Yesterday I went, with basically my entire class, to the funeral of a teacher we loved. He died suddenly on Saturday and it made me realize how we need to really make the most of our lives. Sure people tell us that we are only teenagers, or only girls but we can make a difference. Have you done anything to help the Haitians? Have you sent money, clothes? Tell me!
So I’ve been doing alot of reading lately and I have to say that there are lots of cool things to read…aside from vampire books (LOL). My BFF has been reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and loving it. What are you guys reading? Tell us and you could win some great prizes.
Tags: best friend, books, reading, vampire
Watching the news out of Haiti is heartbreaking. Here at Heart of Gold Girls we are determined to make a difference. Charities like Partners in Health (pih.org) and Save the Children (savethechildren.org) have track records in the country of Haiti and are two of the organizations that we believe are doing some good. Before you donate, check out charitynavigator.org which lists the most effective charities and those that are least effective.
Although you may want to collect clothing or food products, those on the ground in Haiti are suggesting that financial donations can be put to better use. Remember that even a dollar is a huge donation in a country as poor as Haiti. We can all make a difference.
Tags: charity, donation, Haiti, save the children
Hachette Book Group and Heart of Gold℠ Book Club Giveaway – Tell us your best camp story and you just might be the winner of the new young adult book, Sleepaway Girls. All you have to do is fill out the form, include your story, name and address (snail mail and email). Tell your friends! Enter Here
There is a whole new world out there on the Internet. With hundreds of new websites that are designed for social networking (such as Facebook, Myspace, etc.), and though they seem safe, there are many dangers lurking. Here are a few tips that will make you more aware of your surroundings, and it may just ensure your survival!
Information:
Never put personal information on the Internet. Now by that, I don’t mean your name, or school, like you would put on your Facebook, or even your likes and dislikes. I’m talking about your, address, credit card numbers, social security numbers; any information that would allow a person to steal your identity or find where you live. You even might want to leave off your last name, or at least shorten it, when the public eye can view it.
Though there are a lot of people using the Internet to just network, there are many who have another darker agenda. Using hacking techniques or even browsing the internet, they can search for information that may be damaging to the victims. Beware the Internet!
Pictures:
It is very popular to post photographs on the Internet, for example on Myspace or Facebook. You just need to be careful about which pictures you do put up and who you allow to see them. Pictures that include illegal acts such as underage drinking, drugs and then others of nudity will come back to haunt you. It is important to be smart now to protect your future. Let’s say you’re running for government office. You don’t want any of these pictures to end up in the national newspaper. There are an increasing amount of employers who actually will check your Facebook page if you have one when conducting an interview to make sure that there is nothing offensive on it. So weed out the inappropriate pictures before it’s too late.
Also, it is important to monitor who sees the photos. For example, on Facebook you can go into your settings, either through the privacy page, or on the photo page, and limit the people who can see your photos and your profile.
Watch your words:
This is something that is very important to keep in mind. When you talk on the phone or in person, it is not on paper. When using AIM, or IChat, Facebook Chat or even email, it is very important to chose and edit your words wisely. It is too easy to forward an email or copy and paste an IM conversation and show other people. It is safer to just go by the old adage, “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all.” Or at least don’t write it in an email or AIM conversation.
It’s the weekend and you’re tired. You had a really long week and you just don’t feel like going out. How about a movie night with your girl friends? Make some popcorn, some veggies and hummus or even some home-baked cookies! Here are some ideas for movies-from romantic to scary. All movies in the categories below vary in ratings to accommodate for different ages so pay attention when making your selections.
Romantic:
The Notebook, Titanic, A Walk to Remember, Bridges of Madison County, Fried Green Tomatoes, Unfaithful, Ever After
Fun and Girly:
Legally Blonde, What a Girl Wants, Freaky Friday, The Princess Diaries, 10 Things I hate about You, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Ella Enchanted, Miss Congeniality, The Hot Chick, 13 Going on 30, Clueless, She’s the Man, She’s All That, John Tucker Must Die
Scary:
The Exorcist, The Blair Witch Project, Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Poltergeist, The Shining, Alien, The Silence of the Lambs, Interview with a Vampire, Friday the 13th, The Ring, Saw, Resident Evil, Dead Silence
Funny:
Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Rat Race, Clue, Raising Arizona, Zoolander, Anchorman, Wedding Crashers, White Chicks, Office Space, Dumb and Dumber, Austin Powers, Super Troopers, Tommy Boy, Old School, Meet the Parents, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Caddyshack
Enjoy!
I don’t know about you but between school, work, family and friends, I don’t have much time to think about anything else. That said, I do feel the responsibility to volunteer my time, especially in my own community. Here in suburban NY where I live, there are many people struggling with unemployment. This has been putting a huge drain on many of the local foodbanks; leaving their pantries empty and the shelves unstocked. One of the easiest ways to give back is to start a food drive with your friends. Ask your principal if you can put a box in the front hall at school and send out emails to your classmates asking them to bring in canned food. Talk to your religious leader and see if they would work with you to have a weekend Midnight Run where you deliver food to the homeless. Every little bit helps in this economic time.
Our awesome Heart of Gold℠ spokespeople, Mollie and Jackie Singer, have written a new blog:
Hi Everyone!! ☺
The Diabetic Angels (DA’s) were created with the help of our Mother and Aunt, (also twin sisters named Mollie and Jackie!) The four of us founded the Diabetic Angels in 1998 and to this day the DA’s are our passion and mission. Our purpose in founding the Diabetic Angels is to help Diabetics by teaching them and those around them, as well as, the general public, about diabetes. Additionally, we teach people how to raise Diabetes Awareness, Advocate, Educate others about Diabetes, and become successful Fundraisers. There are many reasons the young, as well as adults, have become members of the Diabetic Angels, including wanting to be like the 10-year-old ‘Angel’ who, using what she learned as a DA, saved her grandfather’s life when he experienced a diabetic emergency!
Anyway, our first big announcement is about our Diabetic Angel website, which we have been in the process of improving and expanding from a regular website to a Social Network. This means that in addition to reading about the DA adventures and clicking on our links, now everyone can talk to each other! Anyway, the Diabetic Angels social network is FINALLY up and running, you can learn more by going to www.diabeticangels.com.
The new Diabetic Angel Social Network is so exciting, we are already hearing from people on every Continent! Throughout 2008 (and into 2009), we have been tracking our growth and have found that we are actually reaching young people around the globe. As a matter of fact, we not only have received requests for information about becoming a Diabetic Angel from young people all across America, but we now have DA’s in Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Australia, India, Italy, Norway, Belgium, China, Israel, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, Dominican Republic, Philippines, Japan, South Africa, and Barbados, just to mention a few countries and now Canada is our first International Affiliate; this is thrilling and awesome! So please visit our website, join DA’s everywhere and sign up. Become a member of the Diabetic Angels and you can comment and e-mail us anytime, help others and have a Heart of Gold℠!
Our second big announcement once again celebrates the Diabetic Angels. We are thrilled to announce that the Diabetic Angels and I, Jackie, as a representative of the DA’s, is being featured for the next year, on bags of DORITOS NACHO CHEESE flavor! We are so honored to have this opportunity to help bring about Awareness for Diabetes and the DA’s! As we mentioned above, the Diabetic Angels started 10 years ago, and this is a fabulous way to celebrate the DA’s anniversary with such positive and national publicity, thanks to the Do Something and Doritos Frito Lay Campaign! 
So keep a lookout, you might see Jackie Singer and the DA’s, finalists for the Do Something Awards, on the back of a Doritos bag at your local gas station, drug store, grocery store, or Wal-Mart, they’re everywhere! This very special attention given to the Diabetic Angels is thanks to Do Something, a charity that Heart of Gold℠ supports and lists under their Have a Heart section, as one of many ways you can help make a difference; not only in your community, but also around the world! Mollie and I, along with our mom and aunt, are thrilled to be helping people around the world. As you can imagine, we are truly grateful for the opportunity to impact so many lives!
Well, thanks for reading our blog, we will have a ton of awesome news coming up that we can’t wait to share with you!! We hope you and your families had a lovely holiday season and like us, look forward to the blessings that 2009 brings!
Talk to you soon and don’t forget to visit our new website, www.diabeticangels.com
Wishing You a Happy and Healthy New Year,
Jackie and Mollie
P.S. More music news to come in our next blog, so keep checking back to updates!!
Check out these great sites for information on teen entrepreneurship:
http://blog.yeabiz.com/category/teen-entrepreneur/
http://studentcenter.ja.org/aspx/PlanBusiness/stories.aspx
http://teenentrepreneurblog.com/
http://campusentrepreneurship.wordpress.com/2008/03/25/entrepreneurcom-on-teen-entrepreneurs/
http://teencheckup.com/gold-star-sites/5-tips-on-how-to-get-your-teen-business-up-and-running/
