers to use in any situation. The Force grip will be easier for people to pick up and use, and we"ll be sure that cool stuff happens when they get it. Stuff that doesn"t come across from the static screenshot."

"Metroid: Other M"

Nintendo provided an early glimpse of this sequel ($49.99, August 31) at a rooftop party in New York in July.

Just one month from release, anticipation is high as many gamers still fondly remember the original for the 1980s 8-bit Nintendo system.

A "theater mode," the game will allow those who have beaten the game to rewatch their accomplishments in the form of a feature-length movie.

"DC Universe Online"

Another upcoming franchise game that"s generating talk from fans is "DC Universe Online." The developers recently unveiled a trailer for the game that came across like a big-budget "Justice League" movie.

Even though it"s not a sequel, "DC Universe Online" certainly has a built-in audience of comic book fans and has franchise expectations to live up to.

Wes Unagi, senior producer, said that some features were generated after listening to fan response.

A simulation mode, for example, allows fans to play characters like Batman and Superman outside the regular game play mode.

The game debuts in November. It costs $49.99 and up, depending on the console.

When it comes down to it, this and other sequel games are all about creating a new twist on expectations that have been building for years or decades.

-- If masculinity could take the form of a 2-inch frosted cupcake, David Arrick would have the recipe.

(CNN) -- If masculinity could take the form of a 2-inch frosted cupcake, David Arrick would have the recipe.

His New York cupcake company, Butch Bakery, is an anomaly in a world seemingly dominated by all things dainty and cute. Arrick refuses to serve the "frilly, pink-frosted, sprinkles-and-unicorns" variety. Instead, customers can proclaim their machismo with cakes made with beer, whiskey, bacon and crushed pretzels.

"It was born out of necessity and a love of buttercream," Arrick said of his 9-month-old business.

Each Butch cupcake sits under a generous layer of frosting and a chocolate disc with a camouflage, wood grain, plaid, houndstooth or other "manly" pattern.

Like a mixed-martial arts fight, Arrick"s cupcakes can pack a serious punch. Six of his 12 varieties feature alcohol -- and customers feel the hit.

"The ones with alcohol are actually pretty potent," said David Barrineau, who ordered Butch cupcakes as a joke for the men and women in his advertising agency.

"The first one I tried ... it had wood grain on it. It definitely had whiskey in it," Barrineau said. "I think we all got a buzz from these -- it was pretty strong!"

But can whiskey-infused cupcakes disguised in camo really transform cupcakes into macho fare?

"I think if you try them, you wouldn"t have to ask," Barrineau said.

Arrick said he doesn"t think the average man would necessarily turn down a pastel, ladylike cupcake.

"Men like to eat," he said. "I"m not saying I"m not going to go for a cupcake with a peony on it."

But, if given the option, "a guy is going to go for the one that has camo or plaid on it."

The flour-and-frosting world seems a far cry from Wall Street, home to a major law firm where Arrick worked as an asset-backed securities attorney. But like many in 2007 and 2008, Arrick"s career caved unexpectedly.

"I was laid off. I didn"t know what I was going to do," he said. "I"m 40 years old, I have student loans out the wazoo. What am I going to do?"

As Arrick looked around the streets of New York and mulled his options, he marveled how the city"s vast array of bakeries and cupcake shops kept growing and making money during a recession.

But all the cupcakes seemed too cookie-cutter.

"There"s been a vacancy in the market with marketing toward men," he noticed.

That"s when the epiphany hit. Arrick liquidated his 401(k) and gambled $25,000 on the macho bakery of his dreams.

Butch Bakery went from selling 40 cupcakes a week to 400 cupcakes a week -- all without a storefront. The bakery operates out of a commercial kitchen shared with other businesses and sells its manly confections online.

While most cupcakes are, stereotypically, feminine or frilly, Arrick is keenly aware that he himself is playing on stereotypes with his use of bacon, beer and in-your-face manly advertising.

"It"s so tongue-in-cheek," Arrick said.

Ironically, 95 percent of Butch Bakery"s customers are women. Arrick said many are searching for creative gifts after exhausting cliche ideas such as neckties.

Arrick has received order requests from around the world, including from troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Kathryn Donaldson tried to place an order for her husband, who is stationed in South Korea. Donaldson said the Butch baked goods would be the perfect pick-me-up for soldiers overseas.

"The stuff we send them, it means a lot to them," Donaldson said. "We can send them care packages and everything, but something like that is so much more special because it"s so unique. We can"t do the flavorings like rum and coke. We can"t figure out how to make them taste like rum and coke."

Butch Bakery delivers to Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn, but does not ship out-of-state. Arrick said his growth is limited by storage and oven space, but he hopes to start shipping orders outside New York by the end of this year.

Arrick doesn"t have a target date for setting up a storefront. But Barrineau, a loyal fan of the "Tailgate" cupcake, says he can already forecast the entrepreneur"s future:

"I think he would see a line of big, hairy men waiting in line for cupcakes."

London, England -- The Church of England took a small step toward allowing women to serve as bishops Monday, with its governing body voting to recommend their elevation despite warnings from traditionalists that it could split the church.

London, England (CNN) -- The Church of England took a small step toward allowing women to serve as bishops Monday, with its governing body voting to recommend their elevation despite warnings from traditionalists that it could split the church.

Church leaders meeting in York overwhelmingly supported changing canon law to accommodate women as bishops. But the move by the church"s General Synod must be approved at a future meeting of the governing body, after parishes take at least a year to consider the question.

"This is good news for the whole church, and we are delighted," the Rev. Rachel Weir, leader of the group Women and the Church, which supported the change. The decision "gives the church a powerful mandate to move forward enthusiastically, welcoming the ministry of women at all levels within the church, whilst making space for those who are opposed to stay within our body," Weir said in a statement applauding the vote.

The Church of England first began ordaining women as priests in 1994 and has been debating whether they should become bishops since 2005. But the issue, along with the debate over the ordination of gay priests, has put a serious strain on the 77-million-member Anglican Communion worldwide.

The Catholic Church has reached out to disaffected Anglicans, raising the possibility that conservatives could leave en masse. The General Synod rejected a compromise backed by the nominal head of the church, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, over the weekend, with priests rejecting the measure despite the support of bishops and lay leaders.

Forward in Faith, a conservative group that opposes the ordination of women as "contrary to the scriptures," said Monday"s vote "contains nothing which can satisfy the legitimate needs" of its members.

"Now, though, is not the time for precipitate action," it said. Its leaders will take stock and debate the issue at upcoming meetings in September and October, the group said in a statement on the decision.

-- Fresh off their E3 convention in June, video-game makers are setting their sights on new audiences as they arrive at the Comic-Con convention opening Thursday in San Diego, California.

(CNN) -- Fresh off their E3 convention in June, video-game makers are setting their sights on new audiences as they arrive at the Comic-Con convention opening Thursday in San Diego, California.

This time, game makers and developers are homing in specifically on games that have a comic character tie-in.

"DC Universe Online" (Sony Online Entertainment) and "Marvel vs. Capcom 3" (Capcom) have direct relationships to the superheroes and villains from the comic book world. After all, readers of those publications also play video games.

Nintendo doesn"t attend Comic-Con every year, but when it has a game that might appeal to the comic world, the company shows up big.

CNN Challenge: Take the Comic-Con quiz

Marc Franklin, director of public relations for Nintendo of America, said hands-on demonstrations of two new games -- "Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies" and "Metroid: Other M" -- will be featured at the convention. Those themes and characters resonate with the attendees of Comic-Con, he said.

"We have been seeing these kinds of trade shows attract a broader, more diverse audience," Franklin said. "Which fits right in with Nintendo"s goal to expand the world of video games to new audiences."

Eric Levine, Sony"s manager of product public relations, agreed. He said Comic-Con isn"t just about comics anymore.

"The show celebrates pop culture, from gaming to movies to television and everything in between," Levine said. "This show allows us to engage an audience that is passionate and excited about games."

Ricardo Torres, Editor-in-Chief for the online game review site GameSpot.com, said that more gaming companies are taking Comic-Con seriously as a launchpad for new material. Game developers also will experiment with how much they show, and even allow attendees to play unreleased software, he said.

It is all about building a buzz with the audience, he said.

"You live and die with these people," Torres said. "Now with tweets, you can just see "oh my God this panel sucks" or "oh my God it"s really cool." It is a great way to find out where on the cool scale they"re going to land."

Here are some other game titles looking to find their place on the "cool scale" at Comic-Con, which runs through Sunday:

• "Halo Reach" (Bungie/Microsoft) -- The end of the legendary series is coming, and Microsoft will be showing off new material and revealing details about the final game between humanity and the alien Covenant.

• "The Force Unleashed 2" (LucasArts) -- This title is set six months after the events of the first game and a year before "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope" takes place. Starkiller, Darth Vader"s secret apprentice, returns as the protagonist to use new Force powers against stronger enemies.

• "Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions" (Activision) -- Everyone"s favorite wall-crawler is making a return -- across time and space in a story written by "The Amazing Spider-Man" comic writer Dan Slott.

• "Pro Evolution Soccer 2011" (Konami) -- This sports title hopes to piggyback off World Cup euphoria and ride the wave through Comic-Con. The soccer game will feature leagues from all over the world and include Argentina star Lionel Messi on its cover.

• "Assassin"s Creed Brotherhood" (UbiSoft) -- The follow-up to the immensely popular "Assassin"s Creed" game will be on display. But in a twist, the game publisher will be showing off the first issue of a three-part comic book miniseries based on the franchise.

What gaming news from Comic-Con are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments below.

New York -- New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has a message for bed bugs: "Drop dead!"

New York (CNN) -- New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has a message for bed bugs: "Drop dead!"

And the city said Wednesday it"s backing that message up with some big bucks.

Quinn, along with Deputy Mayor Linda Gibbs, announced a $500,000 initiative of city funding to help deal with one of the city"s most annoying and difficult-to-eradicate pests.

The city will launch an educational campaign on how to better combat these critters, including better coordinated efforts by city agencies, a new health department task force and a bed bug web portal.

"The portal will provide factual and targeted information for New Yorkers affected by bed bugs in their homes," Quinn explained at a press conference on the steps of City Hall. The site will tell New Yorkers "how to prevent and treat an infestation. And what to look for in an exterminator and how to safely dispose of infected items."

The resources were allocated based on the recommendations of the New York City Bed Bug Advisory Board, a group of industry experts, entomologists, advocates and representative from city agencies.

Bed bug infestations have been on the rise in the city, affecting apartments, retail stores, schools and hospitals. Telephone complaints to New York City 311 hotline jumped from 21,922 in 2008 to 33,772 complaints in 2009.

Earlier this month bed bug infestations shut down two stores in downtown Manhattan for two days.

New York"s increase in bed bugs is due in part to its population density and its bustling tourism. Quinn joked with reporters, "Everyone wants to come to New York, even the bed bugs. If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere -- even as a bug."

Quinn acknowledged that the numbers on infestations may get worse before they getter better. "Once there is information out there and publicity about the portal, the number may go up."

Quinn reassured New Yorkers that the city will continue to monitor 311 calls and city agencies, and if more needs to be done the city will take other steps.

The rise in bed bug cases is not exclusive to New York. Last year, the federal Environmental Protection Agency sponsored a bed bug conference in Arlington, Virginia. Speaking to a crowd of 230 academics, agency employees and exterminators, Dale Kemery, an agency spokesman, said the incidence of infestation in the United States has tripled since 2005.

Despite their name, bed bugs need not live in beds. They generally live within 10 to 20 feet of their hosts and avoid light, preferring the dark security of spaces behind headboards, under baseboards and behind hanging pictures. They are parasites that feed on human blood, and their bites can leave red, itchy welts.

Editor"s Note: Scott Steinberg is the head of technology and video game consulting firm TechSavvy Global, as well as the founder of GameExec magazine and Game Industry TV. He frequently appears as an on-air technology analyst for ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and CNN. His most recent book is "Get Rich Playing Games."

(CNN) -- These days, it"s impossible to overstate the popularity of games for social networks, with Facebook titles like "Pet Society," "Happy Aquarium" and "Zoo World" all boasting massive followings.

To cynics, popular games such as Zygna"s new "FrontierVille," which recently racked up 20 million users in just 36 days, may seem like simple carbon copies of earlier hits -- most obviously "FarmVille," which once touted four times as many players.

Not so, argue industry insiders, who maintain that imitation is both the sincerest, and most sensible, form of flattery available to today"s game designers.

"Zynga certainly uses a formula for its games," says Libe Goad, editor-in-chief of Games.com. ""FrontierVille" takes elements of "FarmVille," including harvesting and helping neighbors, and then adds elements from more traditional strategy games to it. Since [the company] is notoriously metrics-driven, I predict that they will stick to this formula... It seems to be working well for them."

It"s a sentiment clearly echoed by Wade Tinney, CEO of Large Animal Games, makers of popular Facebook, MySpace and Bebo outings like "Bumper Stars" and "Lucky Strike Lanes."

"Certainly there are some play mechanics that reappear in "FrontierVille," but I"d expect that from any game developer," he says. Arguing that "FarmVille" was "basically a rip-off" of earlier title "myFarm" anyway, Tinney counters that "FrontierVille" is "a step in the right direction" for the company because it offers a more original take on an existing formula.

The idea of recycling core game mechanics isn"t really a big deal -- witness the number of military-themed shooters on the market for PCs and consoles, Tinney said. "If something works well, why not keep using it?"

"Games in general, including board games, sports, video games and more, tend to use successful mechanics over and over again, just like movies have formulaic plots," concurs Brenda Brathwaite, creative director at lolapps.com. "It reduces risk and takes advantage of existing player knowledge."

But Brathwaite believes the practice of recycling game concepts, while appealing to profit-minded companies, also has the potential to backfire.

"In casual games, players not only want, but need to have some kind of idea how to play a game when they first [try] them, and these common paradigms provide context," she says. "The key, however, is to innovate on them or introduce a completely new mechanic. The potential downside is that players can get tired of the same old patterns over and over again."

In FarmVille, players manage a virtual farm by planting and harvesting virtual crops and raising livestock. FrontierVille transplants this concept to the wilderness, where players fell trees, clear brush, find arrowheads and build a Western-themed homestead.

Some outspoken critics say that enough is enough already.

"There will always be some players who want more of the same," says Joel Brodie, founder of casual game reviews site Gamezebo.com. "I think the majority of game players online, however, have a short attention span and always want to be challenged."

"Some companies are releasing very innovative games," he says. "Examples include "Lucky Train" (create and send trains between friends), "Office Wars" (create an army of office workers and fight away) and "Growing Diary" (a chance to relive your life as a 5- year-old).

"I think the bigger question is whether companies that take such risks are rewarded with success on Facebook. "FrontierVille" in one hour is making more money and driving more game traffic than all the innovative games combined."

For those seeking the next big thing, experts agree that social games are just scratching the surface when it comes to pushing creative boundaries. "Social game makers are just getting warmed up," says Games.com"s Goad, citing Playfish and its swashbuckling title "Pirates Ahoy!" as a prime example.

"Nobody"s run out of ideas," agrees Brathwaite. "In fact, I think we"re seeing more diversity of topics in social games than we"re seeing in the traditional game market. Because of [social gaming"s] nature and shorter development cycles, though, we"re also more able to see the "me too" clones way faster."

Editor"s note: Christopher Ryan is a psychologist, teacher and the co-author, along with Cacilda Jethá, of "Sex at Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality," published by Harper Collins.

Editor"s note: Christopher Ryan is a psychologist, teacher and the co-author, along with Cacilda Jethá, of "Sex at Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality," published by Harper Collins.

(CNN) -- Seismic cultural shifts about 10,000 years ago rendered the true story of human sexuality so subversive and threatening that for centuries, it has been silenced by religious authorities, pathologized by physicians, studiously ignored by scientists and covered up by moralizing therapists.

In recent decades, the debate over human sexual evolution has entertained only two options: Humans evolved to be either monogamists or polygamists. This tired debate generally devolves into an antagonistic stalemate where women are said to have evolved to seek male-provisioned domesticity while every man secretly yearns for his own harem. The battle between the sexes, we"re told, is bred into our blood and bones.

Couples who turn to a therapist for guidance through the inevitable minefields of marriage are likely to receive the confusing message that long-term pair bonding comes naturally to our species, but marriage is still a lot of work.

Few mainstream therapists would contemplate trying to persuade a gay man or lesbian to "grow up, get real, and stop being gay." But most insist that long-term sexual monogamy is "normal," while the curiosity and novelty-seeking inherent in human sexuality are signs of pathology. Thus, couples are led to believe that waning sexual passion in enduring marriages or sexual interest in anyone but their partner portend a failed relationship, when in reality these things often signify nothing more than that we are Homo sapiens.

This is a problem because there is no reason to believe monogamy comes naturally to human beings. In fact, for millions of years, evolutionary forces have cultivated human libido to the point where ours is arguably the most sexual species on Earth.

Our ancestors evolved in small-scale, highly egalitarian foraging groups that shared almost everything. Anthropologists have demonstrated time and again that immediate-return hunter-gatherer societies are nearly universal in their so-called "fierce egalitarianism." Sharing is not just encouraged; it"s mandatory.

Most foragers divide and distribute meat equitably, breast-feed one another"s babies, have little or no privacy from one another, and depend upon each other every day for survival. Although our social world revolves around private property and individual responsibility, theirs spins toward interrelation and mutual dependence. This might sound like New Age idealism, but it"s no more noble a system than any other insurance pool. Compulsory sharing is simply the best way to distribute risk to everyone"s benefit in a foraging context. Pragmatic? Yes. Noble? Hardly.

For nomadic foragers who might walk hundreds of kilometers each month, personal property -- anything needed to be carried -- is kept to a minimum. Little thought is given to who owns the land, or the fish in the river, the clouds in the sky, or the kids underfoot. An individual male"s "parental investment," in other words, tends to be diffuse in societies like those in which we evolved, not directed toward one particular woman -- or harem of women -- and her children, as conventional views of our sexual evolution insist.

But when people began living in settled agricultural communities, social reality shifted deeply and irrevocably. It became crucially important to know where your property ended and your neighbor"s began. Remember the 10th Commandment: "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor"s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor"s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that [is] thy neighbor"s." With agriculture, the human female went from occupying a central, respected role to being just another possession for men to accumulate and defend, along with his house, slaves and asses.

The standard narrative posits that paternity certainty has always been of utmost importance to our species, whether expressed as monogamy or harem-based polygyny. Students are taught that our "selfish genes" lead us to organize our sexual lives around assuring paternity, but it wasn"t until the shift to agriculture that land, livestock and other forms of wealth could be kept in the family. For the first time in the history of our species, biological paternity became a concern.

Our bodies, minds and sexual habits all reflect a highly sexual primate. Research from primatology, anthropology, anatomy and psychology points to the same conclusion: A nonpossessive, gregarious sexuality was the human norm until the rise of agriculture and private property just 10,000 years ago, about 5 percent of anatomically modern humans" existence on Earth.

The two primate species closest to us lend strong -- if blush-inducing -- support to this vision. Ovulating female chimps have intercourse dozens of times per day, with most or all of the willing males, and bonobos famously enjoy frequent group sex that leaves everyone relaxed and conflict-free.

The human body tells the same story. Men"s testicles are far larger than those of any monogamous or polygynous primate, hanging vulnerably outside the body where cooler temperatures help preserve standby sperm cells for multiple ejaculations. Men sport the longest, thickest primate penis, as well as an embarrassing tendency to reach orgasm when the woman is just getting warmed up. These are all strong indications of so-called sperm competition in our species" past.

Women"s pendulous breasts, impossible-to-ignore cries of sexual delight, or "female copulatory vocalization" to the clipboard-carrying crowd, and capacity for multiple orgasms also validate this story of prehistoric promiscuity.

"But we"re not apes!" some might insist. But we are, in fact. Homo sapiens is one of four African great apes, along with chimps, bonobos and gorillas.

"OK, but we have the power to choose how to live," comes the reply. This is true. Just as we can choose to be vegans, we can decide to lead sexually monogamous lives. But newlyweds would be wise to remember that just because you"ve chosen to be vegan, it"s utterly natural to yearn for an occasional bacon cheeseburger.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Christopher Ryan.

New York -- The exasperated and infuriated mothers of the three U.S. hikers seized by Iranian forces along the Iraqi border say it"s time for the regime to free their children, who will be in custody for exactly a year this Saturday.

New York (CNN) -- The exasperated and infuriated mothers of the three U.S. hikers seized by Iranian forces along the Iraqi border say it"s time for the regime to free their children, who will be in custody for exactly a year this Saturday.

"This is unbelievable to us at this point," Nora Shourd told CNN on Friday. "I mean, it is outrageous that they are still there."

The three mothers were interviewed on CNN"s American Morning.

Shourd, the mother of hiker Sarah Shourd, said at first they thought the ordeal would be "over fairly quickly." She said it has gone on "long enough."

"Here we are at a year. You know, there"s no crime committed by these three. No reason to hold them. There never has been a reason to hold them. We know it is totally political. We know they are being used for political gain," Shourd said.

Shourd said her daughter has been in solitary confinement for the year, alone 23 hours a day, and she has medical issues.

"She"s not really receiving the medical care that she should. She has had one doctor"s visit," Shourd said.

The remarks come ahead of a weekend of demonstrations marking the first anniversary of the jailings. On Friday, there will be protests outside Iran"s embassy in London, England and Iran"s permanent U.N. mission in New York.

There will be demonstrations on Friday in Vancouver, Canada and on Saturday in Paris, France; Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Houston, Texas; Eugene, Oregon; St. Paul, Minnesota, and San Francisco, California on Saturday.

The three Americans were detained after they allegedly strayed across an unmarked border while hiking in Iraq"s Kurdistan region. The Nation magazine reported last month that two witnesses have said they saw members of Iran"s national police force cross into Iraq to apprehend the three.

Tehran has claimed the three hikers are spies. Iran"s intelligence minister has hinted the country may consider releasing them in exchange for the release of Iranian prisoners, according to state media.

Cindy Hickey, the mother of hiker Shane Bauer, said the families "have been more than patient and respectful."

"It is time for them to be returned. We heard over and over again that they would be granted maximum leniency. Things would move forward and nothing has happened. We need movement."

The United States and Iran have no diplomatic relations and have long been adversaries. The Pakistanis represent Iranian interests in Washington and the Swiss government represents U.S. interests in Iran.

Hickey said Swiss government officials and the hikers" lawyers have not been able to see the three.

"We heard nothing from our children. Again, one phone call, one visit. No letters. They have written letters. We haven"t gotten them," Hickey said.

Laura Fattal, mother of hiker Josh Fattal, said "every day" they hope that Iran will understand "enough is enough."

It"s time, she said, "for these kids to get out of Tehran and come home to the United States."

The mothers were permitted to visit their children in Tehran last May, and Fattal said the hardest day of the mothers" lives was "seeing them go into an elevator and us go into another elevator."

"We know the American government is working to end this. I know they see this anniversary as a very, very unfortunate anniversary."

-- You can"t beat Japan for variety and quality of native cuisine. Here are some of my favorite types of restaurants, followed by a few recommended Tokyo spots.

(CNN) -- You can"t beat Japan for variety and quality of native cuisine. Here are some of my favorite types of restaurants, followed by a few recommended Tokyo spots.

Noodle shops

A little more than an hour off my plane from the U.S., I was starving and had some time to kill, as my ride was going to be late to Shinagawa station. It is a very busy, somewhat bewildering train station. I"m a noodle fanatic, so I naturally homed in on a noodle shop.

For a minute or so, I studied the action: People lined up at little machines, dropped some coins in, got a ticket and entered. I followed suit, punching a button next to a picture of a bowl of udon and a small bowl of rice with some yellowish stuff on it.

Inside, I was greeted and gestured to a standing table. I gave my ticket to a waiter who asked me haltingly, "hot or cold?" I opted for hot. Moments later, my noodles and rice showed up. I still don"t really know what the bland topping on the rice was, but I ate it. The udon in dashi (with a few bits of stuff floating around) was one of the best dishes I"ve ever had.

Maybe you"ve heard that in Japan, it"s not only acceptable but polite to slurp your noodles. In a busy train station noodle shop at rush hour, the slurping is positively deafening.

There are three main warring noodle factions vying for hearts in Japan: udon (fat wheat noodles, and my favorite), soba (spaghetti-sized buckwheat noodles often eaten cold) and ramen (a Chinese import, a sexed-up version of the American college staple).

Yakitori

For my first dinner in Tokyo, I have to say I was a little disappointed when my friend suggested his favorite local yakitori joint. In a country full of unique and risky options, yakitori seemed a safe fallback. I thought it was grilled chicken kebabs, and it is, mostly. But it is all of the chicken, and it"s not always grilled.

This spot offered chicken sashimi and a few other semi-cooked versions. For the sashimi, the raw chicken is dipped in a quail egg and soy sauce before eating. I tried it, and that is about all I can say for it.

Chicken is maybe the only meat I can say, unequivocally, that I prefer cooked. And the cooked chicken was great. Even the half-raw chicken with an ume plum sauce was good.

Yakitori chefs stand in the center of the bar and carefully cook their skewers over a small bed of charcoal. Some interesting chicken parts I was served, which were all on the menu, were hearts (decent), necks (better, and boneless) and um, cartilage. Chicken cartilage is apparently something people enjoy for its "unique crunchiness." I am not one of those people. Still, the other bits of smoky goodness, including regular dark and white meat, made it a great meal.

Kaiseki

Kaiseki is the traditional Japanese meal, often served in traditional inns, consisting of many courses -- eight or more -- of small dishes. There is a lot of focus on presentation, with the arrangement of the food and even the choice of plates garnering nearly as much thought as the food itself.

Typically, there is a sashimi course, a tempura course, a rice course and one or more courses of Japanese pickles. It is a very leisurely affair, lasting hours. Many restaurants offer a toned-down version, or casual kaiseki, where you still get many elaborate small dishes, but they all come on one tray.

Bento

Bento are to-go meals in a box, consisting of many tiny dishes divided into little compartments. Most have half a dozen compartments, with at least one filled with Japanese pickles, rice, a protein and a couple of mystery items. There are purveyors of bento in train stations (and on trains), and many restaurants offer a bento that you can buy at a little side counter.

Sushi

Yes, they have sushi. You can pretty much run the gamut in price and atmosphere, including shops where the sushi rattles around on a little conveyor belt and you grab it as it comes by.

Some recommended locations:

Torishige

3-11-12 Azabu-Juban, Minato-Ku. Phone: 03 5445 1589.

The aforementioned yakitori-ya In Azabu-Juban. It"s a nice, cozy space with great chicken. The yakitori master has an interesting haircut, which I thought might have something to do with yakitori. It does not.

Udon Kurosawa

Nakagin-Roppongi Manshion 1F, 6-11-16, Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo. Phone: 03-3403-9638.

There is a great noodle restaurant between Azabu-Juban and Roppongi Hills. Udon Kurosawa takes its name from Japan"s most famous film director and approaches popular noodle dishes with the same precision. The curry udon is the same genre of curry noodles you could find at thousands of Japanese restaurants, but it is a cut above. The dish tastes like curry, but it is only slightly piquant, in a way that just catches up to you at the end of the bowl. In addition to the curry and a few other noodle bowls, they also offer complex oden (stew) dishes.

Chanko at sumo

In the Ryogoku Kokugikan

If you are attending a sumo match, consider eating at the restaurant at the Ryogoku Kokugikan. They serve large bowls of noodles to sumo and non-sumo alike, and you could end up sitting next to a rikishi, or wrestler, carb-loading for a bout. I had the "chanko," billed as the sumo wrestler"s meal. It has a pot of broth over a burner where you cook various meats, vegetables and fungi. This is complemented with pickles, a bowl of cold precooked stuff, rice and an egg. If I ate this on a regular basis, I might bulk up enough to compete.

Douai, France -- A French woman who admitted to giving birth to and then smothering eight babies over a 17-year period is "falling apart," according to her attorney.

Douai, France (CNN) -- A French woman who admitted to giving birth to and then smothering eight babies over a 17-year period is "falling apart," according to her attorney.

Lawyer Frank Berton told CNN Friday the woman, Dominique Cottrez, was "psychologically very distressed. She is depressed and falling apart. However, she admits to the crimes and she even helped the police discover the bodies."

Cottrez told investigators she killed the babies because she did not want to have any more children and did not want to see doctors for contraceptives, prosecutor Eric Vaillant told reporters Thursday. Cottrez is overweight and was able to conceal the pregnancies, he said. On Thursday, prosecutors said they had charged her with murder.

"She has been plagued by this for a long time and now she is relieved," Attorney Burton said. "My client will be undergoing psychological tests and treatment to try and understand what pushed her to commit these murders." Burton speculated on one reason: "I believe she could have suffered from pregnancy denial." Burton said Cottrez was a nurse assistant. "She comes from a conventional background. Something went very wrong. One cannot spiral down into horror without an explanation."

Cottrez was secretive but always supportive of her family, two of her daughters said in a local newspaper report published Friday.

"It"s incomprehensible," Virginie, 21, told La Voix du Nord newspaper.

Cottrez said she hid the pregnancies and deaths from her husband, Vaillant said. And daughters Virginie and Emeline, who came to court to support their mother Thursday, told La Voix du Nord they were also shocked by the news.

"We never noticed anything. She had moments of fatigue, it"s true, but she was working almost 24 hours a day. She would wake up early for her work as a nurse"s home aid, and when she would return home, she had her housework," the newspaper reported the daughters" saying.

They described their mother as a caring person who often babysat her grandchildren.

"For us, it"s something that one sees on television, but not in a little town like ours," Emeline said, according to La Voix du Nord.

The case came to light when a couple gardening in their backyard in the northern town of Villers-au-Tertre found two babies" bodies in sealed plastic bags and called police.

As word spread and reporters descended on the village, which local media have said has a population of about 700 people, residents said they were still reeling from the news.

Cottrez, 45, grew up in Villers-au-Tertre. Her parents, farmers who are now dead, owned a large part of the arable land in the village, according to La Voix du Nord.

Thursday morning, the village priest left eight candles in front of the door to the couple"s home, La Voix du Nord reported.

Police spoke to Cottrez and her husband, who had previously lived in the home, and Cottrez admitted immediately that she was the mother of the two babies the couple found gardening, Vaillant said. She then told police about six others concealed in their garage, Vaillant said.

Those six bodies were also in sealed plastic bags but were covered by various objects, he said.

Cottrez"s attorney said Friday she denies burying the babies. "She is adamant about the fact that she did not bury the babies in the garden. She also says it is definitely not her husband. We don"t know who did it but she is certain she didn"t do it and neither did her husband," Burton said.

The babies were born between 1989 and 2006, but their exact birthdates aren"t known, Vaillant said.

Cottrez had psychological problems from her first pregnancy, said Pierre-Jean Gribouva, the lawyer for her husband.

"My client is in a deep state of shock," Gribouva told CNN affiliate BFM. "He had no idea about this. He has totally fallen apart."

A difficult first pregnancy sparked Cottrez"s actions, Vaillant said. Because of her weight, the first pregnancy was "traumatic," and she didn"t want to go through it again, he said.

Vaillaint did not explain why Cottrez went through a second pregnancy with her other daughter before apparently committing the crimes.

The father, Pierre-Marie Cottrez, hopes the public does not make "simplistic conclusions" about his wife, Gribouva told BFM.

Despite reports that the husband had been charged, Vaillant said he was free to go but may still be investigated. Vaillant said he personally still had "doubts" about the father"s story.

"The sky has fallen in on his head," Vaillant said of the father.

CNN"s Saskya Vandoorne and Miranda Leitsinger contributed to this report.

New York -- The exasperated and infuriated mothers of the three U.S. hikers seized by Iranian forces along the Iraqi border say it"s time for the regime to free their children, who will be in custody for exactly a year this Saturday.

New York (CNN) -- The exasperated and infuriated mothers of the three U.S. hikers seized by Iranian forces along the Iraqi border say it"s time for the regime to free their children, who will be in custody for exactly a year this Saturday.

"This is unbelievable to us at this point," Nora Shourd told CNN on Friday. "I mean, it is outrageous that they are still there."

The three mothers were interviewed on CNN"s American Morning.

Shourd, the mother of hiker Sarah Shourd, said at first they thought the ordeal would be "over fairly quickly." She said it has gone on "long enough."

"Here we are at a year. You know, there"s no crime committed by these three. No reason to hold them. There never has been a reason to hold them. We know it is totally political. We know they are being used for political gain," Shourd said.

Shourd said her daughter has been in solitary confinement for the year, alone 23 hours a day, and she has medical issues.

"She"s not really receiving the medical care that she should. She has had one doctor"s visit," Shourd said.

The remarks come ahead of a weekend of demonstrations marking the first anniversary of the jailings. On Friday, there will be protests outside Iran"s embassy in London, England and Iran"s permanent U.N. mission in New York.

There will be demonstrations on Friday in Vancouver, Canada and on Saturday in Paris, France; Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Houston, Texas; Eugene, Oregon; St. Paul, Minnesota, and San Francisco, California on Saturday.

The three Americans were detained after they allegedly strayed across an unmarked border while hiking in Iraq"s Kurdistan region. The Nation magazine reported last month that two witnesses have said they saw members of Iran"s national police force cross into Iraq to apprehend the three.

Tehran has claimed the three hikers are spies. Iran"s intelligence minister has hinted the country may consider releasing them in exchange for the release of Iranian prisoners, according to state media.

Cindy Hickey, the mother of hiker Shane Bauer, said the families "have been more than patient and respectful."

"It is time for them to be returned. We heard over and over again that they would be granted maximum leniency. Things would move forward and nothing has happened. We need movement."

The United States and Iran have no diplomatic relations and have long been adversaries. The Pakistanis represent Iranian interests in Washington and the Swiss government represents U.S. interests in Iran.

Hickey said Swiss government officials and the hikers" lawyers have not been able to see the three.

"We heard nothing from our children. Again, one phone call, one visit. No letters. They have written letters. We haven"t gotten them," Hickey said.

Laura Fattal, mother of hiker Josh Fattal, said "every day" they hope that Iran will understand "enough is enough."

It"s time, she said, "for these kids to get out of Tehran and come home to the United States."

The mothers were permitted to visit their children in Tehran last May, and Fattal said the hardest day of the mothers" lives was "seeing them go into an elevator and us go into another elevator."

"We know the American government is working to end this. I know they see this anniversary as a very, very unfortunate anniversary."

Douai, France -- French prosecutors said Thursday they charged a woman with murder after she admitted giving birth to and smothering eight babies over a 17-year period in northern France.

Douai, France (CNN) -- French prosecutors said Thursday they charged a woman with murder after she admitted giving birth to and smothering eight babies over a 17-year period in northern France.

The woman, Dominique Cottrez, said she hid the pregnancies and deaths from her husband, who said he had no idea what she had done, prosecutor Eric Vaillant told reporters. Cottrez is overweight and was able to conceal the pregnancies, he said.

Cottrez told investigators the reason she killed the babies was that she did not want to have any more children and did not want to see doctors for contraceptives, Vaillant said.

Despite earlier reports that the husband had been charged, Vaillant said he was free to go but may still be investigated. Vaillant said he personally still had "doubts" about the father"s story.

"The sky has fallen in on his head," Vaillant said of the father, Pierre-Marie Cottrez. "He indicated he had no idea she was pregnant."

Vaillant said there are no other babies" bodies left to be found.

The case came to light when a couple gardening in their backyard in the northern town of Villers-au-Tertre found two babies" bodies in sealed plastic bags and called police.

Police spoke to Cottrez and her husband, who had previously lived in the home, and Cottrez admitted immediately that she was the mother of the two babies, Vaillant said. She then told police about six others concealed in their garage, Vaillant said.

Those six bodies were also in sealed plastic bags but were covered by various objects, he said.

Cottrez, a nurse, had psychological problems from her first pregnancy, said Pierre-Jean Gribouva, the lawyer for her husband.

"My client is in a deep state of shock," Gribouva told CNN affiliate BFM. "He had no idea about this. He has totally fallen apart."

The babies were born between 1989 and 2006, but their exact birthdates aren"t known, Vaillant said.

"She knew that she was pregnant every time, and she has admitted this," Vaillant said. Cottrez "answered in a very straightforward way."

Cottrez and her husband have two adult daughters, but it was a difficult first pregnancy that sparked her actions, Vaillant said. Because of her weight, the first pregnancy was "traumatic," and she didn"t want to go through it again, he said.

Vaillaint did not explain why Cottrez went through a second pregnancy with her other daughter before apparently committing the crimes.

Pierre-Marie Cottrez hopes the public does not make "simplistic conclusions" about his wife, Gribouva told BFM.

The family members "are supporting the wife and the mother because they realize she has serious problems," he said. "There is no rejection of her as a wife and mother."

Psychotherapist Lucy Beresford told CNN that very little was known about incidences of infanticide because it was a taboo subject. A paper published in the Journal of the American Medical Association by researchers in North Carolina estimated that 2.1 cases of infanticide occurred for every 100,000 births, but Beresford said the body of psychological research was "slim."

Research suggested that women who denied or concealed their pregnancies, for whatever reason, were a "high-risk" group, she said. But other factors could trigger infanticide as well.

"It could actually be to do with the social isolation of the mother, or it could be their psychopathology prior to pregnancy," Beresford told CNN.

"For example, do they have a history of substance abuse or other mental health concerns that have contributed to them being in this situation which they cannot accept as a reality?"

Postnatal depression could also be a possible contributory factor, she said.

"That could be because when they"re depressed they"re not really of sound mind. It could be that they genuinely believe they are unworthy to be a parent. Or it could just be the level of disordered thinking that comes with being depressed."

CNN"s Phil Black contributed to this report.

Editor"s note: Scott Steinberg is the head of technology and video game consulting firm TechSavvy Global, as well as the founder of GameExec magazine and Game Industry TV. He frequently appears as an on-air technology analyst for ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and CNN. His most recent book is "Get Rich Playing Games."

Editor"s note: Scott Steinberg is the head of technology and video game consulting firm TechSavvy Global, as well as the founder of GameExec magazine and Game Industry TV. He frequently appears as an on-air technology analyst for ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and CNN. His most recent book is "Get Rich Playing Games."

(CNN) -- The more things change, the more they play the same.

Credit a growing onslaught of video game remakes, as evidenced by recent blasts from the past from "Monkey Island 2 Special Edition" to a modernized spin on "Rocket Knight."

Helping bridge the gap between generations, these titles look to be a major force in gaming going forward, much to the delight of fans new and old.

There are several reasons why retro gaming is suddenly flourishing again.

Thanks partially goes to the growing accessibility of high-speed broadband, the burgeoning market for smartphones and other connected devices, and a rise in public awareness of modern PC and consoles" ability to download games on-demand.

But while 50 million iPhones have been sold, and services like Xbox Live and PlayStation Network now boast tens of millions of subscribers, fundamental economic factors are also at play here.

Consider that games designed for digital distribution services are typically smaller, are easier to assemble and cost less for publishers to deliver -- savings that often translate into lower price tags.

At the same time, cash-strapped yet tech-savvy players are increasingly looking for ways to stretch every dollar. For publishers looking to offset the risks associated with spending tens of millions of dollars and countless years creating traditional blockbusters, it often presents an opportunity too good to ignore.

Dipping into their back catalogue of games and dusting off popular franchises with small but loyal built-in followings can many times provide a profitable sideline.

Even free Facebook apps or fan-made outings such as the episodic "King"s Quest" update "The Silver Lining" can help developers gauge public interest in updates or stir up excitement for planned reboots.

Classic games from "Contra" ("Hard Corps: Uprising") to "Castlevania," "Bionic Commando" to "Rush"N Attack," are all due to get an extreme makeover shortly.

But nostalgia also continues to be a powerful force on traditional gaming platforms like the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Rehashes of old favorites including "NBA Jam," "Donkey Kong Country," "Splatterhouse," "Metroid," "GoldenEye 007" and "Mortal Kombat" are all due shortly.

Series like "Myst," "Final Fantasy," "Tetris" and "The Legend of Zelda" continue to thrive on handheld platforms too, with even yesteryear"s longest-running holdout, "Kid Icarus," getting a much-overdue comeback on the Nintendo 3DS shortly.

The iPhone and iPad are playing home to revamps of "Frogger," "R-Type," "Pac-Man" and other retro franchises.

Classic online storefronts such as the Wii"s Virtual Console continue to offer access to childhood hits including "Punch-Out!!" and "Super Mario Bros" (both of which have also been reborn on the Wii courtesy of custom retreads).

Today"s smartest game publishers aren"t content to let their titles fall into the category of "abandonware," or software that"s become discontinued and unsupported. Instead, they"re learning that with a little bit of spit and polish, even the mustiest old gems can once again shine.

Resourceful video game fans know that software emulators like MAME, DOSBox and ZSNES have long allowed enthusiasts, legally or not, to relive the magic of yesteryear"s arcade and home gaming hits.

But all you can do with them is watch virtual history repeat itself. With classic gaming icons ranging from Guybrush Threepwood to Sonic the Hedgehog all lining up for extreme makeovers lately, going forward, you may get a chance to rewrite it instead.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Scott Steinberg.

Editor"s note: Scott Steinberg is the head of technology and video game consulting firm TechSavvy Global, as well as the founder of GameExec magazine and Game Industry TV. He frequently appears as an on-air technology analyst for ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and CNN. His most recent book is "Get Rich Playing Games."

Editor"s note: Scott Steinberg is the head of technology and video game consulting firm TechSavvy Global, as well as the founder of GameExec magazine and Game Industry TV. He frequently appears as an on-air technology analyst for ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and CNN. His most recent book is "Get Rich Playing Games."

(CNN) -- The more things change, the more they play the same.

Credit a growing onslaught of video game remakes, as evidenced by recent blasts from the past from "Monkey Island 2 Special Edition" to a modernized spin on "Rocket Knight."

Helping bridge the gap between generations, these titles look to be a major force in gaming going forward, much to the delight of fans new and old.

There are several reasons why retro gaming is suddenly flourishing again.

Thanks partially goes to the growing accessibility of high-speed broadband, the burgeoning market for smartphones and other connected devices, and a rise in public awareness of modern PC and consoles" ability to download games on-demand.

But while 50 million iPhones have been sold, and services like Xbox Live and PlayStation Network now boast tens of millions of subscribers, fundamental economic factors are also at play here.

Consider that games designed for digital distribution services are typically smaller, are easier to assemble and cost less for publishers to deliver -- savings that often translate into lower price tags.

At the same time, cash-strapped yet tech-savvy players are increasingly looking for ways to stretch every dollar. For publishers looking to offset the risks associated with spending tens of millions of dollars and countless years creating traditional blockbusters, it often presents an opportunity too good to ignore.

Dipping into their back catalogue of games and dusting off popular franchises with small but loyal built-in followings can many times provide a profitable sideline.

Even free Facebook apps or fan-made outings such as the episodic "King"s Quest" update "The Silver Lining" can help developers gauge public interest in updates or stir up excitement for planned reboots.

Classic games from "Contra" ("Hard Corps: Uprising") to "Castlevania," "Bionic Commando" to "Rush"N Attack," are all due to get an extreme makeover shortly.

But nostalgia also continues to be a powerful force on traditional gaming platforms like the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Rehashes of old favorites including "NBA Jam," "Donkey Kong Country," "Splatterhouse," "Metroid," "GoldenEye 007" and "Mortal Kombat" are all due shortly.

Series like "Myst," "Final Fantasy," "Tetris" and "The Legend of Zelda" continue to thrive on handheld platforms too, with even yesteryear"s longest-running holdout, "Kid Icarus," getting a much-overdue comeback on the Nintendo 3DS shortly.

The iPhone and iPad are playing home to revamps of "Frogger," "R-Type," "Pac-Man" and other retro franchises.

Classic online storefronts such as the Wii"s Virtual Console continue to offer access to childhood hits including "Punch-Out!!" and "Super Mario Bros" (both of which have also been reborn on the Wii courtesy of custom retreads).

Today"s smartest game publishers aren"t content to let their titles fall into the category of "abandonware," or software that"s become discontinued and unsupported. Instead, they"re learning that with a little bit of spit and polish, even the mustiest old gems can once again shine.

Resourceful video game fans know that software emulators like MAME, DOSBox and ZSNES have long allowed enthusiasts, legally or not, to relive the magic of yesteryear"s arcade and home gaming hits.

But all you can do with them is watch virtual history repeat itself. With classic gaming icons ranging from Guybrush Threepwood to Sonic the Hedgehog all lining up for extreme makeovers lately, going forward, you may get a chance to rewrite it instead.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Scott Steinberg.

-- If online reports are to be believed, Google could be cooking up a rival for Facebook -- and bringing the maker of popular social games like "FarmVille" with them.

(CNN) -- If online reports are to be believed, Google could be cooking up a rival for Facebook -- and bringing the maker of popular social games like "FarmVille" with them.

Google Games, built around some sort of partnership with casual-gaming company Zynga, is in the works and would be part of a larger social network called Google Me, according to technology blog Tech Crunch.

Statements from notable internet players, including Digg founder Kevin Rose and a former Facebook chief technical officer, have suggested in recent weeks that the search-engine giant is working on a social network geared toward rivaling Facebook.

TechCrunch this weekend reported that unnamed sources said Google has invested between $100 and $200 million in Zynga, the maker of successful online social games like "FarmVille" and "Mafia Wars."

The investment part of the deal was confirmed last month and a "larger strategic project" is still in the works, according to that report.

A Zynga spokeswoman said Monday that the company has no comment on the reports. A Google spokesman referred questions to the company"s media-relations e-mail account, which did not respond to inquiries.

The popularity of Zynga"s games -- more than 50 million people play them on any given day, according to developerAnalytics -- could bring considerable heft to any online networking or gaming project Google launched.

The obvious question then would become whether the "Farmville" maker would pull its games from Facebook. That would be a tall order considering the success those games have seen.

The TechCrunch report also added a new wrinkle to the Google Me speculation -- saying the Zynga deal would be part of a project called Google Games, according to sources.

On the question-and-answer site Quora, former Facebook technical officer Adam D"Angelo said the Google Me rumors are real. The project would build on Google Buzz, a social networking effort rolled out by Google in February, he said. Google Buzz has been widely criticized by tech pundits.

Reports have not offered details on how a Google site would look, whether it would link to Gmail and other Google pages like Buzz does, or how Google Games would integrate with it.

"This is not a rumor. This is a real project. There are a large number of people working on it. I am completely confident about this,"D"Angelo wrote.

"They realized that Buzz wasn"t enough and that they need to build out a full, first-class social network. They are modeling it off of Facebook."

(CNN) -- It"s a wild, nasty world under the sheets.

The mattress can be a jungle of dust mites and bedbugs, milling around among dried remnants of blood, saliva, sweat and basically all the other bodily fluids you can think of.

Bedbugs have become minor celebrities this week with a report from the National Pest Management Association showing that the problem is on the rise. Bedbug calls have gone up by 81 percent since 2000, the study said, and 67 percent of surveyed pest management companies have treated bedbug infestations in hotels or motels.

These insects are about a quarter-inch long and eat at night, said Howard Russell, entomologist with diagnostic services at Michigan State University. Impressively, while humans can live only a matter of weeks without food, bedbugs can live up to one year without eating -- and their meals consist of blood.

"They"re well-adapted to being a parasite," Russell said. "It"s really hard to starve them out."

Bedbugs, which leave behind itchy bite marks and can even lead to allergic reaction in some people, aren"t the only pests that could be lurking beneath your pillow.

About 10 percent of people are sensitive to house dust mites, said Dr. Clifford Bassett, an allergist in New York. They are even more of a problem for people with asthma.

As if the presence of microscopic eight-legged vermin weren"t gross enough, consider that it"s not the mites that cause some people to cough and sneeze. It"s their excrement.

If this is a problem, consider trying an "allergy-proof" slip cover on your mattress to keep the mites trapped in, so they can"t access your sheets and pillows, he said. Also, wash your linens in 130° F heated water frequently. Children"s toys can also serve as home to dust mites, so if they"re not machine-washable, put them in bags in the freezer for five hours at a time to kill the invisible bugs.

Good vacuuming of the mattress itself is a key line of defense against allergy-causing mites, said Dr. Sharon Horesh Bergquist, assistant professor in the department of medicine at Emory University.

"I don"t think people give a lot of thought and energy into proper mattress care.

"It really can improve not only the quality of people"s sleep but also reduce their chances of having mites and infestations of bedbugs," she said. "It can go a long way."

Having a mattress pad, particularly of the waterproof kind, is also good to prevent mold and mildew issues, in addition to helping control allergens, said Evan Saks, founder of create-a-mattress.com. Don"t forget to wash the pad every few months, he said.

Also, be a little cautious about letting outdoor pets on the bed, Bergquist said. Other kinds of vermin such as lice and scabies can get into the mattress as well, although they are less common than mite and bedbug problems.

All of these bugs and the traces they leave behind, along with the fluids and hair of the human body and whatever pets might hang out on the bed, add up. Companies such as Sit "N Sleep Mattress Superstore warn that mattresses double in weight every eight to 10 years because of that accumulation of dust mites, bodily fluids and other wear and tear.

But Saks says claims of mattresses doubling weight are probably exaggerated. That would mean that the mattress would weigh four times as much in 20 years, which is "obviously not possible," he said. Bergquist is also skeptical about claims of mattresses doubling in weight.

Saks says you should pay attention to the warranty on your mattress -- when it runs out, that"s probably a good time to get rid of the mattress. Over time, the foams and coils compress, making it less comfortable.

The warranty usually gives instructions on taking care of the mattress, and usually recommends rotating it every two weeks in the first few months to even out the impressions left by sleeping bodies. Eventually you can just rotate it every six months, he said.

If you suspect that there are bedbugs in your hotel room, don"t leave your luggage in there or cover it with plastic bags so that you don"t take them home with you, Russell said.

A mattress infested with bedbugs should be thrown out right away, Russell said, or else covered with a heavy-duty plastic bag.

Here"s how you tell if the nagging red spots on your legs came from bedbugs or mosquitoes: it"s the bedbugs that leave dark, reddish-brown spots on the sheets because they defecate as they feed, he said.

"Inspection is really a key element in identifying a bedbug problem and preventing a bedbug problem," he said. "A magnifying glass would help you in your quest to find them."

(Tribune Media Services) -- Terri Widder hesitated seconds before she booked a recent flight from Chicago to Tulsa. Something felt wrong.

She scrolled up on her computer screen and noticed an option to buy a $19.95 insurance policy that would protect her if her trip were canceled, her bags were stolen or she needed emergency assistance.

The box was already checked.

"Fortunately, I caught it before I confirmed the reservation," said Widder, a retiree who lives in Carol Stream, Illinois. "I believe this is just another way to mislead the customer and get more in fees and adjustments in revenue from people who may not be that familiar with the process. There are no benefits to the customer."

Forcing travelers to opt out of a purchase when they"re buying a ticket or a hotel room isn"t new. But the volume of complaints I"ve received about pre-checking is on the rise, as is the number of well-known travel companies engaged in this questionable e-commerce practice.

American Airlines, the carrier on which Widder had booked her tickets, says it doesn"t pre-check boxes online and referred my questions to Yahoo Travel, the online travel agency through which the reservation was made. That site offers a policy through Travel Guard, and as it turns out, it"s a good thing Widder gave her itinerary the once-over. If she hadn"t, she"d be stuck with a nonrefundable policy, according to the terms on the Travel Guard site.

"The practice of including travel insurance and other ancillary benefits is becoming more and more standard," said Dan McGinnity, a spokesman for Travel Guard. "Thousands of people purchase travel insurance in this way. Our complaint rate is less than one-tenth of 1 percent."

Travelocity, which handles bookings for Yahoo Travel and is the company responsible for the pre-checking, said a majority of its users -- 86 percent of customers booking domestic trips and 75 percent of those buying international vacations -- click the "no" button.

"The price is also broken out as a separate cost, so there is no confusion on what is the airfare charge and the travel protection charge," said Travelocity spokesman Joel Frey. "Should, however, a customer initially overlook the travel protection offer during checkout and later decide they do not want it, we"ll provide a refund within one billing cycle from the time of purchase."

A follow-up call to Travelocity"s reservation number suggested that there might be some confusion about its return policy. A representative told me that an accidental insurance purchase might be refunded if it was bought within 24 hours.

Joyce Carlson, a reader from Oakland, California, recently had a similar experience to Widder"s when buying a round-trip airline ticket from San Francisco to Tokyo on Orbitz. She discovered that she"d left her box checked and inadvertently purchased a policy through Access America. She wrote to Orbitz asking for a refund and received what appeared to be a form letter denying the request.

"We have found that many of our customers choose travel insurance when booking an international vacation to protect their investment in their trip should covered emergencies require that the trip be canceled," an Orbitz representative said. "Therefore, we default to "Yes, Add Ticket Protector Plus" to provide this peace of mind."

I looped back in with Orbitz, where a spokesman told me, "I"m pretty sure we"re following industry practices in terms of how insurance is sold."

Oh, really?

"I think it"s unethical and obnoxious," said Lauren Bloom, a business ethicist based in Springfield. "You"re tricking people into buying your product."

Thomas Way, an associate professor of computing sciences at Villanova University, said pre-checking isn"t an industry standard. "We teach our software engineering students that if they are designing a website, it should never do anything the visitor doesn"t explicitly ask it to do," he told me. "Forcing an opt-out selection of anything -- much less a purchase -- is a great way to anger customers, drive away business and ultimately ruin one"s business."

The U.S. Travel Insurance Association, a trade group to which both Access America and Travel Guard belong, doesn"t explicitly forbid pre-checking. Its code of ethics requires members to present their products "clearly and accurately" and to "make no misrepresentations, false or malicious statements" about their products or services.

Ethical or not, the practice may be illegal, according to Jeff Langenderfer, an associate professor at the Meredith College School of Business in Raleigh, North Carolina. "Under basic guidelines of contract law, silence is not a contractual acceptance," he said. "In other words, someone can"t send you a letter reading, "If I don"t hear from you by Friday, we have a contract" and thereby bind you. In many ways, a pre-checked purchase box is not any different in that it requires no active assent from a purchaser, and thus tries to create a contract by inaction or silence -- something that the law has prohibited for a very long time."

Customers agree that having to opt out of a purchase is out of line.

"This is akin to a car dealer negotiating a price but then slipping into the final paperwork a charge for upholstery stain protection or hundred-dollar floor mats that you did not order and do not need," said John Polich, a college professor in New York, who has had two trip insurance polices added to his cruises "as a favor" by his online travel agency in the past year.

Even some insurance companies frown on the practice. While Access America doesn"t have any written guidelines for agents who sell its insurance, it recommends letting travelers make a choice. "The best practice we recommend is to require the customer to make a yes-or-no purchase decision," said Mark Cipolletti, an Access America spokesman. "In other words, neither option is pre-checked."

When made aware of Carlson"s unwanted insurance purchase, Access America offered her a full refund.

Although insurance is primarily regulated by the states, the Transportation Department could step in -- at least in the case of airlines -- and put an end to pre-checking with a simple administrative rulemaking. Insurance companies, prodded by a few forward-looking state insurance commissioners, could also instruct their resellers to end the practice.

Until then, travelers booking online must be extra careful before they click the "buy" button. Review the entire screen, as well as the fine print, to ensure that no one has checked a box for your convenience. Or theirs.

(Christopher Elliott is the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine. You can read more travel tips on his blog, elliott.org or e-mail him at celliott@ngs.org).

© 2010 CHRISTOPHER ELLIOTT DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.

-- Vietnam"s Ministry of Information and Communications has cut off overnight public Internet access in businesses and banned advertisements of online games pending new regulations amid a public outcry over the games" influence on youth, the state-run news agency reported.

(CNN) -- Vietnam"s Ministry of Information and Communications has cut off overnight public Internet access in businesses and banned advertisements of online games pending new regulations amid a public outcry over the games" influence on youth, the state-run news agency reported.

The move also temporarily stopped the licensing of online games. Vietnamese officials announced the decision Tuesday and said it would remain in effect until the end of the year.

Government officials said they hope to crack down on games with violent, gambling and pornographic content and rate the games, according to VietNam News.

The crackdown on online games follows local reports which have blamed an increase in juvenile crime and school truancy on the influence of and addiction to online games.

Some have complained that youths spend too much time and money playing online games. In addition, violent and sexually explicit games have been blamed for many recent crimes.

Online gaming attracts an estimated 2 to 3 million youth in Vietnam.

A recent survey conducted by the Ministry of Education and Training showed 70 to 76 percent of primary school children play online games on weekdays.

During the weekends, 100 percent of respondents said they played online games, the news agency reported.

The country has 22 licensed gaming companies which license 93 games. Internet shops, or cafes, will not have online access from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. under the ban.