By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, GOOD FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012) — Today is Good Friday. THE PLANET presents some food for thought for those who are interested: “It is not for man to seek or even to believe in God. He only has to refuse to believe in everything […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 2012) — Today, we tackle a new issue on THE PLANET: The Definition of Marriage. First, let us deal with a few quickies: SCREEN SHOTS — A splendid time was had by all who attended THE PLANET’s free showing of the […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2012) — Remember, tonight we will show The Haunting, Robert Wise‘s brilliant take on Shirley Jackson‘s genre classic, The Haunting of Hill House. This is part of our Advanced Composition class. The class will begin in K-111 at BCC beginning at […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2012) — Today let us share a trio of good news clusters to start things off in the right direction, north by northwest minus the corn field and crop duster. (1) PETER MOORE’S PROGRESS — You will be delighted to know […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, APRIL 2, 2012) — No, we didn’t post on Friday. No, it was not the preemption of an April’s Fool’s stunt. No, we weren’t kidnapped. No, we didn’t “sell out.” No, “they” didn’t “get to me” (whatever that is supposed to mean). No, […]
By DAN VALENTI Planet Valenti News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2012) — Someone told us they opened the Major League baseball season in Japan the other night. It came as news. We don’t follow MLB any more. That admission surprises many people, even to this day. There are still a segment […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 2012) — While we can’t say for sure who will be the next superintendent of schools in Pittsfield, we can say definitively that Christine Canning will not be the Chosen One. THE PLANET has learned that Canning, author of the highly […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2012) — We’re not sorry we haven’t fallen for the Trayvon Martin overreaction. The teenager lost his life, prematurely, and for that we are sorry. We will not, however, join the mindless herd in wanting to turn this unfortunate boy into […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, MARCH 26, 2012) — Every so often, THE PLANET receives an invitation as a local celebrity to sit in judgment of some contest, drive a bus as a promo stunt, flip pancakes, that sort of thing. Each time, we have to stop, take […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 2012) — Schools, bullying, an unresponsive school department, and a determined mom: How’s that for today’s menu and that of the weekend, in which the Orange advance to the Elite Eight. SCHOOLS: A TALE OF BULLYING THAT AMPLIFIES THE SERIOUS JOKE […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012) — Yesterday, THE PLANET got a gander at one of the many boards and commissions that serve WE THE PEOPLE in the oft-slovenly but necessary business of city government, in this case, the Pittsfield Parks Commission. We had attended, along […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary PRE-TRIAL CONFERENCE IN NILAN-MOORE CASE POSTPONED TO MAY 2 (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2012) — We were all set to post today’s entry on THE PLANET when we learned that the Nilan-Moore Case pretrial conference, originally slated today in District Court, was postponed to 9 […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 2012) — Having made it through the non-existent “winter,” we can now move to the pursuits of spring, when young men’s fancies turn to dog walks. WE BELIEVE IN DOG The Berkshires’ own Josh Billings put it best: “A dog is […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary ADD 1 MARCH 19, 2012, LATER IN THE DAY * BRIDGE UPDATE — We add this item from the Parks Commission agenda tomorrow night (see main post, below), for those who contacted us today: An update on the Lakeway Drive temporary bridge will be presented. It’s item […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary ADD 1 (MARCH 17, 2012, 2:20 p.m.) SOURCES: ELM STREET ROBBER CAUGHT We break into our regular weekened coverage to report that, according to sources, the woman wanted for a string of robberies in the Elm Street area was arrested and charged this afternoon in Pittsfield. Police […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2012) — “The taxpayers lost big time last night.” That’s how school committeeman Terry Kinnas characterized the action of his colleagues last night in a 5-1 shooting down of his petition to halt the search for a new superintendent until the […]
