Recently by Lauren Hendrick

China's Sichuan Provence
Photo: CNN

An overwhelming amount of people have died during violent weather in the last couple of weeks. Just today China experienced a large earth quake suspected of killing up to 8,000 people. Last week Cyclone Nargis swept through Myanmar, killing anywhere from 28,000-100,000 people, not to mention the thousands of missing people. The Myanmar regime is neglecting support from Western nations, leaving many without shelter and in starvation. Neighboring states are also experiencing turmoil as a tornado devastated the border between Oklahoma and Missouri. Every year the world is witnessing a magnitude of horrible weather including tsunamis, hurricanes, cyclones, and tornados. It is frightening to think about the future of severe weather, and the available resources.

When I was a junior and senior in high school several years ago, I remember some skimpy prom dresses, but not revealing enough to be denied enterance to prom. Marche Taylor hand crafted her own prom dress and was told she could not enter the Marriot where her prom was taking place. She demanded her money back, and a verbal exchange with school officials esculated to a phone call to the police. Because the video does not desccribe the way both parties were reacting in the situation, there is no way of knowing if the phone call was justified. All I know is that if had been the principal at the front of the door, I would have told Taylor to put some clothes on. While it looks fashion show acceptable, it's just not appropriate for high school. The dress, which makes J-Lo's infamous Grammy dress look modest, was definitely a call for attention. It looks like Taylor could fall out of the dress if she stepped wrong. I'm not sure how this story landed on CNN's news feed, but if Taylor has been the one calling the media, all she is doing is making herself look irrational to the country. Anyone disagree? Is this the direction prom dresses are headed? Take a look at the prom dress by watching this video.

Thanks to Guitar Hero, I can now have meaningful conversations about classic rock and alternative big weights with my eight and nine-year-old brothers. They know classic songs by Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, The Police, Pat Benatar, Heart, and even more contemporary artists like Weezer and Rage Against The Machine. Guitar Hero I, II, AND III has successfully filled gaps between generations of people who enjoy music and who dream of being rock stars, and the game creators are preparing to connect generations once more with Guitar Hero IV.

I LOVE Guitar Hero, and know how addicting the game can become. I am recently fascinated with the game's ability to captivate anyone who enjoys music, children and adults alike. Rock Band has the identical ability to reach to various age groups, which I have seen first hand at home where my parents and young brothers spend hours playing in a band together.

I also witnessed the music-based-video-game phenomena just this last month while working a wedding reception. The bride and groom requested a Guitar Hero area for friends and family to enjoy. I observed as middle aged and old men watched a bunch of 20-somthings rocked out while playing the game, eager to give the guitar their best shot. Paired with an interesting selection of wedding music that included artists like Evenesence, you could say the reception was rather non-traditional.

The game itself is anything but traditional when examining the range of people in which Guitar Hero appeals. Expected to release this fall, Guitar Hero IV will saddle up to compete with Rock Band by incorporating more instruments.

If you haven't played Guitar Hero or Rock Band, you may want to get on that.

I have felt very bothered by the recent events surrounding the polygamist ranch in Texas. I was never aware polygamy was still relevant on such a large scale. As of Friday, the 416 children that were taken into custody by the state of Texas are still in custody and blood tests have been ordered for every child to determine their biological parents. This whole case has drawn attention to more than the possibility of sexual abuse of young children within the church. The lives of young people growing up in communities like the Texas ranch are entirely controlled.

I was watching The Today Show Friday morning and Meredith Vieira was interviewing two boys and a couple who took them in after they had been shunned by their communities. "The lost boys," or young men I should say, talked about how they were not allowed to watch TV, listen to music, or have any contact with the outside world. When they did, they were kicked out of their communities, rejected by their families, and like many in their situation, turned to substance abuse. The Today Show later discussed that many boys are shunned from their communities because there are simply not enough women to go around. When each man has an average of three wives, the circle of available females shrinks. To see the interview from The Today Show,click here.

The whole story is a complete nightmare. American is one of few countries that truly embraces religious freedom, but this is one of those instances that definitely pushes the envelope. I imagine that I am not the only one who feels poorly educated about anything having to do with Mormonism and particular sects of the church. I read somewhere that polygamy is practiced because it is a way to reach a higher level of heaven. I know there must be more to the justification of polygamy, but I will admit that I am completely vulnerable to anything the media reports about ranch, ready to believe whatever I read and watch.

Does anyone have thoughts about the coverage?

I'm shocked by the recent surge of teens broadcasting their dangerous behaviors on YouTube. I was listening to the radio the other morning and they were talking about teens posting videos of themselves and their friends doing drugs. I performed some light research on-line, and apparently "trip videos" are a new pastime for youths.

Out of curiosity, I went to YouTube and typed "trip video" and my search granted a list of videos about acid trips. I wondered if I could find something that included the preparation or actual ingestion of a drug and I came across several videos about salvia trips. For those of you who don't know, salvia is a legally sold hallucinogen that creates a momentary high (no longer than a couple minutes) when smoked. I found a video of a group of guys, who I would guess are in their late teens, watching their friend trip on salvia. While salvia is not a dangerous drug, I find it strange that people would want to document their experimentation with the drug and post it on YouTube. I have heard of similar videos posted about inhalants.

This realization about YouTube content is fairly timely considering we watched the documentary about the Internet generation. It's just insane that teens want to share their drug trips and fights on YouTube.

Go here to view the salvia video. http://youtube.com/watch?v=jJXb7QFcK0M

When I heard that Bodies was coming to Kansas City, I was excited because I had heard so much talk about the exhibit. Now at Union Station in Kansas City, Bodies Revealed fascinating + real, is earning a lot of hype, but I'm not sure if I'm all that interested in attending.

I have asked a few people if they are going to attend the exhibit and all of them but one has enthusiastically replied. My sister, who apparently attended the exhibit in Denver, enlightened me of some startling findings about the popular exhibit. Not only is the exhibit making mass profits off tickets that are $25 a pop, but many of the bodies have not be voluntarily donated, and some are speculated to be executed prisoners from China. Furthermore, the way in which the bodies are preserved and shipped seems highly unethical.

20/20 aired a feature earlier this month that has left me with unsettling feelings about whether or not I will choose to make the trip to Union Station to see the plasticized bodies.
I urge everyone to watch the 20/20 feature. It is in two parts, each of them ethically alarming. It will take 20 minutes of your time, but it is fascinating!

Clickhere to see for yourself.