Matt Lafata’s Weekly Community News

August 2, 2007 – Volume 6, Issue 31

matt@mattlafatamarketing.com – www.mattlafatamarketing.com

Photo courtesy of SDS Photography

This newsletter and information source is designed to bring us all a little closer together each week by providing coverage of so many things going on in our community. There are so many amazing things in this newsletter, as there are every week. Please forward this newsletter to all your friends and neighbors and encourage them to sign up to receive it themselves. They will greatly appreciate you for it as no citizen should be without this important information at their fingertips.  Let’s work to get all Frisco citizens on this list as a more informed society is a more functional society.

If you have questions or have any community events, people or groups you want to recognize, fundraising events, or any newsworthy items you would like to see added and shared with more than forty thousand residents and businesses in Frisco and the surrounding areas, please send me an email so I may include them. The newsletter goes out each Thursday and I need materials by the end of the day on the preceding Wednesday if you want something to be included.

If you received this from somebody else and would like to be added to the list, just send me an email. Your email address will never be sold or given to anybody else for any reason. All newsletters can also be found on our web site at www.mattlafatamarketing.com.

Inspirational Quote of the Week:

“One man tells a lie, dozens repeat it as the truth.” - Chinese Proverb 

For advertising opportunities, please contact sales@mattlafatamarketing.com

In this jam packed issue you will find lots of great information. There is something for everyone including the following…

Capitol Steps by Rep. Ken Paxton: 35

Issue of the Week:

I’ve started this new column where I will post a different issue each week for discussion. Your opinions mean a lot to me and I’d love to get your feedback on the subject. Please send me an email with your thoughts. While your feedback is for my own use at this time, I do publish a sampling of the comments along with some commentary on my web site at www.matt4mayor.com in the “Issues” section.

Frisco has a lot to offer, however, there is always something that we find ourselves saying, “I wish we had that in Frisco.” I’d like to know from you, “What are your top three things you wish we had in Frisco?” It could be a store, a restaurant, a service, anything at all.

Newsletter Staff Members and Contributors

Matt Lafata – Editor and Publisher – 214-336-3355

Kaleigh Lafata – Tornado Talk

Sarah Ianace – Happenings in the

Frisco ISD

Glenn Kopanski – Landscape Design

Pedro Checo – Advice from Dr. Checo

Joe Hockaday, CPA – Today’s Tax Talk From Joe

Citizen of the Month and Neighborhood of the Month Details

If you have a citizen or neighborhood you would like to nominate, please send it to me.

The Citizen of the Month will focus on a person or group in Frisco who has been nominated by another individual. He, she or they could be a person or a group who has recently done something special that contributes to the well-being of our city and/or its citizens, or it could be somebody who has had (or currently has) an interesting career or experiences that could be shared with our readers.

The Neighborhood of the Month will highlight a particular neighborhood in our city. I am looking to hear from you as to why your Neighborhood is so special.

Please send an email to community@mattlafatamarketing.com to nominate and explain why a Frisco citizen or a neighborhood should be honored with this monthly recognition.

City of Frisco Related Question of the Week:

Q. One of my two trees in the front yard can't seem to stay alive, and I've been informed by my builder to contact the City to perform a detailed soil analysis.

Does the City offer this complimentary service? If so, can you please provide me with a link online or a contact person to schedule an appointment?

A. The city does not provide this service. If a homeowner would like to get an analysis of their soil, they can contact the Texas A&M University Urban Solutions Center in Dallas at http://dallas.tamu.edu/ . Their web page for Soil Science Research for their Dallas Center is at http://dallas.tamu.edu/soils/

This Day in History – August 2, 1990: Iraq Invades Kuwait

From the History Channel…

At about 2 a.m. local time, Iraqi forces invade Kuwait, Iraq's tiny, oil-rich neighbor. Kuwait's defense forces were rapidly overwhelmed, and those that were not destroyed retreated to Saudi Arabia. The emir of Kuwait, his family, and other government leaders fled to Saudi Arabia, and within hours Kuwait City had been captured and the Iraqis
had established a provincial government. By annexing Kuwait, Iraq
gained control of 20 percent of the world's oil reserves and, for the
first time, a substantial coastline on the Persian Gulf. The same day, the United Nations Security Council unanimously denounced the invasion and demanded Iraq's immediate withdrawal from Kuwait. On August 6, the Security Council imposed a worldwide ban on trade with Iraq.

On August 9, Operation Desert Shield, the American defense of Saudi Arabia, began as U.S. forces raced to the Persian Gulf. Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, meanwhile, built up his occupying army in Kuwait to about 300,000 troops. On November 29, the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq if it failed to withdraw by January 15, 1991. Hussein refused to withdraw his forces from Kuwait, which he had established as a province of Iraq, and some 700,000 allied troops, primarily American, gathered in the Middle East to enforce the deadline.

At 4:30 p.m. EST on January 16, 1991, Operation Desert Storm, the massive U.S.-led offensive against Iraq, began as the first fighter aircraft were launched from Saudi Arabia and off U.S. and British aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf. All evening, aircraft from the U.S.-led military coalition pounded targets in and around Baghdad as the world watched the events transpire on television footage transmitted live via satellite from Iraq. Operation Desert Storm was conducted by an international coalition under the supreme command of U.S. General Norman Schwarzkopf and featured forces from 32 nations, including Britain, Egypt, France, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait.

During the next six weeks, the allied force engaged in an intensive air war against Iraq's military and civil infrastructure and encountered little effective resistance from the Iraqi air force or air defenses. Iraqi ground forces were helpless during this stage of the war, and Hussein's only significant retaliatory measure was the
launching of SCUD missile attacks against Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Saddam hoped that the missile attacks would provoke Israel to enter the conflict, thus dissolving Arab support of the war. At the request of the United States, however, Israel remained out of the war.

On February 24, a massive coalition ground offensive began, and Iraq's
outdated and poorly supplied armed forces were rapidly overwhelmed. By
the end of the day, the Iraqi army had effectively folded, 10,000 of its troops were held as prisoners, and a U.S. air base had been established deep inside Iraq. After less than four days, Kuwait was liberated, and the majority of Iraq's armed forces had either surrendered, retreated to Iraq, or been destroyed.

On February 28, U.S. President George Bush declared a cease-fire, and on April 3 the U.N. Security Council passed Resolution 687, specifying conditions for a formal end to the conflict. According to the resolution, Bush's cease-fire would become official, some sanctions would be lifted, but the ban on Iraqi oil sales would continue until
Iraq destroyed its weapons of mass destruction under U.N. supervision.
On April 6, Iraq accepted the resolution, and on April 11 the Security
Council declared it in effect. During the next decade, Saddam Hussein
frequently violated the terms of the peace agreement, prompting
further allied air strikes and continuing U.N. sanctions.

In the Persian Gulf War, 148 American soldiers were killed and 457 wounded. The other allied nations suffered about 100 deaths combined during Operation Desert Storm. There are no official figures for the number of Iraqi casualties, but it is believed that at least 25,000 soldiers were killed and more than 75,000 were wounded, making it one of the most one-sided military conflicts in history. It is estimated that 100,000 Iraqi civilians died from wounds or from lack of adequate water, food, and medical supplies directly attributable to the Persian Gulf War. In the ensuing years, more than one million Iraqi civilians
have died as a result of the subsequent U.N. sanctions.

August is National Cataract Awareness Month:

A cataract is a painless, cloudy area in the lens of the eye that blocks the passage of light to the retina. The retina is the nerve layer at the back of the eye. The nerve cells in the retina detect light entering the eye and send nerve signals to the brain about what the eye sees. Because cataracts block this light, they can cause vision problems.

What causes cataracts?

Aging and exposure to sunlight can cause cataracts. Changes in your eyes are often a normal part of aging, but they do not always lead to cataracts.

Cataracts can also happen after an eye injury, as a result of eye disease, after you use certain medicines, or as a result of health problems such as diabetes

What are the symptoms?

Cataracts can affect your vision.

• You may have cloudy, fuzzy, or foggy vision.
• You may see glare from lamps or the sun. You may have trouble driving at night because of severe glare from car headlights.
• You may need frequent changes to your eyeglasses prescription.
• You may get double vision in one eye.
• Your near vision may improve for a short time if you are farsighted and get a cataract. This temporary improvement is called second sight.

Sometimes cataracts do not cause vision problems.

How are cataracts diagnosed?

Your doctor can find out if you have cataracts by doing a physical exam and by asking questions about your symptoms and past health. You may need other tests to make sure you have a cataract or to rule out other conditions that may be causing vision problems.

How are they treated?

Surgery is the only way to correct vision loss caused by cataracts. But cataracts in older adults do not always need to be removed. The vision loss from a cataract often happens slowly and may never become severe.

There are a number of things you can do that may help you manage your vision problems. Many people get along very well with the help of eyeglasses, contacts, or other vision aids. Keep your eyeglasses or contact lens prescription up to date. Also make sure you have plenty of lighting in your home. You may be able to avoid or delay surgery.

Whether you need cataract surgery depends on how much of a problem the cataract causes for daily activities like driving and reading. Surgery is almost always by your choice (elective) and can be scheduled when it is convenient. For people who do decide to have surgery, the surgery usually works very well.

Some people have to have surgery. Children are sometimes born with cataracts that need to be removed. Other people may get cataracts after an eye injury or as the result of eye disease or other health problems. Cataracts from these causes may also need to be removed.

How can I prevent cataracts?
There is no proven way to prevent cataracts. But there are some things you can do that may help slow cataract growth. Do not smoke. Wear a hat or sunglasses when you are in the sun, and avoid sunlamps and tanning booths. Eat healthy foods, and limit alcoholic drinks. Keep diabetes under control.

Visit the American Academy of Ophthalmology for more information.

Just a reminder - this newsletter is put together with information from many different sources. You can also view this newsletter and past newsletters in the News section of my web site at www.mattlafatamarketing.com. If you do not receive your emailed newsletter for some reason, please visit www.mattlafatamarketing.com each week as some mail servers block emails that are sent to multiple recipients. Just remember that if you don’t get it by each Friday, you can read it on the web site.

For advertising opportunities, please contact sales@mattlafatamarketing.com

Homeowner Association Meetings and Other Group Meetings:

If you have an upcoming meeting that you would like a city official at, just to be available to answer any questions, please let us know. If Matt’s schedule permits, he would love to attend.

Answering Questions for Kids and Young Adults:

As you know, communication and sharing information is something that I spend a lot of time doing. I frequently get asked to answer questions for kids and young adults for school projects or leadership programs. Usually the project involves getting these questions answered from somebody in a leadership position, and as a City Council member, I’m always happy to take the time to do this. If your son or daughter ever needs questions answered from a leadership figure for projects of any kind, please feel free to contact me or have them contact me directly.

Alternatively, if your child is interested in learning more about city government and has questions, feel free to contact me.

Finally, if you are looking for a speaker to talk to a group of kids or young adults about city government or Frisco in general, I’m happy to try and schedule something.

All the opinions, endorsements or recommendations in this newsletter are mine alone and they do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of any organization or group with whom I am affiliated or the individuals who are a part of such organizations and groups.  You should not rely on any statement made in this newsletter as evidenced of how I may act as a member of any organization or group.  Inclusion of news, events and other information in this newsletter does not imply an endorsement; it merely serves as my effort to be of service to the readers.

All About Frisco:

In our continuing efforts to bring information to our great community, we have updated our web site with listings of:

• Frisco Neighborhoods and Homeowner Associations
• Churches and other places of Worship
• Clubs and Organizations
• The Frisco Independent School District and other Schools

Visit www.friscocommunity.com to access this information and I look forward to your feedback. This site will continue to grow and evolve over time.

Clubs and Organizations in and Frisco:

Frisco is home to a very diverse and numerous set of clubs and organizations. If your group or organization is missing, and you would like to get it listed, please send me an email so we can list it and continue to maintain the most comprehensive list available.

 
AARP – 972-335-2478

Alcoholics Anonymous Frisco – 972-708-5086

American Cancer Society of Collin County – 214-819-1221

American Legion Post 178

American Red Cross of North Texas – 972-542-5642

AroundTown Kids

Arts of Collin County

Boy Scouts of America – 214-902-6754

Boys and Girls Club

CASA of Collin County – 972-529-2272

Chamber of Commerce

Christian Community Action – 972-436-4357

City of Frisco – 972-292-5000

Collin County – 972-424-1460

Collin County Association of Realtors – 214-618-3800

Collin County Gay and Lesbian Alliance – 214-521-5342

Collin County Genealogy Association – 972-231-4190

Daughters of the American Revolution

Denton County

Downtown Merchants Association

FC Dallas

Frisco A&M Club – 214-618-5079

Frisco Al-Anon Family Group – 972-978-8757

Frisco Area Children’s Theater – 972-377-2675

Frisco Area Republican Women

Frisco Association For the Arts

Frisco Bar Association

Frisco Baseball/Softball Organization – 972-712-2288

Frisco Business and Professional Women

Frisco Chorale

Frisco Community Theatre – 972-377-3868

Frisco Convention and Visitors Bureau

Frisco Democratic Party

Frisco Ducks Unlimited – 972-712-5049

Frisco Early Childhood PTA

Frisco Economic Development Corporation – 972-668-5550

Frisco Education Foundation – 469-633-6066

Frisco Family Services Center – 972-731-6244

Frisco Family YMCA – 972-335-3222

Frisco Fire Department – 972-335-5525

Frisco Football League – 972-712-0558

Frisco Garden Club – 972-377-4024

Frisco Humane Society – 972-498-8980

Frisco Independent School District – 469-633-6000

Frisco Kiwanis Club

Frisco Music Teachers Association

Frisco Neighborhood Watch

Frisco Police Department – 972-292-6000

Frisco Post Office – 972-335-7453

Frisco Pride

Frisco Public Library

Frisco Quilt Guild

Frisco Republican Men’s Club

Frisco Republicans – 972-335-9176

Frisco Rotary Club – 972-701-2801

Frisco RoughRiders

Frisco Soccer Association – 972-712-4625

Frisco Square

Frisco Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #8273 – 972-712-5611

Frisco Women’s League – 972-712-8890

Frisco/Plano Christian Women’s Club – 972-668-4464

Frisco Youth Volleyball Leagues

Heritage Association of Frisco – 972-335-6684

KittiCo Cat Rescue – 214-826-6903

Labrador Retriever Rescue of North Texas

Meals on Wheels – 972-562-6996

Miracle League of Frisco

North Texas Tollway Authority – 214-461-2000

Senior Center at Frisco Square – 972-335-5515

SPCA of Texas – 972-562-7387

Texas Tornado Hockey

Toastmasters Club of Frisco – 972-712-4611

Visual Arts Guild of Frisco

Volunteer Center of North Texas

Word of Mouth Productions

Young Life Frisco – 972-424-6339

Youth Leadership Frisco

About Matt Lafata:

Matt Lafata and his fiancée Erika share six children between the two of them. In January 1999, Mr. Lafata moved to Frisco from Gloucester, MA. Mr. Lafata has helped build several highly successful businesses for more than 20 years. A long-time business consultant, entrepreneur and human resources professional, he is the Director of Business Development with the Frisco-based HR strategy and technology consulting firm HRchitect (www.HRchitect.com). He is also the founder of several marketing and public relations agencies including The Matt Lafata Marketing Group (www.mattlafatamarketing.com). Previously, Mr. Lafata was an Executive Vice President of a computer software company where he was responsible for corporate development, marketing, sales, product development and more. Mr. Lafata studied finance and business management at Salem State College in Salem, Massachusetts.

Mr. Lafata is involved in numerous organizations throughout Frisco. He is in his 2^nd term as a Frisco City Council member and has been involved in the following…

• Former Deputy Mayor Pro Tem on the Frisco City Council
• Former Planning & Zoning Commissioner
• Graduate of Leadership Frisco
• 2005 recipient of the “21 Leaders of the 21^st Century” by Inside Collin County Business
• Graduate of the Citizen’s Police Academy and a member of the Alumni group
• Youth sports coach
• Past board member for the Frisco Family Services Center
• St. Francis of Assisi Knights of Columbus Member
• Member of the Frisco Heritage Association
• Member of the Frisco Association for the Arts
• Member of the Frisco Community Theatre
• Community Advisory Board member for the Frisco Women’s League
• Board member for the Frisco Square Municipal Management District
• City of Frisco Technology Committee member
• City of Frisco Budget and Audit subcommittee member
• Tax Increment Finance board member
• Wakeland High School PTA Technology/Publicity Committee Chairperson
• Co-Director of the Mrs. Texas United States Pageant
• Honorary Chair for World AIDS Day 2007 in Collin County

Since 2001, Matt and his marketing company have produced this very popular e-newsletter that goes out every week to over 40,000 people and businesses which keeps the Frisco community in touch with local events and businesses.

In July 2007, Matt announced his bid for Mayor of Frisco in the May 2008 election. Visit www.matt4mayor.com for more information about his candidacy.

How to “Whitelist” this Frisco Community Newsletter in Your Spam Filter:

With the advent of outrageous volumes of unwanted email these days, of which I get a ton, it's unfortunate that legitimate email publications like this are not being seen by some of the readers who enjoy those publications. There is much fear today that the email publishing/marketing industry is in serious trouble, due to mistakes in filtering when legitimate email is erroneously tagged as unwanted email.

While we applaud the anti-spam industry for removing the plethora of unwanted email from many of our mailboxes, from time to time, some legitimate email publications are mistaken as unwanted.

Sometimes, this results in our mailings bouncing back, with requests for us to respond to challenge/response messages to prevent future filtering. However, due to the size of our list, it's nearly impossible for us handle the volume of such requests.

To that end, please realize that we want our readers to always anticipate and enjoy the valuable information that this community newsletter delivers.

If you currently use an anti-spam program or service, we ask that you take just a minute or two to add this newsletter to your "safe" or permitted email sender list. This usually involves simply adding our sending address (From:) to your whitelist, safelist, or list of privileged senders. This is commonly known as whitelisting a publication. Simply add the email addresses of matt@mattlafata.com and matt@mattlafatamarketing.com.

If you wish to be removed from this list, please send an email to matt@mattlafata.com.

Dear Friends,

This week’s newsletter is proudly sponsored by Monte Carlo Night. This great event takes place this Saturday night at St. Francis Catholic Church and tickets are still available. Also check out the spotlight on Chandler Event Planning. They are an event planning company here in Frisco that can handle any size event. Take advantage of their free one hour consultation to find out if they are right for you. A lot of work goes into putting this newsletter together and I greatly appreciate the support of our sponsors so please patronize them wherever possible.

Thank you to everybody who responded to last week’s “Issue of the Week: “How do you feel about our city property tax rate in relation to the level of services you feel the city supplies to its citizens?” I really appreciate everybody’s input and if I haven’t emailed you back personally, please know that I will. Every person’s response is important to me. I also publish a sampling of the comments along with some commentary on my web site at www.matt4mayor.com in the “Issues” section. This week’s issue, “What are your top three things you wish we had in Frisco?” is now posted in the left hand column. If you have an opinion on this, please write in.

The August Citizen of the Month is…Marsha Clark! Read more about why Marsha was chosen, a little further down in this newsletter, and how you could be next!

If you have a business, restaurant or a service and are interested in advertising and reaching more than 40,000 individuals and businesses in Frisco and the surrounding areas, please email us at sales@mattlafatamarketing.com for more details on the various options available to you. The newsletter is also included on the web site www.mattlafatamarketing.com and www.frisco-online.com for additional exposure. It’s a great way to promote your business, promote an event at your place of business and is the most cost effective and efficient way to reach a large segment of the Frisco population. You may want to also consider providing a special offer to newsletter readers only.

Newsletter Sponsor – The 4th Annual Monte Carlo Night "Evening Under the Stars":

Do you have your Tickets? They're on sale at Classique Jewelers on Preston Rd in the Tom Thumb Shopping Center or ON-LINE at www.mcn-frisco.org.

Don't Miss out! Come Join us in an exciting evening of fun, fellowship, food, drinks, casino style gaming, Bingo, AND a Special TX Holdem Tournament. 

The date for this spectacular community wide event is Saturday, August 4, 2007, doors open at 7:30pm.  Frisco musician Ryan Michael Galloway will be performing live.

Sample Gaming Prizes and Silent Auction Items Include: A Maurice Lacroix watch, A trip to Las Vegas, A ride in a Mig Jet, a week stay in Myrtle Beach and much more, see list on our web site. 

Don't forget to Enter our "Instant Wine Cellar" Raffle, (you don't need to be present to win!) complete for details can be found at www.mcn-frisco.org

~ Sponsorship Opportunities of Many levels are available with something for everyone. Please contact Todd Hogan at toddhogan@tx.rr.com or 214-394-9239

~ Donations are being accepted for the Silent Auction.  Possible Donation ideas: Gift Certificates from Local Retailers, Local Restaurants and Service Industries, Gift Baskets/Certificates for Health, Beauty, Crafts, and Food, Sports Memorabilia, Golf Opportunities, Home products, Hotel Stays, Theme Baskets, Sporting Event Tickets, Paintings, Jewelry, the list of creative and new ideas could go on!  Please contact Anna Tillerson at  tillyfamily@msn.com or 972-741-1635

~Be on the inside of this fun filled evening as a Volunteer! Many opportunities are available. Need additional information?   Please contact Angela Reed at Adreed64@sbcglobal.net or 972-335-0347

Presented by MCN-Frisco, a non-profit organization.  Benefiting St. Francis Catholic Community's Building Fund

Spotlight on Chandler Event Planning:

This interview was conducted with the owner of Chandler Event Planning and Frisco resident, Stacy Chandler…

Stacy, tell us about your business:

Chandler Event Planning is a new event planning company in Frisco.  There are events in everyone’s lives and sometimes they need help organizing them.  No matter how big or small, Chandler Event Planning can create an event to fit your budget and have a great time.  We can customize your event to your needs as each event is special and unique.  Whatever your needs may be to make your event stand out, Chandler Event Planning will be happy to provide planning assistance.  It is our goal to relieve you from the unnecessary stress and worry throughout the entire process.  No matter what your budget is, we have solutions to suit you.  So sit back and let us make your vision a reality.

Our mission is to be on the leading edge of event planning and take ideas and dreams and make them a reality with essence and prestige.

Stacy Chandler, owner of Chandler Event Planning, brings a sense of fun and uniqueness to all events.  I was born in Dallas, raised in Plano and have been a proud resident of Frisco for 4 years.  I have planned events for the Plano Fire Department, private dinners, weddings and receptions, and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) recognition events.

I have gained much of my event planning experience from assisting friends and family.  I am a volunteer with the Plano Fire Department and Frisco Police Department, where I am an Alumni member of both of the Citizen’s Academies.  My goal is to provide extensive attention to detail, so that you can enjoy the experience of planning your event.

What's unique about your business?

Chandler Event Planning can offer planning for all types of events.  Here are just a few:

- Private Events

- Public Events

- Weddings/Receptions

- Birthdays

- Corporate

- Non-profit organizations

- And much more….

How does someone find you?