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AI can’t cure loneliness epidemic

Mark Zuckerberg is right that our nation is beset by an epidemic of loneliness. People of every age now too often find themselves isolated from family, with too few friends and little to keep them company but the screens in their hands, on their desks and on their walls. But to Meta’s chief executive, every problem in the world is a nail and more technology is the hammer. Even by Zuckerberg’s standards, his recent comments about AI and loneliness were striking for their deep misunderstanding of what humanity really needs, which is genuine care, intimacy and love from other human ...

Best adventures are closer than you think

Summer approaches as school doors close across Mifflin County. Families face a familiar question with new economic dimensions: Where to vacation? Gas prices hover near $4 per gallon. Airfares have increased 30% since 2023. Hotel rates in popular destinations exceed pre-pandemic levels by 25%. These financial realities transform vacation planning from exciting to anxiety-inducing for many households. Enter the staycation — a vacation spent exploring attractions near home without expensive travel costs. This approach offers more than budget relief; it provides opportunities to ...

PSU needs to be open about closings

Penn State leaders are proposing the shuttering of seven Commonwealth Campuses. The idea has been on the table since February. It would be brought up in May, it was suggested. But the May meeting of the board of trustees falls in a sweet spot between the annual Blue-White Game at Beaver Stadium one weekend and spring semester graduation the next. It’s deliberate, putting trustees in town to participate in graduation events. In April, university President Neeli Bendapudi said the announcement would not be made then, pushing it back until later so as not to disrupt graduation. It ...

Having an American Pope is unique experience

On a Thursday afternoon, white smoke poured from the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City as Catholics and non-Catholics alike around the world watched with great interest to see who would be chosen as the successor to the late Pope Francis. As with many cultural events, experts came out of the woodwork. People who two weeks ago had never heard of a single Cardinal became experts on the internal politics of the Vatican. With intense media coverage of an ever-growing list of candidates, the task of finding a new Pope seemed less like a solemn religious ceremony and more like the lead up to ...

‘N’ in SNAP means nutrition

SNAP, or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps, is one of the nation’s largest welfare programs. And, like all welfare programs, it is massive, it has grown prodigiously over the years and it is inefficient. One glaring issue, which is gaining attention as a result of new Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again campaign, is the kinds of foods that recipients of SNAP funds can purchase. And here we have convergence of bodily health and fiscal health. The “N” in SNAP stands for nutrition. The ...

Real cost of student loan forgiveness

Each spring, as tassels are turned and degrees are conferred, college graduates across the country celebrate the culmination of years of study, sacrifice and — inevitably for many — debt. Against this backdrop, the idea of student loan forgiveness is touted by many as a compassionate and progressive policy, a generous gift to the newest members of the workforce. But such a policy, while emotionally appealing, is fraught with economic, moral and social consequences that far outweigh its supposed benefits. Let us begin with a simple question: If student loan forgiveness is ...