By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, FRIDAY, DEC. 6, 2013) — Before we present the finale of our Reuters series on waste, corruption, and fraud in The Pentagon and the Department of Defense, we pay our respects to this exact date, Friday, Dec. 6, 45 years ago. THE PLANET is […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, DEC. 5, 2013) — Before we present Part 2 of Reuters‘ excellent piece of investigative journalism dealing with waste and fraud at the Pentagon authored by Scot Paltrow, THE PLANET injects this local note. Yesterday and so far today, our wires have been […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (First of Three Parts) (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, DATE, 2013) — How much is $1 trillion? One trillion dollars is: — A one followed by 12 zeroes. — One million millions. If the Fed printed million dollar bills, $1 trillion would not fit in a large bathtub. — […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, DEC. 3, 2013) — How low has political pettiness stooped in The Corner Office? If our sources within the building can be believed, the ground around city hall has sunk below that of Death Valley, and worms in the area of Mayor Dan […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, DEC. 2, 2013) — Getting caught on a plane with the talkative insurance salesman who wants to tell you all about the nuances of “whole life” — We’ve all been in these captive situations. Today, THE PLANET presents this guest column from Francois […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, NOV. 27, 2013) — Today is the anniversary of a happy event that led to a sad one on the most personal and grievous of levels. Nonetheless, on the day before Thanksgiving, THE PLANET mentally, emotionally, and spiritually recalibrates, if for nothing than on […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, NOV. 26, 2013) — As school committee member Terry Kinnas shared with readers of this website yesterday, the Bianchi Administration‘s blunder — shared equally with the Pittsfield School Department over the now-doomed bonding deal on replacement of the city’s school buses — is a […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, NOV. 25, 2013) — It’s not even Turkey Day, and already the streets and roadways of Berkshire County wear the white, not of snow, but of salt. It used to be we as a community didn’t get so panicked about pre-winter, but that’s not […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, FRIDAY, NOV. 22, 2013) — Despite the sealed lips of the Pittsfield Boys and Girls Club executive and administrative staff, THE PLANET had learned more on the case of Peter Bell, executive director. Bell, as we reported, has been on paid leave since late October. […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WED.-THURS., NOV. 20-21, 2013) — Before we pick up where we left off yesterday, THE PLANET has obtained more information on the Peter Bell story. We have an inquiry into the Club for official comment. To our query, the Club replied: “The staff here […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, NOV. 19, 2013) — When the Boring Broadsheet covered the recent municipal election, it did so with a display of obviousness that well positioned the newspaper’s flair for the mediocre, the incomplete, and the insipid. The BB gave numbers without telling the story […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, NOV. 18, 2013) — When the Pittsfield Boys and Girls Club board of directors placed executive director Peter Bell on paid leave of absence on Oct. 23, it did not say why. Not saying “why” has done the greatest injustice to Bell, to […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, NOV. 14, 2013) — RIDDLE: Why did the high school kid cross the road? ANSWER: To piss off as many motorists as possible. This update to the old chicken crack prompts a question for Mayor Dan Bianchi, the principal of Pittsfield High School, […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, NOV. 13, 2013) — THE PLANET is doing some number crunching regarding this past election. Part of the exercise will be to compare what happened on Tuesday, Nov. 5, with what happened on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2011. This is an eye-opener, and we […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, NOV. 12, 2013) — Cleaning out the notebook from Election Day: * OFF THE CHARTS — In its most recent election, three out of every four of the Pittsfield electorate chose not to participate. In light of this, can anyone refer to a […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, NOV. 11, 2013) — THE PLANET posts today in honor of Veteran’s Day. We offer this tribute to all who serve, particularly those who served and saw combat — all the men and women, in all times, in every war and conflict. This includes […]
