Check it out--We've got a new look!

Hi girls! Thanks for being patient with us--it *has* been a while since we've posted a new blog entry. We've been working hard here at New Moon to get our new websites(!) up and running! That's right--New Moon's got a new look and a few new spots on the web for you to explore.

Check out our company website at www.newmoongirlmedia.com. From there, you can head over to the magazine website at www.newmoonmagazine.org. I encourage you to click on links and poke around! You can take a peek at the LunaVida Club website and also learn more about orb28, our online community for girls ages 13-15+.

Let us know what you think! Soon, we'll be moving the blog to the magazine website where it will be easier for YOU--yes, you!--to post entries and share your thoughts and opinions with the rest of the New Moon community. For now, leave a comment and give us your feedback!


Here's hoping everyone is enjoying the holidays--and see you in 2008!
Signing off,
Heather

Casting Call!

Are you a girl inventor or entrepreneur?

By Kids for Kids (BKFK) is looking for kids aged 8-16 with a great idea or business that has already achieved some success to appear in the new television series, THINK BIG!   By Kids for Kids is a company with the mission to inspire, motivate, and stimulate the innovative spirit within all young people.  The television show will provide a platform for kid inventors and entrepreneurs to showcase their products, letting the world know that kids have great ideas too.  Kids can plan, design and manufacture great ideas into products and services everyone can use.  Want to submit your idea? Visit their website at www.bkfk.com/thinkbig.

 

In fact, you may want to swing by their main website, powered by the new Idea Locker, too.  The company has four other contests running right now, one for designers, one for artists/writers, one for those interested in the environment, and one for sports enthusiasts.

What a fun way to explore your interests and find support for them!

Go, girls!

Sending you creative passion, Elizabeth (Bissy!)

Celebrate!

When was the last time you took a look in the mirror and celebrated you?  Or took a look inside and celebrated you?  I hope that it was today!

It's the season of celebration, which includes Hanukkah's celebration of light at the moment.  So it got me thinking.  Ritual has such a history of importance in many cultures throughout the world, and I know that somewhere deep inside you, you probably have a ritual just waiting for you to touch it and say, "Hey come out and play, let's celebrate something about myself!"  And you know what the most surprising thing might be?  That way to feel good about yourself might start with realizing the good you do others.  You know how when you light a candle, that candle can keep lighting others?  Just like a menorah.  So when you light yourself up inside, you have the potential to light up others, and you still shine as brightly!

Your ritual could be anything.  Something silly, like dancing into the bathroom in the morning!  Something serious, like painting the way your heart looks when you take a deep breath every day.  (I know, where did that come from--but wouldn't it be cool to try it?!)  Something original, like taking a pad of paper outside every day and doing equations that you make up because you just love math!

Want to light someone up with a gift this season?  It's kind of cool to remember what a gift you give to others by honoring yourself.  So when you're lighting up your own candle and then deciding how you'd like to spread that light, you may want to check out www.SafeGreenToys.org, sponsored by Co-Op America, an organization whose mission is "to harness economic power-the strength of consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace-and to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society."  

Hmm, the gift ideas are starting to come to me...  This just might call for a post about creative gift ideas... What do you think?  Send one, send all, your most creative, thoughtful gift, ritual, everything celebration-ideas!

Here's to spreading that celebration feeling, Elizabeth (Bissy!)

Typing Like They Mean It

I just came across quite a cool network of women online. It's a blog run by Catherine Morgan called The Political Voices of Women: Opinion and Commentary of Over 200 Women Political Bloggers.

The site lists other cool blogs like:

Antigone Magazine: A Blog About Women, Politics, Women in Politics, and the Politics of Being a Woman

Mom’s Speak Up

MomsRising

On the site it shares this from the New York Times article Women, Politics, and the Internet by Katharine Q. Seelye: "We know that women slightly outnumber men online. But at least anecdotally, it seems as if more men are on the political blogs, writing specifically about politics, reading about politics and putting in their two cents in the comments sections."
This quote struck me in particular, because I find it an interesting parallel--or contrast--with the New Moon blog. Recently, many daughters have been chiming in to appreciate their moms, and moms have been adding their two cents, too. That's also why I highlighted the mothers' blogs. It's always wonderful to see the power of women's voices anywhere.

One thing's for certain: girls are growing to be the strong leaders their mothers have led them to be--just look at the recent "Letter to Congress" issue of New Moon!

I hope that the voices of women sharing political passion adds support to your own passion! You're part of quite a community.

Your blogger, Elizabeth!

Girls Making Science History

“Why do people think girls can’t do science? Where did this crazy idea ever come from?” --Dr. Nancy Hopkins, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

On Monday, the winners of the Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology were announced at New York University.

Janelle Schlossberger and Amanda Marinoff, two 17 year-old seniors at Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High Schoolwon a $100,000 college scholarship prize for taking first place in the team category. The girls created a molecule that helps block the reproduction of drug-resistant tuberculosis bacteria.

Isha Himani Jain, a 16 year-old senior at Freedom High School won first place (and a $100,000 college scholarship) in the individual category. She studied and reported on the bone growth in zebra fish, whose tail fins grow in spurts, similar to the way children’s bones do.

The girls beat over 1,600 students nationwide who entered the Siemens competition. Out of 20 finalists selected by the judges, eleven of them were girls. It was the first year that girls outnumbered boys in the final round and I don't think it's because this is the first year that girls were "smarter at science" than the boys. Just like I don't think that in past years' competitions, boys were "smarter at science" than the girls. I think that adults and educators are finally encouraging girls to excel in science, technology, and math. We should all give these girls a great big science-y high five! You Go, Girl!

As a middle schooler, I really, really, really liked my science classes. In 5th grade, I got to make crystals inside a jar and watch films on the theory of continents and tectonic plate movement. For the science fair, I spent hours with my Dad building a maze for my pet hamster, Teddy.

I wanted to find out just what type of food would motivate him to reach the end of his maze the quickest. It turned out that Teddy wasn't really motivated by anything, not even peanut butter. Even though my experiment was kind of a disaster, I had so much fun working on it! I made tons of charts and graphs to monitor his progress and felt very scientific with the brand-new stopwatch my parents gave me.

By the time I started 9th grade, I had secured a seat in advanced science class. I was one of two girls who sat in Mrs. Augrum's Advanced Earth Science class on the first day of my freshman year of high school. Even though I was very proud to be there, I quickly learned that it wasn't "cool" for a girl to work so hard at science. I was teased a lot and had many classmates ask me if they could copy my homework. I'm ashamed to admit that , buckling under popularity pressure, I decided to drop out of my advanced science classes when I reached the 10th grade.

I always wonder what would have happened if I had kept going or had encouragement from my teachers to combat the teasing of my classmates. I don't think I'd be winning any national science fairs, but I might have decided to study biology or chemistry in college.

So what's your science story? Do you proudly admit that you're a bit of a science nerd or do you fall asleep in class? Do you think that if you had a little more encouragement, you could find the fun in science? What fascinates you--the stars, dinosaurs, skin cells, venus fly traps? And what are some of your proudest science moments? Let's swap some science stories! I look forward to reading them!

Signing off,
Heather

Review of Lois' album, "Butterfly Kiss"

"Butterfly Kiss"
Album by Lois
Review by Abby Flowers

Butterfly Kiss by Lois is a terrific album. It has powerful songs, such as "Bonds in Seconds". It also has sweet, sad songs, such as "Valentine". The music is unique which makes it better than most music.
The song "Bonds in Seconds" says do not stay in a relationship with someone who treats you badly. This rule counts for friendships, with family, boyfriends or girlfriends. It is a rule a lot of people need to learn since a lot of people can not tell when they are being treated badly. I think this is an important rule because if you are not getting respect than you are not getting what you deserve and should not settle for less.
"Look Who’s Sorry" is about apologizing when you are wrong. It is also about showing remorse when you are sorry. I think this is important because it makes the person understand that you regret being mean and that you care about how they feel.
Lois is different from other types of music. The music is not like most music you hear on the radio. It is simple and relaxing. Her voice matches every song; on sad songs her voice is sad, and on powerful songs her voice is powerful.
One of my favorite lines is, “What do I know and what do I care for you?” from Bond in Seconds. I like this line because it is makes me feel powerful.
Another line I like is, “Like everything else I don’t know,” from "Sorora". This line relates to the confusion I feel sometimes about things I am experiencing.
Lois writes about feelings girls can relate to. She writes about being heart broken. She also writes about being powerful and standing up for yourself.
I heard about this album from my mom. My mom was sick of hearing the same music playing in my room so she called me out into the living room. She thought I should try something new. She gave me the CD. I put it in my boom-box and I loved it.
Lois is a great singer and songwriter. I hope you take my recommendation and listen to "Butterfly Kiss".

Taking in the World

Do you ever receive unexpected guidance from the world around you? Like a stop sign when you're in the middle of worrying about something that you know there's a solution to if you just stop and take a breather? Maybe something even sillier--for me it's the opening line "Take a deep breath" when I open up the communication software Skype. Or perhaps you see a word suddenly shift before your eyes--the word "guidance," for example. One day, I was staring at it, and I suddenly realized that guidance has the word "dance" in it. It really is a dance, receiving guidance from anyone or anything. To take it in, you have to take part, the way dancers interact on the stage for it to be a true performance.

Or maybe it's inspiration that appears when you least expect it. Staring at an acorn, and you suddenly realize it's a great setting for your next adventure story--what would an acorn be like to live in if you were a tiny made-up character? Or the way sunlight falls on the floor of your room. That shape looks just like... And then you go off and have the solution to your geometry problem.

I want to hear your unexpected epiphanies or guidances or leadings or inspirations! Goofy, sure, but we can all use the break to take a look around and realize that there's more to the world than meets the eye. And you never know--sharing your leading may just get someone going on their latest fascination!

Wishing you many words shifting before your eyes, Elizabeth!