Alan Chartock

I, Publius: Letters I might have gotten
Dear Doctor:
I look forward to reading your advice -- it has helped me a great deal over the years. If everyone listened to you, the world would be a much better place. My boyfriend always thinks that he's right about everything. Now he says that all politics are fixed and nothing is what it seems. He isn't right, is he? 
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Alan Chartock: Murray tells Alan about Mother's Day
I had a conversation with Murray, the world's cutest and smartest pup who was taught how to read at the Literacy Network of South Berkshire. If you live with dogs, I'm sure you've often wondered what the dog is thinking. Full Story

Alan Chartock:What happens when we don't vote?
If we don't vote or if we do vote but don't know a thing about who we are voting for, we leave most of the decision making in the hands of a relative few.  Full Story

Alan Chartock: 'Teaching is not about quick fixes'
You really have to love Carol and Steve Ide. They are phenomenal human beings. They are both wonderful musicians who have played with the likes of Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie as well as in the legendary Berkshire bands Boogity Shoe and Shenandoah. Full Story

Alan Chartock: Food trucks deliver great eats and price
Mike Seward wrote a great letter to The Berkshire Eagle this week and beat me to the punch on the matter of food trucks in Great Barrington. As you all probably know, the Great Barrington Board of Selectmen doesn't seem to want food trucks in town.  Full Story

Alan Chartock: Continued list of great places to eat
Oh, boy! Last week, I listed a whole bunch of places to eat in Great Barrington. I thought I had all -- or at least most -- of them, but no matter where I went, I ran into people who chided me for leaving their favorite off the list. Full Story

Alan Chartock: Berkshires' best places for dining
One of the best things about living in Great Barrington is the amazing selection of fabulous restaurants in and around town.  Full Story

Alan Chartock: Dread about impending road work
Now that the reconstruction of Great Barrington's Main Street is fast-approaching, the level of dread in our community is rising. Full Story

Alan Chartock: McDermott; 'Bat Woman' of her time
As people age, they lose friends who impacted their lives both positively and sometimes negatively. Roselle and I showed up full-time in the Berkshires in 1971, and the fabulous and forward-thinking Jack Spenser hired Roselle to teach at Monument Mountain. Full Story

Alan Chartock: Gov. Patrick in a class all by himself
Gov. Deval Patrick exemplifies the difference between the professional politician class and the public servant who is policy-oriented and, frankly, just tries to do what is right.  Full Story

Alan Chartock: Mourning literary loss of Donnell
I am in mourning because they shut down the Donnell Library Center on East 53rd Street in New York City in order to build yet another huge glass building for the very rich. Full Story

Alan Chartock: Leave chief choice up to the mayor
Here we go again. The Pittsfield Firefighters union wants one of the three top scorers on the chief's civil service exam to get the hiring nod from his honor, Mayor Daniel L. Bianchi. Full Story

Alan Chartock: It's time for some sensible gun controls
Guns are on a lot of minds these days. Years ago, my friend Glenn Doty, the then-editor of the Legislative Gazette, convinced me to get a shotgun. Full Story

Alan Chartock: A farewell to my friend McKearnan
Saturday February 9, 2013 GREAT BARRINGTON David McKearnan died last week after a tough illness. Full Story