Terri Rimmer

By Terri Rimmer If you’re looking for some fun and free family activities in Dallas and/or Fort Worth, TX, try these on for size: Cedar Hill State Park at 1570 FM 1382, ten miles south of Dallas has the best bike trails. On the weekends you can’t stir the bicycles with a stick. For information, call 972-291-3900. The best free entertainment for a kid can be found at Founder’s Plaza at DFW International Airport at 2829 30th Street (Carbon Road) in Dallas. Little kids who like airplanes, trucks, and other big stuff will truly be thrilled to spend an hour watching the jets come and go from this busy airport. The best place to see pets run wild is at the Off-Leash Dog Park at Mockingbird Point near the intersection of Mockingbird and West Lawther. The city set aside some park land at the northeast corner of the lake. For information, call 214-670-4100. The best playground is at Andrew Brown Community Park East at 260 E. Parkway Boulevard in Coppell. The town doesn’t exactly come to min

By Terri Rimmer Here are some of the best places to take a first date in Dallas, TX: The best movie theater is AMC Valley View 16 at 13331 Preston Valley Road, #2300 (972-724-8000). There are two kinds of “best movie theaters”: the ones who show great movies and ones that show movies great and this one is the latter. The best Classical Theater Festival is Shakespeare in the Park at Samuell Grand Amphitheatre located at 1500 Tenison Parkway. Starting in March at the WaterTower Theatre in Addison and extending into late October at the Amphitheatre, the Festival is inching toward becoming what everybody wishes it could be – a year-round celebration of Elizabethan theater. They may be reached at 214-559-2778. The best place to see a play is the Contemporary Theatre of Dallas at 5601 Sears Street (214-828-0094). Now in its fourth season, this venue for live theater just keeps getting better with age. The best bird’s-eye view of Dallas can be found at the roof of South Side on Lamar Lofts at

By Terri Rimmer Founded in1987, Jobs With Justice’s (JWJ) mission is to improve people’s standard of living, fight for job security, and protect workers’ rights to organize. JWJ coalitions now exist in over 40 cities in 29 states in all regions of the country, made up of both member organizations and thousands of individual activists who sign the pledge to be there five times a year for someone else’s struggle as well as their own. According to JWJ, the current crisis within the labor movement creates the necessity to reaffirm some of the core principles of the organization. “The enemies of working families and our communities have tremendous power in our society, and our shared goal is to shift the terms of struggle more towards workers’ rights, social, and economic justice,” states their website. “We will continue to commit ourselves to building power for workers and communities.” JWJ’s local coalitions make decisions about which campaigns to support based on criteria which include w

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By Terri Rimmer More than 118,000 signatures have been obtained, more than twice the number required to put the Dog Protection Act on the ballot in November 2006 in Massachusetts. The petitions have been delivered to city and town clerks, where names will be certified according to the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA). The Act will have a hearing in the legislature next year. There will be opportunities to distribute materials, talk about this issue to others, provide office help, hold signs at the polls, and more, according to the organization. You can also go online at mspca.org to shop for holiday gifts and cards. All proceeds go to benefit homeless and abused animals. Dec. 10th and 11th the Second Annual Paws Clause hosted by DoggieDay, 400 Tremont Street in Boston from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Massachusetts will be held. Pet photos will be available with Santa ‘Paws’ Clause. For information, call 617-357-7387 for more information or you can register

By Terri Rimmer If you live in the Dallas, TX area, here are the best Italian restaurants: Brother’s Pizza at 13317 Montfort Drive (972-458-1375) has the closest approximation to the mozzarella dream cake in Big D. One of the best Italian restaurants is also Salve! Ristorante at 2120 McKinney Avenue. Its cool, slick Milano-inspired décor may be a bit too much fro some in Dallas to stomach although some think it’s stunning. They may be reached at 214-220-0070. Raneri’s has the best spaghetti and meatballs. They’re at 8604 N. MacArthur in Irving (214-574-7655). The past is firm and tender. The best pizza by the slice can be found at Porta di Roma at 1623 Main Street #104. Forgot those stampeding bulls near City Hall: Pizza joints are the best thing downtown has going for it. The number is 214-752-0855. Ferre Ristorante & Bar at 3699 McKinney Avenue #106 (214-522-3888) is also considered one of the best. Parked in the West Village, where the tanned and tucked preen and leased BMWs br

By Terri Rimmer Once a 1960s trend, co-housing communities offer an eco-friendly alternative to suburbia and are making a comeback. According to co-housing.org, Vermont has a long tradition of village settlements – close-knit communities shaped by a shared sense of destiny and geography. The site states that during the back-to-the-land movement of the 1960s the state was home to a number of well-known, if not infamous, communes. “The long-term impact of that influx is still being debated, but the newcomers of 30 years ago brought with them a set of ideals that has helped to shape a growing sentiment among native Vermonters that is farmland, ridgelines, and basic way of life,” the site states. Today, this communard ideal is echoed by the co-housing movement that has slowly taken root in three Vermont communities with at least two more on the way. Billed as the eco-friendly alternative to the traditional suburban development, co-housing units are generally constructed with green building

By Terri Rimmer An award winner and author founded Good Jobs First back in 1998. Greg LeRoy, who wrote No More Candy Store: States and Cities Making Jobs Subsidies Accountable and winner of the 1998 Public Interest Pioneer Award of the Stern Family Fund, has made his organization a national leader. Good Jobs First frequently testifies before state legislatures, conducts workshops and training, and appears in the press. Good Jobs first says that the failure of large companies such as Wal-Mart to provide affordable and comprehensive health coverage to many of their employees has been a subject of growing controversy – all the more so because large numbers of those workers not insured on the job are turning instead to government programs such as Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). According to their website, goodjobsfirst.org, Wal-Mart has received more than $1 billion in economic development subsidies from state and local governments across the country. The

By Terri Rimmer It was only four years ago that some neighbors were pitted against each other – for and against the geese in one neighborhood. In the fall of 1998, the community of Lake Barcroft, VA held its annual community meeting. “This suburban Washington, D.C. community of 1,200 homes on a 130-acre lake with five swimming beaches is unusually tight-knit and active,” said Holly Hazard, vice-president of GeesePeace, a wildlife conflict program. “On the night of the association meeting, however, neighbors were pitted against each other over whether to declare war for – or against- the geese.” The association board was poised to authorize a roundup and slaughter but agreed to hold off a final decision until all options could be reviewed. What eventually evolved was a comprehensive strategy that goes by the name GeesePeace. Their first step was to eliminate the controversy by agreeing to take the lethal option off the table, said Hazard. The 17-point plan that the committee used all po

Gladney Guatemala Great American Bake Sale Hands On Network Project Guatemala

By Terri Rimmer The Federal Housing Finance Reform Act of 2005 passed the House of Representatives recently. The final vote of 331 to 90 was approved with an amendment authorizing the Affordable Housing Fund. The legislation goes to the Senate next. The National Coalition for the Homeless, founded in 1984, a national network of people made up of advocates, service providers, and others committed to a single mission, spearheaded the piece of legislation. The provisions of the proposed Act state the following: Every member of society has a right to basic economic and social entitlements. It is a societal responsibility to provide stable, good, accessible, frugal, and long-term housing. All people who are able to obtain safe, decent, accessible and permanent housing through their own resources need economic and social supports to help them do this. People experiencing homelessness deserve entry to safe, decent, accessible, budget-minded, and permanent housing through the systems for peopl

By Terri Rimmer Here’s your guide to the best vintage clothing stores in Texas: At Treasure Box you can choose from colonial, classical, baroque, kids’, pioneer, romantic, trends, and zoots. The timeline of clothes available goes from 1920s to the 1980s. Professional actors and entertainers often shop here and donate their clothes they’ve used in performances back to the store. Treasure Box is on a campaign to save vintage clothes. Thrift stores need modern clothing and needy people often don’t want to wear vintage clothes, according to Treasure Box staff. The store is located 1706 Avenue K in Plano. The number is 972-422-7256. At Counter Culture Vintage Store at 2702 Main Street in Dallas they meld art, fashion, and music into grunge wear. This location is the exclusive Dallas retailer for popular vintage collection by Dust Factory. Counter Culture was said to have “come out of its Deep Ellum closet.” Since 2000 retro fashion seekers have been more “Deep Throat-ish” about divulging

By Terri Rimmer Here are the best permanent shops to purchase holiday decorations in Texas: The Muse makes holiday decorating shopping easier. They’re located at 6725 Snider Plaza in Dallas (214-739-6011). If you’re looking to spice up your Christmas decor with something from south of the border, look no further than Casa Mexicana. Located at 2710 Live Oak Street they may be reached at 214-747-7227. It’s a winter wonderland of ornaments, garland, wreaths, decorative Santas, and rosemary topiaries at Jackson Home and Garden. They’re located at 6950 Lemmon Avenue in Dallas. The number is 214-350-9200. Holidaze and Gifts (formerly Always Christmas) offers unique ornaments intricately designed. Themes range from Old World to villages and collectibles. They’re a family-owned and operated that opened in 1991. The business was first housed in an old, vacated Mexican restaurant on the corner of Custer road and Park Boulevard. As each year passed their business steadily grew. According to the o

By Terri Rimmer The molecular roots of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases such as asthma, arthritis, and multiple sclerosis (MS) have been discovered by a team of researchers led by the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. In a lead article in the November issue of Nature Immunology (released online Oct.2nd) the scientists report finding a novel type of “T helper” cell they say is the culprit for initiating chronic inflammation and autoimmunity in a variety of body tissues. “We suspected that IL-17 is a player in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, but we didn’t understand where IL-17 came from before this finding,” says the study’s lead investigator, Chen Dong, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Immunology. “Now we have discovered the source of IL-17 and also have solidly demonstrated that these are the crucial cells that regulate tissue inflammation in autoimmune disease and asthma.” He adds that while such drugs are years away from development and cli

By Terri Rimmer They are attempting to train and lead creative types to run for office to change the face of the political scene. At Creative America the thought is that creativity should be a national value. “It should be priority,” said the organization’s founder Tom Tresser. “We know that there are tens of thousands making a living in the creative field but there are also teachers, scientists, educators, architects, people who develop products, advertising reps, people who work in the technical field of the internet – all these people work in creative fields, too.” Creative America is making presentations to different organizations in the country with this motto: “The politics of creativity: A Call For Service.” “We try to make the case that creativity is part of America’s national heritage,” said Tresser. “We start out by having people read a little bit of the Declaration of Independence at our presentations. We make the argument that when the Declaration was read aloud in the summ

By Terri Rimmer Mothers supporting their children alone but lacking job skills and education – the decades before 1900, as well as our own times, have produced many stories. During the last 20 years the Dallas Women’s Foundation has provided more than $6 million in grants to more than 500 programs that help women and girls in Dallas, Collin, and Denton counties, yet they must turn down three out of four qualified grant requests because of funds. “People often ask me ‘Why do we need a special foundation to fund women’s girls’ needs?’” said Becky Sykes, executive director of the Foundation. “My answer is ‘Because women and girls are affected disproportionately by societal issues; because programs for them are chronically under funded; and because, when women and girls are able to reach their full potential, the whole community benefits.’” Sykes said if a woman can read, for example, her children probably will be able to read. Texas ranks second among states in the number of teen births,

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By Terri Rimmer Working Assets has gone climate neutral by teaming up with a company to reduce climate impact. With Carbonfund.org now anyone can contribute to the prevention of global warming. Working Assets, an environment-conscious long distance, wireless, and credit card company, donating revenues to nonprofit groups, announced Nov. 10th that they have formed a partnership with Carbonfund.org, a carbon offset provider. “We’ve always planted trees to offset the effects of our business’s paper use,” said Working Asset‘s President Michael Kieschnick in a press release. “Carbonfund is a breath of fresh air, providing a simple and affordable solution to climate change any person can take.” With Working Assets help Carbonfund is supporting the Rosebud Sioux Wind farm on Native American lands in South Dakota, said Kieschnick. Working Assets also has announced they will match an additional five tons of offset for every customer who goes Zero Carbon, Carbonfund’s program to reduce climate

By Terri Rimmer Nov. 17th has been proclaimed Cheerful Givers Day by Mayor Kelly of St. Paul, Minn. to recognize and promote the efforts of a local charitable organization. “The mayor plans to assist in filling birthday gift bags for less fortunate children at the Ecolab headquarters on the 17th from noon to 12:30 p.m.,” said Karen Kitchel, of Cheerful Givers, a non-profit 501© 3 organization. Businesses, stores, and restaurants in the city have also been asked to participate in the celebration by creating displays and donating a portion of their sales on this day. Cheerful Givers’ mission is to provide birthday gift bags to children less fortunate for children living in Minnesota. They would like to expand nationally when they’re able to afford it. The organization has been featured in People Magazine and other publications. The work is anonymous so children believe that the parents bought the gifts. A year ago Cheerful Givers filled their 100,000th bag with toys, treats, and books

By Terri Rimmer In May 1991 a three-day-old drug-addicted newborn came to live with Lisa Matthews, founder of Kid Net Foundation. He had no name on his birth certificate and his mother was unable to care for him. He was given the name Jonathan by Matthews and her two sons and adopted within a short time by a Dallas, TX couple. Today he is a happy, healthy 11-year-old and The Foundation’s first major project, Jonathan’s Place is named in his honor. Jonathan’s was the first licensed foster group home in Texas for drug-addicted babies and small children, created and operated by the Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1991 by Matthews and Phil Matteis to provide specialized services and housing to at-risk children in Dallas County and throughout the state. The facility is a 24-hour, licensed emergency shelter for kids. The 2005 Chi Omega Christmas Market has pledged $40,000 to establish an in-house therapy program at Jonathan’s House. From June 1991 to June 1992 research was c

By Terri Rimmer How many times have you been taken advantage of by service personnel, be it mechanics, home contractors, handymen, or repairmen? Well, goodbye to all that. At Angieslist.com you can find recommended, tried and true tested information on contractors that you won’t find anywhere else with names for your specific area of need and geographic. Gone are the days when you could ask your neighbor for a cup of sugar or the name of a good washer repairman. Now with all the manic energy of the 21st Century people are turning more toward their own resources for finding these avenues, sometimes with success, sometimes with not so good results. Either way, Angie’s List, the word-of-mouth network for consumers as they call themselves, lists more than 200,000 members across 27 cities. More than 5,000 submissions are given to the list every month from people all over the country. More weight has been given to a report where work has been completed. For instance, a build year date helps

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By Terri Rimmer Bartering has been around since way before technology when people used to trade metals for other materials they needed. How to barter successfully can be an acquired art. Nowadays bartering has gotten more sophisticated from business bartering to online mom groups where you can find everything from letter writers to resume software. I learned the craft of bartering from my best friend Stephanie, my sister Cindy, my mom, and others around me who had jumped on the wagon. I have pet sat for my sister in exchange for her letting me live with her at different times and regularly pet and house sit for Stephanie and she has done the same for me when I’ve been in the hospital. Last year I pet sat for my friend while she was in Colorado and she did the same for me when I went to Florida. I have done laundry for a friend in exchange for him putting gas in my car. Cindy has donated her time to volunteer groups sometimes in exchange for them helping out her business. Stephanie has

By Terri Rimmer Donations from the profits of a new book are going to help people with AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) and their pets. Following last year’s election, Cathy Conheim and her partner Dr. Donna Brooks were driving to their home, feeling discouraged about current events. There were “dog people” but when they arrived home they discovered a three-month-old kitten living on their property that had been injured badly. Off to the vet they sped with their young charge. An amputation was necessary to save the kitten’s life and they were told that he could no longer be an outdoor cat. They ended up adopting “Henry” and there ensued an incredible journey. Conheim started writing about the cat’s adventures as much for her own healing regarding some bad news politically as for anything else. She sent them to 20 people who sent them on, and today, Henry The Cat has 2,300 emails in ”his” letterbox in the sky. “My cat, Rhett Butler became one of Henry’s teachers and correspond

By Terri Rimmer The Gladney Center for Adoption in Fort Worth, TX is pulling together to help children involved in a natural disaster in Guatemala who have been adopted through the years from the center. “We would like to encourage our families to respond to a request for monetary donations,” said Gladney President Mike McMahon in a letter to Gladney auxiliary families. “Gladney is very sympathetic to the plight of those that have been affected by this weather-related disaster.” Recently Guatemala suffered severe rains and flooding after Hurricane Stan hit that area. “Fortunately, all Gladney families and children have been reported to be okay,” wrote Kelley McCreery Bunkers, local representative of Gladney in Guatemala. “I would like to suggest that we raise funds to be targeted towards the needs of children.” Bunkers stated in her letter that she realized the need for funds in other parts of the world and the U.S. is needed but due to the agency’s deep connection to Guatemala she bel