Renowned Poet and Artist Comes to the Maridon

On Saturday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. the Maridon Museum will hold a gala opening of its exhibit and art sale “A Cosmic Contemporary Collaboration.” The exhibit, which runs April 8 through June 3, will feature paintings and a performance by internationally recognized poet Huang Xiang, one of China’s greatest 20th century, post-cultural revolution …

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The Newspapers & Rico the Baker

Pittsburgh’s old morning newspaper was the small dog in town—feistier, funkier, more colorful, more daring and, compared to the larger afternoon paper, far more fun. Its “personnel department” was Agnes who worked in an alcove full of office machines from the Roosevelt years. The Teddy Roosevelt years. Ray took over. He was bright, funny, had …

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Pittsburgh Today and Tomorrow 2017

The 2017 Pittsburgh Today and Tomorrow report, produced by Pittsburgh Today, analyzes recent data to assess the Pittsburgh region’s standing compared with 15 other regions in key economic and quality of life measures. Also included are numerous in-depth reports focusing on the most important issues facing Greater Pittsburgh. To view a PDF version of Pittsburgh …

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PICT Classic Theatre Triumphs with Fresh, Exhilarating Treatment of Oedipus Rex

Although thirteen ancient Greek poets wrote Oedipus tragedies, only Sophocles’ play, “Oedipus Rex,” has survived. The Roman philosopher Seneca wrote a version, as did Julius Caesar. So did the 17th century poet John Dryden, as well as the 18th century philosopher Voltaire. It has been a foundational story of Western consciousness since Homer referenced it …

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Capital Preservation Paul

I’ve been in the business of advising wealthy families for 40 years. (Actually, it’s been longer than that, but I’ve reached the age where everything gets rounded down.) Over all those years, almost every family I’ve worked with has followed an investment strategy focused on the preservation of their capital, and it’s not hard to …

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Antarctica, Wonder that Inspires

There are times in your life that mark changes in your composition. Our trip to Antarctica was one of those times. It’s a continent without native people, but where wildlife thrives in an unpredictable environment. It’s a world without infrastructure. The scale is otherworldly and the landscape staggeringly, breathlessly beautiful. It is a landscape difficult …

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Silicon Valley—and the Rest of Us

Last week I was in northern California’s Bay Area for a few days and, as I prefer to do when traveling even to familiar places, I make sure to read and watch the local media rather than “the usual” array of nationally available sources. I caught a TV report on a meeting of Silicon Valley …

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Loose Change, Part X

“Without courage all other virtues are useless” – Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire We are talking about climate change, this being the tenth and (finally!) last post in my long series on “changes” that might be considered by the new Trump Administration. In my last post, I alluded to scientific misgivings about the seminal “Seven Nations” …

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Shake Your Booties Down Bourbon Street

Silver platters overflowing with bejeweled masks and long strands of vibrantly colored beads ensured guests of The Children’s Home & Lemieux Family Center wouldn’t be empty handed for their Mardi Gras-themed Shake Your Booties party. At least, for those who didn’t come fully prepared. “I found this upstairs in our house and thought, ‘If I …

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Green Gala Honors Sy Holzer

“He’s what makes Pittsburgh go,” said Art Rooney II. “He’s been one of the spokes of Pittsburgh for the past 30 years or so, and we’re excited to give him his dues tonight.” Accolades abounded for PNC Executive Vice President and Special Advisor to the Chairman Sy Holzer, honored with the 2017 Chairman’s Award for …

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Gentlemen’s Night Out

Gentlemen’s Night Out was hosted on Friday, February 17 at Heinz Field Champions Club. The black-tie event was presented by Mascaro Construction Company, and chaired by the company’s Executive VP Michael Mascaro to benefit the National Aviary. Nearly 200 guests arrived to the Champions Club where they were greeted by various National Aviary birds! Guests …

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Kicking Off a Collaboration

More than 400 guests filled the August Wilson Center Thursday for the Private Performance and Premiere Party kicking off Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and Dance Theatre of Harlem’s two-week collaboration celebrating the diversity of talent and styles in American ballet. Presented by BNY Mellon, the collaboration spans nine joint performances and 27 educational programs throughout the …

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Loose Change, Part IX

Headline of the future: “Oat Bran—the Silent Killer.” (Woody Allen or David Letterman, I forget which.) We are courageously dealing with the controversial subject of climate change, but since my courage is running low, this will be our next-to-last foray into the subject. My fundamental argument about the climate issue is that while the climate …

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Reflections on “1984” in 2017

Critics have argued that we cannot evade Shakespeare’s influence on our conception of human nature, nor Freud’s influence on our understanding of psychology, and I would suggest, as a corollary, that we cannot escape George Orwell’s influence on our notion of the political. The Orwellian ethos, manifested in works such as his final novel, “1984”, …

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The Voice of…Living

It’s that voice. Like smoldering embers from a raging bonfire, three ice-cold rocks swimming in aged whiskey. No, make that scotch. Deep. Mysterious. Alluring. The no-way-in-hell-you-can-or-want-to-ignore-that voice. “Yeah, all coming from a short, skinny guy in Baden.” The short, skinny guy in Baden is leaning out of his kitchen door, taking a few long drags …

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Assisted Living

“Every simile’s an insurrection” (unknown) Her phone is like a cordless baby. Her children are a blur of programmed digits. Each week she learns new rituals to survive, from toothbrush to spoon. Her softball glove, her Raleigh 3-speed are not even memory. Her new sports are dress, food, hygiene. A slalom course to every doorknob. …

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Loose Change, Part VIII

“What have future generations ever done for us?” – Groucho Marx Last week we took on the controversial subject of climate change. This week, just to demonstrate how reckless a humble blogger can be, we’ll return to the scene of the crime and do it all over again. When I was in college I took …

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Train Shows & Guys

When they hit male menopause, some men buy a sports car, or a sailboat, or take off with a young woman named Amber. Others take the cheaper and more benign route: buy electric trains and go to train shows. A local volunteer fire department held one Sunday and it was jammed, mainly by men who …

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Loose Change, Part VII

In my last post we looked at the need for “change” in one controversial domestic sector, education. But since that wasn’t nearly contentious enough (I only got about 400,000 death threats), let’s move on to something really controversial: climate change. Strangely enough, climate science is a subject I actually know something about. (You needn’t be …

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CMU Brings Vivid Life to Marlowe’s Great Work

Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama manages to combine some of the strongest and rarest elements of great theatre in their production of Christopher Marlowe’s “Edward II”: rawness, mystery, risk and precision. This is the kind of performance of a classic play that eschews the pitfalls of tired masterpieces, and instead, evokes its subject like …

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Let the Good Times Roll

“He’s one of those CEO’s in Pittsburgh who makes everything better,” said Epilepsy Foundation Western/Central Pennsylvania board member Joyce Bender. “He cares for all people with disabilities.” It was one of many accolades being echoed amongst 800 guests who arrived to the Westin en masse to toast Covestro’s Jerry MacCleary as 2017 King of the …

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Unemployment Trends in Pittsburgh

Southwestern Pennsylvania’s economy suffered less during the last recession than most regions and one key reason was that unemployment was relatively stable when other places were reeling with more widespread joblessness. While unemployment in the region has largely fallen below the national average since, recent data raise the prospect of trouble ahead, according to U.S. …

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