By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, FEB. 20, 2014) — THE PLANET doesn’t delve much in poetry at this address, except when we get lucky with words and what our fingers pluck out on the keyboard form phrases and more than more-or-less rise equivalent to our fully formed thoughts. […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, FEB. 18, 2014) — It was one word on a 44-page document, yet it contained enough meaning to dwarf in significance the remainder of those flaccid, flabby pages. The word contains within it an answer, perhaps the answer, as to why the PEDA […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, FEB. 17, 2014) — From the mailbag, we share this letter. It deals with a subject that, coincidentally or not, THE PLANET had planned to take up today. Coincidence is convenience delivered by room service! Our letter writer sends this: ——- 000 ——- […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, FRIDAY, FEB. 14, 2014) — Happy Valentine’s Day from THE PLANET. Remember, you can’t spell “Valentine” without “Valenti.” We at THE PLANET have spent snow time cleaning out files and spider webs at the FORTRESS. This healthy activity left us with another does of a […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, FEB. 12, 2014) — While THE PLANET sorts out the feverish “intelligence” from last night’s city council meeting, let’s let the cipher machines cool off. We’ll try to get to 30,000 feet to present a coherent view of the strange doings involving our Right Honorable […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, FEB. 11, 2014) — Sifting though the information provided by Office of Community Development director Douglas Clark, THE PLANET reveals a fact that many discussing the MBTA contract for railcars seem to have overlooked. This is for assembly work, not manufacturing. If the company […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, FEB. 10, 2014) — Could Adam Lee Hall have been innocent? A jury of his peers, so called, pronounced Hall guilty of 15 counts, including murder, and acquitted him of four counts. That’s point #1: The jury found him not guilt on more […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, FRIDAY, FEB. 7-9 WEEKEND EDITION, 2014) — As we said in the Muir case so we say in the Adam Lee Hall case. The first found the defendant not guilty of sexual assault charges. The second found the defendant guilt of murder, armed robbery, kidnapping, […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, Friday, Feb. 7, 2014) — Mary Jane and Joe Kapanski, “They” are looking to take $2 million of your tax dollars, but “They’re” afraid of scrutiny. Can you smell a “fast one” cooking? The economic and community development subcommittee of the Pittsfield City Council […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, FEB. 6, 2014) — One of THE PLANET‘s loyal readers offered this interesting tidbit on “Wrestling Mania,” wherein the Pittsfield School Department saw fit to suspend wrestling coach Matt Chamberlain from his post without giving the taxpaying public a proper reason for the […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, FEB. 5, 2014) — The “Perils of Pittsfield Coaches,” that cliffhanger serial now playing at the $92+ million Pittsfield School Department, continues with its next exciting chapter, “Coach Matt Slammed to the Mat.” As you recall, we last saw that another coach, PHS […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2014) — One of the greatest triumphs of the 1960s, a decade those looking to make a fast buck shall be “celebrating” ad nauseum for it being 50 years ago — like that’s an achievement or something — was the emphasis […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, FEB. 3, 2014) — Whether it’s Framingham, Newton, or Dalton, whichever company on whatever city that lands the $850 million contract to build rails cars for the MBTA, it’s likely they won’t do any worse than 75 commuter rail cars delivered to The […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, FRIDAY, JAN. 31, 2014) — Kissing January goodbye means we’re that much closer to spring, although if truth be told, THE PLANET is immensely enjoying this winter. The hard cold, the right amount of snow, the crispness in the air, the translucent blue in […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, JAN. 30, 2014) — THE PLANET can be the first to tell you that PHS baseball coach Bobby Moynihan will be getting his job back. The community outreach, spearheaded by this website, has convinced the appointing authorities that rehiring Moynihan not only makes […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, JAN. 29, 2014) — When you mention the phrase “Pittsfield baseball,” many names might spring to mind — Art Ditmar, Gene Hermanski, Tommy Grieve, and Mark Balanger, to name a few. It won’t take long before you get to the likes Chuck Garivaltis, […]
