BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY JUNE 24, 2019) — What is a U.S. citizen? Who are they? No, it’s not an Abbott and Costello routine (“What’s on second, Who’s on first”). It should be clear. You’re a citizen if (a) you’re born in America or one of its […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND AND BEYOND EDITION, JUNE 21 to …) — A campfire. Snow-covered mountains reflecting in a lake that does not appear on a map. End of day. It’s amazing how a setting like this can free the mind and spirit. Thoughts wander, needing […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY ADD 1 DURING THE WEEK — Lost in the woods. What a feeling. You know the path is close, but where. First thing. Don’t panic. Second thing. Get your bearings. Third thing: Compose your plan. And you find your way. The tricky turns of the wilderness in […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION JUNE 14-6, 2019 AND BEYOND THE INFINITE) — Gone fishing. Have a great weekend, everybody. Have a great life. May it be full of camp fires, smores, and pan-sizzled salmon. ————————————————————————————————— “The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY JUNE 10, 2019) — Suppose you take a healthy interest in local government. Suppose, further, that you want to educate yourself about the city’s finances. THE PLANET realizes that these two suppositions, alone, are enough to put a private citizen on The Suits’ […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION JUNE 7-9, 2019) — In THE PLANET‘s column on the dry hydrants contributing to a destructive house fire on Tyler Street, we raised a number of questions regarding the strange doings at the Department of Public Works: Numerous and unexplained resignations. […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY JUNE 5, 2019) — In THE PLANET‘s recent column on President Trump’s trade war with China, Indiana University economist and good friend Dr. Charles Trzcinka mentioned tech giant Huawei. Maybe you haven’t heard of them, but this Chinese company is the world’s largest telecom […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY JUNE 3, 2019) — The rest of the world might have moved on from him, but for THE PLANET, the Passion of Julian Assange gets more troubling. Assange was arrested by British authorities and sentenced to a year for jumping bail, a set-up serving […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION MAY 31-JUNE 2, 2019) — If a fire fighter hooks a hose to a hydrant and nothing comes out, does it make a noise? Answer: No. It means the hydrant is located in Pittsfield. On Thursday last, fire consumed a home […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY MAY 29, 2019) — The deviled details of America’s current trade war with China may be difficult to understand, given the byzantine nature of tariff application, their varying rates, and a number of other factors. The beauty of the issue for THE PLANET, however, […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY MEMORIAL DAY, MAY 27, 2019) — Nothing long or ponderous today, just a remembrance of all veterans who died in service to the country. THE PLANET offers our respects and honors for their sacrifices, for which we shall ever be grateful. Probably few if […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION MAY 24-26, 2019) — You missed it. You missed it because Downtown Pittsfield Inc. — that useless, vampiric drain of public money — has for Mary Jane and Joe Kapanski all the relevance of Shandoff’s, the Bridge Street Lunch, England’s, Rosenfeld’s, […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY MAY 22, 2019) — One of THE PLANET‘s favorite writing gigs was a stint with comedian Henny Youngman. We helped the “King of the One Liners” with books, produced one of his shows, and even wrote a few jokes. We cannot claim credit for […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY MAY 20, 2019) — Progressives in Berkshire County have infected the criminal justice system with a notion euphemistically called “restorative justice.” It might better be called, “Give the minority criminal carte blanche.” Today we reprint an item first published in The Hartford Courant […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION MAY 17-9, 2019) — What’s going on at Reid and Herberg Middle Schools, Reid especially? The school has 546 students and 54 teachers for a 10:1 ratio. Average teacher’s salary in Pittsfield is $76,981 plus bennies, putting it third in the […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY MAY 15, 2019) — What makes for a viable mayoral candidate in Pittsfield. It’s an interesting question, given that each cycle produces two types of contenders: legitimate and disingenuous. It makes the selection easy. THE LEGITIMATE There are two legitimate candidates in this […]
