By Dr. Jonas Prida From gawky teens standing outside holding stereos overhead (the 1989 film “Say Anything”) to cupid shooting love arrows into us (Victorian-era Valentine’s cards) to the popular app “Tinder,” the American cultural landscape is filled with artifacts displaying romantic love. Yet the belief in romantic love itself has a history that shows…

By Barbara Mackay Who hasn’t marveled at a lacy snowflake coming to rest on a jacket sleeve? Do you wonder how it could survive the fall to earth in one piece, or if it’s really true that no two snowflakes can look exactly alike? A snowflake begins high up in the clouds, not as a…

By Dom Cioffi He told me that a lot of people actually fall asleep once the procedure begins, and while I was hopeful that this would happen, somehow I knew it wasn’t going to be the case. “Ok,” I stated. “Lets get started. I’m tired of being in pain.” And with that I reclined back…

By Tony Crespi “A ski that looks good doesn’t mean it skis good,” notes former World Cup ski tuner Mike DeSantis. In truth, even a single day of hard skiing on firm—iced—conditions can gradually erode a sharp, polished edge. Just as a craftsman must maintain sharp tools, so skiers and riders looking to enjoy maximum…

There is a new musical talent in town and her name is Jenny Porter. You can see her perform solo every Wednesday night and with her band every Sunday night at the Outback in Killington. Her band, made up of Krishna Guthrie on guitar and Bobby Maguire on Fiddle, also plays every Friday and Saturday…

By Tim Traver The measure of a successful hunt depends on whom you ask; hunters are often biased by individual success or failure, whereas biologists take a detached, big-picture view. But this much is true: one of the world’s oldest occupations is managed today by one of its newest–information technology. And good, hunter-generated data are…

The highs and lows of mountain romance Editor’s note: Names, including the author’s, have been changed to protect identities due to the personal nature of this column. Have you played the tinder game? Swipe left if you dislike the look of someone, right if you do. It’s like a big game of “hot or not” but with…

“Someday you’ll see” Did you ask your mother “Why?” just about every time you didn’t understand the reason behind her decisions? Or perhaps you were told to do things a certain way and it made no sense to you. So you asked “Why?” once again. I definitely fit into the category of young people who…

One of the primary differences between traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine is not necessarily the methods of treatment, although they do vary significantly, but the philosophy from which the methods are derived. For over 2,000 years, Chinese medicine based its practice upon the belief that the body, mind, and spirit are all connected and…

It is well-known that Vermont produces some of the best beer in the universe. With no out-of-state distribution, the Waterbury-born IPA Heady Topper (by The Alchemist) has maintained its place as the top-ranked beer in the world on the popular website BeerAdvocate for quite a while now: everyone who comes to Vermont to experience Heady…

The following is an interview with Christina Cunningham, massage and bodywork practitioner at Chrysalis Healing Arts in Fair Haven. The Mountain Times: What does it mean to be a fermentationist and nutrition coach? Christina Cunningham: In 2012, I wanted to evolve my bodywork business, Chrysalis Healing Arts, to include coaching programs designed for folks who…

By Brett Yates A popular Fox News meme is the notion that the American entertainment industry (to which Fox News itself, as a serious journalistic enterprise, of course does not belong) is outrageously, disgustingly liberal in its politics. This may reflect a certain truth—a truth about artists, not about the CEOs of the multimedia conglomerates…

By Dom Cioffi I did some research recently to see if I could determine whether anyone had discovered what the world’s first sport was. Unfortunately, the answers I found were far from conclusive.  Some believe that the Aztecs of ancient Mexico invented the first game, a precursor to modern soccer that was played with balled-up…

By Dave Hoffenberg About three years ago I started this article and my first ever interview was with Duane Carleton. That’s about how long the process was for Carleton in making his latest album, “A Girl Like That.” I got to speak to the Local Legend about the making of this album and then had…

Weekend warriors: urban skiers redefine mountain adventure By Tony Crespi There are those who believe that big-mountain skiers must live in the mountains. After all, World Cup races and mountain photographs routinely showcase big-mountain skiers slicing high alpine race courses or diving through deep powder. But don’t discount weekend warriors! In truth, many big-mountain skiers…