The Rogovoy Report 10.28.24

From around the corner to around the globe...

Oct 27, 2024

Donald Trump and the F-Word

(New Yorker) - Donald Trump is closing crazy. Does it matter? For the historical record, let it be noted that, with less than two weeks until his third and likely final Presidential election, Trump in recent days has talked about Arnold Palmer’s penis size and how Joe Biden actually likes him better than Kamala Harris. He has made digressions on the history of paper clips and why teleprompters are stupid and possibly dangerous. He has suggested that Harris is drinking or on drugs, that she “choked like a dog” on “The View,” and that she is a “shit Vice-President.” He has complained that wind power is killing birds and stopping people from watching television. Of his own much-critiqued ramblings, he has insisted, “People say it’s total genius.” When, on Tuesday, his longest-serving White House chief of staff John Kelly went public with the statement that Trump meets the definition of a “fascist” and confirmed reports that Trump had openly admired Adolf Hitler, Trump complained that Kelly, a retired four-star general, was a tough guy who had “morphed into weakness.” “He became JELLO with time,” Trump fumed in a social-media post—which hardly seems like the thing that might make one most angry about being called out for praising Hitler.... Only one candidate on this year’s ballot is known to have directly compared Trump to the leader of Nazi Germany: his own running mate, J. D. Vance, who once wrote in a private text message that Trump was either “a cynical asshole like Nixon” or “America’s Hitler.”

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‘WITHIN YOU WITHOUT YOU’

In New Biography, Seth Rogovoy Makes a Case for the 'Quiet Beatle'

(Berkshire Eagle) by Clarence Fanto - In his recently published third book, “Within You Without You: Listening to George Harrison,” music journalist, author and Bob Dylan specialist Seth Rogovoy acknowledges that he had “resisted the allure of the Beatles” for decades. But in recent years, he came to appreciate the group, and especially Harrison, known as the “Quiet Beatle” and the “Reluctant Beatle” who hated touring, abhorred fame and celebrity but was lead guitarist, a formidable vocalist and an essential songwriter. Rogovoy’s book depicts Harrison as an introspective and revelatory musician whose songs delved into mystical realms and brought Hindu spirituality from the Indian subcontinent to a mass audience.

Seth Rogovoy to Read and Sign Copies of New George Harrison Book at The Bookstore in Lenox, Mass., this Sunday at 4pm

(LENOX, Mass.) - Seth Rogovoy will read from and sign copies of his new book, Within You Without You: Listening to George Harrison, at The Bookstore in Lenox on Sunday, October 27, at 4pm.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Building a Livable Wage for Hudson Valley and Berkshires Arts Workers

(Chronogram) - For culture workers in the Hudson Valley and the Berkshires, the relationship with their employers is changing. Some entry and mid-level workers in the arts are unionizing, while others are participating in a pay equity project with their employers. But passion doesn’t pay the rent. The struggle for a livable wage is real for these workers, generally starting at a salary under $20 an hour. This makes it difficult for the entry and mid-level employees running gift shops and visitor services, facility upkeep, education and administration to find affordable housing. Working at a job in the arts without health insurance, retirement plans, dental insurance, and paid time off cause some entry and mid-level employees to juggle multiple jobs for benefits. Unable to make ends meet, others leave their beloved field of work for greener-paying pastures.

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Todd Rundgren shares Woodstock memories before key ceremony (ATU)

Mountain Jam is back at Belleayre Mountain, a state-owned ski resort in the Catskill Mountains of western Ulster County, for 2025 (ATU)

Stella Pasta Bar & Bistro revives Van Dyck brand with Schenectady music club (ATU)

NEWS FROM THE BERKSHIRES

36 Hours in the Berkshires

(NYT) - Visiting the Berkshires, the sprawling Massachusetts region of deeply connected communities, feels like being let in on a secret. Of course, this slice of rural paradise is hardly off the radar. Already home to Tanglewood, the renowned music destination and summer stage of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the progressive area became a kind of promised land during the pandemic, when city dwellers relocated to start second acts like a mission-driven brewery and an artist-run gallery. Longtime locals are adding to the momentum with new, unconventional farm-to-table restaurants, further signaling a 21st-century heyday for the Berkshires. October, peak leaf-peeping season, is the ideal time for a road trip that includes towns from the south to the north, where one of America’s largest contemporary art museums, MASS MoCA, is celebrating its 25th year.

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Despite criticism from some Railroad Street merchants, Great Barrington Selectboard approves the 2025 season of Berkshire Busk (Berkshire Edge)

Shakespeare & Company hopes condos and houses on campus hold the key to financial stability — they just have to get the zoning board to agree (Berkshire Eagle)

Berkshire Museum says goodbye to basement aquarium as it readies for new, larger home for fish and reptiles (B Eagle)

Welcome to America: 28 immigrants from 21 countries become naturalized citizens (B Edge)

The Berkshires serve as setting of father-son tale of hiking the Appalachian Trail (WaPo)

Report on financial evaluation of Housatonic Water Works to be presented on Oct. 28 (Berkshire Edge)

Great Barrington voters rejected the town's attempt to buy Housatonic’s water supplier in 1979. The cost of upgrades was too high (B Eagle)

NEWS FROM THE HUDSON VALLEY

Hiking the Taconics, the Hudson Valley’s Hidden Gem

(ATU) COPAKE, N.Y. — The Hudson Valley has some beautiful mountain formations, with the deep forests of the Catskills, the spectacular vistas of the Shawangunks and the dizzying inclines of the Hudson Highlands drawing many to visit and live here. But a fourth set of pinnacles in the area gets little attention. The Taconic Mountains run along New York’s eastern border with Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont, forming a spine connecting the rural hinterlands of the four states. Unlike the Catskills and the Shawangunks, the area is sparsely populated, and far fewer hikers visit compared to the other formations. But the Taconics offer challenging hikes, gorgeous views and a variety of wildlife, making the range a hidden gem of the Hudson Valley.

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Hudson, architects, residents weigh in on plans for Furgary fishing shacks (HV360)

Hudson school district audit finds HR issues (HV360)

Hudson school district maxes out allowable budget increase every year; this year, the City of Hudson does likewise (GoR)

Hospital workers, union hold prayer vigil in front of Columbia Memorial Hospital in Hudson (HV360)

N.Y. voters will decide Proposition 1. What would it actually do? (ATU)

Peak fall colors shine in Columbia, Greene counties (HV360)

Strung along: Vendors upset after ‘Fybrefest’ replacement flops in Kingston (ATU)

Mid-Hudson Valley film, TV production bouncing back, commission says (Daily Freeman)

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