BCC PINNING BRINGS TO LIFE THE GREATNESS OF THAT BEST PLACE: A CAMPUS
BY DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION DEC. 15-7, 2023) — Good things, too, happen on campus.
Going back to 1969, when I took my first college classes and continuing to 2018, when I taught my last college course, I’ve been on campuses of higher learning for 50 years. As student (BCC, Union College, Syracuse University) and professor (LeMoyne College, Syracuse, and BCC), almost all of my experiences have been good\. It’s hard to find any other place in my life that has been so consistently beneficent (although one comes to mind).
Wednesday this week, THE PLANET had the pleasure of returning to BCC to attend the pinning ceremony for the seven graduates of the school’s massage therapy program. Among the grads, proudly and confidently taking her place in the front of the room, Mary Adriance, wife of Scott and daughter of THE PLANET and the lovely MRS. PLANET. She sat, first by alphabet, with Jamie Amuso, Melissa Burdick, Birth-Varinthon Prapagornviriya, Sean Reilly, Rayanna Therrien, and Christopher-Michael Vecchia.
In her opening remarks, BCC President Ellen Kennedy congratulated the grads for completing the arduous hands-on program, a deft and thorough combination of class study and practicum. She noted the certain selflessness that accompanies the career choice of the healing arts on behalf of others. Speaking from truth, Mary — in her blossoming from staggered teen to the beautiful, self-possessed independence of adulthood– has shown such compassion. Prior to her BCC accomplishment, she spent several years as a personal-care aide for the elderly.
Sitting in the front row, we saw that same goodness in the other six faces. What an uplift.
———- ooo ———-
Even amid the tumultuous changes that have rattled society and culture in recent decades, campuses not being immune, a college campus never ceases to amaze and excite us for the sheer possibility of what might occur along in the full use of talent along the lines of excellence. It is the classic, Greek definition of happiness.
On campus, many will grow up, mature, and take advantage of the gift of learning. The best will learn how to think for themselves, critically. They will enter college scared and uncertain, perhaps, but if all goes well, they will leave with a curiosity for learning that will last a lifetime.
That’s what happened to THE PLANET. We entered college confused and found in learning the way up and out. We discovered a switch that, when flicked on, twisted our disparate possibilities for life and advancement into “one bright wreath” of accomplishment on which we could “let honor breathe” (nod to poet William Cartwright).
Thus, we salute these wonderful young people and the marvelous faculty: Judy Gawron, program adviser; Karen Rutschmann, Carissa Calderwood, and Meghan Burden. We also give thanks for Berkshire Community College, a place that takes pathless groves and turns them into byways for success, accomplishment, and personal growth.
Without BCC, THE PLANET‘s path through life would have been far different. We would not have progressed through to undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate study. We wouldn’t have discovered our one true talent, that of fashioning the words by and through which we were able to make a good living. For this we express appreciation and give thanks.
The watery powers that undermine so many in this tenuous world of change and chance diminish at places like BCC.
Berkshire County, treasure this asset.
And graduates the massage therapy program: Congratulations on a job well done.
Remember BCC’s motto, from Robert Louis Stevenson: “To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive.”
You traveled with hope, and you have arrived.
———————————————————–
“You can never be overdressed or overeducated” — Oscar Wilde.
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.
LOVE TO ALL.
Copyright (c) 2023 By Dan Valenti, PLANET VALENTI and EUROPOLIS MANAGEMENT. All rights reserved. The views and opinions expressed in the comment section or in the text other than those of PLANET VALENTI are not necessarily endorsed by the operators of this website. PLANET VALENTI assumes no responsibility for such views and opinions, and it reserves the right to remove or edit any comment, including but not limited to those that violate the website’s Rules of Conduct and its editorial policies. Those who leave comments own all the responsibilities that are or can be attached to those comments, be they rhetorical, semantic, or legal. Such commentators remain solely responsible for what they post and shall be and remain solely accountable for their words. PLANET VALENTI shall not be held responsible for the consequences that may result from any posted comment or outside opinion or commentary as provided in, but not limited to, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and this website’s terms of service. We serve as a marketplace of ideas, without prejudice and available to all. All users of this site — including readers, commentators, contributors, or anyone else — hereby agree to these conditions by virtue of this notice and their use of/participation in this site. When PLANET VALENTI ends with the words “The Usual Disclaimer,” that phrase shall be understood to refer to the full text of this disclaimer.
Congratulations
Congratulations to Dan and his daughter. True, learning never stops – you can never be overeducated.
Congratulations to Mary and all the other graduates. Feel proud Mr. Planet and Mrs. Planet!!
I couldn’t agree more with Kindergarden about learning. You never stop learning.
Congrats to the proud parents Dan! B C C offers great education for many professions where you can make good money and actually stay in the areas such as nursing,massage therapy. The problem is the city makes it unaffordable for many to live here for those who aren’t working anymore or don’t have the education or skills to also stay here and who are also good citizens..
According to the business channel our economy is record breaking great news on every measure.The white men viewers of FOX are thinking they are getting screwed by Joe Biden just because Biden supports the Ukraine over Putin.Russians get only their form of FOX media.For now you guys have other choices.Raise your hand if you guys think the economy is bad.LOL
Go to the gas station, supermarket and fill your oil tank.
“The white men viewers of FOX”
Something about stereotypes with you.
Yeah, the monkey business channel.
10% to the big guy
Congratulations and I’m happy to hear that program is alive and well at BCC. Massage therapy has helped me over the years and is much preferred to taking painkillers which often just mask the problem.
The best article I’ve read in a long time.
Thanks, CHUCK!
Cheers to the grads and to BCC!
I always enjoy success stories. It all fits nicely with this Happy Holidays season. It also helps us look away from the darkness of Pittsfield politics, especially the nearly 9 percent tax rate(s) increase(s) that 6 out of the 11 City Councilors voted for earlier this week. Moreover, I read that Beacon Hill lawmakers are sitting on a record high state cash surplus of $8.2 billion, which could and should be used to lower municipal property taxes so that the aforementioned nearly 9 percent municipal tax rate(s) increase(s) did not have to happen. The retired nurse was brave to tell the City Councilors that he is scared due to the excessive city spending by Pittsfield politicians. I do NOT understand career politicians because they celebrate their own successes, while the retired nurses of the world are telling us that they are scared of losing their homes. At 48, I finally paid off my mortgage on my condo unit in Amherst, NH. I feel relieved to not have to pay rent or a monthly mortgage payment for the first time in my adult life. I also feel relieved that I am not in the position of the hundreds of homeless residents of Pittsfield, nor am I in the position of the retired nurse. When I grew up in Pittsfield, the city did a lot better with municipal spending, tax rate(s), homelessness, and retired nurses not fearing for their financial livelihoods. Hopefully, Pittsfield politics will relive “A Christmas Carol” and stop being Ebeneezer Scrooge prior to his transformation into a good man who invested in people and his community. Happy Holidays.
Congrats to graduates. Good school my Almamater. Prepared me well for. Transfer to lifetime jobs in biology chemistry and physics and getting my further education at 4 year schools and graduate level education. Great school but many can not attend because of housing shortages and rising tuitions. Prepared me best for presentation of stem subjects to an ignorant CC and mayor.things will not be better with the new council and in fact may be worse. By all means check out bcc for your child’s education. Be certain that your child doesn’t end up in any course that will not prepare them to move forward in this bad economy. In short fluff courses such as basketweaving and wine tasting. Happy holidays to everyone. May the new year see more people attending CC meetings and letting your mind be known to this majority of councilor miscreants..we need everyone to participate if we expect to see things get better here in pittsfield. Ps. Listen to Josh Landes and flats news conference. It’s a doozy. Tyer talked as if the city couldn’t get along without her
I say we will get along fine without our secretary the unflappable secretary tyer
Craig, having been selling on the craft circuit for a decade, I can assure you that basket weaving puts money in the bank. If you are willing to do the work and make and sell like heck.
Charles sign me up
You’d be surprised. Weaving baskets is actually far more difficult and has a much steeper learning curve than managing 100 miles of city roads.
You have plenty of cat tails in your stomping grounds to learn on, Craig.
And now another connection between Robert Louis Stevenson. Tyer is landing a no show job on Treasure Island. a great day for the city of Pittsfield.
They have a nice exercise building over there.
She’s too lazy to even jump to conclusions.
You beat me to the punch.
Congratulations. No doubt Tyer will make the campus a better place, just as she made Shittsfield a better city.
Perhaps she’ll teach a civics class on equity and diversity to the group of illegal Haitians she rolled the red carpet out for.
Dirty Barry could be a guest lecturer on parking lot security and the Payroll Protection Plan (PPP) loan process.
Ricky Rumpus could even be a guest lecturer on roundabouts and their esthetic beauty.
Is Habitat for Humanity building houses for immigrants while seniors in Pittsfield are being taxed out of the very houses they grew up in?
Congratulations Dan. BCC runs a tight ship and is a challenging institution.
Thank you, SIR CHAZ.
I am sure no one here would be surprised to learn that your daughter grew to be an ambitious and intelligent young woman. Make sure to let us know when she has her own practice one day (if she doesn’t already). Through the planet, she would have many supporters.
The first thing criminals think is a police chief doesn’t even live in the city. Think of that when you nominate your chief.
Like all other department heads, if a chief is controlled by the mayor it really does not matter if he lives in Pittsfield or on the moon. Some positions in Pittsfield are “pretend positions”. Or puppet positions as they call them on the Muppet show. (which is kind of blueprint of Pittsfield)
“I’ve just been selected to be the new Executive Director of Workforce Training and Community Education at Berkshire Community College.” – Mayor Linda Tyer
https://www.wamc.org/news/2023-12-15/tyer-recounts-successes-failures-over-eight-years-as-pittsfields-mayor
Letter: “A bigger tax burden on Pittsfield homeowners is concerning”
The Berkshire Eagle, December 15, 2023
To the editor: Here we go again — homeowners keep taking the brunt of all this mismanagement, lack of oversight, Band-Aid approaches to maintenance and some extreme payrolls. (“Pittsfield homeowners, your property bill is going up next year,” Eagle, Dec. 12.)
People are leaving, yet we want a tax base to keep going up, as well as the water and sewer bills, which keep going up, too. How about some tightening of the belts in the city? If you intend on tapping us for more and more, give us better, safer, schools that have proper heat and are rodent-free. If the building is new, hold the ones accountable that installed malfunctioning equipment or shoddy workmanship, not have our city maintenance deal with the issues when we paid a great deal of money for, let’s say, a new Taconic High School that since opening has had a host of issues and still does today. And Pittsfield High School is a whole other issue.
Can we have an administration that looks at line items and make smart decisions to help the people here in town that want to stay but have a hard time watching taxes and water keep going up? Where’s the cannabis money? Where is the push to get new business and manufacturing in to our city? Let’s market our natural surroundings and all we have to offer, and maybe it will lighten the load off residents who are here now and want to stay in a city that is smart and affordable.
Fred Garner Jr., Pittsfield
Not sure who the other candidates were but it is not like they were really ever considered for the job. And they should look into it as to why.
Saturday, December 16, 2023
A recap in the past week of Pittsfield politics – Holidays edition:
This past week in Pittsfield politics, the City Council raised the municipal tax rate by a little less than 9 percent, which almost triples the 3.2 percent Social Security CoLA and almost doubles the median increase in workers’ pay. 6 out of the 11 City Councilors voted to soak the low- to moderate-income property homeowners who are scared for their financial livelihood. 4 City Councilors voted no, while Councilor Earl Persip was absent and he was not present to vote on the excessive tax rate hike.
Later on this past week in Pittsfield politics, Mayor Linda Tyer – who lives in a mansion in an elitist Gated Community west of Berkshire Community College (along with her neighbor and Pittsfield’s Pot King “Luciforo” whose lucrative marijuana kingdom is suing the city over $440.000 in years ago HCAs fees plus unspecified damages) – announced that she was selected for a high paying state government 6-figure position as the new Executive Director of Workforce Training and Community Education at Berkshire Community College.
To recap, the retired nurse who told the City Council that the city’s excessive spending is causing her to fear for her financial security and that she fears having to lose her home due to the hundreds of dollars more she has to pay to the city every fiscal year. Meanwhile, Mayor Linda Tyer is moving on to a 6-figure sinecure working for the state government in a new position at Berkshire Community College – a very short drive from her millionaire estate.
Lastly, the thing that is most alarming to me is that this past week, Governor Maura Healey’s administration stated that the state’s surplus cash is at a record high of $8.2 billion. I would think that the Governor of Massachusetts would have then stated that she is going to give rebates to the property taxpayers with the state’s historic Slush Fund, but instead, she filed her economic development bill this past week that went to the do-nothing (but DISSERVICES) state lawmakers who are enjoying their 7-weeks-long taxpayer-funded vacation.
Jon Melle
P.S. The above events and facts is a perfect illustration of why most people dislike career politicians!
The good old boy network is alive and well at bcc Wynn and the secretary used their connections to land two very lucrative no show no accountability jobs at bcc. In the private sector they couldn’t get past the circular file in the interviewers office. These jobs should be given out to disabled veterans who have paid their way into these plumb jobs. Two vets in these positions would bode well as they have given their all to their country and if Wynn and the secretary can do these jobs anyone can. We must learn how to prevent these high paying patronage jobs. The taxpayers foot these exorbitant salaries and it is up to us to try to put an end to these shenanigans. Like I said in another post. Wynn and flat have no shame
Did your good friend the mayor graduate from college, high school or 8th grade?
Did you say “workforce” training ? Cuz that’d be about right.
I think she meant “woke force”
Is handgun Moon going to Wu Klux Clan’s no whites allowed Xmas party?
Helen Handgun Moon could tell her “war story” about being pulled over, arrested, and tossed in jail for a few days, simply because she was an Asian woman driving a car that was spotted by two white skinheads. Both just happened to be Boston cops.
Only two problems with Handguns “story.”
First, and the biggest problem, it’s false. It never happened.
Second, unfortunately for Handgun, Asians and whites are discriminated against for lesser qualified black students in many college admissions, as well as entrance into medical and/or law school.
Again, the narrative doesn’t fit. Not many Asians grew up in the low-income housing projects in Chicago. Handgun grew up in an affluent Boston suburb with affluent parents. Certainly not the projects.
After the Affirmative Action Ruling, Asian Americans Ask What Happens Next – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
The mayor of Boston also has a white husband and two white children. So terrible to make her own family excluded from this fancy party of no-whites allowed. She is making her own children feel inferior.
The children aren’t YT
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States experienced a dramatic 12% increase in homelessness to its highest reported level as soaring rents and a decline in coronavirus pandemic assistance combined to put housing out of reach for more Americans, federal officials said Friday.
Tyer and Marchetti are doing ALL THEY CAN to make sure Pittsfield’s contribution to the homeless numbers are well represented. This is what you get when well to do politicians govern the masses. As long as these types have a happy life themselves why should they bother with the lesser haves. Sadly though, it may backfire on them as the desperate and starving masses will seek food from those who do have it.
Fed govt numbers say that there have been 4.5 million immigrants into America in the last three years alone and cities are having to raise taxes enough to feed, house, cloth and otherwise provide for them. This means that even if you and your family have been eking out an existence you are being forced to provide for people who voluntarily left their homes and forced their way into your life. You have no say. You must help support them at the federal, state and city tax levels. You are not giving it to them but rather they are taking it from you one way or the other.
Sooner or later this kettle must boil over. When there are too many to feed and house (like already right?) what do you think will happen? Will everyone remain calm and wait for a miracle?
The G Man can’t help you with this one. Which means no one else will.
.
I agree with everything you said and this is where the next part of the left’s terrible plan comes into play. There will be lots of tension, and there is already, between the lower classes and lower middle class and the illegal immigrants so the police state will be enacted to stop all of the crime and violence that was caused by the policies of the far left. The upper middle class and wealthy won’t care about these problems. They are protected from it all in their wealthy bubbles so they will have little desire to do anything about the coming crime, violence and police state because it won’t have any impact on their lives. All of these policies, including the mass invasion of illegal immigrants, are meant to enslave the poor people of American into compliance with a much lower standard of living and they will like it and be happy as they own nothing because if they aren’t happy, nobody will care.
What about the back end of a mayors tenure? Why does it seem the last six months has seemed like a grace period. Reimburse the money you made off this terrible eight tenure and put it into a charity for non performance.
Jonathan Miller
https://thespectator.com/wp-content/plugins/spectator-custom-blocks/images/circle-fb.svg
https://thespectator.com/wp-content/plugins/spectator-custom-blocks/images/circle-tw.svg
Montpellier, France
A specter is haunting Europe. In France, Sweden, Germany, Belgium and even Switzerland, the rule of law is being challenged by the rule of gangs. Disaffected young people cut off from society feel nothing but nihilistic contempt for it. Higher temperatures and social media are creating a heated summer. Judging from recent events in Paris and Stockholm, this year could be the worst so far.
The rise of gang violence is associated with immigration. Europe has shown itself incapable or unwilling to control the influx of migrants, some of them genuine asylum seekers, others simply…
The rise of gang violence is associated with immigration. Europe has shown itself incapable or unwilling to control the influx of migrants, some of them genuine asylum seekers, others simply opportunists. Nor have European politicians succeeded in dealing with the problems created by immigration, despite spending billions on social projects.
Euros have turned to dark nihilism since late 19th century. Read Hegel on the religion of history. He establishes there the logic and love for a manifest destiny of apocalyptic wars that made the Franco Prussian wars look like skirmishes.
There are no morals to be found over there.
I agree by-and-large with what you say, Pat, though I believe you exaggerate and are overly cynical.
If you want to address this issue then you need to get some decent GOP folk into office like Nikki Haley instead of Orange Jesus who will sell us down the road to isolationism and authoritarianism.
Orange Jesus (Your name not mine for Donald Trump) vs. corrupt Biden? I have no doubt who I would vote for. Nikki Haley isn’t my first choice for Republican candidate. Just because she’s a woman and easier on abortion than some others doesn’t make her more appealing to me, but I would vote for her over Biden if she is the candidate. Biden has done nothing good for this country and is attacking the poorest among us with his policies.
Calling Trump the “Orange Jesus” is saying that Republicans see him as their savior, which isn’t true, but doesn’t the left have their “savior” who they have been idealizing to provide not only his billions of dollars to support their cultural revolution, but also his showing them the way and that is none other than George Soros, the guru for the Democrats. George Soros has infiltrated our justice system, our culture, and our schools to push his cultural/globalist agenda which is highly authoritarian.
I’m just quoting senate Republicans by calling him Orange Jesus, but I’m not sure exactly how they meant it.
Yes
You’re totally delusional.
We must not judge people by the color of their skin.
Clever.
Congratulations Mary on achieving becoming a massage therapist. I’m sure your entire family is very proud of your accomplishment.
Thank you, OP, and all those who sent congratulations.
There’s nothing wrong with manual labor.
I truly appreciate your technique of writing a blog. I added it to my bookmark site list and will