Last fall we heard about the case of a Missouri teenager who killed herself after being abused through MySpace, allegedly by the mother of a former friend. Missouri law enforcement officials did not file charges.

When I was little, my neighbors invited me to go to church with them. I did, and I liked it. I liked the building, and the cookies they gave out, and being an angel in the Christmas play. I learned about stories from the Bible — the burning bush, the great flood — the whole shebang. I celebrated Christmas and Easter (and still do).

A couple days ago, Assistant Principal Sue Kovacs e-mailed us a list of “rules for life” that Bill Gates gave at a speech at some high school.

As it turns out, they weren’t by him.

These days people seem to think that by slapping an "e-" or a "green" in front of something it automatically becomes environmentally friendly: e-homes, green toilet paper, and especially e-food, the exceptions of course being e-cards and Green Day, neither of which is particularly beneficial to, well, anything.

I like Facebook a lot. I keep up with my friends all over the world, and the ones who live a couple blocks away. It’s quicker and often more frequently checked than e-mail.

What could possibly motivate anyone to starve themselves almost to death, exercise to the point of exhaustion, and spend hours in front of the mirror? Beauty, and the impact it can have on your social “acceptability.” Unfortunately, peer pressure makes this the ultimate dream of many girls.

Last year, this time, I was preparing for my trip to Italy. I spent almost every waking moment thinking about the trip, the supplies I still needed, the flight there, and all the history I would see.

When I was in sixth grade, my best friend got braces. I thought they were really cool at the time, and I really wanted them. I didn’t care that they supposedly hurt, I didn’t care that you had to keep them on for a really long time — and which sixth grader cares about the money involved?

It’s happened again, and nobody can really say anything new on the topic – but I’ll say something anyway.

People shouldn’t have to worry about getting shot at school.

Yet, it happens.

I’m not a fan of "Mean Girls," but I do like the scene where we get a view of the lunchroom.

Remember the wait before getting the last Harry Potter book? If you spent the days before the book came out like me, at least half of each day was spent obsessing over what would happen.

When I see pictures of Jennifer Aniston, I think of the television show “Friends.” Sometimes, I think of her (undoubtedly) numerous hours spent on perfecting hair, makeup, and outfits, which allow her to maintain the title of “One of the Most Beautiful Women Alive.” I never ever think of her

I've never understood why people like bottled water so much. Something about using your money to buy the same thing that comes out of a tap for free just never clicked with me.

A few weeks ago my mom asked me what I thought about getting a Wii. I thought it sounded awesome, but I was doubtful we’d be able to get one. Nevertheless, a couple days later a huge box was sitting on our front steps.

We got lucky.

When I was in Italy last year over spring break, I started a game with my friends: count how many Smart Cars you see.