Terri Rimmer

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 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 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 ...

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...