The Rogovoy Report 11.27.23

From around the corner to around the globe...

Nov 26, 2023

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REQUIRED READING

The Sociopaths Among Us — And How to Avoid Them

(The Atlantic) - We all have stories of meeting people who appeared wonderful at first but turned out to be just awful. Perhaps it was a charming suitor, or a charismatic colleague, or a fascinating new friend. They attracted you on initial impression, but before long, you started to notice behaviors that gave you pause. Maybe it was a little shading of the truth here and there, or a bit too much vanity and selfishness. Perhaps they constantly played the victim, or took credit for other people’s work. Or maybe your disillusionment with the person was not gradual, but through a dramatic—and dramatically unpleasant—episode. All it may take is a minor disagreement, and suddenly, you get screamed at, threatened with retaliation, or reported to HR. This kind of encounter leaves you, understandably, baffled, hurt, and confused. Very likely, this person was a “Dark Triad” personality -- people with three salient personality characteristics: narcissism, Machiavellianism, and a measurable level of psychopathy.

READ MORE:

Early college (like Simon's Rock) is the equalizer we need, by John McWhorter (NYT)

No one should pick you up at the airport (WSJ)

World facing ‘hellish’ 5.4F of climate heating, UN warns before Cop28 (The Guardian)

Why are businesses and institutions making official statements about the news? They should stop. (New York)

Have you listened lately to what Trump is saying? (The Atlantic)

The Donald Trump plan to Make America Great Again will end our democracy and replace it with a fascist state (Lucian K. Truscott IV)

‘Openly authoritarian campaign’: Trump’s threats of revenge fuel alarm (The Guardian)

Trump called Iowa evangelicals ‘so-called Christians’ and ‘pieces of shit’ (The Guardian)

FOOD & DINING

Ronny Brizan will be bringing BB’s Hot Spot to North Street this January, moving his restaurant from Columbus Avenue to the former location of The Lantern.

Pittsfield’s Iconic Restaurant The Lantern Will Soon Be New Home of BB’s Hot Spot

(Berkshire Eagle) PITTSFIELD, Mass. - It’s been a year and a half since the lights went out at the landmark eatery on North Street, The Lantern. When The Lantern lights up again on Jan. 1, it’ll be with a new name, new owner and a menu that will set diners’ tastebuds afire. The new year will see the soft opening of BB’s Hot Spot at The Lantern — the sit-down extension of what has proven to be a successful homestyle Caribbean food truck and catering company based in Pittsfield. The iconic neon sign will stay, but The Lantern will get a facelift and a new menu. Read also, The Lantern Bar and Grill is back (Berkshire Edge)

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

New Report Says Low Wages Leave Region’s Arts Workers with Few Prospects

(The Art Newspaper) - Passion does not pay the rent. Entry- and mid-level workers at US art institutions often earn wages below the cost of living. A pay equity project in the Berkshires is attempting to change that pay to a living wage. A region where tourism is largely fuelled by the arts, drawing millions of visitors annually, the creative corridor involved in the pay equity project stretches from Berkshire County in western Massachusetts to Columbia County in eastern New York’s Hudson Valley. Only 39% of entry- and mid-level workers can imagine a future employed by an art or culture institution in the region, according to the recent Berkshire/Columbia Counties Pay Equity Project Report.

READ MORE:

The Guthrie Center: More than just a Thanksgiving legend, starts musical instrument lending program (Berkshire Edge)

Everyone is part of the orchestra for the seasonal walking symphony ‘Unsilent Night’ (B Eagle)

Berkshire International Film Festival’s Kelley Vickery thrilled about new Triplex (B Eagle)

Is Ormond Gigli’s “Girls in the Windows” the world’s highest-grossing photograph? (NYT)

Life with Hollywood legends as parents: Melissa Newman speaks at local fundraiser (B Edge)

Hudson Valley Philharmonic fights for separation from Bardavon (ATU)

Hudson Valley Philharmonic petitions for support and separation from Bardavon (Chronogram)

Video of Woman Tearing Down Israeli Hostage Flyers in Great Barrington Has Gone Viral

(Berkshire Eagle) GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. - A woman wearing a medical mask and a headcovering was seen pulling down flyers of Israeli hostages taped to a Railroad Street lamppost. A witness began shooting video with their phone, asking why. “Because [F---] Israel,” the woman responded. “That’s why.” There is now an active effort to identify the person and expose them by name. In Great Barrington, the flyer incident was the latest to rattle a number of residents and business owners — some of them Jewish — and all of whom declined to go on the record both for safety and other reasons. Read also, Video showing woman in Great Barrington tearing down hostage ‘missing’ posters goes viral on antisemitism organization’s social media (Berkshire Edge)

READ MORE:

Brodie Mountain sold to group of Florida investors for just under $1M (B Eagle)

Gray skies, deep chill — it’s beginning to feel a lot like winter (B Eagle)

Carrie Holland named permanent head of Hancock Shaker Village (WAMC)

Who rescued the wooden horse stage prop from Pittsfield Road in Lenox? (B Eagle)

New Lebanon train depot could make historic comeback (ATU)

NEWS FROM THE HUDSON VALLEY

Environmental Groups Call Dredging of Hudson ‘Failure’ in New Report

(ATU) - A coalition of environmental groups said Tuesday that the remedial dredging of the Hudson River by General Electric a decade ago to remove carcinogenic chemicals was not as effective as the federal government predicted when they ordered the cleanup. The groups, which include Riverkeeper and the Atlantic Chapter of the Sierra Club, called the remediation a failure in a report that analyzed Environmental Protection Agency data about the current levels of polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, in the river.

READ MORE:

Mystery over design of new public housing project in Hudson leads to informed speculation (GoR)

Group gets $500K state grant for Hudson-Athens Lighthouse repairs (HV360)

Yarok plant-based products “feed” hair and body in Hudson (RI)

‘Pretty Little Liars’ returns for filming in Catskill (HV360)

Plan seeks to turn former church in Kingston into music school, concert venue (Daily Freeman)

Windham Mountain to be mostly members-only (ATU)

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