THE PLANET MOURNS THE LOSS OF A FRIEND … SOX NAMED TOPPS ‘ORGANIZATION OF THE YEAR’ … FLAT-ROOF DESIGN IS FLAT-HEADED … plus … ‘MAJOR GAFFE’ AT LAST NIGHT’s COUNCIL MEETING?
By DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, DATE, 2014) — THE PLANET was saddened to hear of the death of our dear friend Laura Valenti. Laura, a great booster for the city and particularly its downtown, came into our sphere in the 28 years (1980-2008) we ran our businesses from suites in the Elglo Mall (now Crawford Square) and The Shipton Building.
Laura was an energetic, caring, upbeat person, the kind of great soul who lifts up everyone in her company. Indeed, she passed the ultimate test one can put upon a life: “Is the world a better place because of the life you lived?”
She passed on these qualities to her beloved daughter, Danielle. We had a lot of fun that she had two “Dan Valenti“s in her life. On behalf of all of us here at THE PLANET, we send our condolences and deepest sympathies to the family.
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Sox Finish in First in First-Ever ‘Organization’ Win
THE PLANET shares this dispatch from the winter baseball meetings in San Diego, Calif. One must earn our keep in the 5-star settings of Saint Diego de la Vega, 318 miles removed from our beloved winter home in Needles. After watching the Patriots beat the Chargers Sunday night, switching to a baseball frame of mind isn’t easy work, but, hey, someone’s gotta do it. Plus, with the frequent flier miles piling up, we should qualify for that S&H Green Stamp movie projector!
Topps has announced the Boston Red Sox as this year’s “Organization of the Year.” This achievement by the Red Sox marks its first such win in franchise history.
The Organization of the Year Award dates back to 1966 and highlights the Major League team that has shown outstanding performance, depth, and talent throughout their Major and Minor League teams. The award is presented annually based on the number of players in the organization that have received Topps awards during the season. Points are awarded in four different minor league categories including: All-Star players, Players of the Month, Trautman Award recipients, awarded to each league’s Minor League Player of the Year, and The J.G Taylor Spink Award recipient, awarded to the overall Minor League Player of the Year. Points are also awarded for those players’ selected for Topps Major League Rookie All-Star team.
The Red Sox’s individual winners included: Mookie Betts (Eastern League Player of the Year, 2014 Topps All-Star); Rafael Devers (Gulf Coast League Player of the Year, 2014 Topps All-Star); Blake Swihart (2014 Topps All-Star); Henry Owens (2014 Topps All-Star); Keury De La Cruz (Player of the Month – Carolina League); Sean Coyle (Player of the Month – Eastern League); Xander Bogaerts (2014 Topps Major League Rookie All-Star Team)
Topps sponsors annual awards honoring major league rookies, minor league players, and baseball scouts. Its awards program is administered by the Topps Sports/Player Licensing Department, under the direction of Jon Einalhori. Topps is an international marketer of entertainment products, principally collectible trading cards, confections and sticker collections.
As a kid in the 1950s and 1960s, you probably wasted several hundreds of thousands of dollars with the Topps baseball cards you chewed up during flipping games, trading, and to create that Marlon Brando vroooooooom! noise by pinning Mantle, Mays, Musial, Minoso, Monbouquette, and Malzone to the spokes of your bike.
THE PLANET thanks Einalhori of Topps and Kevin Gregg of the Boston front office for the info.
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Flat-headed Design for Flat Roof at New School Triggers Alarms
Last night at the meeting of our Right Honorable Good Friends on the city council, the flack for the architectural company chosen to prepare the design specs for the Done Deal new Taconic High School told councilors what he told the Parrot People — also known as the School Buildings Needs Commission — that sloped roofs leak more often than flat roofs. THE PLANET wonders if this guy, Carl Franceschi, was born in Death Valley, Calif., or even Needles. They get precious little rain or snow out there.
Sloped roofing leaks more, so he claims, because there are more seams than on a flat roof. He also pointed out the dangers of sloped roofing in winter (ice and snow falling). Francheschi (Italian for “Lots of public dough” [LOPUDO]) said the Parrot People could overturn the flat roof, hire a roofing engineer, and then put in a sloped roof to guarantee highest quality.
It made us wonder: You mean short of that, taxpayers will not be getting top quality for their $130 million? According to homeguides.com, flat roofs require more maintenance, they are more difficult to inspect, and cleaning is much more arduous. They are also less structural and more unstable than sloped roofs. Flat roofing doesn’t drain as readily and without regular inspection and maintenance, drains clog more easily. This leads to damage and leaking. From the website: “Many flat roof leaks are due to lack of regular inspection and maintenance.”
Do you hear that alarm? That was triggered by the reality of infrastructure’s fate in the city of Pittsfield. As you know, the city is notoriously infamous for its lack of regular maintenance on all sorts of buildings and fixtures.They let buildings and structures (as well as vehicles) degrade into unusable condition then hit taxpayers for the brand-new version.
Do we have to draw the “experts” a map?
In the “visual” section of the presentation, LOPUDO took Parrots and Councilors through the fancy 3D pictures. It reminded of us of Show-and-Tell for 3rd graders.
All of this leads THE PLANET to wonder: If this deal for a new school at a time of dropping and school enrollment is not a Done Deal, then why is the design at such an advanced stage? The real question is: “When did the public ever — ever — have a say on this unnecessary expenditure?” Answer: Nevah.
Apologists for the project point to formal approval needed by the Parrot People, the school committee, and the city council.
Earth Calling All Constructionist Apologists: The PPs voted 16-1 to advance the project (thank you, Chuck Vincelette) as did the school committee, unanimously. As for the city councilors, many have already gone on record supporting the move. The only reason they don’t want to put this to taxpayers is they know the move to build this superfluous Rolls Royce of Academia would be shot down faster than your Aunt Edna’s pet poodle downing a Milk Bone.
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Innocent Oversight or Intentional Hijacking of the City Council’s Legislative Calendar
This is a quickie, since we got it so close to press time, but there was a curious happening at last night’s council meeting. We are still developing the story, but the matter has to do with the council leadership (President Melissa Mazzeo and Vice President Chris Connell) apparently failing to properly monitor the calendar. THE PLANET got word of a concern by some councilors that the legislative process was compromised as a result.
Thoughtful people were left to wonder: Was this an innocent oversight or was it done intentionally to promote the mayor’s agenda?
THE PLANET has requests for comment into the key players. Stay tuned.
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“When some sweet hog mama with a face like a gent / said my get up and go must’ve got up and went. Well I got good news, she’s a real good liar, ’cause the backstage boogie set your pants on fire.” — Aerosmith, from “Sweet Emotion,” (1975).
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”
LOVE TO ALL.
The city should fund a study of flat roofs as opposed to sloped roofing. It should only cost under $500,000.00. They can advise the people how much money they are saving.
We all know the city’s track record on maintenance of the two high schools they already own. A new position can be created for roof drainage paying someone $87,000.00 per year plus benefits to make sure the water properly drains off the school.
The people are too stupid to have a say in the roofing conundrum or even building a new high school. They simply must be told how their extorted tax money will be spent. The citizens are too dumb to know what they need.
More studies can be funded by the city. For instance wood or brick? PVC or copper? Blacktop or cement? Windows or no windows? Windows or Macs? How many bathrooms? Grass or Astroturf? There is no end to the amount of studies that can be funded to advise the taxpayers how much money they will be saving.
Can you imagine how much of a disaster it would be if you let the people have a say in all of this?
Shouldn’t the school get the eco-boost to LEED accreditation and have a green roof?
I was sorry to hear about Laura Valenti. Good good person.
The presentation by the architect has actually caused more wavering in my mind about this school building project.
I started fully in favor but now my mind is open.
Pittsfield politics is nearing financial insolvency. Pittsfield doesn’t have the funds to build a new high school. Pittsfield politics spent tens of millions of taxpayer dollars on downtown revitalization. Investing in North Street didn’t work. Thousands of people are moving away from Pittsfield. Thousands of jobs have been lost in Pittsfield. There are no living wage jobs in Pittsfield. I would have better odds winning the lottery jackpot than finding a $20 per hour with benefits full time job in Pittsfield. That is NOT good. Pittsfield’s tax base is shrinking, while Pittsfield’s spending is increasing. That is not a good economic/financial formula!
Jonathan it’s state of mind. If you think no opportunity well then no opportunity exist.
I’m wondering where the push to have the Taconic carpentry program get the experience and save tax dollars building or at least contributing to the bulk of the work for the new school.
It is all my fault that I never had a +$20 per hour plus benefits living wage job with job security where I could save for my retirement, and get married and afford a residential home in a nice neighborhood and have two children and one dog and one cat, and then save for their college funds, and have a nest egg for emergency expenses. It is my fault that I am almost 40 years old next summer without attaining the American Dream. I mean, millions of jobs have been outsourced to Asian nations like China, India, and the like. I mean, income inequality and flat wages for the average worker is the new normal in our 21st Century American economy. I mean, everything is more expensive than ever before. Housing, Healthcare Insurance, Education, Debt, Negative Income, Insufficient Retirement Accounts, Job Insecurity. But, it is all the fault of Jonathan Alan Melle of Amherst, New Hampshire!
you are in charge of your own path. Yes, to some extent you are responsible. Not everyone successful gets hand outs and backdoor favors. Suck it up buttercup
The wealth of the top 1 percent keeps growing, along with the poverty of the underclass. In between is a shrinking middle class. Like I said, it is all my fault! Millions of lost jobs to foreign outsourcing, flat wages, income inequality, the underclass…blame it all on me.
Jonathan you said earlier you’re a disabled vet with a 100% rating. That means you receive 2858 dollars a month. When divided by 160 (40hrs a week X 4 weeks a month) that equals just under 18 an hour. Plus that’s all TAX free. Go deliver pizzas and add that to your tax free VA money and you’re making 26+ an hour.
http://www.benefits.va.gov/COMPENSATION/resources_comp01.asp
Mark (Karl, not Groucho) accurately predicted that in capitalism, wealth would concentrate at the top. Of course, when you allow for universal human greed, so does it do in socialist and communist systems. It isn’t the systems. It’s human nature that’s the cause.
Does that mean that CEO Jack Downing would help me if I still lived in Pittsfield? Thank God I am not a homeless Veteran!
Jack Downing is helping himself…. Any CEO of a non-profit (Soldier On) that hires his own son in law to a top position with big bennies including a company car is certainly self serving!!!
Before the ink is dry the school has already been built. This needs to go to a vote, it’s much to expensive to leave it in the hands of this C C or Mayor.
So true about Laura Valenti – an angel. Condolences to you on the loss of your friend. She will be remembered fondly always, and – indeed – our worlds are better for her having lived.
Did any one notice how Tricia Farley something was advocating for the new school. it’s she the one who sends her kids to out of district school?
Some things are out of our control, yes but that doesn’t mean we don’t keep pushing forward. I can tell by the way you write you’re a smart guy. Just use your head. Woe is me has no place in our minds. Once you let that mentality set up shop things start to look bleak.
That’s my whole point on the race issue in America right now. If as
a country united we honored the great people of history who made positive changes instead of focusing on the negative ones we’d be a whole lot better off. It can be applied here honor those that were and are great by striving for the standard set by them or even surpassing it.
Yes she does have kids out of district. She claimed not every school fits every kid. What she really means is my kids aren’t going to school with gang members. She is a racist. (For the folks with lights on but no one home that was a tasteless joke.)
Trish knows what’s best for us.
From the Berkshire Eagle
The Berkshires contain 171 family based child care programs and 64 center-based programs. Only 22 of the latter participate in the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program, a “low” figure, Kira Taj of BTWIC said. This figure comes despite one in six children in the commonwealth, including in the Berkshires, suffering food insecurity and the hunger that frequently results.
Wonder who pays for all that
It comes from state tax dollars. Not a bad thing considering it promotes healthy nutrition for children. Do all providers use the money for such? Well we all unfortunately know the answer to that.
Lisa Marie is on channel 18, right now!
Good one,Yakky! Good eye.
Dan You make an excellent point. In a socialized police state where wealth is distributed you would still have the collective at the top dictating what the lower class gets. The only difference is thier right to work hard and achieve better results is taken away.
I’ve been reading some books By kohichi Tohei it’s pretty fascinating stuff. Even of you don’t want to be a martial artist the principles of ki (univers life energy) mind/body coordination and state of mind can be applied to daily life. I suggest anyone seeking any kind of self improvement take a look. It’s nothing mystical or magical it’s quite simple and anyone can do it.
I try to keep it simple, the “golden rule”, works for me.
Joe application of ki goes a little deeper but there’s nothing wrong with living by the golden rule.
The Golden Rule is in our estimation the highest, greatest ethical principal ever uttered. It is not religious. It is moral.
Socialism is for the people, not the socialist.
Bill exactly. I think the minority communities are waking up and realizing the mistake of blindly following one side of politics.