2009 October

Hidden Magma Discovered?

October 30, 2009 By Nancy Gruver

magma Imagine a huge pool of magma as big as half a state! It just might exist. According to a new study, there could possibly be a giant pool of magma under southwestern Washington state.

There are three active volcanoes there in the Cascade Mountains, and some scientists believe that the pool supplies magma to them. They are Mount St. Helens, Mount Rainier and Mount Adams.

Those scientists also think that there might be a “super volcano” down under Washington.

If the pool really is magma, it would be the largest amount in one area discovered so far. The discovery is causing quite a stir among scientists, however, because some of them think that the pool is just water.

The scientists that don’t believe that there is magma also don’t think that the three active volcanoes need to be checked again to see how hazardous they are.

The study that found the possible magma pool is to help scientists understand how volcanoes work and predict eruptions better.

The three volcanoes being studied are about 50 miles apart. Each one is supplied by a chamber of magma about 3 miles below the surface of the ground. The new study says that the large pool of magma that supplies those chambers is about 15 miles under the ground!

There are some scientists who are debating whether the theory is correct. They don’t believe it because there are some other studies that don’t support the theory. They also say that there would be evidence of a big magma pool on the surface above it, like vents and hot springs.

For instance, Yellowstone National Park has a super volcano underneath, and there are vents and geysers on the surface there.

All scientists see that there is no evidence for a super volcano, but some say there is evidence for a large pool of magma. More studies will have to be done to determine if the pool of magma exists. In the meantime, share your opinion! Do you think scientists have discovered magma under Washington? Go to For the Curious to take our poll, and to read more science articles!

Filed Under: For the Curious

Girl Runs Charity to Help Rwandan Girls

October 29, 2009 By Nancy Gruver

Rwanda is a country in southest Africa

When Jessie Markowitz was in sixth grade she learned about kids in Rwanda. She learned how they could not afford school since many of the kids had lost their parents to genocide and war. And the people there lived on less than $2 a day.

Now, fourteen-year-old Jessie Markowitz runs a charity that sends 22 poor girls in Rwanda to school. The cost of sending a girl to a year of school costs only $40. Jessie has taken several trips to rural villages in Rwanda, formed relationships with local girls, taught kids to read English and raised nearly $40,000.

Rwanda is a small country in Central Africa. In 1994, two ethnic groups, the Tutsis and Hutus were in conflict with each other. The Hutus tried to wipe out the Tutsis. Within 100 days, as many as 1 million people were killed.

Jessie started this charity with the help of a few classmates. They organized and pooled money, their charity, IMPUWE, is still going strong after three years. IMPUWE is the Rwandan word for compassion. It also stands for, “Inspire and Motivate Powerful, Undiscovered Women with Education.”

Jessie received $1000 from Youth Venture, an organization that encourages young people to solve social problems. She then received a social-change award from Best Buy worth $10,000 and got about $8000 at her Bat Mitzvah, which she donated to her project.

On November 5^th, Jessie will receive the 2009 World of Children Founder’s Award at UNICEF in New York. The award honors people around the world who work to create innovative programs for children in need. She has plans to build a library for girls with the $15,000 prize she receives.

“What motivates me is the importance of education, the importance of women and the leadership they have in their communities,” Jessie said. “When you combine education and women together, it’s a great mix.”

Hearing Jessie’s story reminds me that anything is possible! If you had money to support a cause, what would it be? How could you help educate girls who deserve it?

Question of the Week: Getting Published

October 28, 2009 By Nancy Gruver

This week’s question comes from Savannah, age 12. I know she’s not the only one thinking about getting published! Read below to learn more about how getting published in New Moon Girls magazine works.

Dear Luna, Do you choose the work you put on the magazine randomly or carefully? I really want to be in the magazine but I’ve never been in it:(.

Dear Savannah,

The Girls Editorial Board (GEB) chooses the work for the magazine very, very carefully. We have many more submissions than we can possibly print in the magazine, so unfortunately, we can’t publish everything we get. When we choose something, we make the decision based on the theme of the issue, variety with the other articles in that issue, whether it’s similar to anything else we’ve done recently, and the quality of the work. One of our reasons for starting the website was so that even more girls could share their creativity with the world!

Even though we can’t publish everything we get in the magazine, the more you submit, the better your chances of getting published. Our editors consider everything on the website for the magazine, so just participating on NewMoon.com might get you noticed by a magazine editor. If you want to be sure a mag editor sees your work, check the box for submitting your work to the magazine when you upload it to Your Stuff, or email it to submissions@newmoon.com. Good luck!

For more information about submitting your work to the magazine, check out our writers guidelines. Also, don’t forget to come to our November 5 chat with LenaKiga, whose short story Stella was recently published in the November/December issue of the magazine. She’ll give girls the inside scoop on what it’s like to be published!

Filed Under: New Moon Girls News Tagged With: getting published, New Moon Girls magazine, question of the week

The Clothesline Project

October 23, 2009 By Nancy Gruver

clothesline2 In Vermont on Monday, T-shirts were hung all over the campus of St. Michael’s College to draw attention to the issue of violence against women and girls. This was because one sociology class in the school decided to take part in the “Clothesline Project.”

The Clothesline Project started in 1990 in Massachusetts by a group of women who wanted to to show people how big the issue of violence toward women and children really was. They wanted to educate people and break the silence of the issue.

The women decided to raise awareness by hanging shirts on a clothesline. In the past, hanging laundry outside on the clothesline was considered women’s work. In friendly neighborhoods, women would meet outside while hanging their laundry and talk. So, hanging shirts with messages on a clothesline is a great way for women to share their stories.

When a girl or woman has a story to share about something that happened to them or a family member or friend, she uses words and artwork to decorate a shirt in a way that shares her story. Then, she can hang that shirt on the clothesline.

Making the shirt can help the woman or girl cope with her feelings, and all the people who see all the shirts are educated about the problem of violence. Also, it can help women and girls know that they are not alone.

Each shirt gives girls and women a voice to protest violence.

All of the shirts together make a very powerful message. At St. Michael’s College, there were more than 100 shirts strung across the campus. See the news video here: http://www.necn.com/Boston/Health/2009/10/19/Clothesline-Project-draws/1255985543.html

There have been Clothesline Projects in over 500 cities nationally and internationally. It has gone as far away as Tanzania.

Any group of people can set up a Clothesline Project in their own city.

What do you think of the Clothesline Project? Is it a good way to raise awareness about violence? Have you seen a Clothesline Project? Maybe you want to start your own! Tell me all about it in Shout Out, in “Changing the World” message board. Look for the topic, “Clothesline Project.”

Love, Luna

Filed Under: New Moon Girls News

Question of the Week: How do I Report Posts on NewMoon.com?

October 21, 2009 By Nancy Gruver

New Moon Girls is fully moderated, which means that adults read and review everything that girls post to the site. Because we moderate with real people rather than filtering technology, we can make decisions about a variety of topics on a case-by-case basis. But our moderators are only human, and sometimes they make mistakes. Also, just like girls have different comfort levels with sensitive topics, moderators do, too. Girls often ask what to do if they see something that makes them uncomfortable (like a heated debate) or that breaks our membership rules (like sharing last names) on NewMoon.com. The best thing to do is to let our staff know right away, so they can double check the item. There are two ways to do that.

1. If you see something inappropriate in the Shout Out! message boards, click on the exclamation point button. This will allow you to report a post to New Moon staff. There’s also a place for you to write a note about why you reported a post. Not all posts that get reported will be removed, but our staff do seriously consider each report.

report-post3

2. If you see something inappropriate anyplace else on the site, email help@newmoon.com with information about what you saw and an exact link to where the information appeared. You can get the exact link by copying and pasting the address at the top of your web browser.

Working together, we can make New Moon Girls all that it is meant to be — a community where all girls feel respected and safe.

P.S. Check out our Frequently Asked Questions and these past questions of the week:

What should I do about heated discussions on the message boards?

Why don’t you answer all letters / why is there an age range for New Moon Girls?

When will there be new stickers and avatars?

Why did you put photos on the covers?

Why are there so many mentions of the website in the magazine?

What can I do if I’m having trouble with Girl2Girl Talk?

Filed Under: New Moon Girls News