Articles Archive - Page 88 of 157 - Pittsburgh Quarterly

Alfred Hunt knew a good idea when he saw it. And Charles Martin Hall had one. In 1886, the 23-year-old chemist had discovered a smelting process to make aluminum inexpensively while working in a lab he cobbled together in a shed behind his parent’s house in northern Ohio. Hunt, a Pittsburgh metallurgist, realized its commercial …

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Regional Annual Report

What are “Waters of the United States”?

by Ashley Murray

What are the so-called “waters of the United States” and why did the Obama administration expand the definition? To understand that is to understand the evolution of environmental regulation in the United States and how the nation’s courts have interpreted what’s protected. With the exception of the 1948 Federal Water Pollution Act, hardly any water …

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Regional Annual Report

Region Gets Average Marks for Senior Livability

by Jeffery Fraser

The Pittsburgh region has filled a trophy case with awards for being judged the “most livable” place in the nation by a variety of publications and organizations. But when the livability of senior citizens is considered, the region is less than a standout, an AARP index suggests. AARP scores the livability of U.S. counties based …

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Regional Annual Report

A Different Pittsburgh

by Julia Fraser

There’s an Andy Warhol canvas of a newspaper clipping with a photograph of a can of tuna fish and, beneath it, two middle-aged women and the caption: “Seized shipment: Did a leak kill…Mrs. McCarthy and Mrs. Brown?” The painting, “Tunafish Disaster,” is comedian and Warhol collector Steve Martin’s favorite work by the Pittsburgh-born artist. And …

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Regional Annual Report

Protecting Our Streams

by Ashley Murray

Determining where water begins and ends seems a matter of physical properties, of whether two hydrogen molecules are bonded to oxygen, and how much of it exists. Where is it located, and will people eventually drink it? Swim in it? Fish in it? This molecule, essential to life, has become another point of political polarization. …

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Regional Annual Report

It Wears You Down

by Jeffery Fraser

Caring for her father fell to Patrice Cottrell about nine years ago. It involved a few errands, at first. Doctor visits, marshaling his medications, coordinating health care and financial matters and scouting out and evaluating long-term care possibilities followed as his health declined. There were late-night calls when he was anxious about living alone, but …

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Regional Annual Report

The Economic Outlook for 2018

by Jeffery Fraser

tronger hiring last year, rising wages and upcoming tax cuts lead those who read the economic tea leaves to be cautiously optimistic that 2018 could reward southwestern Pennsylvania with the largest increase in job growth in five years, finally shaking the malaise that works to contract the local labor force, send residents packing and stifle …

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Special Reports

Pittsburgh Today and Tomorrow 2018

by Pittsburgh Today Staff

In this 2018 Pittsburgh Today & Tomorrow report, we compare the seven-county Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area with regions across the country in key quality of life measures. Additionally, look for in-depth reports on: the region’s 2018 economic forecast; the rationale for building a new airport; an examination of what effect the Trump administration’s removal of …

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Birds

The Roseate Spoonbill

by David Liebmann

Roseate Spoonbills are birds worth traveling for. Sometimes they even travel to us. Typically found on the Gulf Coast, the first time I spotted one was on a marathon birding adventure I took to south Texas in 2005. To bird far from Pittsburgh meant I’d see unfamiliar species in new habitats. The spoonbills didn’t disappoint. …

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Health

New Age Nuances

by Barbara Eichenlaub

Spring. A time for renewal and rejuvenation, especially if you’re feeling tense. A great place to start your revival is with your body. The best defense against burnout is a peaceful, relaxed offense. There are several companies in the area that can help you reach nirvana naturally. Peace, Love & Zen Holistic Wellness Center is …

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Regional Annual Report

Airport Overhaul

by Jeffery Fraser

As birthday celebrations go, this one was fairly harsh. The local news media was gathered at Pittsburgh International Airport’s Midfield Terminal on a late-summer day last September. Earlier, they’d reported the terminal complex, once lauded for its innovative design, had turned 25. Now, with cameras rolling, airport officials noted its inefficiencies, declared it was time …

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Regional Annual Report

What Do We Need to Make Western Pa. the Best Place to Live?

by PQ Staff

We asked a cross-section of regional leaders to respond, in 75 words or less, to this question: What do we need to do to make Western Pennsylvania the best place to live in the world? “The incredible transformation here in such a short time gives me tremendous hope and excitement for the future of our …

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Events

Annual Heart Ball Raises More Than $1.2 Million

by PQ Staff

More than 550 attendees celebrated the accomplishments of the American Heart Association on Saturday, February 17 at the 29th Annual Pittsburgh Heart Ball. [ngg src=”galleries” ids=”231″ display=”basic_thumbnail” thumbnail_crop=”0″] This year’s theme, Heart of a Champion, celebrates lifesaving advancements in cardiovascular research and increases awareness of programs to improve the health of local communities that have …

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Events

Calgon Carbon’s Randy Dearth Crowned King of the 2018 Mardi Gras Gala

by PQ Staff

Balloons, boas, a sit-down dinner, dancing, Dixieland-style bands and a carpool karaoke video featuring some of Pittsburgh’s most influential corporate leaders were all showcased at what has become one of Pittsburgh’s premier social gatherings: the Annual Mardi Gras Gala to benefit the Epilepsy Foundation Western/Central Pennsylvania. [ngg src=”galleries” ids=”230″ display=”basic_thumbnail” thumbnail_crop=”0″] 2017 King Jerry MacCleary …

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Creative Capital

The Trouble with “Capital”

by Greg Curtis

In the summer of 2013 a remarkable event occurred in the publishing industry. A challenging, 685-page economic text written by an obscure French economist and published by an academic press became an overnight best seller. Thomas Piketty’s “Capital in the Twenty-First Century” (referred to here simply as “Capital”) sold so quickly that Harvard University Press couldn’t keep up …

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Events

Gentlemen’s Night Out Raises $180,000 for the National Aviary

by PQ Staff

The 2018 Gentlemen’s Night Out on the North Shore benefitting the National Aviary was held on Friday, February 9th. [ngg src=”galleries” ids=”229″ display=”basic_thumbnail” thumbnail_crop=”0″] The black-tie event was hosted by the National Aviary’s Board of Trustees President and Executive Vice President of Mascaro Construction Company, Michael Mascaro. Nearly 200 guests attended the fundraiser and were …

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Opinion

A Love Story

by Elizabeth Deiseroth

I met Rita on our mutual first day of employment in the kitchen of a suburban Pittsburgh family 13 years ago. Our boss, Betsy, was delighted with our installation, as it meant that her long and inconvenient kitchen renovation project was complete. Rita and I were placed on either side of a white, 36-inch wide, …

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Creative Capital

Examples of What to Say

by Greg Curtis

Even small children love to hear simple stories about their ancestors, and as children grow into teenagers and then young adults the stories can become more complex and serious. For example, consider Great-Grandpa Henry Knox’s many shortcomings as a rancher. Or the general klutziness of the Knox men, who are disposed to walk around with …

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Arts

A Peek Inside the Pittsburgh Playhouse

by David Aschkenas

The Pittsburgh Playhouse building in Oakland, which serves as the performing arts center of Point Park University and the Conservatory of Performing Arts, is nearing its end, as a new state-of-the-art theatre complex is set to open on Forbes Avenue in downtown later this year. Photographer David Aschkenas documented the Playhouse in its final phase …

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PQ Poem

Matter of Light

by James Brasfield

A matter of light, part of the tree’s shade over the yard, a zelkova leaf, narrow palm of the rustbelt in April, green tints, then little by little turning red, a leaf surviving first snows, becoming half furled, wing ruffled, in the uncharted scales of ice, their lunar tarnish, and around it, leaf by leaf …

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Creative Capital

Tell the Right Stories to your Children

by Greg Curtis

In the last few posts I’ve spent a lot of time talking about kids who grow up in wealthy families and the issues they face, as well as talking about how virtually all American kids are raised these days. I’ve devoted so much time to these subjects because I want to emphasize the many minefields that surround …

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Events

92nd Cinderella Ball Held at the Omni William Penn

by PQ Staff

On Saturday, January 27, seventeen local debutantes walked the length of the ballroom at the Omni William Penn on the arms of their fathers before a crowd of family and friends during the 92nd presentation of the Cinderella Ball. [ngg src=”galleries” ids=”227″ display=”basic_thumbnail” thumbnail_crop=”0″] Ball chairs Brette Gillman and Natalie Kelley, escorted by their husbands …

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