BY DAN VALENTI

COVID-19. Because of what I still do for a living, I spent an hour on the phone yesterday with an epidemiologist discussing the virus. First, the virus knows no politics. If you’re going to get it, it doesn’t check your voter registration card first. In atypical fashion, we’ve made it political because when it comes to politics, we have less brains than my Labrador Retriever. Second, it has been proven in study after study that the use of masks prevent all types of infections, not just COVID. However, masks are only 85% effective on average, hence the social distancing requirement. Keep in mind that the virus travels well when a person is contagious. Your greatest way of catching it is by not wearing a mask as the particles like to travel by air and will linger in the air longer on a humid or damp day. If a person without a mask coughs or sneezes, the particles land on a surface, and you touch it, you can transfer it by touching your eyes or nose even if you wear a mask.

Let’s talk COVID deaths. Think of a wedge on a chart. Along the top are ages starting from 0 and going to 100. At 0, that’s the lowest point of the wedge. At 100, the wedge is at its peak. This wedge represents the initial infection rate back in March. Those over 55 (not 60 or 65) due to age and medical conditions were most susceptible. Frankly, those in the older group that contracted the disease dropped like flies. Hence, the high initial death rate. Let’s call this whole initial wedge 250,000 people. Well, we’ve killed off the majority of this group that were going to die from the virus.

Shift to today. We are at less of a wedge and now at more of a rectangle on the COVID infected chart because the virus has mutated, gotten stickier and is attacking young people. Young people have strong immune systems and are less likely to die. As a result, we have more infected people – not because of testing because accurate test results take up to 2 weeks to come back in places – due to the shift of the virus. Because the infected group consists of more people with solid immune systems, the percentage of people that die from the virus goes down, way down.

As my friend said, whether we accept it or not, infections are up not due to testing. However, we should be thankful for the carelessness of young people, the ignorance of those that refuse to wear masks, and people in states that reopened too early. Factually, they are doing us a favor because we are now rapidly building herd immunity.

Bottomline for you is leave your politics at home, keep a mask in your pocket when you’re outdoors, and wear one when you go anywhere else. Watch out for the wandering wild American asshole, an ignorant beast found throughout the country. It’s known for its inability to read or think for itself, and the only thing it finds important is itself. Best protection is wearing a mask and avoiding contact. Be safe.

Coming to a city near you. Perhaps this is what Tyer has in mind for her Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/seattle-chop-segregated-training-session-white-supremacy-physical-safety

As far as the political spectrum, Bernie SHOULD be the viable write in nominee.
Biden will just not pull it off….he’s another Hillary waiting to lose his big shot.
And Trump is as good as gone.
Thankfully.
We need someone like Bernie, plain and simple.
Personally I would like to see a Bernie/Cuomo ticket.
There you have brains and brawn, youth and experience.
If only Cuomo were black and female, it would be perfect.
Nuff’ said.

Re: Right to Farm – cannabis cultivation in the state of MA is excluded from the definition of agriculture.

Yesterday was idiots’ day in the Pitts. Are directionals now optional in this city? or forbidden? At least five declined their use in just my limited driving.

NY, CT, et al. plate-holders seem to turn into idiots at the city limits.

Then you had the idiot from NY with his directional on–but he didn’t turn!!!!!!!

Be careful out there, ya hear.

BLM, the entire country, the USA, is sick of your shit.

Sick of lawlessness, sick of your demands, sick of riots, sick of threats!

The ONLY thing BLM has accomplished, is to live up to stereotypes of inner city Negro THUGS.

That is the message BLM has produced, cultivated, and endorsed.

I have friends of ALL colors, so don’t brand me “racist”.

Dans censor got this one

 
To whom it might concern:
 
I’m writing this letter to admonish those selfish zealots who oppose the wonderful clandestine agreement that our representatives and elected officials have crafted with that company that brings “good things” to life, General Electric. Don’t they realize that the economic future of Pittsfield is at stake?!!! Even the editorialists of our local newspaper, The Berkshire Bird (a.k.a. Eagle) heap their praise upon this virtuous settlement.
 
Look at the “benefits” to the city of Pittsfield: 1) A still contaminated toxic waste site, for free! If I was the CEO of a major industrial corporation that’s where I’d want to build my new factory. Just think my office could overlook the once pristine Silver Lake, a heavily contaminated chemical cesspool that will remain toxic in perpetuity. 2) Several million dollars in economic aid to the city of Pittsfield, a mere drop or two from the oceanic corporate coffer of GE and less than GE CEO Jack Welch takes home in a year. Surely this will finance the economic renaissance well into the next year or two, perhaps even repair some long neglected bridges and schools. 3) An “ecologically sound cleanup” of the first two miles of the once beautiful Housitonic river, consisting of a superficial skimming of the most assessable contaminants while the lion’s share is “safely sealed” under a “permanently impervious” sheet of plastic (i.e. swept under the rug) that no PCB could ever escape from, even if a MAJOR flood occurs.
 
Now how about the hidden agenda and self-serving interests of the whiners who attempt to sabotage this wonderful and forever binding settlement? 1) Those who want a full cleanup of the river, the HRI and Tim Gray. These people are clear-cut Eco-nazis! Of what and who would benefit from a fishable swimable river? Some wacko gun toting hunters, hungry fishermen, granola crunching canoeists, and the wildlife of the Housitonic river valley from here to Long Island Sound. Clearly this is a selfish agenda that benefits only fringe groups.  If the animals were in any danger from wallowing in the toxic slime their cause would surely have been championed by some wonderful animal rights group like PETA (you know, the people who endorse drinking beer instead of milk as a healthy lifestyle). 2) The people whose properties were contaminated by GE’s foul spoor. Who cares if their property is only superficially cleaned and left worthless? These people don’t need clean soil for their family gardens, just go to Stop and Shop for your fresh vegetables and stop complaining. Remember that the wonderful agreement is at stake! 3) George Wislocki and the Berkshire Natural Resources Council. Their sole agenda is to stifle economic development. Look at the thousands of acres of prime land they’ve snatched up from the developers grasp, and for what? To preserve some useless open spaces as wildlife habitat and maintain its scenic beauty. Look at what this has done to Realtors and Developers trying to build and pave over the Berkshires, just the spin off loss of carpentry jobs is astronomic! 4) Those people who oppose the uncapped, unlined, and untreated landfill of toxic sludge adjacent to Morningside School on Hill 78 and other locations on the GE property, are they out of their minds?
 
This last group is surely the farthest out of touch with reality and have no views towards the future what so ever. When GE finally is through with the massive and thorough cleanup that they’ve promised these will no longer be mere hills but true mountains, perhaps even rivaling the majestic Green and White ranges to our north. Developers will fight over the rights to these lofty piles of sludge, ski resorts will be developed and the values of nearby properties will soar, the land being quickly snatched up by second homebuyers and condo builders. And think of the economic spin offs of these new resorts, not only will Pittsfield have a new manufacturing base but also a complimentary service economy.
 
Surely these new mountains will deserve to be named so that our grandchildren won’t forget who created these wonders. How about after the nearsighted people who made them a reality? Mts. Dolye, DeVillars, and Welch! Ahh ……I can see it now, ski Mt. Welch the beast of the east, I dared Mt. Doyle, I skied the toxic pillar called Mt. DeVillar…………..Don’t let this wonderful opportunity pass us by!

Its summer!! Close everything back down, I have not problem collecting food stamps and unemployment… especially during the summer. There are small businesses refusing to reopen till the mask mandate is lifted. The ones that are open are either using the opportunity to exercise power tripping, or probably won’t make it till 2021. Pittsfield was decent when I got here 5 years ago, since then it has gone down tremendously. I dont see our downtown recovering from this pandemic. Do you personally… personally, not a friend of a friend, personally know anyone who was perfectly healthy that has died from this virus??