Purchasing power parity, or PPP, is a simple idea with a tongue twister of a name. When two countries have PPP, a basket of goods costs the same amount in both countries after the exchange rate has been factored in. The Economist developed an entertaining measure of PPP. It’s called “The Big Mac Index.” The…

By Cal Garrison a.k.a. Mother of the Skye This week’s Horoscopes are coming out under the light of a brand new, Virgo Moon with Venus moving from Libra to Scorpio, and Mars moving from Capricorn to Aquarius. Of course there are a lot of other aspects to consider – Venus is squaring the Moon’s Nodes…

By Marguerite Jill Dye My favorite thing in all the world at this time in my life is spending time with our 3-year-old grandson, Silas. “Papa” and I recently spent several days trying to keep up with and care for him. Some conversations with our favorite little guy surprised and amused us, like this: “I…

By Becca Zidik As the weather gets chillier, and signs of fall are making appearances, staying inside starts to sound like a perfect pastime. And what better way to spend time inside than with a glass of ruby red Merlot from Estancia Vineyards. A glass in your hand while enjoying the changing temperatures in a…

By DJ Dave Hoffenberg This Saturday, Sept. 1, head to Killington Resort to listen to the cool jammin’ sounds of Donavon Frankenreiter. He is really excited to be coming back to the mountains of Killington. Frankenreiter hails from California but moved to Hawaii over 10 years ago. Besides playing music, he’s a pro surfer and…

While the emergence of the gig economy often is attributed to Millennials, MBO Partners’ 2017 survey found the full-time gig workforce is a generational mash-up. It includes 38 percent Millennials (ages 21 to 37), 27 percent Gen Xers (ages 38 to 52)  and 35 percent Baby Boomers (ages 53 to 72) and Matures (ages 72…

Conversations with friends always bring up interesting topics. A recent one led us to the subject of people in our lives, who, though much older than we were “back in the day”, later became our friends or coworkers as adults. Such relationships may seem a little awkward at first but can very satisfying at the…

By Barbara Mackay The church service was about to begin when some breathless kids pulled me out of my seat to “come see this awesome, pretty, pink-and-yellow, fuzzy baby moth!” on the Sunday school door. It was a rosy maple moth, Dryocampa rubicunda, notable for its dipped-in-sherbet coloring. The moth’s coloring can vary from pink…

By Marguerite Jill Dye “Papa” and I were thrilled to spend several days caring for our three-year-old grandson, Silas. But it made me aware of how recent minor health challenges affected my energy keeping up with him. It made me consider how important it is to attain the best health and longevity we can. So, in…

By Dom Cioffi Back in college, one of my roommates was in a band that became fairly popular around campus. They played gigs throughout our four-year tenure and enjoyed a loyal following among students. By default, I became a roadie, helping to carry amps and equipment to get things going while also tearing down after…

By Cal Garrison a.k.a Mother of the Skye This week’s horoscopes are coming out under the light of a Pisces Moon, on the day that Mars turns Direct at 28 degrees of Capricorn. I know a ton of people whose birthdays fall on Aug. 27, one of them being my middle daughter, Julia. On this…

By Kevin Theissen The Internal Revenue Service estimates that taxpayers and businesses spend 6.1 billion hours per year complying with tax-filing requirements. To put this into perspective, if all this work were done by a single company, it would need about 3 million full-time employees and be one of the largest industries in the U.S.…

By Becca Zidik St. Supéry Estate Vineyards embraces the very best of Napa Valley and French château  traditions to create award-winning wine. The flavors of St. Supéry Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay blend just as well as the traditions of the famed winery. With 100 percent estate grown grapes, the Sauvignon Blanc paints a picture reminiscent…

By Marguerite Jill Dye I was ecstatic at first, as I floated through the Clark Art Institute’s downstairs galleries filled with more than 80 magnificent works by “Women Artists in Paris, 1850-1900.” The stunning exhibit in Williamstown, Massachusetts was organized by the American Federation of Arts. “Her Paris” will remain through Sept. 3, but this…

By Dom Cioffi I begrudgingly get up between 5 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. every weekday morning. I hate the act of getting out of bed that early. In fact, my first waking thought once my alarm goes off is usually, “Kill me.” I don’t wake up that early because I’m an early riser. On the…