Judy Crockett

Judy Crockett
Judy Crockett

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

MI Supreme Court Justice Weaver May Speaker

Justice Weaver will be the speaker at the May 18 luncheon. RSVP to manisteewomen@yahoo.com Tickets are $10 at the door. It will be held at the Little River Casino Resort. Doors open 11:30am until 1:15pm. Ticket price includes a great lunch.

Justice Weaver, of Glen Arbor, attended undergraduate school at H. Sophie Newcomb College, receiving her bachelor's degree, Phi Beta Kappa, in 1962. She earned her law degree from Tulane University in 1965, served as an editor of the Tulane Law Review, received the Order of the Coif, and served as law clerk for Judge Oliver P. Carriere of the Louisiana Civil District Court. Justice Weaver began her law practice in Louisiana, then in Michigan in 1973. Elected Leelanau County probate/juvenile judge in November 1974, she was re-elected to six-year terms in 1976 and 1982, serving through January 1, 1987. In 1986, Justice Weaver was elected to the Michigan Court of Appeals, 3rd District, for a six-year term, and was re-elected in 1992. She was elected to the Michigan Supreme Court in 1994 and served as Chief Justice from 1999-2000. She was reelected in 2002. Justice Weaver's term expires January 1, 2011.

Justice Weaver was appointed to the Michigan Commission on Criminal Justice by Governor William Milliken; to the Michigan Committee on Juvenile Justice by Governors James Blanchard , John Engler, and Jennifer Granholm. She was also appointed to chair the Governor's Task Force for Children's Justice and the Trial Court Assessment Commission by Governors Engler and Granholm. She has served as chair of the State Bar of Michigan Juvenile Law Committee and as president of the Top of Michigan Probate and Juvenile Judges Association. In addition, Justice Weaver has served on the National Council of Juvenile and Family Judges and as secretary of the Probate and Juvenile Judges Association of Michigan. Justice Weaver's honors and awards include being selected as one of five "Outstanding Young Women in Michigan" by the Michigan Jaycees and as one of "Thirty Outstanding Women in Michigan" by the Michigan Womens' Commission. In 1999, she was named "Jurist of the Year" by the Police Officers Association of Michigan. In 2000, she received the "Michigan Champions in Childhood Injury Prevention: Lifetime Dedication to Children Award"; also in 2000, Justice Weaver was honored by Governor Engler and the Family Independence Agency for outstanding service to the children and families of Michigan. The Michigan Association of Drug Court Professionals honored her in February 2002 for her exceptional service to and support of Michigan 's drug courts. In 2003, she was recognized as an "Outstanding Woman in Leadership and Learning" by Ferris State University . She has been featured in People magazine .

LUNAFEST Coming to Manistee

Eight Award Winning Films to be Featured at LUNAFEST


For more information and film photos, go to:
www.lunabar.com/lunafest/


MANISTEE - - - - The Women’s netWork is hosting LUNAFEST as part of the 2006 Celebrate Women Festival. LUNAFEST will be held at the historic Ramsdell Theatre in Manistee Saturday, May 6th beginning at 6:00pm. LUNAFEST will be followed by cocktails and desserts at intermission, then guests will be treated to the DVD “Vagina Monologues” beginning at 8:15pm.

LUNAFEST was created to raise awareness about women's issues, highlight women filmmakers, bring women together in their communities and raise money for the Breast Cancer Fund.

LUNAFEST is a national film festival that showcases short films by, for and about women. LUNAFEST is a special evening where women (and their friends, families, partners, husbands and boyfriends) can gather to view a selection of diverse films. The films range from documentaries to animated shorts to dance narratives and cover topics such as women’s health, body image, sexuality, spirituality, sports, relationships, cultural diversity, breaking barriers and the environment.
LUNAFEST 2005-2006

The 2005 winning filmmakers come from around the globe and have won awards at film festivals from Sundance to Los Angeles with their inspirational films and stories. It is an honor to have them as part of LUNAFEST this year.

“We are very honored to have this opportunity to bring films of this quality to Manistee as part of the Celebrate Women Festival,” said Judy Ouvry, one of the event organizers. “If you appreciate quality award-winning films, this is an event you won’t want to miss. It is only fitting that the Women’s netWork bring this event to Manistee.”

As a special feature this year, LUNAFEST is turning 5, and in celebration they have compiled their top 8 films from the past 5 years for your viewing pleasure. Come celebrate with us on the 5th Year Anniversary of LUNAFEST!

Tickets are $25 per person ($50 per couple) and include LUNAFEST, cocktails and desserts and the Vagina Monologues. Tickets are available at the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau or the studios of Oldies 101.5 FM at 52 Greenbush. Doors open at 5:30 pm. The films will be shown in the historic Ramsdell Theater. Refreshments will be served in Hardy Hall. More information about LUNAFEST can be found at www.lunabar.com/lunafest/




The following films will be featured at part of LUNAFEST 2006

BACKSEAT BINGO
Liz Blazer
5 Minutes 25 seconds
Sexy Senior Seeks Same. Backseat Bingo is an animated documentary about the romantic lives of Senior Citizens.
Awards/Screenings: Official Selection Telluride Film Festival, Official Selection AFI Fest, First Prize Animation Magazine Student Award

ONE WEEKEND A MONTH
Directed by Eric Escobar
11 Minutes 30 seconds
Meg McDermott (Reneé O’Connor) is a busy single mom juggling time spent in the National Guard and time spent caring for her two young children. The film begins on a typical crazy Monday morning as Meg gets her children ready for school. She receives a phone call that changes her life. A friend informs her that her National Guard unit will be activated for duty in Iraq in two weeks. This begins the ride that is the film. We witness Meg unravel as she struggles through a series of phone calls to figure out who will take care of her children. She cannot turn to her friends, the fathers of her children or her mother. What will she do?
Awards/Screenings: Official Selection Sundance Film Festival, Official Selection AFI Fest

TAHARA
Directed by Sara Rashad
17 Minutes 30 seconds
TAHARA revolves around Amina who must decide if she will submit to family pressure to circumcise her daughter or abandon this age old tradition because of pressure she recieves from her mother when her husband's away on a business trip. Does Amina find courage to save Suha from the brutal physical and psychological effects of female genital mutilation?
Awards/Screenings: Santa Barbara Int’l FF, Victoria Independent Film festival, DC Independent FF

BLESSING
Directed by Suju Vijayan
14 Minutes
Maya, home for her brother Nealís high school graduation, is forced to deal with their often overbearing, sometimes embarrassing mother, Asha. For as long as she can remember, Maya has been frustrated by what she sees as her mother's inability to listen to her or understand her. The free-spirited Asha, however, is seemingly oblivious to her daughter’s feelings, and instead forces unwanted and sometimes misguided advice on Maya, from the spiritual to the romantic. But Asha is not without surprises, forcing Maya to rethink her opinion of her mother...
Awards/Screenings: Santa Cruz Film Festival, LA Film Festival

TWILIGHT
Directed and Produced by Victoria Gamburg
21Minutes
A story about loss, despair and the possibility of redemption, set in the mysterious Russian city of St. Petersburg during its strange White Nights, when darkness never falls. A woman, Masha (Maria Voronina) searches fruitlessly, through morgues and down alleys, for a daughter who disappeared three years previous. A bored policeman ignores her when she tries to file yet another missing person report. Doggedly scanning St. Petersburg's many discarded children, she focuses on her own task and ignores their cries for help.
Awards/Screenings: Best Narrative Short, San Francisco Int'l Film Festival, Best Student Live Action Over 15-minutes, Palm Springs Shorts Fest, Official Selection Telluride Film Festival and Toronto Int'l Film Festival

PERFECTION
Directed by Karen Lin
6 Minutes 24 Seconds
From infancy, an Asian American woman learns the game of perfection. But if your goal is perfection, will the game ever end? Milton Bradley’s game Perfection is “a race against time” where players must match shapes to a board in 60 seconds. The game mirrors an Asian American woman’s struggle to achieve success and gain her parent’s approval. Taught the game as an infant, she races into her teens winning competitions and getting straight A’s, only left to wonder whether or not her parents will love her even if she fails. Ultimately she must decide whether to end the game.
Awards/Screenings: LA Film Festival, San Francisco Int’l Asian America FF, Seattle Int’l FF, Vancouver Int’l FF

LAYING DOWN ARMS
Directed by Carol Schreder
13 Minutes 45 Seconds
This is the story of two women who forge an unlikely friendship through a mistaken phone call. Janet, a troubled young woman, and Esther, and elderly holocaust survivor, engage in a conversation that transforms both of their lives.

MABEL'S SAGA / LE VOYAGE DE MABELLE
Directed by JoDee Samuelson
15 Minutes 3 Seconds
Mabel is juggling the demands of work, teenagers and an elderly mother. Now, she is confronted with a new challenge: hot flashes and chin hairs! Before you can say "estrogen," purple-haired Mabel finds herself the unassuming heroine of her own adventure... the adventure of aging. MABEL'S SAGA is a touching, funny film without words that celebrates menopause as a natural transition, rather than a medical condition to be feared. The film blends animation with a lush musical landscape, offering a reassuring look at one of the most important passages in a woman's life.

Awards/Screenings: Winner- Montreal World Film Festival, Best Short- Atlanta Film Festival

Women’s netWork Luncheon Draws Record Crowd

Women’s netWork Luncheon Draws Record Crowd

MANISTEE - - - - The monthly luncheon of the Women’s netWork drew a record crowd Thursday at the Three Fires Conference Center at the Little River Casino Resort. Over 140 women attended the luncheon with guest speaker Judith Wright.
Wright is hailed as a peerless educator, world-class coach, lifestyles expert, inspirational speaker, best-selling author, and corporate consultant. In her first book, There Must Be MORE Than This: Finding More Life, Love, and Meaning by Overcoming Your Soft Addictions, she examines how Soft Addictions often get in the way of a more fulfilling life. In her new book, The One Decision, she shows readers what a fulfilling life of MORE really is, and how making the decision to live a life of MORE changes what we do, how we think, and what we feel.
“We could not have been more thrilled to have been able to bring such an inspirational speaker to Manistee,” said Judy Ouvry from the Women’s netWork. “She evoked so much emotion from the women and she told stories that we could all relate.”
A media favorite, Judith has appeared on over 300 radio stations and 30 television shows, including Oprah, Good Morning America, The Today Show, and Fox & Friends. Magazines and newspapers across the country feature her work, including Marie Claire, Fitness Magazine, Health, Better Homes and Gardens, Shape, The New York Daily News, The Chicago Tribune, The Boston Herald, and The Detroit Free Press.
“Judith will be holding a weekend seminar at the Wright Institute in Chicago for women in our netWork in early August,” said Ouvry. “We expect many women from our area to attend. Anyone interested can get more information from her web site: judithwright.com.”
Judith and her husband, Bob, are the founders and directors of the Wright Institute in Chicago (www.wrightliving.com), where every day they inspire and teach others to live lives of MORE by making their One Decision. Judith and Bob live, love, work, and play near the Institute in Chicago, and at their conference and training center in Elkhorn, Wisconsin.
Judith Wright was sponsored by Bottrell Wireless, Your Alltel Authorized Agent in Manistee and Benzonia.
For more information about the netWork check out the blog at http://womensnetwork.blogspot.com . The netWork meets the third Thursday of each month. For more information contact the netWork at manisteewomen @yahoo.com

Judith Wright April Luncheon Speaker

Judith Wright, a peerless educator, world-class coach, lifestyles expert, inspirational speaker, best-selling author, and corporate consultant, will be the speaker at the monthly Women’s netWork lunch Thursday, April 20, 2006. Due to the expected large turnout, the luncheon will be held at the Little River Casino Resort Three Rivers Conference Center.
In her first book, There Must Be MORE Than This: Finding More Life, Love, and Meaning by Overcoming Your Soft Addictions, she examines how Soft Addictions often get in the way of a more fulfilling life. In her new book, The One Decision, she shows readers what a fulfilling life of MORE really is, and how making the decision to live a life of MORE changes what we do, how we think, and what we feel.
Judith has appeared on over 300 radio stations and 30 television shows, including Oprah, Good Morning America, The Today Show, and Fox & Friends. Magazines and newspapers across the country feature her work, including Marie Claire, Fitness Magazine, Health, Better Homes and Gardens, Shape, The New York Daily News, The Chicago Tribune, The Boston Herald, and The Detroit Free Press.
“We are truly excited to have a speaker of this caliber coming to Manistee for one of our netWork luncheons,” said Judy Ouvry, co-founder of the netWork. “Women typically would need to travel to Chicago or New York to attend one of Judith’s seminars. We’re blessed she agreed to come here. She recognizes the work our netWork is doing in West Michigan.”
The May and June speakers are also expected to draw a large crowd. Michigan Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Weaver will be the speaker May 18 and Michigan Women’s Commissioner Brenda Quick Jones will be the guest June 15. Both of these luncheons will also be held at the Three Fires Conference Center
The luncheon will be held Thursday, April 20th from 11:45-1:15 pm at the Three Fires Conference Center. The cost is the usual $10 which includes a buffet lunch. An additional $5 donation is requested from those able to help defray expenses. Reservations can be made by sending an email to manisteewomen@yahoo.com. The luncheon will be sponsored in part by Bottrell Wireless, Your Local Authorize Alltel Agent in Manistee and Benzonia.