The Rogovoy Report 12.11.23

From around the corner to around the globe...

Dec 11, 2023

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REQUIRED READING

Donald Trump Is Killing Us

(The Atlantic) - Here we are, faced with the prospect of a Trump restoration. We’ve already seen the cruelty and chaos that having a malignant narcissist in the Oval Office entails. What will happen to the American psyche if he wins again? What will happen if we have to live in fight-or-flight mode for four more years, and possibly far beyond?Our bodies are not designed to handle chronic stress. Neuroscientists have a term for the tipping-point moment when we capitulate to it—allostatic overload—and the result is almost always sickness in one form or another, whether it’s a mood disorder, substance abuse, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, or ulcers. Even an electoral defeat for Trump might not significantly diminish the toll that politics is taking on the collective American psyche.

READ MORE:

Trump says ‘I’m not a dictator’ but top figures warn of authoritarian takeover (The Guardian)

How countries fall down the fascist rabbit hole (Lucian Truscott Newsletter)

Why are so many American pedestrians dying at night? (NYT)

How Ooma Tesoro’s Found Success With Its Singular Sauce

(RI) NORTH ADAMS, Mass. - When Michael Tesoro was a boy, they couldn’t get him to say Nonna, the traditional Italian word for grandmother. Instead, he called his grandmother Ooma, and the name stuck. Forty years later, when Michael and his wife, Robin, jarred their first batch of sauce, it was clear they should name the company after Ooma, who taught Michael how to make the family recipe. The thing about Ooma Tesoro’s marinara is that it's a perfectly uncomplicated tomato sauce that’s free of preservatives or added sugar. Ooma’s is as close to homemade as you can get from a jar, and after all these years, the Tesoros haven't varied the recipe even a smidge. They use just a few fresh ingredients — whole plum tomatoes, fresh onions, fresh garlic, extra virgin olive oil, pepper, sea salt, herbs, and spices.

READ MORE:

Wondering what wine to pair with your dinner? Red Lion Inn sommelier Tim Eustis has got you covered (Berkshire Eagle)

Brewhaha owners head for retirement, bid farewell to longtime North Adams patrons (iBerkshires)

Pittsfield’s Thistle & Mirth turns to patrons for help with pizza rebranding (iBerkshires)

For second time this year, Panchos Mexican Restaurant will appear before Licensing Board after police were called for a disturbance (B Eagle)

Restaurateurs plan to put diner back in Miss Adams Diner building, under new name (B Eagle)

It was once a Howard Johnson’s where a Rockwell painting was staged. Then it was home to the Dakota Steakhouse and its salad bar. Now, it’s gone (B Eagle)

After 25 years, Terrapin in Rhinebeck, N.Y., still delivers (ATU)

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Installation view of "Like Magic" at MASS MoCA

In ‘Like Magic,’ 10 Artists Conjure Shadowy Refuge at MASS MoCA

(Boston Globe) NORTH ADAMS, Mass. - What do you do when the darkness closes in? “Like Magic,” just opened at MASS MoCA, has some ideas. In a broad cavern of a gallery, boxes of light glow dully in an enveloping gloom, the high-vaulted rafters above lost to the shadows. Gutteral snorts and whines — soft, muffled, but undeniably there — echo through the dim space, untethered from their source.

Madonna, performs live on stage after the 64th annual Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv, 2019 (courtesy Forward)

New Bio Shows Madonna’s Deep, Lifelong Connection to Judaism

(Forward) by Seth Rogovoy - Within a day of the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, international pop-star Madonna took to Instagram to share her reaction to the slaughter of Israeli civilians with her 19 million followers. Her post included video clips of the terrorists rampaging through Israeli towns and villages, and her accompanying commentary said, “What is happening in Israel is devastating. Watching all of these families and especially children being herded, assaulted and murdered in the streets is heartbreaking. My heart goes out to Israel. I’m praying for you.” To the casual follower or fan of Madonna, this heartfelt outpouring of sympathy with Israel might have come as a surprise. But to those who have been paying closer attention to the pop superstar over the years, this gesture was totally in character with Madonna’s longstanding support of Israel and her strong connection to Judaism and the Jewish people.

READ MORE:

The Clark’s new Works on Paper exhibit features prints, drawings, and photographs acquired since 1973 (iBerkshires)

‘The House in the Pines,’ a best-selling psychological thriller set in Pittsfield, optioned by Amazon MGM studios for television (B Eagle)

Great Barrington Public Theater announces winter, spring schedule (iBerkshires)

Renovated Spotlight Theater, under new ownership, makes its premiere in Greenport, N.Y. (HV360)

New name, new identity for Ancram Opera House (HV360)

After founder’s death, Joyce Goldstein Gallery in Chatham, N.Y., hosts final show (ATU)

Two rising country stars to headline Concert in the Catskills (ATU)

NEWS FROM THE BERKSHIRES

Fergie Chambers, né James, at his home in New Hampshire this past summer (photo Jacob Kander for The Free Press)

Cox Heir Building Militant HQ in Alford

(The Free Press) ALFORD, Mass. - Fergie Chambers, an avowed communist since the age of 13, wants everyone to hold it against him forever that he is heir to an enormous fortune. And he’s willing to go to enormous lengths to tear down the mechanisms — capitalism, imperialism, liberalism, the rule of law, America — that delivered it into his lap. Chambers’s first order of business: developing his Alford-based commune, a “liberatory training space,” a housing collective meets agricultural collective, where the People’s Gym (“free for working-class people and permanently closed to cops, active military, landlords, and capitalists”) is located. It’s where the journal Combat Liberalism is based. It’s the headquarters for the Berkshire Communists group, which Fergie started. It’s where the Babochki Collective, the funding arm of all of Fergie’s projects, sometimes meets, and where the group is stockpiling weapons. Locals say that his radical political organizing has taken a menacing turn, especially when it comes to the Jewish state on which he’s uniquely fixated. Almost all of the people who live in the area around Fergie’s compound refused to go on the record because they said they are scared of retaliation. “People are getting panicky,” one neighbor said.

Rabbi Levi Volovik speaks at Lilac Park before the first public menorah lighting at a town-owned park in Lenox.

Berkshire DA Timothy Shugrue Assures Jewish Community: ‘We Will Not Tolerate Hate’

(Berkshire Eagle) LENOX, Mass. — Amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and domestic turmoil over antisemitism and potential violence, this year’s Festival of Lights may feel decidedly dark. And against that backdrop, Berkshire District Attorney Timothy Shugrue on Thursday sought to deliver strong reassurance to the Jewish community, and stressed a commitment to safety and security. “We are proud to stand with you, not just today but every day,” he said during the town’s first public park menorah lighting and celebration of Hanukkah. “We will not tolerate hate,” he declared with state and local police standing by under a light snowfall. Even before the recent hostilities in the Mideast — prompted by a brutal Hamas-led terrorist attack that killed more than 1,200 people in Israel — antisemitic incidents were on the rise in Massachusetts, according to the Anti-Defamation League. A report released last March found that 2022 saw the highest number ever recorded — 152 in Massachusetts, including three in the Berkshires. That’s 41 percent higher than the 108 reported in 2021.

READ MORE:

If it feels like everyone you know is sick with something, you’re probably right. But is there more RSV, COVID and flu going around Berkshire County? (Berkshire Eagle)

Cryptocurrency scammer Ryan Salame is selling his Canaan, Conn., airstrip for $2M (Waterbury (Conn.) Republican-American)

North Adams Adventure Trail, Hoosic River Revival, and Reconnection Communities Pilot could revitalize North Adams and improve negative effects of urban revitalization (iBerkshires)

Williamstown Select Board considers property tax relief ideas (iBerkshires)

Jessy Park, namesake of Williams College’s mailroom, retires after 43 years (Williams Record)

Third time’s (not?) the charm: Much to local businesses' dismay, Great Barrington Selectboard approves Price Chopper’s liquor license (Berkshire Edge)

Seekonk Tree Farm in Great Barrington has deep roots (B Edge)

No decision on Housatonic Water Works proposed rate increase until at least April (Berkshire Edge)

Sheffield residents approve new light pollution regulations (WAMC)

The Burrow, a new boutique, is fostering a healing niche in Pittsfield (B Eagle)

NEWS FROM THE HUDSON VALLEY

Hudson City Cemetery Is a Restful Retreat — For the Living

(RI) HUDSON, N.Y. - A visit to a city cemetery when you don't have to? Yes, and right off the bat, there are a few things you should know. It’s not a morbid experience. Neither is it one of those ghost tours that appear on historic home itineraries right about this time of year. At the Hudson cemetery, there’s nothing creepy about it. It is simply a pastoral destination that rewards with top-notch views, pulls you in to local history, and gives you permission to slow down, breathe deeply, allow the silence to take you where you need to go.

READ MORE:

Man shoots at Albany synagogue hours before Hanukkah (WAMC)

Albany synagogue shooting may test N.Y.'s new firearms regulations (ATU)

Columbia County supervisors to consider registry for animal abusers (HV360)

Amtrak ridership booming — including Albany to NYC (ATU)

Plans for North Bay walking trails in Hudson advance (GoR)

Mayor’s office unveils 2023 40 Under 40 nominees (HV360)

Hudson Public Square rehab gets $500K (HV360)

Innovative affordable housing development in Kingston gets $15M state grant (ATU)

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