By Joe Rankin It’s the classic story of unintended consequences. In 1890, Eugene Schieffelin released 60 starlings in New York’s Central Park with the hope of establishing a breeding population. Just in case the experiment wasn’t successful, he released another 40 the next year. Schieffelin was a big Shakespeare fan and he wanted to bring…

By Marguerite Jill Dye and Marguerite Loucks Dye Injustice, insurrection, independence, and new beginnings are what the 4th of July is all about. Pilgrims fled Europe for religious freedom and new opportunities. Many risked everything to cross the dangerous seas and begin a new life. People that came to New England were tough stock. They…

By Brady Crain Thee healing chronicles continued: I have good days, and I have bad days. The thing that gets me down the most is not really being able to move my torso at all. Luckily, tomorrow I will be allowed to start lifting weights with 20 pounds in each hand, as long as I…

By Brett Yates One of the important duties I’ve set for this column has been the task of settling, once and for all, in the inviolable space of print, some of the common internet debates in which pedantic males between the ages of 14 and 45 take part on message boards and in comment threads…

By Dom Cioffi I had a conversation recently with a young mother who was pining over the sickness of her newborn. At six months old, this was the child’s first real illness so she was understandably concerned. I could sense the nervous tension in her voice as she spoke about the child’s symptoms. “He’s not…

By Kathy Bernier I give a lot of tours at my 80-acre homestead, and have found that most visitors are delighted for the opportunity to connect nature with real life. Those of us who spend much time rubbing elbows with nature might say that it is real life, but for many people the connection is…

By Marguerite Jill Dye Have you ever felt unsafe in your own home? Can you imagine risking your own and your children’s lives to flee from your country to save your lives? Never underestimate the power of two women on a mission. When a courageous young woman from Albany, N.Y., met Sham, a “fierce” mother of…

By Brady Crain I have spent the last 11 days recovering from a L3-4 Fforaminotomy, which is an operation involving the grinding away of bone in the nerve opening (foramina) that has been causing my sciatica for 30 years or so. The day of the operation I got up at 3 a.m. and skied my…

By Kyle Finneron Shortly after my last show I had a little fun with my eating before going onto my next preparation cycle or “prep.” I read how some elite powerlifters eat over 10,000 calories a day. Now, keep in mind I’m talking about someone the size of The Mountain from “Game of Thrones” (who…

By Kevin Theissen Stop rolling your eyes. The Economist reported Steve Ballmer, former head of a large tech company, has been working on a new project—completing Form 10-K for the United States of America. The project is called “USA Facts: Our nation, in numbers.” If you’re not familiar with Form 10-K, it is the global gold…

By DJ Dave Hoffenberg The Killington Resort team remained perfect with yet another win over their fellow employee team, the Wobbly Barn. The resort is known as “The Beast of the East” and so far this season, this team is living up to that billing. The Wobbly started off the scoring in the first with…

By Brett Yates There’s a moment in the overrated sci-fi movie “Ex Machina” where the robot, whose programming allows her to discern unfailingly when someone isn’t telling the truth, is interviewing the protagonist. The first question: “What’s your favorite color?” The protagonist replies that it’s red, but the robot rejects this response, deeming it a…

By Dom Cioffi It’s one of those memories that will be forever burned into my psyche. It was a summer night right after my high school graduation and I was ready to make a major bad decision (although it didn’t feel that way at the time). I had met a girl a few weeks prior…

By Cal Garrison a.k.a. Mother of the Skye This week’s Horoscopes are coming out under the light of a Leo moon with aspects that are keeping us cradled in a state of equilibrium just long enough to keep all Hell from breaking loose. There are a million things we could speculate on, but none of…

By Meghan McCarthy McPhaul As spring’s crescendo of birdsong mellows now to a steadier summer trill, I listen for melodies I don’t recognize and try to figure out which birds are singing. I look through binoculars at their feathers, the color variations along head and chest, the size of their beaks, the shape of their…