The Rogovoy Report 3.13.23

From around the corner to around the globe...

Mar 13, 2023

Does American Fascism Exist?

(New Republic) - Since the election of Donald Trump, a specter has haunted the United States — the specter of fascism. From the New York Times to the Atlantic, from CNN to the New York Review of Books, liberals and socialists alike have asked the same question: Is it happening here? Answers have run the gamut. Some insist that the similarities between contemporary American populism and fascism—their shared racism, reliance on the petit bourgeois, hypernationalism, and xenophobia—indicate that fascism, finally, has come to America. Others disagree, maintaining that the enabling structural conditions of classical European fascism—firsthand experience of total war, a powerful left, and a relatively weak state capable of being taken over—no longer exist, and that, whatever right-wing populism is, describing it as “fascist” occludes more than it illuminates.

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The New Anarchy: America faces a type of extremist violence it does not know how to stop (The Atlantic)

Awash in asphalt, cities rethink their parking needs (NYT)

Annie Ernaux on the seduction of the big-box superstore (New Yorker)

Quinnie’s Charms with Countryside Flavor

(Valley Table) BETWEEN GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. and HUDSON, N.Y. - When you’re traveling through the Hudson Valley, it’s easy to become captivated by the spectacular scenery. That’s exactly what happened to Quinn Rose Levine one day while she was driving along Route 66 in Hudson—a trip that inspired her to open a restaurant that is now beloved by locals. Levine always wanted to own an eatery. “I had this idea for a very long time, even before I moved to Germantown with my family,” says Levine, 36, who has worked in restaurants since she was in high school. “I loved the idea of having a counter-service restaurant, some ready-to-eat foods, and a place for families to come and feel welcome.” When she spotted a quaint, centuries-old farmhouse on six acres—she recognized potential.

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Wigwam Western Summit owners to open boba tea shop in Adams (Berkshire Eagle)

Shelley’s Kitchen preserves community ambiance in Pittsfield at former Joanne's Elm Street Luncheonette (iBerkshires)

Pittsfield’s Crust pizzeria to open second shop in Williamstown (B Eagle)

Ozzie's Steak & Eggs in Hinsdale to be sold to kitchen manager (B Eagle)

Cooper's Daughter Spirits in Columbia County blending old techniques, new flavors (ATU)

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Yinna Moore Hopes to Make Downtown Adams an Art Destination

(RI) ADAMS, Mass. - After working with the Extreme Model Railroad and Contemporary Architecture Museum in North Adams and bidding on the Mohawk Theater in that city's downtown, Yinna Moore has set her sights just to the south, purchasing an 8,000 square feet former movie theater that she hopes to turn into an all-purpose, community-oriented arts center as the linchpin of her plan to make Adams an arts destination in the Berkshires. Read also, Adams Theater owner Yina Moore is betting on downtown Adams (Berkshire Eagle)

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Norwegian artist Edvard Munch to be showcased in major exhibition focusing on nature paintings at The Clark in Williamstown this summer (iBerkshires)

Alan Cumming, Béla Fleck, Chris Botti headline Mahaiwe's summer season (Berkshire Eagle)

Springsteen postpones Albany concert due to illness (ATU)

New gallery seeks to offer MASS MoCA-like art installations in downtown North Adams (iBerkshires)

Author Jen Beagin chronicles absurdity, change and love in Hudson (ATU)

Weezer, Dinosaur Jr., Lumineers, Trey Anastasio, Preservation Hall Jazz Band top summer music festival bills in Hudson Valley (HV360)

NEWS FROM THE BERKSHIRES

A Weekend Road Trip to Stockbridge

(ATU) STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. - Stockbridge appears the definition of a one-horse town, so if you’re headed for Springfield, Boston or Providence, R.I., it’s the perfect pit stop to grab a bite, a coffee or catch a night’s sleep before you hop back on the road. But those wishing to stay longer will find that despite its unassuming main strip, the town and surrounding area are rich in artistic, literary and colonial history. Stockbridge may be small but the town’s centerpiece, the Red Lion Inn, has drawn big names in American culture and history — FDR, Bob Dylan and Post Malone — to enjoy community, cuisine and old-timey charm at the foot of the Berkshires.

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Residents queued for three hours to purchase Tanglewood tickets the old-fashioned way - at the box office (B Eagle)

Proposal for more rental housing in Stockbridge gains traction (B Eagle)

Great Barrington selectboard, residents clobber proposed Habitat for Humanity project (Berkshire Edge)

Nor'easter could drop two feet of snow across Berkshires (iBerkshires)

Broken boiler at Armory Block building forces downtown Adams businesses to relocate (B Eagle)

Lanesborough’s leaders go back to the drawing board on public safety complex (WAMC)

The Porches Inn in North Adams seeks to expand (B Eagle)

Pittsfield celebrates 25 years of twinning with Irish sister city (iBerkshires)

From selling wool sweaters to combating effects of climate change, a look at how Lila's Mountain Farm in Great Barrington runs (B Eagle)

Author and Holocaust survivor Edith Velmans of Sheffield dies at 97 (B Edge)

NEWS FROM THE HUDSON VALLEY

Artist Ze’ev Willy Neumann in front of his Saugerties sculpture/sign on Snyder Hill off Route 212. (Photo David McIntyre/Chronogram)

Saugerties: Reinvention as Birthright

(Chronogram) SAUGERTIES, N.Y. - With the region facing single-digit temps last month, anyone could have been forgiven for choosing hibernation. But in Saugerties, it was time for the Snow Moon Festival—and, people layered up and came out in significant numbers. "It was classic Saugerties," says Yvonne Rojas-Cohen, chair of the arts commission. "We pulled it off—weather, schedule changes, and all. We have so many people who are like-minded and deeply passionate about the community."