Recent comments in /f/pittsburgh

skfoto t1_j6i555t wrote

Reply to how much cardboard will recycling pick up? by d071399

I put out a pile of flattened boxes last week that was about 3 feet high and they took it.

They also once took a treadmill box that was literally the size of a casket so I think you'll be fine.

11

ktxhopem3276 t1_j6i4pp6 wrote

Reply to School Me on the Property Tax Assessment Appeal by 3RudySquared

The last time there was a county wide reassessment was 2012. When you buy a house, it can trigger a new reassessment. It is informally called a “newcomers tax” The new value is usually a lot higher than your neighbors who haven’t moved since 2012 because the math they use is questionable and the subject of ongoing lawsuits. If you bought a house that has a lot of updates, they will try to use the sale price to justify a lofty assessment value. You should look into how to argue for a lower assessment using facts and data.

https://www.pghfirm.com/blog/secrets-to-winning-your-allegheny-county-tax-appeal

https://www.reedsmith.com/en/perspectives/2022/11/allegheny-county-in-legal-limbo

https://www.publicsource.org/allegheny-county-property-tax-appeal-assessment-lawsuit-unbalanced/

https://www.wesa.fm/politics-government/2023-01-25/county-council-gives-some-taxpayers-second-shot-at-challenging-property-assessments

26

oak-hearted t1_j6i3t5p wrote

Reply to comment by TheMountainHobbit in Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro loosens his predecessor’s notoriously strict gift ban for top officials by CobBasey

The per-diem is up to $75 depending on your area, which can buy a pretty nice lunch. Pharma studies are just some of the studies we have that show a real-world scenario. Politics would be harder to study, as bills are harder to quantify than prescriptions. This study on sales (for instance, and note this isn't my field so I don't know anything about this journal) shows that a gift worth about $7.70 has a large effect, depending on timing: "We find that small gifts matter. On average, sales representatives generate more than twice as much revenue when they distribute a small gift at the onset of their negotiations. However, we also find that small gifts tend to be counterproductive when purchasing and sales agents meet for the first time, suggesting that the nature of the business relationship crucially affects the profitability of gifts."

This review article in the Journal of Bioethics comments that "[t]he presumption is that large gifts, such as extravagant vacations, have the capacity to influence behavior, but gifts of de minimis monetary value, such as donuts and penlights, do not. Yet, while it might seem both logical and practicable to distinguish small gifts from larger, seemingly more problematic gifts, a large body of evidence from the social sciences shows that behavior can be influenced by gifts of negligible value."

Overall, there are many studies showing that small gifts influence behavior, especially in certain contexts. I wouldn't be so sure that a turkey sandwich wouldn't influence my behavior. I am not aware of many of my own biases, and most people are not.

1

chuckie512 t1_j6i2y79 wrote

Reply to comment by kashmir772 in Anyone know what’s going on downtown? Sounded like a whole bunch of gunshots right outside my apartment by apersello34

Yeah unfortunately if they're not near the Amtrak line, you're stuck driving.

However, it's probably cheaper to just rent a car when going out to visit.

AAA estimates car ownership costs at $900/mo (including maintenance/gas/depreciation/etc). Not sure how often you visit, but It's probably worth investigating.

2

pillingz t1_j6i2nnx wrote

Reply to comment by Ok_Plane6153 in Steeler fan to the core, can we cheer for the Eagles? by DinoReads

I will never defend assholes. But every single team has fans that are assholes. The majority of eagles fans are not like that at all. People just love to perpetuate this stereotype. Like most things in life the dumb assholes scream louder than the rest. I’ve been to bars and games with friends wearing Steelers gear and never once have they had beer spilled on them or even been heckled. Most of the time people will go up to them and say oh my grandma is from Pittsburgh.

I have lived in Pittsburgh and I’m from and currently living in Philadelphia. My time in Pittsburgh was spent with people telling me to my face over and over and over how much they hate Philadelphia. They would go out of their way and go on and on. In Philadelphia if you ask people about Pittsburgh, people don’t really have much on an opinion. They’ve either been there or they haven’t. I personally love the city. It’s great. We are far more concerned with our neighboring cities shitting on us because we are not NYC or DC.

Just be happy the flyers suck.

Edit to add: our motto is that because everyone loves to hate us. Someone threw a snowball at Santa 30 years ago and we will never live it down.

1

heili t1_j6i2822 wrote

Reply to comment by o_c_d in Newspaper headline from 37 years ago today by 1029Dash

The rubber o-rings weren't "poorly built", they were launching well outside the design parameters for temperature. Roger Boisjoly and other Thiokol engineers tried to warn them, but Thiokol management overruled them because they didn't want a huge publicity event to turn into yet another scrubbed launch.

The engineers knew in 1977 it wasn't safe to operate at those cold temperatures. Management of Thiokol and NASA didn't give a shit because they wanted their "Teacher in Space" moment. And they killed seven people.

1

AlfieHitchcock t1_j6i1uk9 wrote

Reply to is school inter districting allowed in Allegheny county by pghgreatest

You can send your kid to another district but you have to pay tuition.

At that point, most people just spring for private school. Some private schools might actually be cheaper (and usually are better academically/support wise) than the alternate district option depending on the district and grade level plus any financial assistance the private schools offer.

3

Ok_Plane6153 t1_j6i1d9d wrote

Reply to comment by pillingz in Steeler fan to the core, can we cheer for the Eagles? by DinoReads

That’s bullshit. Yinz dump beer on away team fans, verbally harass them, film it, post it, brag about it

Your motto is “Nobody likes us and we don’t care”. Like yinz legit say that as a defense for your immature behavior.

“You guys hate us WAYYY more than we even think about you” is a pretty back handed thing to say. If you don’t even think about us, why can’t I go to a game in Philly dressed in black and gold and not get shit about every 5 minutes? Wear green in Pittsburgh and we’ll buy you a sandwich with fries

−1

Ham_Ahoy t1_j6i0khr wrote

Reply to Do you wear sunscreen every day in Pittsburgh? by toolatetobeoriginal

I use coconut oil on myself, which has an spf of 4. So, every four minutes I reapply coconut oil to all parts of my exposed skin. Luckily, I found a bunch of coconut oil for sale at Ross dress for less once and I bought 20 gallons of the stuff that day. I don't leave my home without a gallon jug of coconut oil.

0