THINKING NOT OUTSIDE THE BOX BUT ON THE SURFACE OF IT
BY DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 2016) — Allow THE PLANET to be the contrarian once more and swim against that flowing stream of puff, propaganda, and PR. We hate to be the ones to bring it to The Suits, though we don’t have to bother with We The People, who already know it: Rope-a-doping 8 “professional artists and others” to decorate downtown electrical boxes will not put one thumb into the leaking dyke.
The finger-painting folly, known as Paintbox 2016, aims to “convert 10 nondescript ‘load’ boxes into canvasses for creative expression.” Where do we begin? Let’s go no further than what we’ve thus far written. Pittsfield will pay $400 to each of the “professionals and others.” We get professionals. It’s the “others” that scare us. Does it include the gang members who have defaced the Pop Corner bus kiosk with their creepy symbol, one the city left untouched for months? When it did move, it created an ugly, white smear that had people calling for more gang symbols. Does “others” include the horde of heroin addicts, who need a line of work other than home invasions and robberies? That $400 will buy a fair amount of meth.
An artist friend of THE PLANET says the paints alone will cost about $500 for each box — if the artists buy high-quality weatherable paint systems (yes, “systems,” since the surface will need to be finished). The only artists who will make a paltry sum off this ornamental orgy will buy cheap paint and skip the sealing. Welcome rust, chipping, and weathering, eyesores where there were once neutral e-boxes. Once again, politics proves Theodore Roethke correct: America has turned its artists into freaks.
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Here are some links into the gateways of Bread and Circuses, taken directly off the city’s website.
Click here for the 2015-2016 Map!
Click here to visit the page where you can watch an introduction video by Former Mayor, Daniel Bianchi and view a video description of each of the new Artscape pieces and artists!
Artscape is also on Facebook! Click here to visit the page.
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Notice the three “!” points, a punctuation THE PLANET abhors. The “!” point almost always indicates a writer’s desperate attempt to “punch up” lifeless copy, like putting too much salt on piece of over-boiled chicken. Exclamation points such as those here, therefore, are red flags. The city knows this is “nothing” news, but it needs to make it sound!!! exciting!!!.
Big Claims for Small Peanuts
In its press release, the city claims program “will bring intriguing and vibrant paintings to the streets’ utility boxes (load centers). Artists will transform the typically drab electrical boxes, increasing the vibrancy of the artful streetscape. It will celebrate local artists, enliven the streetscape, and discourage vandalism of utility boxes throughout the downtown.”
And one last thing: When did “upstreet” and “downtown” turn into “the streetscape.” That’s how Pittsfield refers to center city in the Paintbox Program and elsewhere. That, too, tells you everything.
We can hear it now. “There goes THE PLANET again, Mr. Contrarian.” But you would be wrong, sir or madame. We are optimism itself. It’s just that we see the future — 2022, according to the city’s own study — when the finances, overspending, over-taxation, and the shrinking middle class converge to send the municipal kayak over the falls. THE PLANET sees Paintbox as more “bread and circuses” to distract … whom, exactly? The masses don’t care. The riff-raff are all set. What’s left of the middle class is too busy being skinned alive by government.
The Suits are distracting themselves with such out-of-touch autofellatio. Mary Jane and Joe Kapanski see through the whole damn mess.
Mr. Contrarian? No — We subscribe to the Menckenian way when it comes to politics: “It is the business of a journalist to stand in permanent Opposition.”
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“Every time the scientists take another fort from the theologians and politicians, there is genuine human progress” — H.L. Mencken.
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”
LOVE TO ALL.
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This is what Pittsfield is all about now…pretentious art and culture to try to mask what is really going on in this city. A lack of concern for the elderly and the struggling middle class while the city continues to deny it has a spending problem. The city is teetering on the edge of collapse and we get this arts nonsense to try to distract people from the real issues.
While the Berkshire Eagle reports only sparse details from the Pittsfield Police Dept concerning shots fired that hit a Madison Avenue house Sunday Morning. Again, Mayor Tyer wants to have Wynn appointed Chief. More of the same. Keep it from the Public. We need leadership at the top of the Police Dept….. this guy is not a leader.
According to RAIDS ONLINE it looks like there was a mugging of an elderly person on Depot st in late May. Did this show up in the Eagle because it is definitely the last thing they want the public or tourist to know about.
Could there be collusion between city hall, the police dept and the newspaper to keep such info quiet?
No, there could not because we run an open an honest government in Pittsfield.
Maybe it was there and I just missed it.
if you scan the press logs, looks like there are plenty of reports of nefarious activities that are right in plain sight.
Posted this once already but never went up so, I don’t mean to put words in Dusty’s mouth Shakes, but as far as the Eagle’s end of this, he ‘s probably saying there’s a sizeable gulf between an incident listed in a log vs one which is reported on in a story, and that is an editorial decision. Although in the Eagle’s case that may be more likely due to lack of manpower than to collusion
We all need to live in gated communities like the mayor and other politicians in the area to protect ourselves from all of the gunfire and other crimes.
The mayor just bought a new house. She moved from her humble abode on Venture Avenue and is now in a $637,000 home in a gated community.
Wow she got rich all of a sudden.
Is there any citizen/taxpayer/civilian oversight of the PPD ? Is the only avenue of citizen complaint review directed to the closed self contained dept. itself ? The mayor perhaps ?
How tight lipped can a taxpayer funded organization be ?
Chief Wynn has an excellent academic record; U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis ( dropped out), Williams College and Anna Maria College, What is his arrest record ? Felony arrests ? He once shot a turkey, that caused a citizen to march around town in a turkey costume, For real.
A lot more to Dale Eason’s suspension that onlty an esoteric few will ever know, never will everything be revealed.
Who shot the turkey? Reason or Wynn?
There’s a civilian advisory board that’s made up of bum kissers and wanna bes. The only good guy they had, Larry Tallman, quit because the board is there only to make mayor and PPD look good.
PPD needs a citizens review board with teeth.
good luck on getting anybody on any board or commission who’s not a total GOB ass kisser.
There is a public safety advisory committee.
I concur he had long enough.
If it’s gonna be vibrant that’s good enough for me. Bring your own vibrator .
Did anyone OK this with Warren Dews?
Berkshire County has a billion dollar tourism economy from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Pittsfield politics is trying to cash in on all of the tourist dollars that go to Stockbridge and neighboring Lenox.
I was told that one area of growth in Pittsfield is 2nd home-owners from out of state, such as the NYC area. Properties in south county are too high in cost, so 2nd home-owners are now buying up homes in the nice parts of Pittsfield.
Put it all together, you have a billion dollar tourism economy during the summer and 2nd home-owners investing in Pittsfield who will take in Pittsfield’s downtown cultural and arts venues.
The real problem is that for a majority of the year, Pittsfield doesn’t profit or benefit from all of the money (tens of millions of taxpayer dollars) it has spent on tourist attractions. Pittsfield’s tourism economy is seasonal, not year round.
– Jonathan Melle
The City of Manchester, New Hampshire, which is near where I live now, is doing the same thing with their light boxes as Pittsfield.
http://www.wmur.com/news/manchester-traffic-light-boxes-get-makeover/40116910
Manchester has a pretty vibrant heroin trade of its own. Jolly good.
So long as it’s vibrant
Please tell me this is not tax payer money. Please tell me seniors and people on a fixed income are not paying for this.
Sorry dusty. We seniors are paying for this. Arts for politics sake.
Not tax payers money. A local bank gave ten grand.
Who will maintain the artistic look of the box in 5 years.
That would be the artists responsibility.
Taconic high is going to solve our employment problem,there are many companies who will pull the trigger to move.to pittsfield once Taconic is built.
PEDA is setting its sights on Walmart hoping that the new
Taconic can provide enough students to fill the 100 new jobs created for its grand opening.After the first 6 months they will lay them off.
My thoughts exactly.. When I read the article on WalMart’s bid to develop PEDA …. I thought wait … what about all those promises filled with words like “comprehensive”, collaborative” and “economic engine”. If we would just believe in the suited pigs at the trough… Whenever I hear a do-good committee or non-profit organization use these type of words, red flags go up in my head…. Look for metrics and timelines to meet objectives and you will find none ..
Yeah, but this project is vibrant.
Has it really taken 15 years of who’s who in local business people to build a Walmart,I repeat that this could only happen in Pittsfield…..The berkshire innovation center will neighbor with Walmart….what business wouldn’t want to move into a developement like this.
Pittsfield is also on the hook for this BIC investment
Good point. Buckets and barrels of money spent on PEDA personnel and promotion over many years and we get a Walmart moving from one side of the city to another? I think congratulations are in order to all who made this happen. We can only hope that big corporations like Apple and Spectrum and Toyota don’t sneak into Pittsfield and buy out Corey Thurstons contract and those who came before him. We cannot afford to lose this talent.
Why stop there? How about a painting for every shooting, to really give the fartists, oops i mean artists, a boost. What with 30 plus shootings this year the artists would really be raking it in. That’s an economic engine right there.
Dare I say, the artists should paint victim silhouette’s on the ground for every shooting ……..
Gunplay last night on West Side, Robbins and Madison, then more by Chriatian Ctr where the july 4 massarcre happened.
Just awful. Where is the city I once knew?
The DA’s office is providing $17,000 for Narcan to be given to victims and their families by hospitals for “future overdoses”.
Don’t you love it? Talk about encouraging addicts to continue using opioids.
Wynn has done a great job over the last eight years.Mayor Tyer knows this and will finally seek a waiver to get him the full designation. It’s her right. The C C will follow.
There is no leadership in the Pittsfield Police Dept. They are divided. Power struggles…… Wynn is not a good leader. He is connected…period!!
In Pittsfield that pretty much means the job is his.
Then why are we still having shootings and drug crimes that go on unsolved.
If Wynn has done such a great job, why is crime increasing at an alarming rate in this city?
The artists should all recieve TIFs because the load boxed will likely be deemed cultural anchors. TFB will be there for the photo op.
And how’s that crime analysts doing? Has she predicted anything to stop a crime? Of course not, because no one can predict random acts of crime! Why not use that salary to put another officer in the streets?
That’s load boxes. I hate spell check.
The current Chief inherited a cluster of problems and for his eight years and has done not only the uniformed leadership against great odds, but his administrative skills are superior to any of the Chiefs previous. You can’t run a Department with one hand tied behind your back. The Mayor is right on this one.
Halo, you must be a friend or relative because nobody else in Pittsfield looks at it that way. His dept is out of control.
Everyone in Pittsfield knows all the nighttime hiding places. What does the Chief do about it? Answer: Nothing. Why? Because they need their rest so they can collect there daytime OT pay. How many cops on his watch havs proven themselves criminals? Name one innovative thing he has done
Beards.
Just read this morning in the eagle that another one of our finest Pittsfield police officers Dale Eason was put on administrated leave pending an investigation.
He must be a great role model, because hear is a supposedly PPD quote In those emails:
Capt. David Granger described Eason as one of the department’s, “most problematic officers when it comes to the use of force and good judgment.”
NICE!!! good leadership there?? Who will be next??
Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t Dale Eason the detective who got demoted because he had sex with a rape victim or domestic violence victim?
Dan, can you get the secret squadron to try and drum up any info on this latest “episode?”
Wasn’t he part of the dynamic duo who arrested the 88 year old woman on Wilson St.?
The Barney Fife of Pittsfield.
I hope Warren Dews approved this move.
Mountain one moved from north street to PEDA and also took Stevenson insurance company with them from North street.
Lets do a casino on the site….tourists will love it.Go to tanglewood while staying at the casino on Tyler..I love this ….why not a casino….way better than a walmart
Paul, what’s an innovative thing?????
CosbiesLadies, I’m not the police chief with the fancy education. Law enforcement is his career field. He has not done anything except let crime increase. It is his job to lead and implement procedures and strategies to combat the crime issues at hand. If he is not up to the task, he should either step aside or be fired and we can hire someone who is up to the task.
High heel walks for batters woman.
Welcome to Open Comment Wednesday.
I like spagirl but methinks she has a vendetta for this guy. ight or wrong.
I don’t have a vendetta whatsoever. After 8 years the Police Department is in turmoil, Citizens feel unsafe, and in the dark. If Wynn is so exemplary…… tell us why. Tell us why he should bypass the Civil Service Test.
I totally agree spagirl. Crime is out of control in the city. We need people with new ideas to shake things up not doing the same old things that are not working. If the current crime strategy was working gunfire wouldn’t be happening all over the city.
Who was the Cop that nailed the Wild Turkey years ago.
Really?
Dick Stockwell is speaking at open mike to save his stipend as a member of the licensing board.
That should be a volunteer board like most other boards. Doesn’t he get enough of a benefit from the bar owners who let him drink for free for fee of being slapped with a violation?
You can find him at Methusula or Lachs just about every night, with a stop at hotel on North in between.
Really,
Morandi and Connell want to add back to the budget the stipends after they voted in favor of changing an ordinance that eliminated the stipends.
Really?
Morandi said it was peanuts and should be added back. I think in an earlier session he proposed a $1,000 cut. The stipend I think they said was 2,400.
Who got to these two and what were they promised to add the stipends back? They both talk out of the sides of their mouths.
The Mayor shouldn’t leave the appointment hanging to much longer, just do it. Didn’t the Chief just receive a prestigious award somewhere, someone must think he’s doing the job.
Connell has turned into a big boob as has Morandi. Tony Sim is one of the better Councilors.
Just remember when the city goes belly up all the city pensioners past and present get nothing. so they better grab all they can get now and it seems many of them are doing just that
god bless em god bless em all
And don’t expect any help from the state they have the same fiscal management policies Pittsfield does.
And they ain’t gonna help with the school either people…ain’t gonna happen they is broke too