Opinion category, Page 61
F.D. Flam: Quantum computing could be the future of drug development
One of the first and most promising uses scientists envision for the rapidly evolving technology of quantum computing is a new approach to drug development. A quantum computer could, in theory, eliminate much of the trial and error involved in the process to help researchers more quickly zero in on...
Sarah Gundle: TikTokers are self-diagnosing. That’s good and bad.
“My ADHD? I figured it out on TikTok,” a new patient told me proudly. She hadn’t turned to social media for answers because she wanted to; she just couldn’t afford the cost of a formal psychiatric evaluation. Appointments for neuropsychological assessments, the gold standard for diagnosing conditions such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity...
Letter to the editor: Pittsburgh teams paying big money to bad players
As a “youngish” man in my early 70s, I’m astounded by the amounts of money Pittsburgh sports teams pay much younger men to stink up the playing field. My message to the Pirates and Steelers is, “Hey guys, I’m right here, give me a call.” Team owners are paying tens...
Letter to the editor: Pine-Richland’s book ban sham
On March 17, the Pine-Richland School Board approved a sweeping revision to Library Policy 109.1 after 16 months of deliberation. This effort was sparked in October 2023 when a group of religious activists demanded the removal of 14 books they deemed “pornographic.” At a December board meeting, board member Michael...
Editorial: In red and blue Pennsylvania, primaries matter more than ever
Elections follow a certain rhythm. Presidential years are followed by municipal years where the ballots are filled with local, school board and county races. Then there are the midterms, in which state and federal lawmakers are elected. In Pennsylvania, that’s also a gubernatorial year. Then it goes back to more...
Letter to the editor: Tariffs don’t improve economy
To those who still believe that tariffs will improve the economy: Ain’t gonna happen. Never. Not ever. No matter how long you wait. Tariffs are not magic beans from which factories spring. For example, take the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930; a depression grew from that. Tariff revenue goes directly...
Jackie Calmes: Will the Qatar gift to Trump fly?
The real value of President Donald Trump’s acceptance of a $400 million “palace in the sky” — a super luxe Boeing 747-8 grift, er, gift, from the oil-rich Qatari royal family — could be in what it reveals to his fellow Americans about his unprecedented, global grab for wealth and...
Bradford Fitch: How veterans, plane travel and sausages lead to less partisanship
It’s no secret that partisanship is more intense than at any other time in recent history. And these intense political feelings don’t just play themselves out through gridlock in Congress. The threats of political violence have increased dramatically. Politics seeps into the workplace, resulting in coarse relations with colleagues (and,...
Letter to the editor: Protecting county’s appeals process
Allegheny County Council is about to vote on a bill (May 21) that would insulate the appeals board from the political process. Under present law, the people who make the frozen base year assessments also administer the appeals process. The part-time appeals boards’ role is limited to only hearing and...
Letter to the editor: Trump’s war on women
President Trump said that he would protect women, whether the women like it or not. However, through his actions, I belieev he has declared a war on women. By demonizing “DEI,” he seems to be seeking to wipe out the gains women have made since the 1960s, gains in equality...
Editorial: How to cut U.S. drug prices without hurting innovation
The price of Wegovy, Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster weight-loss drug, is $1,349 a month in the U.S.; in Germany, it’s $328. The U.S. price for Keytruda, a cancer treatment, is $191,000 a year; in Japan, it’s $44,000. The U.S. pays three times more for branded prescription drugs, on average, than other...
Letter to the editor: Murrysville endorsement process fair
I want to address several recent letters to the editor related to the endorsement process conducted by a local political committee. As a former Murrysville Council member who held office for eight years until I termed out, I feel that I am more than qualified to speak about the endorsement...
Editorial cartoons for the week of May 19
Editorial cartoons for the week of May 19....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of May 19
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of May 19....
Abigail Auyeung: Reducing mental health to buzzwords and online trends may do more harm than good
If you’ve been on Instagram recently, you may have seen Insta stories of giddy teens dumping water — which doesn’t even contain ice — on their friends in the name of #SpeakYourMIND. Influencers give pretty speeches in which they claim “mental health is important!” and give a cheerful thumbs-up of...
Ronald L. Hirsch: Are liberals destroying America’s ideals?
The opening paragraph of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 wrote, “America is now divided between two opposing forces: woke revolutionaries and those who believe in the ideals of the American Revolution.” What a perfect example of fake news. By taking on the mantle of American values and attacking their opponents...
Letter to the editor: Don’t believe what others say — seek the truth
I really appreciate the letter “It’s up to us to seek the truth” (May 14, TribLive) in this amusing paper. It is what so many of us folks (Dems) have been saying. Regardless of party, search out the truth for yourselves. Do no follow someone else because they are friends/family....
Letter to the editor: Independence layoffs will further hurt care
More layoffs at Independence Health will further hurt the care that patients are receiving since the merger between Excela Health and Butler Health (“Independence Health cuts 151 workers, locations not specified,” April 9, TribLive). The “retirement” of several Excela administrators while being replaced with those from Butler should be of...
Letter to the editor: Penn State must close some campuses
The article “As deadline looms for Penn State’s future, former PSNK chancellors share thoughts” (May 5, TribLive) was written as though the drastic reduction of student enrollment at Penn State campuses and other colleges has just suddenly happened. My goodness, it’s been going on for 25-plus years! To see this,...
Editorial: Why do some bills get attention in Harrisburg?
Is there nothing that can happen in Harrisburg without division? On Tuesday, we wrote about two bills wending their way through the Legislature. In the Senate, Republicans passed a bill banning transgender athletes in K-12 or collegiate sports within the state. In the House, Democrats passed a bill supporting legalization...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Pittsburgh picks a mayor
Let’s take a look at what the May 20 race for mayor of Pittsburgh is not about. Some people and groups are seeking to use this election to fight their own battles instead of looking out for what’s best for the people of Pittsburgh. This election is not about Donald...
Colin McNickle: Calculating those NFL Draft economic benefits
“All that glitters is not gold,” goes the aphorism made most famous by William Shakespeare in his “The Merchant of Venice.” And a researcher at the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy says we should keep that phrase in mind when it comes to the claimed economic impact Pittsburgh can expect...
Chad Kultgen: What I’ve learned from doing a podcast with my MAGA parents
My family used to be very close. We took vacations together. We never missed a birthday or a Christmas, even though it meant traveling from different states. And we talked on the phone often. But something happened during President Obama’s second term that changed our family drastically. I don’t think...
Letter to the editor: A reminder that goodness is out there
The other day I left the Hempfield Giant Eagle and was in the lane to turn onto Route 30. A pickup truck pulled up next to me and told me my tailgate was up! As I was wondering where I could go as there was no room to pull off,...
Letter to the editor: Is Gulf of Mexico renaming high on anyone’s priority list?
If one wishes to understand why reasonable people hold Congress in such low regard, look to the foolish and absurd passage in the U.S. House of Representatives of a bill to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, a litmus test as to the extent to which...
