ponte95ma

ponte95ma t1_jdt2r2v wrote

Reply to Anyone know how to pull up old Philadelphia Magazine covers/articles from 1980? by SouthPhilly_215

I mean ... their HQ is right on Walnut Street.

And then there's our amazing Library.

(FLP's online databases include one that promises Philadelphia Magazine, but it turns out to go back only to 2005, and plain text-only anyway.)

A couple more digital pokes turned up a selection from the previous decade, courtesy of a former editorial director of PhillyMag.

Just browsing? or looking for a specific cover? or ...?

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ponte95ma t1_jbuqehm wrote

Reply to How can we attract more people into the teaching profession? by jekomo

This thread's refrain of "better pay" is starting to sound like the "not enough time" chorus that I hear from the public (and private) school teachers I've worked with my entire professional career.

Pay is not the heart of the matter.

It's about respect.

Respect for those who choose to teach -- absolutely.

But also respect for those learning.

And the pandemic put the lie to everything that we told our children about schooling.

Pay and other spending that our teachers and students touch and see can be signals of respect.

But as OP began to itemize only at the end of their post, there are many immaterial challenges to our teachers and schools.

No student -- or for that matter, parent -- would ask a teacher why they teach, and feel satisfaction with a response of "For the bucks." Quite the contrary.

And fundamentally, conveying to children that the adults around them "follow the money" does a poisonous disservice to the teachers (especially the Title I teachers I work with -- but the administrators, too) who have kept the faith through the pandemic.

I just came back from visiting half a dozen Title I classrooms in one of the few states larger than Pennsylvania -- and hanging out with those teachers late into the night. I heard them catch up with each other over pizzas and beers, and volunteer their backstories.

Could every single one of them earn much more in other fields? Yes. (Does this also reflect on their particular subject matter expertise? It does.)

But having seen them pouring their hearts into their craft by day, I know a light would extinguish in each if they did leave the profession.

Actually, about 36 lights per, times four or five preps.

(Further evidence that teachers are not in it for $: my current project doesn't compensate them any better than their union-mandated hourly. But still, they engage because they want to become better for their kids.)

To be clear ... our teachers definitely deserve better salary ... safer and more welcoming working conditions ... adequate supplies for which they don't pay out of pocket or resort to fundraising.

But no one has ever gone into education to make bank.

The teachers still teaching our children do so because of our children.

So respect for u/jekomo.

Can we respect OP's colleagues enough to get past/go deeper than "just throw money at it/them"?

'cause all the cheese in the world doesn't stand a chance "amid constant attacks, accusations of indoctrination, less teacher autonomy, etc."

These unpopular opinions brought to you by a proud graduate of this state's public schools who benefitted from its free and reduced lunch and summer programs, stayed in-state for college, holds teacher certification here, pays taxes here, and has worked on several multi-year, multi-million-dollar private and federally-funded educational efforts launched or co-designed by teachers.

P.S. It is not lost on me that PSEA's own "issues & action" tab on this exact subject has gone AWOL.

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ponte95ma t1_j9n4eji wrote

Reply to Help! - Philly SEPTA is confusing and Iā€™m confused! by TheOperaGhostofKinja

Yeah, you could buy an Exit Quick Trip once you reach Center City.

Or just pay the conductor cash ...

Ways to Pay

>SEPTA accepts cash for travel on any Regional Rail line. Exact fare is not required. The conductor can make change, but bills larger than $20 are not accepted. The cost of the trip is higher when paying cash on board.

... which in your case (Paoli being in Zone 4) it'll be ...

Fare Pricing

>Paid on Train, Weekends/Evenings: $7

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ponte95ma t1_j904820 wrote

Reply to comment by 99centstalepretzel in Best CSA in the city? by Lolotopo

Okay, that makes more sense. It wouldn't have occurred to me to scroll past the top search results, down to the Highland Orchards in Wilmington.

And it turns out that they deliver on the same day ... to the same place ... where I pick up my CSA that is not Highlands Orchards.

Between their SEO and their brick-and-mortar marketing, I wouldn't have known about Highland Orchards (DE) -- so thanks for the tip, Reddit ftw again!

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ponte95ma t1_j8yezl7 wrote

Reply to comment by 99centstalepretzel in Best CSA in the city? by Lolotopo

Their website explains:

>Purchase a CSA gift card to support our farm when financial resources are limited. Your gift card purchase (Dec-May) makes funds available for us to plan, prune, plant, and prepare for the busy growing season (May-Nov).
>
>Unlike traditional CSAs, you choose when, which kinds, and how much fruit and vegetables you want to take home. Your CSA card can be used on fresh in season produce, or any other great items offered in our Farm Market and Bakery.

Maybe I'm missing something: you buy a gift card ... to spend ... only at Highland's farm market ... in West Chester?

How often/far are you travelling for that CSA?

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ponte95ma t1_j7nojev wrote

Reply to comment by Capable_Okra in Knife sharpening class by Capable_Okra

Thanks, fam, definitely still learning!

No referral code to share, I regret; but as a Korin.com lurker, I'm fairly confident that they refresh the discount in their banner at the beginning of every month.

Envious that you're gonna visit the mothership. Feel the weight, the shape of everything in your hand!

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ponte95ma t1_j7n4o6o wrote

Reply to comment by Capable_Okra in Knife sharpening class by Capable_Okra

Well this has escalated coincidentally šŸ˜ƒ

Yeah, I looked and saw no relevant upcoming classes or events, but didn't scour their socials.

Vincent's demo must have been sponsored by a hospitality management program.

I wonder if JNA or Walnut Hill College would open anything to the public ...

(I did leave Vincent's demo with a double-sided/compact stone ... later added a stone fixer ... and years later, have just treated myself to a Korin usuba!)

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ponte95ma t1_iy6kqwj wrote

Reply to Does anyone have mint mobile? by Nicadelphia

Walking distance to Rittenhouse here. Only joined Mint a couple months ago, but cell service (over eSIM) has been fine on a Pixel 6.

Two blips: coverage sometimes "drops" to 4G ... and to no service entirely (but comes back to 5G after a quick restart).

I haven't looked for any patterns yet, but have only noticed the latter shortly after leaving the house. Maybe those track with times I've connected the device to my residential wifi, and the transitions confuse it? Dunno.

But also pleasantly surprised with Mint's customer service.

Edit to offer you $15 in renewal credit for a referral! DM me.

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ponte95ma t1_ixxbl4x wrote

Reply to comment by karenmcgrane in We should just stop trying to recycle by RoverTheMonster

Convenient, and sanitary if you're putting trash out in bags, no bins, as so many households seem to do. (But !remindme after our šŸ€šŸ€ develop the paw strength to pry open the lids on our 5-gallon buckets!)

I didn't grow up with garbage disposals in kitchen sinks, but understand that they receive a fair amount of our compostables ... along with non-compostable refuse that actually clogs up our in-sink-erators and pipes šŸ¤”

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ponte95ma t1_iw0c5lk wrote

Reply to comment by therealdarkcirc in Move Over Law Ticket - Has anyone had luck getting fees/points reduced? by nooneyouworkwith

Wow is that DoT.gov link a tour de force. Thanks for sharing that!

Now I shall spend the weekend alternating between 1) nightmare scenarios at "four corners" states, and 2) daydreams about a national standard that would reduce such impossibly exhaustive, exception-laden documentation down to a couple lines.

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ponte95ma t1_iu36qkq wrote

Reply to comment by BusyAccountant7 in Philadelphia Metro Area vs DC Metro Area by BusyAccountant7

Ah, okay, thanks for elaborating.

So yeah, aim for the bluer 'burbs that others have already suggested, albeit at the expense of your geekdom, which I feel only Center City would support properly.

The regional rail service that connects the suburbs and 30th Street Station (Philadelphia's Amtrak hub) runs much less frequently than do your DC Metro, New York's LIRR, etc. That infrequency likely rules out keeping and commuting to your job in DC. Given your experience with awful commutes, don't consider a DC office from a Philly home unless you're willing to live in town. I might not even recommend it from West Philly.

IANARealtor but given your post's references to affordable homes and airports, and your subsequent response to u/pillingz (I lived near Bethlehem as a kid; Musikfest!), I might steer you toward Media.

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ponte95ma t1_iu2z626 wrote

Reply to Philadelphia Metro Area vs DC Metro Area by BusyAccountant7

A few jobs ago, my shop in the Philly 'burbs merged with an org in DC, so I got to do several Beltway commutes. And ...

No. Just, no. DC traffic is stupid bonkers.

The list of shitshows less dehumanizing than Beltway traffic is ... as long as Beltway traffic, and includes Conshohocken Curve slowdowns because a family of ducks is trying to cross the Schuylkill.

My sister-in-law actually left DC for Philly while keeping her old job down there, and commuting in on Amtrak quiet cars.

I haven't compared numbers any time recently, but when I rode the rails to New York City for a more recent job, the joke about Philly being the sixth borough became a reality. (Still have a friend from that office who never left the Philly area: "Manhattan money, Philly rents!")

So OP, sorry if this is a dumb question, but ... this brother of yours in West Philly ... have you visited him much? Impressions?

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