Articles Archive - Page 88 of 155 - Pittsburgh Quarterly

“Where, twisted round the barren oak, The summer vine in beauty clung, And summer winds the stillness broke, The crystal icicle is hung.” —From “Woods in Winter,” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Walking our woods in winter, I see the natural world differently than in the warmer months. Distracted by neither color nor blossom, I instead …

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American Spirit

Flo’s Wisdom—on the Eve of 50 Years as a Waitress at Pamela’s

by Kate Benz, photography by John Altdorfer

Around 1 p.m., right after the lunch rush, 87-year old Flo Silbach will start slowing down. She won’t quit, though. Oh no, no way she’s quitting. Her shift at Pamela’s Diner in Millvale doesn’t end until four. So, instead of shuffling around the tables and booths, jotting down orders in neat cursive and clearing empty …

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Creative Capital

Understanding the Trust Fund Baby

by Greg Curtis

We are talking about the complex process through which infants and children are transformed from little beasts into responsible adults. More particularly, we are talking about how that process often goes wrong and never goes perfectly. In “Civilization and Its Discontents,” for example, Sigmund Freud proposed a…, well, a “Freudian” take on the issue. Freud pointed …

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Creative Capital

The Talk

by Greg Curtis

No, not that talk. Talking to kids about sex is a walk in the park compared to talking to kids about their family’s money. The worst that can happen with the-birds-and-the-bees conversation is massive parental mortification. The worst that can happen with the money talk, however, is… Well, let’s look into that. For more than a century, …

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Creative Capital

Make your Plan Now (While You’re Calm)

by Greg Curtis

“Would I say there will never, ever be another financial crisis? I hope that it will not be in our lifetimes and I don’t believe it will be.” –Janet Yellen. Last week I suggested six steps we could take to prepare ourselves for the next market crisis—which, Janet Yellen notwithstanding, will in fact happen. This …

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Food & Wine

Combat Cold Weather with Époisses Cheese and Crisp Wines

by Dave DeSimone

Enduring cold weather at the start of a new year calls for serious measures. Time to break out the Époisses de Bourgogne cheese and tasty wines. Those already familiar with the glories of Époisses know what I mean. Once you’ve experienced Époisses, the intense sensory impressions cannot be forgotten. Passionate reactions are common. Époisses cheese …

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Books

The Perfect Winter Blend

by John Allison

I loved reading “The Plot to Scapegoat Russia” by Dan Kovalik, a lawyer with United Steelworkers of America in Pittsburgh, even though I disagreed with just about every page of it. We all benefit from hearing sustained arguments by serious people who challenge our beliefs and assumptions. In the end, Dan did not change my …

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Health

The Trouble with Sugar

by Kelly Casey

As a liver specialist for more than 25 years, Dr. Michael Babich has seen a seismic shift in his practice. No longer are viruses or chronic alcoholism destroying the livers of most of his patients at Allegheny Health Network. Now, it’s the overconsumption of fructose—an industrialized form of sugar that has crept into the American …

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Obituaries

Remembering Prominent Pittsburghers Who Passed Away in 2017

by PQ Staff

From Henry Hillman to Dr. Thomas Starzl, we’ve said goodbye to many influential Pittsburghers this year. Remember those who have passed away and their impact on the region—and the world—in this compilation of our Last Chapter department. Henry Hillman, 98 Henry Hillman had a keen interest in the future and an unusual ability to see into …

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Obituaries

Burger, Beaumont, Fincke, Lowry, Frankel, Papadakos, Dozzi, Troan

by PQ Staff

Herb Burger, 87: A leading Pittsburgh advertising executive, Burger led the PR effort that created the 1980s slogan, “Pittsburgh: The city with a smile on its face” while president of Creamer Inc. After the firm was sold, Burger started the St. George Group. He was the first chairman of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, and was …

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Creative Capital

What Will You Do in the Crisis? Part II

by Greg Curtis

“I’m less interested in the return on my money than in the return of my money.” –Mark Twain Whether the markets crash next week or years from now, it’s not too soon to be thinking about how we will navigate the next crisis. With asset prices as high as they are and investor complacency (measured by market volatility) as low …

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Nature

Becoming a Deer Farmer

by Bridget Fertal

Deer may be the taxidermy industry’s essential resource, but living deer are making a much bigger economic impact now, thanks to the growing business of deer farming. Deer farming is growing faster than any other industry in rural America, according to a study by Texas A&M University. The business provides jobs to tens of thousands …

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Events

A Quick Pittsburgh Holiday Tour

by PQ Staff

For quick holiday cheer without leaving your desk, view the gallery below of some seasonal attractions in the Pittsburgh region. Merry Christmas! Want to see for yourselves? Click on the attraction below for more information. A Very Merry Pittsburgh exhibition, Senator John Heinz History Center Carnegie Trees and Presepio, Carnegie Museum of Art Miniature Railroad …

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Nature

The Art of Taxidermy

by Bridget Fertal

The Victorian Era is known for its décor, literature and scientific developments. However, alongside the works of Dickens and the birth of photography, a long-dead style of art re-emerged in Victorian homes: taxidermic animals. That art originally began as a way for scientists to showcase an animal’s biological features and was used by ancient Egyptians …

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Science

Looking Inward, Way Inward

by Douglas Heuck

Until about six weeks ago I never fully appreciated that, just like all the strange characters in science fiction movies, I am a mutant. It all began in June when a friend mentioned his results from a genetic testing outfit. A few years ago, I’d considered paying one of the services to find out my …

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Innovation

What Drives Red Whittaker?

by Christine O'Toole

In January, Carnegie Mellon University professor Red Whittaker set a goal that had nothing to do with robotics: to best a field of competitors in an indoor rowing race. The ergometer competition, a 2,000-meter battle on stationary machines, marked the first time the 69-year-old Whittaker had rowed since his college days at Princeton. Since then …

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Creative Capital

What Will You Do in the Crisis?

by Greg Curtis

“The world is in the throes of a Bull Market in everything.” –The Economist. No, I am not—not, not, not—predicting a market crash. (On the other hand, if the market collapses just after I post this, I will naturally take credit for calling it.) If I don’t think the markets are going to crash any time …

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Events

Pittsburgh Mercy’s Reindeer Ball Dazzles Children with Storybook Characters

by PQ Staff

Pittsburgh Mercy’s 14th Annual Reindeer Ball, a spectacular children’s gala and evening of holiday fun for families with young children, was held Sunday, December 3, 2017, from 4 to 7 p.m., at The Westin Convention Center Pittsburgh Hotel, 1000 Penn Avenue, Downtown. The evening benefited vital Pittsburgh Mercy programs and services. Dressed in their holiday …

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Creative Capital

The Trouble with the Elites

by Greg Curtis

C. P. Snow titled his last book, written shortly before he died, “A Coat of Varnish.” What he meant, as he put it, was that “Civilization is hideously fragile.” Civilization, that is to say, is like a thin coat of varnish spread on top of human savagery. The varnish looks terrific, but scratch it and what …

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PQ Poem

It Only Made Sense

by Joan E. Bauer

After my mother died, my sister found a bundle of yellowed letters: how my dad had planned to skip out, to leave the States with someone he’d met, a Brit. Beautiful, no doubt. But he didn’t leave. Not then, anyway. Someone talked him out of it: my German grandfather, the dour Ernest, who never said …

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Innovation

Exploring Millennial Romance and the Brave New World of Dating Apps

by Emily Brindley

You can find articles, video clips and nearly every type of media content deriding dating apps as the death of romance and the downfall of traditional dating. For some, that translates and escalates to a belief that millennials—the primary users of dating apps—have killed romance. A hefty claim, to be sure, but not entirely unfounded. …

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Nature

What a Rack! The True and Weird Story of Antlers

by Bridget Fertal

Doug Lovstuen saw movement first, then his quarry. The average buck’s antlers are seven points, but this one had the biggest antlers he’d ever seen. Sweat dripped down his neck. He aimed. And the buck bolted. Lovstuen’s shot grazed the buck’s neck, stunting its right antler. Two years later, after its gigantic rack regrew and …

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