Recently by Kristen Kuebelbeck

Photo retrieved from NYDailyNews.com

My friends and I have been waiting for the season premiere of WE's High School Confidential for months, and it is finally here! Tonight, the show will premiere for the first time on WE. For those of you who haven't heard about this, it is a show that follows 12 high schooler girls from freshman to senior year. It follows them through the ups and downs of high school. The craziest part about it is that it is taped at Blue Valley Northwest in Johnson County. With so many people at our university, including myself, that are from this area, I could imagine that many people will be watching this.

Although I do know the sisters of some of these girls, I don't know them personally. I can't imagine how any of them are feeling right now with the show about to premiere. Since WE is a national network, people from across the nation are going to be able to watch their high school experiences.

I would imagine that some of the girls might not be ready for what they are about to experience. I know that all of these girls are currently sophomores in college. When I was a sophomore, I would consider myself pretty different from who I was in high school. I fear that the problems that these girls faced in high school are now going to continue to follow them in college. The website for the show http://highschool.wetv.com/ gives bios for each of the 12 girls. They have also coined each girl for having a specific "niche." While some of the girls are coined as "the best friend" or "the party girl," some of the girls are coined as "suicidal thoughts" and "anorexic wrist cutter." I really hope that any problems that these girls faced in high school are over and dealt with, but I fear that some of the wounds may still be fresh.

The creator of the show, a mother herself, says that she did this to explore what happens to girls during the years of high school. I think that this show will really help other high school girls that are going through these same problems. Many TV shows seem to show unrealistic aspects of highschool from each side side (example: Full House to The O.C.) I think that this show will prove that teenagers, especially girls, go through a tough transition in high school.

Photo retrieved by http://www.latimerwilliams.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/evacuating_columbine.jpg

After our discussion about Columbine in yesturday's class, I went home thinking a lot about it. I even discussed the topic with some of my roomates. I really started to think about how that one school shooting has really shaped our generation. Yes, there are have been many more public and school shootings before this one. For some reason, this shooting hit my friends and me harder then any other shooting. I remember being in 7th grade at the time. I also remember that it was the first of many days that I would be scared at my own school. Before the shooting I trusted everyone in my school, even the people that I didn't know. After the shooting, that trust was gone. I have never felt so betrayed by something that did not happen to me personally. We were always taught to be careful on the street, or don't talk to strangers. We were never taught to fear the people in our own schools! I honestly feel that our generation majorly changed after Columbine.

I found a really interesting article online at http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/news/20080220/school-shootings-the-columbine-generation-copes about the topic. Scott Poland, who has been involved in crisis work with 11 school shootings including Columbine, said that "Columbine sent shock waves through every school in America." People have proposed that our generation has had more exposure to violence (television, music, movies, actual exposure) then any other generation. I'm not sure if its true, but it sure feels this way. It has changed the way that our generation looks at violence. Its almost expected that a school shooting will happen at least once a year.

Since Columbine more than 20 school shootings have occured in America, some more horrific then others. But like someone said, when we see a new school shooting we think about Columbine. It's like everything goes back to that day. It is sad that we can't feel safe in our own classrooms. It's sad that we feel uneasy when someone dressed in a black trenchcoat on campus. In my opinion, Columbine majorly affected our generation, and will continue to affect us forever. I will truely never forget where I was and the way that I felt on April 20th, 1999.

Photo of Patti Stanger provided by Bravotv.com

A few months ago I caught a preview for Bravo's new reality TV show called "Millionaire Matchmaker." I was not interested by the preview so I never ended up watching the show. With absolutely NO new TV shows coming anytime soon (most prime time shows coming back in April), I decided to watch it the other day. I figured that Bravo, in my opinion, has created many good reality shows in the past. Bravo can be attributed to creating Project Runway, Real Housewives of Orange County, and Top Chef.

They must have been on something when they decided to make this show! I can honestly say that I think it is one of the worst shows I have ever seen; it makes Flavor of Love look like The Bachelor! The concept of the show: 30-45 year old millionaire men looking for LOVE and 20-35 year old women looking for MONEY!

The show starts out with the owner of the millionaires's club, Patti Stanger, introducing 2 or 3 new millionaires. She finds out what the men like and go back to interview women. When she finds their "matches" she sets up some type of party to introduce the millionaire's to the women. Seems okay? Just wait.

The tag line for the show is "Where successful men go to meet beautiful and intelligent wives." Beautiful and intelligent wives that are only meeting these men because they are millionaires? Men have to pay $30,000 a year to even belong to this exclusive club. This supplies them with a year of unlimited dating, oh and also a year of paying for every single date that they go on! All the women do is take the fashion advice of the owner (who isn't exactly a fashionista herself), show up, and look pretty. Once everyone has met, the men get to decide which girl he takes on another date. And it goes from there...

I totally understand that when people are working hard they may not have time to meet the right person for them. There are many different dating services that they could use! Why do they have to join a club that makes them make a certain amount of money a year to even join. And the best part, women join for FREE! So the man has to be a millionaire and the woman could be a crack head with a pretty face and good body. I just think that this show is teaching America the wrong concept of "love." True love shouldn't start by showcasing the amount of money you make or the extravagant lifestyle that you lead. Come on Bravo, you could do better!

Picture: Perezhilton.com
It has happened again! Another Hollywood socialite has been arrested for a DUI. Barron Hilton, Paris Hilton's 18 year old brother, was arrested early Tuesday morning for driving under the influence. According to Perezhilton.com little Barron blew almost double the legal limit. Has he not learned from his older sister's jail time?
I just find it ridiculous that these celebrities and socialites keep getting DUIs! In the past two years Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, and Mischa Barton all were caught driving under the influence. I understand that they want to go out and party with their friends, who wouldn't? Drinking is not the problem here. Driving while drinking is the problem. Each one of these girls are worth millions of dollars. Why can't they call a cab home? Better yet, why don't they call a limo or a helicopter to take them home? We all know that they could afford any of the above. I find it annoying because if college students can afford to take a cab home, why can't they do the same?
Its not only young Hollywood who are getting DUIs. Mel Gibson, Ty Pennington, and Kiefer Sutherland have all recently been arrested for driving drunk. These men are all over 40 years old! I would hope that by 40 you would know right from wrong. Right: calling a cab to bring your drunken self home. Wrong: driving while drunk and risking your lives and others.
I know that all these people are just living their lives and might not want to be considered "role models". As a 21 year old I definitely do not consider Paris Hilton or any of her friends my role model. There are many 16 year olds around the nation that are starting to drive, and possibly starting to drink. Watching their favorite celebrities getting DUIs is giving them the wrong idea. Aside from that, drinking and driving is very dangerous to yourself and others. Thank God that none of these people have hurt anyone else.
All I am saying is that it is ridiculous with all the money that these people are making that they cant pay $20 for a simple cab ride! Stop driving drunk, mug shots are just getting old.

Picture: CNN.com

Two weeks ago footage appeared with new evidence in the Natalee Holloway mystery. Hidden cameras caught Joran Van der Sloot explaining what really happened the night that Natalee went missing. The question now is if the evidence is enough to convict him. I understand that there are legal issues that could prohibit his arrest, but come on! He describes the whole situation in great detail, and the worst part was that he didnt even show any remorse for his actions. Patrick, his "friend" who videotaped him, recently got emotional while talking about Joran. He could understand how someone could be so cruel. All he wanted was to hear Joran show remorse for what he did. Not only does he have no emotions about the situation, but he was practically bragging about it. Before the tape was released he called a Holland news station and told them that he knew about the hidden cameras. He also said that he was only saying what he did to impress his new friend. What kind of person thinks that killing someone is "impressive?"
Natalee's mom recently spoke with Dateline about the new evidence. She told Dateline that "she wasnt surprised by Joran's behavior." This poor mother has been back and forth to Aruba for the past 2 1/2 years and this is the first piece of evidence that has brought her closure. She told Dateline that even if nothing happens to him legally he will eventually pay for what he did. She also said that she could finally find closure from this evidence.
The question now is what's next? Will Joran be convicted? Will the case even be reopened? Even if the story he told was not completely true it is very obvious that Joran had a big part in Natalee's disappearance. He needs to pay for what he did to her and everyone who loved her.

For decades New Orleans has been the hot spot for Mardi Gras partiers. Every year thousands of people travel to the southern state for some fun before the start of the Lenten season. For many Midwesterners, New Orleans is not the destination of choice for their Mardi Gras celebration. The Soulard Distract in St. Louis, MO is the nation's 2nd biggest destination for Mardi Gras.
The official website for St. Louis's Mardi Gras, Mardigrasinc.com, says that up to hundreds of thousands of people attend each year, depending on the weather. Like New Orleans, Soulard's festivities include fun for all ages. On the Saturday morning before Fat Tuesday there is a parade with floats from surrounding restaurants and companies. After the parade, the streets of Soulard turn into Mardi Gras mayhem. Different companies, such as Budweiser, host party tents every year. The bars in Soulard also have their own Mardi Gras celebrations.
MardiGrasInc.com says that this year's theme is "Let the Games Begin." The floats will all be themed around board games, bar games, even mind games. So if your 21 and feel like going to Mardi Gras but cant afford the plane ticket to New Orleans, consider the 4 1/2 hour drive to the nation's second biggest party spot: St. Louis!