By Dom Cioffi It was an inexpensive, under-sized, tobacco sunburst acoustic guitar whose brand name is now long lost to memory. In essence, it was an incredibly forgettable conglomeration of wood and wire… but it was the catalyst for a lifelong obsession. The guitar was a hand-me-down from my mother who took at stab at…

By Dom Cioffi My son had a group of friends over this past weekend and as expected with any large gathering of boys, several arguments inevitably broke out.  I spoke with the “dad voice” on a couple occasions to try to contain things, but it only worked for short periods of time. Eventually tempers would…

Tasty teas (and more) from trees: black and yellow birch By Russ Cohen Scratch and then sniff a black or yellow birch twig, and the pleasant aroma will likely put a smile on your face. What you are smelling is oil of wintergreen (methyl salicylate). This chemical compound is present in the inner bark of…

What exactly is the state of sushi in American culture? Once the most cutting-edge, exotic style of foreign cuisine to reach American shores, it now sits humbly within mass-produced plastic trays at virtually every large supermarket in America. Today, “California Rolls” are about as edgy as “Pumpkin Spice Lattes,” but presumably there will forever be…

By Anthony Cotter WEST RUTLAND — Just past the Carving Studio’s main building in West Rutland  majestic sculpures lie among pieces of discarded marble and old machinery. Some were polished pieces with price tags, others were in various stages of completion. The Carving Studio and the nearby Vermont Marble Museum, which will open for its…

By Dom Cioffi Many years ago, just prior to my wedding day, I engaged in a ceremonial act that I assumed would bring closure to the preceding chapters of my life. The ceremony was of my own creation – a spur-of-the-moment act that was done initially to lighten the load of an impending residential move.…

This Saturday, April 18, do not miss the first annual Dazed and Defrosted concert outside the Umbrella Bars at Killington Resort featuring Max Creek, who are celebrating their 44th year in the music business. I first saw Creek in 1985 at Trinity College and I’ve been a fan ever since. Mark Mercier plays keyboard and…

By Tom Joyce Sugar on Snow martini is a seasonal favorite! Gallipo’s farm on Grove Street in Rutland Town is where I first experienced the magic of the sugarhouse. It was just a short walk across the fields of Gerdon’s farm and over two rock walls to the sugar shack. There was nothing quite like…

It’s hard to imagine the days when a TV was not part of a home. But that was the case on our street until the early 50s, when gradually families started to acquire one. Being told by your parents that they had bought a TV was the greatest news a child could hear. For me…

By Elise Tillinghast A deer died by the river near my home. The crows found it, as did other scavengers–a bald eagle and two big brown raptors that were hard to identify. Both had white flecking on their heads, wings and bodies, but the markings didn’t match up, bird to bird. They looked unkempt and…

For more than a decade, the soap company Dove has sought to subvert unrealistic mainstream beauty standards by encouraging women of all shapes, sizes, and colors to love their bodies. The latest ad in the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty revolves around a “social experiment” filmed in San Francisco, Shanghai, Delhi, London and São Paulo,…

By Dom Cioffi I drove my family to Florida recently for a week’s vacation on the beach. We opted for driving instead of flying so we could afford a better hotel with better amenities.  I do most if not all of the driving on trips like this while my wife and son watch movies and…

By Karen D. Lorentz Two years ago I received a gift certificate for a massage at the Killington Grand Spa. Having put it in a safe place so I wouldn’t lose it, I kept forgetting I had it. Then last month I was visiting the doctor for a neck injury and headache sustained in a…

Submitted The Wailers There are many bands that replace their lead singer, but to be the lead singer of The Wailers where the late, great Bob Marley stood is really something special. I don’t need to introduce you to Bob Marley because his music put reggae music on the global musical map, selling a staggering…

Have you noticed that new feature on YouTube where, once you’ve finished watching a video, a 10-second countdown begins, after which a new video of YouTube’s choosing automatically starts? This audience-retention stratagem was introduced experimentally late last year for randomly targeted users, and apparently it was successful enough to become the new norm. YouTube’s “autoplay”…