Articles Archive - Page 94 of 156 - Pittsburgh Quarterly

Pittsburgh Quarterly invited the heads of the region’s top independent schools to address three important questions, in 200 words or less for each. How are the political tensions of our country being reflected in your school community and how are you addressing these issues? Jeff Suzik, Director, Falk School One of the most regrettable outcomes …

3 Not-So-Simple Questions Read More »

Arts

Gimme That Old Time Music

by Teake Zuidema

Every first and third Sunday of the month, at around 5 p.m., the front door of Hambone’s, a bar and restaurant in Lawrenceville, becomes a portal to an alternate universe. Standing on Butler Street you will see men and women disappear through that door carrying banjos, fiddles, guitars, mandolins and the occasional contrabass. Should you …

Gimme That Old Time Music Read More »

Nature

Exploring the Cherry Run Game Lands

by Thomas Saunders

Traveling east from our Pittsburgh plateau area to the central Appalachian Mountains in the middle of the state makes us aware of the vast and diverse lands of Penn’s Woods. Hikers and nature lovers can experience the unique characteristics of central Pennsylvania’s rugged mountain terrain by exploring the Cherry Run watershed and State Game Lands …

Exploring the Cherry Run Game Lands Read More »

Homes

Verdant Views

by Marylynn Uricchio

Make a left and then another and a pristine gravel drive leads to a scene of sheer bucolic bliss. Wrapped around the courtyard is a 1920s home thought to have been designed by Brandon Smith. Though his name is not on the original plans, it is in the architect’s style, examples of which abound in …

Verdant Views Read More »

Events

Cystic Fibrosis Gala Sets National Fundraising Record

by PQ Staff

“In a world full of narcissism, you meet all the great people doing charity work,” said Pittsburgh’s 50 Finest 22nd Anniversary Gala co-founder James “Doc” Mendelson. “When you allow the benevolent nature of your soul to shine through, it’s not always about the money. It’s about giving of yourself.” Early on, it became evident that …

Cystic Fibrosis Gala Sets National Fundraising Record Read More »

Business

Examining Austin as a Boomtown—Lessons for Pittsburgh?

by Paul Scripko

Today’s high in Austin is 104 degrees, with 106 predicted for tomorrow. Even the native Texans, proud and defensive of the State’s hardships, are complaining. It has become a standard topic of conversation between strangers in elevators and in bars. And still the masses make their way here. Sit in traffic—which we do a lot of …

Examining Austin as a Boomtown—Lessons for Pittsburgh? Read More »

PQ Poem

Omar Moreno

by Kristofer Collins

What could that have been like, stadium rimmed With Serbs, Poles, and the Jews, too, happy drunk Beside big-armed Russians and mellow black cats From Homewood, and the lathered Irish wails From the men’s rooms, and each one with the balmy Music of your name cresting the tides that poured out Of wide open mouths …

Omar Moreno Read More »

Books

“The Slide” chronicles the tough years of the Pittsburgh Pirates

by Fred Shaw

For some locals, October 17, 1979 was the date parents all over southwestern PA let their kids stay up late. That night baseball fans young and old got to witness Willie “Pops” Stargell homering against the Baltimore Orioles, propelling the Pittsburgh Pirates to their most-recent World Series title. The sound of pots and pans being …

“The Slide” chronicles the tough years of the Pittsburgh Pirates Read More »

Creative Capital

Democracy, Populism, and the Tyranny of the Experts, Part VI

by Greg Curtis

Populism is an unsettling phenomenon in part because we don’t know where it will end. And we don’t know where it will end because populism isn’t itself a governing idea—it’s a response to the perceived failure of other governing ideas. On the other hand, looking back through history we can notice—as a matter of observation, …

Democracy, Populism, and the Tyranny of the Experts, Part VI Read More »

Creative Capital

Democracy, Populism, and the Tyranny of the Experts, Part V

by Greg Curtis

If we wanted to—well, we do want to—we could go back 2,500 years and identify the exact point when human civilization went off the rails on the subject of experts. It’s 399 B.C. and a fellow named Socrates is languishing in an Athenian prison, awaiting execution. He’s been convicted (albeit by a narrow vote of the citizens …

Democracy, Populism, and the Tyranny of the Experts, Part V Read More »

Creative Capital

Democracy, Populism, and the Tyranny of the Experts, Part IV

by Greg Curtis

Not that long ago—say, when my parents were starting out in married life—building a sound investment portfolio was a piece of cake. You bought some Blue Chip stocks and some Triple A bonds and you were done. And even having to worry about building a portfolio was a very rare experience. The vast majority of …

Democracy, Populism, and the Tyranny of the Experts, Part IV Read More »

Architecture & Neighborhoods

Song of the North Side

by David Aschkenas

Take a look at Pittsburgh’s North Side neighborhood through the lens of David Aschkenas in this never-before published photo collection from our archives. Want to see more? Check out our archive for previously published installments of “Song of…” written by Barry Paris, photographs by David Aschkenas. Song of Kittanning Song of Weirton Song of Lawrenceville …

Song of the North Side Read More »

Food & Wine

Pair Trendy Hawaiian Poke Bowls with Alsace Gewurztraminer and Craft Beers

by Dave DeSimone

If you haven’t heard of poke bowls, don’t worry. You will. Just ask Angela Earley, a partner in Penn Avenue Fish Company in Pittsburgh’s Strip District. “Recently regular customers have come in saying how much they enjoyed poke bowls in L.A.,” she notes. “Some even told us we should open a poke only restaurant.” But …

Pair Trendy Hawaiian Poke Bowls with Alsace Gewurztraminer and Craft Beers Read More »

Events

Steelers Alumni Golf Classic

by PQ Staff

Blind & Vision Rehabilitation Services (BVRS) of Pittsburgh held its 21st annual Steelers Alumni Golf Classic at Diamond Run Golf Club on Monday, July 24. Each foursome is captained by former Pittsburgh Steelers, Pirates, Penguins or other Pittsburgh celebrities. The day drew more than 150 golfers to the course and raised more than $150,000 for …

Steelers Alumni Golf Classic Read More »

Creative Capital

Democracy, Populism, and the Tyranny of the Experts, Part III

by Greg Curtis

The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers. (Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part II, identifying the first step in building a better society) When I was growing up, my family not only never consulted a lawyer, I never laid eyes on one. Lawyers were completely irrelevant to the lives of almost everyone. Then, suddenly, I was …

Democracy, Populism, and the Tyranny of the Experts, Part III Read More »

Business

What Will the Shell Cracker Bring Along with It?

by Ashley Murray

Orange plastic curtains protect passers-by from blow torch-wielding workers who are learning to weld in a new training facility for Steamfitters Local 449. The building on the border of Butler and Beaver counties represents an $18 million bet on a building boom that economists and government officials say the nearby Shell cracker plant will spur. …

What Will the Shell Cracker Bring Along with It? Read More »

Sustainability Watch

Ecosystem Health

by Pittsburgh Today Staff

Bird counts in the Pittsburgh area have improved in recent years and limited data suggest that fresh water mussel populations are also doing well – two encouraging trends that offer insight into the health of the region’s ecosystem. Data from the annual Christmas Bird Count organized by the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania show generally …

Ecosystem Health Read More »

Events

Animal Friends Celebrates Wellness Center Grand Opening

by PQ Staff

On Sat., July 15, Animal Friends celebrated the grand opening of the new Howard Ash Animal Wellness Center, an $8.5 million, 18,400-square foot facility on Animal Friends’ 75-acre campus in Ohio Township. The grand opening festivities began with a ribbon cutting featuring Allegheny County Treasurer John Weinstein, Animal Friends Board Chair Gina Carlos and Animal …

Animal Friends Celebrates Wellness Center Grand Opening Read More »

Creative Capital

Democracy, Populism, and the Tyranny of the Experts, Part II

by Greg Curtis

I launched this series of posts by taking a brief tour of a regrettable society called Acirema, in which a race of experts called Masters, though a tiny minority, lorded it over a sub-race of non-experts called Slaves. We’re back, now, in America and wondering if Acerima society might offer a moral for us. Not …

Democracy, Populism, and the Tyranny of the Experts, Part II Read More »

PQ Poem

4th of July, Pittsburgh

by Kayla Sargeson

Six years ago it was Chicago, a party at Jeff’s. Nate was still alive. It was the night we made out on the train. I locked myself out of my apartment and had to call Eddie the Maintenance Man, drunk, to let me in, prayed I had $40 in my bank account to cover the …

4th of July, Pittsburgh Read More »

Events

Night in the Tropics

by PQ Staff

The National Aviary’s 15th Annual Night in the Tropics attracted about 1,300 party-goers on Saturday, July 8th. Guests enjoyed delicious food from over 30 restaurants, tropical cocktails, wine and craft beer as they mingled with exotic birds and took in the global entertainment. The over-the-top evening raised approximately $240,000.

Sustainability Watch

Internet Access

by Pittsburgh Today Staff

The digital divide is narrowing in Western Pennsylvania, if only slightly. Fewer people in the Pittsburgh MSA reported a lack of internet in their households in 2015 than in the previous two years, according to data obtained from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS). Slowly connecting Access to computers and high-speed Internet connections has …

Internet Access Read More »