We are SO happy to announce that More Than a Building – a song written, performed and produced by our students from the West Suburban YMCA, has been chosen as one of the top 7 Semi-Finalist submissions in the YMCA of the USA’s songwriting competition “Sing Out for the Y”!
We are asking for your help!
Please vote, post, share, tweet and send the link below to your social and online communities.
Please vote here for More Than A Building – West Suburban YMCA Music
West Suburban YMCA (Newton, MA)
SAMPLE LYRICS:
When I walk in the door, I see all the friendly faces. All the staff’s lookin’ To help someone like me. And it’s part of the reason why It’s one of my favorite places. I wanna go back there every single week. Inside the hallways I feel cared for and secure. The rooms around me Hold many things to learn. I don’t wanna be anywhere else anymore. The YMCA is the only place I turn.
It helps us learn, grow and thrive. I always feel so safe inside. It’s where we learn how to live life. We all know honesty is right.
There has been a lot of publicity directed toward women in business and why it’s important for women to support each other and work together to make a difference. We all desire to do the best by our families and at the same time be happy and true to ourselves. Not an easy feat, but I know one woman working very hard to accomplish it all!
Jennifer Briggs Jenkins, jewelry designer extraordinaire, mother of two, and owner of J Briggs & Co. Jen is an accomplished artist who harnesses her passion, spirit and design talents to create beyond beautiful fine jewelry. Just look at these stunning pieces:
Jen’s pieces are unique, timeless and made with a quality and attention to detail you cannot find in most jewelry stores. Her designs are all original, versatile and crafted to make the women who wear them sparkle.
What makes J Briggs & Co unique and the best place to find something special?
I asked Jen, with so many options to buy jewelry. “To me, my work is much more than creating and selling jewelry. Jewelry represents our personal style and the pieces we wear can remind us of important moments and people in our lives. When I design a piece, I am emotionally invested and know what I am creating will mean something extra special to the person who wears it.”
Jen takes tremendous pride in all her designs. “When someone entrusts me to create a special piece, I take that responsibility very seriously.”
She tells me, “It is imperative my clients have complete confidence and trust that we will deliver that heirloom piece they have been envisioning. Our mission is to try to always exceed their expectations.
The Ability to Customize Each Piece of Jewelry
Is this really true? Jen answers, “Yes, each piece is made to order to each customer’s specifications. You can choose the metal alloy (white gold, yellow gold, rose gold, platinum, etc), gemstone combination & engraving, allowing you to personalize your jewelry in many ways. I also work with clients to make other modifications or create completely custom pieces.” Jen listens to each customer ~ considers their vision, ideas, stories and lifestyle to create amazing jewelry.
Check out her custom gallery online. This is one of my favorite custom rings she designed for a client incorporating an heirloom diamond that was in a setting not suited for the new wearer. When the customer first put the new ring on her finger, she said “I feel like the queen of England!”. These are the reactions Jen lives for.
After working in many jewelry store settings, Jen discovered she could offer something better for those people seeking fine jewelry they could not find in a traditional jewelry store. What she learned was that there were sales associates, managers and craftsmen offering to sell something special- but not a designer or artist to create the vision.
Jen believes jewelry making is an art and the key to creating exceptional pieces is combining traditional craftsmanship and technology with the vision of an artist. She does not shy away from designs that may take extra time and attention to finish. She utilizes leading technology like CAD & CAM software (computer aided design and manufacturing), master craftsmen and hand engravers. The raised letters on the backs of these pendants are an example of a process Jen incorporates into her designs most jewelers do not offer clients.
J Briggs & Co is the perfect find right before Mother’s Day!! I am compiling my wish list now and have already ordered something special for my mom.
Killington has extended their hours in honor of Spring’s arrival. This year the new season brings big fun in the way of soft snow, later sunsets, and events like the NOR’BEASTER, which includes activities for the whole family on and off the snow! There will be competitions, live music, BBQs, and so much more in store, so grab a piece of the action now through the very last day of the season!
I’m hosting a GIVEAWAY for 4family sets of lift tickets.
Despite warmer weather approaching, over 60% of Killington’s trails and lifts remain open for mountain lovers! For daily trail reports and ride conditions, click here.
The fine print:
Once the winners have been chosen they will need to know the name and phone number of each winner(s), number of tickets needed (one ticket per family member), plus the ages of all attending. Tickets will be held at will-call for the remainder of the 2012-2013 winter/spring ski season.
Voting is Closed but Let’s Keep Watching and Voting!
Oops, I was too late to vote as well, but hopefully she will continue to the next round. Let’s keep watching and voting here on Facebook or here at ABC.com for future rounds. I’ll try to keep updating as well. Let’s support our hometown neighbor, Olympic Gold Medalist Gymnast Aly Raisman of Needham!
Almost 30 years ago, Matt Stasior met Sal Litvak at Harvard the first week freshman year. They became fast friends as they rowed crew for 3 ½ years. After Harvard, Matt went to Bain and Company to work with Mitt Romney and Sal went to law school. After law school, Sal moved to LA to get his Masters in at the prestigious UCLA Film School. Matt was helping Microsoft Corporation grow from $200 million in sales to $4 billion.
It was then they formed a production company called Windfall Pictures. Matt co produced multiple short films of Sal’s including a Henry the VIII drama and a fun, slap stick, action short called Dick and Slick. Matt also starred in the film as Richard Head, which won the prestigious UCLA highest honors at the UCLA’s showcase event. It was then Sal, Sal’s wife Nina and Matt came together to start a Lincoln project.
After multiple revisions and excellent feedback from the studios, the project was turned down. Steven Spielberg had just announced in 2002 that he was going to do a Lincoln film.. This shut the project down, for then. Sal went on to write and direct When Do We Eatand Matt produced Love Lies Bleeding, a Jack the Ripper mystery starring Malcolm McDowell.
Years later as Spielberg was wrapping up the filming of Lincoln, Sal and Nina resurrected the project with a new twist. The background of each scene would all be actual background from the 1860s. When you watch the movie, you are actually watching where Lincoln ACTUALLY was, not a set to look like where he was. Sal invented an new cinematic style called CineCollage. First, the performances were filmed on a green screen stage. Then he used high resolution, glass-plate photographs from the Library of Congress to create the 3D environments our characters inhabit. This is the type of genius Matt saw in Sal 20 years ago.
Based on a true story. When Abraham Lincoln (Tom Amandes) is elected President, he brings only one friend to Washington: his banjo-playing, joke-telling former law partner and confidant, Ward Hill Lamon (Lea Coco). Lamon is also handy with a gun, and when the first assassination attempt occurs in 1861, Lamon appoints himself the President’s bodyguard.
From this unique perspective, Lamon witnesses every aspect of Lincoln’s fiery trial as Commander-in-Chief, from the constant military and political pressure, to the personal losses of friends and family members. Lamon soothes Lincoln’s tormented soul, saves him from repeated attempts on his life, and introduces him at the Gettysburg Address.
Lamon is not present on that fateful night at Ford’s Theater in 1865 because Lincoln sends him on a mission, yet it is Lamon who redefines that tragic event in a surprising and uplifting manner.
This visually unique film features sets created from actual Civil War photographs, using a new process called CineCollage, invented by director Salvador Litvak (When Do We Eat?). The film stars Penelope Ann Miller as Mary Todd Lincoln, Bruce Davison as William H. Seward, Creed Bratton as Senator Charles Sumner, Josh Stamberg as Salmon P. Chase and Saidah Arrika Ekulona as Mrs. Elizabeth Keckly.
Please visit Saving Lincoln to see the excellent reviews and where the next VIP Screening will be.
It all started with my mom friend Penny. She saw her brother during the holidays, and he had those Star Trek Cardasian trapezius muscles bulging out of his neck. He got them from boxing in the Bronx.
She, too, wanted to whip herself into shape through boxing. She put me in charge of figuring this out. I used to kickbox with a Muay Thai boxing champion last summer who was awesome, but alas, he was back in California.
The 3:oo school pick up was a fertile recruiting ground. Our friend Stella wanted to get back to pre-baby weight. Lydia had enjoyed karate back in England and wanted to get in shape. We also roped in our friend Katherine. We figured we needed her in case of injuries. She’s a nurse practitioner at Babson college.
Katherine is our resident nurse.
Finding the right place and instructor was easy. I just texted my dad friend Mike, a Golden Gloves champion.
“Nonantum Boxing. Ask for Marc. He’s the best!”
It only took one call and we were set up for a class the next day. And so we went.
First the basic punches. Jab. Cross. Hook. Uppercut. Marc is very technical and insists on perfect form. You need that in order not to injure yourself! We start on that white line and hit the mitts that Marc holds. We do this for about a third of the class.
On the line with Marc.
Heavy bag work is next. We each take a heavy bag and Marc calls out the drills. Punching. Then some foot work. Shuffle, shuffle, up. Shuffle, shuffle, back. Footwork with punching comes next.
Lydia throws a mean cross.
The final third of the class is a combination of heavy bags with conditioning. This last segment is non-stop with no rest in between.Some of the fitness exercises are yoga- like too, especially if your yoga has lots of core work: chair pose, plank, low plank, high to low push up, and side plank. Other exercises are bootcamp-like: burpees, Chavez hops, and other forms of torture. We usually end in abdominal exercises, different sequences that seem agonizingly difficult.
After six weeks,we’ve worked our way into punching sequences that include defense moves — slipping and ducking — also known as “the bob and weave.” Our friend Stella demonstrates:
In case you are wondering if you can do this, watch us progress. Here is Lydia after 3 weeks and again at 6 weeks. What a difference a few more weeks make! We are also noticing that we are getting stronger with more endurance, both for boxing and other sports.
For anyone who wants a fun workout, consider boxing! Nonantum Boxing Club has fitness classes for adults where typically the class make up is at least half women. They also have classes for kids.
If you want to learn to box, start your own semi-private group like we did. We recommend buying 10 pass pack and getting a group of 4 people. The price optimizes at 4 and you can also pair off!
We hope to see you at Nonantum Boxing Club!!
p.s. Our mom boxing group continues to grow. We now book Marc three times a week. Warning: boxing is very addicting!
Afkham at L’Aroma Cafe just told me about this Newton Talent Show. The winner takes home $1000!
Newton Has Talent is open to all acts that can perform on stage:
Acts must be unsigned local talent with at least one member either residing in or attending a school in Newton, MA
All members must be 13 or older as of March 24, 2013
Acts must be available to compete live March 24, 2013 from 2-4pm
Enter NOW! for a chance to win up to $1,000 in prizes.
Visit the Newton Has Talent Website to read the Official Rules and fill out the Entry Form. We will take YouTube video submissions of acts until midnight on Wednesday, February 24, 2013. Our panel of judges will narrow all the submissions down to a list of the top twenty (20) acts.
Those 20 acts videos will be featured at www.newtonhastalent.com and www.youtube.com/user/NewtonHasTalent beginning Friday, March 1, 2013. From there, the public will be able to cast their vote for their favorite act(s) by clicking the ‘Like’ button under the video. Public voting will be open until midnight on Sunday, March 10, 2013. On Wednesday March 13, 2013, the top ten (10) finalists will be announced.
These ten finalists will perform at Newton North High School on March 24, 2013 from 2-4pm. Finalists will be announced on www.newtonhastalent.com . At the finals, each act will have five (5) minutes to perform before the judges.
Good luck everyone! I know there is a lot of talent in Newton!
