Articles Archive - Page 2 of 139 - Pittsburgh Quarterly

It takes restraint and an appreciation for the sculptural lines of modern architecture to let a house speak for itself. Jeff and Erica McIlroy have done just that in their hillside home overlooking a scenic valley in Fox Chapel. There is no clutter, no adornment, no need to gussy up the space with the accoutrements of …

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People Pittsburgh Tomorrow

100 Pittsburgh Leaders

by PQ Staff

We asked 100 top leaders across Pittsburgh to respond in 100 words or fewerto this question: According to the U.S. Census, in 2021 the Pittsburgh MSA had the inauspicious distinction of having the highest natural population loss — more deaths than births — of any metro area in the country. Pittsburgh lost 10,838 people, followed …

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Creative Capital

The Perils of Fed Speak

by Greg Curtis

“Our regulators are proving worse than the Bourbons: they have learnt nothing and forgotten everything.” — Martin Sandbu, Financial Times, quoting Talleyrand Previously in this series: Can the Fed be Saved?For nearly three decades the U.S. Fed has followed easy money policies regardless of economic conditions, giving birth to a series of economic crises unlike any the …

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Arts

The Intersection of People and Nature

by Elizabeth Castonguay

I knew I was an artist at age 4. at 8, when studying oil painting, I knew I would speak through my art. I have always been passionate about the beautiful palette of human diversity and nature, but also empathetic to the struggles of humanity and the vulnerability of all life forms. My decades-long art …

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People Pittsburgh Tomorrow

100 Pittsburgh Leaders

by PQ Staff

100 Pittsburgh Leaders Read More »

Nature

The PA Wilds

by Thomas Saunders

Several hours from Pittsburgh, in the north-central counties of Pennsylvania, is the beautiful area referred to as the PA Wilds. It’s a region of deep forests, dramatic hilly terrain, and wild streams. Two wonderful places to explore there are Susquehannock State Forest in Potter County and Elk State Forest in Cameron County. A drive through …

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People Pittsburgh Tomorrow

100 Pittsburgh Leaders

by PQ Staff

100 Pittsburgh Leaders Read More »

Arts

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre: On the Threshold of a New Era

by Stuart Sheppard

Watching Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s latest production, “Balanchine and Beyond,” reminded me of the first time I saw the work of the visionary film director Sergei Eisenstein, and encountered cinematography as a form of rapture, instead of the mere recording of imagery. PBT’s three-work production — subtitled “The Masters Program” — comprising contemporary, modernist, and neoclassical …

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PQ Poem

Highway 491

by Lawrence Wray

If it happens that this road is heaven,close your eyes. On the drive acrosssuch a vast country as heaven must be,the road waves as this one does.Its graceful long arcs lead all the wayto the horizon. And isn’t it sothe road stretches even beyond there?You’ll find you’ve been here all alongon Highway 491. On maps just …

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People Pittsburgh Tomorrow

100 Pittsburgh Leaders

by PQ Staff

100 Pittsburgh Leaders Read More »

Creative Capital

Can the Fed be Saved?

by Greg Curtis

“History will give a full accounting of the grave errors committed [by the US Fed].” Kevin Warsh, former Fed board member “Decennial financial blowups aren’t the stuff of great powers – at least, not for long.” Stanley Druckenmiller Long-term readers of these essays know that I am no fan of the U.S. Fed. In my view …

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People

What Do I Know? Tim Parks

by Jeff Sewald

I was born in Louisiana, one of twin boys, in 1950, the product of my father’s second marriage. At the time, my mother was 33 years old and my dad was 61. My father’s father — my grandfather — was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1843 and, as a baby, came to this country to …

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Arts

Opera Shines at Maecenas

by PQ Staff

On Saturday night, 200 attendees celebrated the Pittsburgh Opera and the 38th annual Maecenas Gala at the Bitz Opera Factory. The Maecenas Award was presented to Mary Louise Gailliot and the late Henry J. Gailliot. The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Janet Sarbaugh, who served as the Vice President of the Creativity Program for The Heinz Endowments until …

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People Pittsburgh Tomorrow

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” — Arthur C. Clarke I began this series on generative AI because an irate reader had suggested that my blogs were written by a particularly doltish AI bot. Now that we know a lot more about generative AI we can decide whether my irked reader could even …

The Thrilling Conclusion! Read More »

Sports

Pittsburgh’s Golden Era of Slow-Pitch Softball

by Richard “Pete” Peterson

Pittsburgh’s slow-pitch softball home-run king, Paul Tomasovich passed away March 5 at the age of 89. Described in his obituary as “the man, the myth, the legend,” he was fabled in the 1960s for his tape-measure home runs. His obituary mentions two of the most remembered Herculean home runs hit by Tomasovich. In a game …

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People Pittsburgh Tomorrow

100 Pittsburgh Leaders

by PQ Staff

100 Pittsburgh Leaders Read More »

Arts

Sympathy for the Devil: Quantum Theatre Conjures a Postmodern Faust

by Stuart Sheppard

Perhaps the second most essential question in life after “Why are we here?” is “Whom should we trust?” The obvious answer would seem to be, trust in God, but we all know how often human beings end up putting their faith in that more convenient, self-serving, and nefarious alternative, the devil. In fact, one of …

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People

100 Pittsburgh Leaders

by PQ Staff

100 Pittsburgh Leaders Read More »

Creative Capital

What’s All the Panic About?

by Greg Curtis

“I don’t think there is a single task you can assign a junior analyst, banker, developer, teacher or lawyer that can’t be accomplished more quickly, more smartly and much more cheaply with [generative AI].” Ben Hunt “Every new technology is the Full Employment Act for ethicists and scolds.” Andy Kessler Previously in this Series: Look at What …

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Culture PQ Poem

October

by David Thoreen

On his birthday she whispered, bereft,and understood her place in the scheme of things.The man next door walked his cocker spaniel,a plastic bag in his hand. The kettle began to steam. At the park she found her bench was takenby a man in an Irish sweater, so went a little furtherand sat beneath the linden. …

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