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...

By Terri Rimmer My friend has panic attacks at work sometimes from the stress of her job. Another one has them from working with her boss. I consider myself lucky to have not had one in a few years, from what I can recall. But I still remember what they feel like. Now there is a self-help site dedicated to anxiety and phobias – anxietycoach.com. According to the site everybody experiences anxiety periodically also called “anxiety disorders.” According to Dr. Carbonell these are the most treatable of the psychological problems. “These problems do have solutions,” he said. “On the site you can get basic information about anxiety disorders and identify the particular problems you face, develop a plan and begin working at it.” Once you’ve completed the work suggested in” First Steps” on the website you can read various self-help articles about different disorders there. They consist of practical understandings, suggestions, and techniques that Carbonell and his colleagues, use with clients...

By Terri Rimmer It was eight years ago that Madonna Coffman decided to take her loss and give others hope. When she was in her 20s she developed a condition called Alopecia, a hair loss disease after receiving a hepatitis vaccination. A retired cardiac nurse, Coffman decided to start Locks of Love (locksoflove.com) where people could donate ten inches or more of their own hair for financially disadvantaged kids who had lost their hair due to the same condition. For a long time Coffman’s garage was full of mail and donated locks of hair. The number of hairpieces has grown significantly since the organization’s inception in Dec. 1997. Locks of Love is a non-profit organization helping children ten years old and younger who suffer from hair loss conditions who cannot afford wigs or hairpieces. Unlike some pieces, the locks do not require tape or glue but are custom-fitted for each head. Many sponsors have come forward through the years to help, like Fantastic Sam’s Hair Salon and Glamour ...

Rest in peace, T.C.

By Terri Rimmer Gachman Metals and Recycling Company in Fort Worth, TX has raised $10,000, over half of what they strived to collect from employees and the general public for Hurricane Katrina victims. The family owned business started a donation drive for food, clothes, and monetary contributions to the Tarrant Area Food Bank for victims of the hurricane on Sept. 3rd. Since 1913 Gachman has built a reputation of reliability and service, meeting customers’ needs. Adding to the company’s slogan of “conserving resources through recycling” the company has been a leader in addressing environmental safety issues including air and water pollution. The company is one of the largest scrap metal recycling companies in the city conserving natural resources and a leader in the metroplex. Based on a 14-acre site Gachman processes all types of scrap metals from low-grade to space age titanium. Most small suppliers deliver their materials to Gachman’s processing facility where the purchased scrap is...

See whitespace-creative.com

August 2004 Dear McKenna: I've been debating what to write for your annual birthday letter wanting to give you bright, happy thoughts. I can't believe you're going to be four years old on the 15th. It seems like only a blink away I saw you swaddled in white in the hospital. I'm so glad you have such a great family inVicki and Larry. Vicki loves you so much and sends me emails all the time about how you're doing. Larry taped your first dance recital recently which I can't wait to see. They tell me you're having your party at the water park that you love. I know you'll have a blast. In my usual tradition I'll be releasing the balloons at the park where we had Placement - four of them this year. I'll watch them float up to the sky and again wish you a happy birthday as the balloons climb higher and higher into the clouds. My once deep sorrow has now turned into heartfelt happiness knowing that you enjoy a new, good life each day with your adoptive p...

By Terri Rimmer When it comes to dressing up for Halloween, aim for the unique and original and let your mind wander at all the possibilities. Jot down ideas, brainstorm, write whatever comes to mind, no matter how silly or out or reach it seems at the time. If you’re strapped for cash and can’t afford to rent a costume, try these ideas: 1. Take large poster board big enough to cover your from the neck to your toes and write the word Crayola on it. Decorate it like a Crayola crayon would look like. Carry a coloring book for an extra touch if you want. I actually dressed up as this in college. 2. Go as a mixed up kid. On one side of your body, dress in one color with one pigtail, a different shoe that doesn’t match your other foot, different color socks, makeup on one side of your face, half of one shirt and the other half not matching; etc. 3. Go as a Blue Plate Special. Dress all in blue, tape a plastic blue plate to your chest with the words “Blue Plate Special” typed on a sheet of p...

By Terri Rimmer When decorating for the holidays it’s easy to get caught up in thinking that you have to have the next big thing. But, with a little planning and creativity, you can make your home look as beautiful as a picture in a magazine, and maybe even more so. Here’s some tips for making your house gorgeous for little or no money: 1. Use cotton balls on the tree branch tips. 2. Use costume jewelry necklaces you might own for garland 3. Scour yard sales and curbs for after yard sale throwaways for Christmas items. I have found boxes and boxes of stuff through the years that people get rid of. 4. If you can’t afford a tree and you have a Fica Tree, decorate it as you would a tree but lay off the heavy bulbs. 5. Use Christmas dish towels to put on the back of your toilet to cover the toilet tank. 6. Use Chinese restaurant miniature parasols you might get when going out to eat to snuggle in the branches of the tree. 7. Hang your Christmas cards received on a clothesline going across ...

“How My Cat Taught Me About A Higher Power” By Cindy Persico Like most of us I struggle with the concept of “Higher Power” or H.P. and my understanding has grown thankfully over the years that on most days I can feel centered and well-cared for by this Higher Power thanks to Alanon. That isn’t always the case. In 2003 my brother-in-law was killed in a car accident. Watching my sister, Joy, struggle with her grief has been particularly painful and has called into question again how to make sense out of things that seem so senseless. What good can come from this? Hello, God, Are you still there? Will you take care of Joy? She’s so scared and sure this isn’t what should be happening at all. One day I had to take Eunice, my cat, to the vet. She shivered, and shook, and cried, certain this couldn’t possibly be what should be happening at all. I reassured her as best I could; yet again had a flash that this is exactly how life feels sometimes. I’m sure that whatever is happening is all wrong...

For more of my articles, go to happynews.com, type in my name in the search bar on the site at the top of the screen and my articles will come up.

Terri Rimmer has 42 years of journalism experience, having worked for ten newspapers and some magazines. In 2003 her life story was published online at Adoption Week E-Magazine's website and in 2002 she received a grant from the PEN American Writer's Fund in New York City. In 2001 her adoption journal was published online at adoption.about.com. She also has experience in public relations and in 1987 earned a journalism scholarship while attending West Georgia College as a Mass Communications major. As a student there she worked her way up from beat reporter/typesetter to staff writer to assistant news editor to editor within a four-year period. A native of Georgia, she resides in Fort Worth, Texas.

By Terri Rimmer Born into an alcoholic family as the youngest of four girls I had no idea of the abuse that would come to torment my life for 14 years. Both my mother and father were harsh abusers, my father sexually, my mom physically. How can a young girl possibly grow into a health adolescent when what she knows about life is taught by the hands of a sick man and mother intent to poison? I may not ever understand, but perhaps that is my journey. I always knew I wanted to be a writer when in the third grade I got an A plus on a short story I wrote. I loved it and wrote every chance I got at my dadÂ’s encouragement and the feeling and dream reverberated in my soul, refusing to leave me ever. When I was 8 I was devastated to learn of my parents divorcing and to add insult to injury my mom left my sisters and me with our dad. My older sister, Cindy became my hero. She fluffed my pajamas in the dryer before bed, sewed my Girl Scout badges on my uniform, comforted me when the ...

I have a new e book out on booklocker.com called "MacKenzie's Hope" under the family section. It's also listed on adopting.com. I also have written a foster care article on poewar.com called "The Teachers" under the "Off Topics" heading (top right hand corner of screen once you pull poewar.com site up).