The Rogovoy Report 7.29.24

From around the corner to around the globe...

Jul 28, 2024

Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Five Principles of Personal Freedom

(The Atlantic) - Because he was at such ease with the imminent prospect of his death, you might assume that Fyodor Dostoyevsky must have been a calm and composed person — and, quite likely, an unquestioningly religious one. But you’d be wrong on all counts: Dostoyevsky was a tortured soul — a philosophical wanderer who accepted nothing and questioned everything, including his own faith. Yet precisely this deep uneasiness with life led him to create a blueprint for living centered not on comfort and enjoyment, but on meaning. This sense of meaning gave him the composure he showed in what he believed to be the final moments of his short life, as well as at the true end of his longer one, 32 years later.

FASCIST TAKEOVER WATCH:

Donald Trump and right-wing strongmen like him around the world are using grievance-based nationalism to gain power. When does this sort of populism tip into fascism? (NYRB)

Trump implores Christian supporters to vote ‘just this time’, then says he’s not Christian (The Guardian)

The real origin of Trump’s Hannibal Lecter obsession (New York)

Nephew says Trump suggested some disabled people ‘should just die’ (NYT)

J.D. Vance can’t stop saying the dumbest things imaginable (New York)

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FOOD & DINING

Megan Gomez will open Sibaritas in its new location this September (photo Leslee Bassman/B Edge)

Pittsfield’s Sibaritas Restaurant Set to Move to Bigger Digs, Former Trattoria Rustica Site

(Berkshire Edge) PITTSFIELD, Mass. - In just three short years, Pittsfield eatery Sibaritas has outgrown its 1264 East Street location (site of the erstwhile, beloved Elizabeth's) and is bound for 27 McKay Street (also known as 75 North Street), site of the erstwhile, beloved Trattoria Rustica. Since last summer, the popular Italian restaurant has been turning away about 20 patrons daily in its 49-person-capacity space and is set to move in September into the larger site, said owner Megan Gomez, who runs the establishment with husband Chef Ronald Gomez. The describe the menu as Italian with a new, modern twist.

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Rare297, a new steakhouse from the owners of RJ’s Restaurant in Pittsfield, has opened at Hotel on North (Berkshire Eagle)

New owners of the former Crossroads Cafe to reopen bar as Bei Tempi, aim to bring good times to the West Side of Pittsfield (B Eagle)

In its first month, Sheffield’s new locally sourced ice cream shop, Modern Milk Bar, has caught on fast (B Edge)

Juju’s sets the tone for fast-casual dining in Great Barrington (RI)

After Hours GB: A new dining concept that’s not a restaurant (RI)

Who is Catskill’s famous hot dog lady? Meet the woman behind the apron (ATU)

Historic Kozel’s Restaurant in Columbia County for sale (ATU)

Under the Tuscan influence: Via Cassia in Hudson (RI)

Circles: New York-Style bagels with a local flair in Hudson (Chronogram)

Swoon KitchenBar in Hudson: Reliable excellence 20 years on (ATU)

Woodstock’s Moonrise Bagels expands to Poughkeepsie (Chronogram)

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Guillaume Lethière’s ‘Brutus Condemning His Sons to Death’ (1788) (courtesy The Clark)

‘Brutus Condemning His Sons to Death’: A Tragic Dilemma at The Clark

(WSJ) WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - The Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Mass., has organized the first exhibition, through Oct. 14, devoted to Guillaume Lethière (1760-1832), a Guadeloupe-born biracial artist who became a successful professional painter and rival of Jacques-Louis David during the tumultuous French Revolution and Napoleonic eras. Lethière’s 1788 breakthrough composition, “Brutus Condemning His Sons to Death,” acquired by the museum in 2018, anchors the exhibition. In 1788, while still a student in Rome and before the Revolution, Lethière painted his signature “Brutus Condemning His Sons to Death.” The small, highly finished painting is a Neoclassical depiction of one of the most violent episodes from the early history of the Roman Republic. The tragi-heroic Lucius Junius Brutus (546 B.C.-506 B.C., not to be confused with Marcus Junius Brutus, the assassin of Julius Caesar) was the founder of the Roman Republic and a staunch anti-monarchist.

Almost Nothing Is Revealed in New Teaser for Upcoming Bob Dylan Biopic

(Forward) by Seth Rogovoy - The Bob Dylan world is buzzing with anticipation, bated breath, and perhaps some excitement upon the release earlier this week of the first official “teaser trailer” for the upcoming Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown, directed by James Mangold (Walk the Line, Ford v. Ferrari) and starring Timothée Chalamet (Dune, Call Me By Your Name) as the young Dylan. While the release of the short, two-minute trailer does not reveal much about the tone of the film, it certainly succeeds in “teasing” viewers with suggestions about how it intends to tell Dylan’s story.

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Maggie Mailer to discuss her father Norman Mailer at Triplex documentary showing (Berkshire Edge)

Taylor Mac and Heather Christian tackle Clarence Thomas in musical theater (RI)

From the first spark of an idea, playwright Anne Undeland discusses her creative process (Berkshires Week)

‘Marcel on the Train’ at Williamstown Theatre Festival focuses on Marcel Marceau’s work with Jewish orphans as part of the resistance (Boston Globe)

Shakespeare & Company presenting world premiere of ‘The Islanders’ (Boston Globe)

Jacob's Pillow looks to lure next generation with family-friendly events (ATU)

The Clark’s newest exhibit re-examines Edgar Degas’ works (iBerkshires)

REVIEW: ‘Comedy of Errors’ is comedy gold at Shakespeare & Company (ATU)

REVIEW: Barrington Stage’s ‘Boeing’ soars toward farcical perfection (ATU)

REVIEW: Beck, Boston Pops team for a delightful evening at Tanglewood (ATU)

Reckoning with the Dead at the Sphere (New Yorker)

NEWS FROM THE BERKSHIRES

Harris Holds Pittsfield Fund-Raiser as Democrats Rally: ‘We Are the Underdogs’

(NYT) PITTSFIELD, Mass. - Vice President Kamala Harris warned a crowd of supporters on Saturday at the Colonial Theatre that former President Donald J. Trump held the advantage in their contest for the White House given the short window until Election Day. “We got a fight ahead of us, and we are the underdogs in this race, OK?” Harris said at her first fund-raiser since President Biden dropped his re-election bid six days ago. “Level set, we’re the underdogs in this race. But this is a people-powered campaign, and we have momentum.” The event in the Berkshires, a popular vacation destination in western Massachusetts, raised over $1.4 million, significantly more than the $400,000 organizers had hoped to bring in. Roughly 800 people attended, taking in performances by the singer James Taylor, the cellist Yo-Yo Ma and the pianist Emanuel Ax.

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EPA pushes back on key GE-proposed Housatonic Rest of River remediation plans (Berkshire Edge)

Financial study on town purchase of Housatonic Water Works delayed until October due to lack of cooperation from the company (B Edge)

GB Board of Health’s decision on tobacco sales at Dollar General tabled until future meeting (B Edge)

Lee officials mull adding electric vehicle charging stations to downtown (B Edge)

Pittsfield police, clinicians respond together to deescalate mental health crises in new program (NEPM)

Moresi companies settle housing discrimination allegations (iBerkshires)

With $58B compromise draft before Healey, Berkshire legislators talk delinquent 2025 Massachusetts budget (WAMC)

NEWS FROM THE HUDSON VALLEY

Riverbend Dispensary’s Farm-Fresh Philosophy in Hudson

(Chronogram) HUDSON, N.Y. - Although cannabis farms are relatively (well, legally) new to this area, local growers are skilled and diligent farmers who are often just as passionate about the nutrients in the soil as they are about the terpenes and flavors in their harvested products. This time and attention to the art and science of growing high-quality bud is what inspired Rudy Huston and his business partner Ed Glickman to open Columbia County’s first full-time farm-to-table dispensary, Riverbend, right in the heart of Hudson.

READ MORE:

‘I suffered’: Inhabitants of Hudson reformatory school reflect on former facility (HV360)

Hudson recognizes Olympics with torch lighting (HV360)

Catskill’s Thomas Cole historic site unveils new visitor center (HV360)

34 Columbia County bridges rated as poor, Greene 11 (HV360)

Kingston’s plan for 25 mph citywide speed limit takes step forward (Daily Freeman)

Could fireworks displays be displaced by drones? (WAMC)

WAMC/Northeast Public Radio Board of Trustees announces appointment of Sarah Gilbert as new president and CEO (WAMC)

The Future of Local Media in the Hudson Valley: Struggles and Solutions (The River)

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