Propriety
@proprietous.bsky.social
Engineer, Morosoph, Polymath, Pogonophile Philadelphia Maneto
It gets me down how many beautiful large gardens there are in the Philly area that are near transit but place their main entrance far from the transit with no sidewalk connections. It feels intentionally classist and like a relic from the past. Morris Arboretum and Stoneleigh are two examples.
Every time I think things are tough for building housing here on the east coast California comes in and reminds me it could be much, much worse.
Jordan Grimes@cafedujord.bsky.social · 2w agoFor the last 4 (!) years, I've been chronicling the journey of a 40 unit 100% affordable housing project for senior farmworkers in Half Moon Bay, California. Despite being approved in May, the journey sadly isn't over: a measure has qualified for the ballot this November to stop the project. 🧵
Did you know that bugs... is actually shrimp??? Thank you @sarahmackattack.bsky.social for this incredible educational addition to my wardrobe from squidfacts.bigcartel.com I am gonna be telling so many people bugs is shrimp.
Me in the alternate universe where everything is the same except it's called Jimba Juice: "Wow, I could really go for a Jimba Juice."
In 10 years we're going find a definitive link between tire particles and Alzheimer's and in 50 years people will look back at our complete lack of care about car tire particulates the way we look back at the people who decided to put lead and asbestos in everything.
The War on Cars@thewaroncars.bsky.social · 3w ago"The chemical, called 6PPD-Q, is formed when fine tire particles meet ozone. That happens anytime new chunks of tire are exposed to the air, meaning the particle may be nearly ubiquitous in car-heavy environments."
insideclimatenews.org/news/0907202... Kearney reflected that sacrifices by Democratic leaders... often don’t turn into political capital. “We’ll make concessions on something, and then [the Republicans] come back, ‘Oh, that’s great, now we also need this.’ Sometimes, I think we’re stupid.”
Pennsylvania’s Legislature Is Likely to Punt on Mass Transit Funding—Again - Inside Climate News
Last year’s temporary fix relieved the pressure to find long-term funding for transit agencies, setting up another high-stakes fight down the road.
insideclimatenews.org
A very good thread. I wish more gay men were better acquainted with this history. Homosexuality and gender across time have always been intertwined! It's all fascinatingly complicated and we are not and shouldn't be separate from it!
Hugh Ryan@hughryan.bsky.social · last mo.The idea that trans or nonbinary or third gender or queer people are somehow "hijacking" the "gay and lesbian movement" is shockingly ahistorical. The idea that sexual desire, gender, sex, the body, and identity are completely disconnected is a much more divisive and recent idea
Stood in the heat for four hours with @colinfanning.bsky.social to see this massive chonker roll by #bigboy Trains are cool! Hearing the steam whistle off in the distance as it approached was incredibly evocative.
Lol A/C is broken Time for me to learn a LOT about electrical systems VERY QUICKLY (it's almost certainly the capacitor, working on sourcing a replacement)
Cities are for people. We gave them up over the last 80 years. They can be for people again if we want them to be.
Qagggy!@qagggy.bsky.social · last mo.BEFORE AND AFTER. Get yourself a mayor who will give your city a glow-up.
Please submit a comment on this proposed set of funding rules by July 13, it'll allow the cancellation of any federal grant and block spending if applicants or institutions don't pass a political litmus test (like supporting trans ppl whatsoever). www.regulations.gov/commenton/OM...
Regulations.gov
regulations.gov
Ars Technica@arstechnica.com · 2mo agoIf you wanted to fundamentally compromise science research and were disappointed that Congress continued to fund it, this is the sort of document you would produce.
"We think that building housing is part of the solution. We think net zero is part of the solution. We think a car-light development is part of the solution. We think building a sense of place and community is part of the solution." -- leader of the Squamish nation www.nytimes.com/2026/06/15/o...
Opinion | One City Might Have Just Cracked the Housing Crisis
nytimes.com
www.inquirer.com/politics/phi... In a just world, this would be a MASSIVE scandal. Video of a Philadelphia Councilmember calling a voice vote, declaring herself the winner of her ward election, refusing to actually tally votes, and refusing to even let people sign in. Blatant corruption.
Councilmember Cindy Bass declared herself the winner of a Philly Democratic ward election — and may have violated party rules
In a brief meeting Monday, Bass said she won against her progressive challenger in the 22nd Ward and rejected demands for a roll call to clarify the vote.
inquirer.com
Old video games aren't imperfect works of art waiting to be "fixed" by new tech. This is the same bankrupt mentality saying animated moves need CGI remakes and old books need modern language editions to be worth reading. The medium is the message. Changing the medium destroys part of the work.
magnolia siddell ✨@magnoliapearl.bsky.social · 2mo agoAs always, I think rather than remakes we should have the original old games preserved and playable as much as possible. I don’t want to play an OoT remake with my kids, I want to play OoT with them.
City Council continues to prove that it is unwilling to do anything that might raise revenues. Apparently they're content to let the city run on fumes. We underfund schools. We underfund parks. We underfund transit. We strangle small businesses. And worst, there's no real plan to stop.
Philadelphia Inquirer@inquirer.com · 2mo agoCity Council will reject Mayor Cherelle L. Parker's increased taxes on gig economy companies, like Lyft and DoorDash.
I have purchased and am so excited for shrimp shirt Be prepared, all summer I am going to be explaining to people that bugs is shrimp
Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D.@sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 2mo agoWord on the reef is, shrimp are SO in this season. A crab told me. And bonus? These shirts fund our fall Philly Bug mural series. 3 Murals, 3 Artists, 3 Neighborhoods, All bugs baby. Don't get caught without a crustacean. Tell your friends. Get a shrimp shirt. At SquidFacts.net (pls RT)
LRT it's baffling to me that city council resists doing something that would benefit everyone in the city (at the expense of companies outside the city) and refuses to do it because... why? Fear of change? Companies headquartered in the collar counties aren't their constituents! Should be easy!
Kinda incredible that a long-term solution to growing Philly's economy has been proposed since 2009 and gone nowhere.
The Philadelphia Citizen@thephilacitizen.bsky.social · 2mo agoPhiladelphians whose business taxes have drastically increased in the last year have shared their stories with City Council, in letters to the editor, and in public forums. Yet nothing proposed in Philadelphia’s FY27 budget cycle from the Mayor, argues a former Councilmember. https://bit.ly/4nPkOtz
This is an 110+ year full circle moment for NYC. Over a century ago Lawrence Veiller was so disgusted by the density, living conditions, and "evils" in his native NYC that he became a fierce national advocate for laws to artificially discourage multi-family housing across the country.
Stephen Jacob Smith@stephenjacobsmith.com · 2mo agoMayor Mamdani has announced the Affordable & Efficient Code Reform task force, to convene later this year. The housing plan says that among other things, elevator and plumbing reform will be considered. www.nyc.gov/content/dam/... (pgs. 98-99)
Hoping tonight is a wake up call to the Philadelphia Democratic Party Machine. Nepotism and careerism and "kissing the ring" need to go out the window. The city deserves whoever will fight for it.
Primary voting day in Pennsylvania!!! Go vote!!! (Why yes my voting place is the Orchestra. 💅💅💅)
Two excellent threads on what's wrong with Fairmount Park and why what we need is fewer "grand master plans" and more crosswalks and sidewalks. It doesn't have to be hard!!! Restoring the original plan fixes a lot of problems caused by cars.
Civic Grit@civicgrit.bsky.social · 3mo agoAll of Fairmount Park has accumulated significant connectivity issues. Let's look at another case. The Belmont Plateau is one of the best views of the city, a natural destination! Walking to it from the south you have 2 options: a windy route along a quieter road or more direct along a major road.
@kathleen.loadingreadyrun.com my quebecois friend posted that Angine de Poitrine announced new tour dates and immediately thought of you!!!
It’s gardening season! Do your friends and neighbors know about the positive ecological impact we can have by planting native plants?? Help get the conversation started with our Native Plants t shirt! (Modeled by our buddy @wowthanks.bsky.social) Get one at squidfacts.net
This nonsense hurts the city, and City Council and the Mayor all just turn a blind eye to it, or worse _praise_ the Sheriff for "exemplary service???" It's so ridiculous.
Stephanie Farr@farfarraway.bsky.social · 3mo agoJust when you think my colleagues' reporting into Philly Sheriff's Office can't get more WTF-y, it does. But what's even more infuriating is that the Mayor and 15 City Council members declined to comment on this story. What the actual hell? www.inquirer.com/news/philade...
