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The humanities strike back

Last year Microsoft Research reported on the 10 jobs most threatened by artificial intelligence. Should I, dear reader, be running scared? Historians are No. 2 on the list. The report says 91% of what historians do is pretty much covered by AI queries. Uh-oh. I majored in history in college and went on to get a master’s. In the movie “Animal House,” Bluto laments throwing “seven years of college down the drain.” I guess the good news is maybe I only wasted six. Eventually, I pivoted to writing, with five novels published and another coming next year. And of course, ...

A requiem for privacy

When President Donald Trump appointed an obviously unqualified friend, a home builder executive, to be acting director of national intelligence, he inadvertently triggered attention to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The director of national intelligence is the head of the umbrella agency that gathers intelligence from the 17 federal spying agencies and from that data prepares and delivers the president’s daily briefing. Sec. 702, which permits warrantless spying, expires this month. Trump prefers to receive his briefings directly from the CIA and its ...

Dear Annie: A mother-in-law’s criticism could do more harm than good

Dear Annie: My son recently got married. My new daughter-in-law used to dress so cute. She always had makeup on and her hair done. But nowadays, she dresses like a slob. There are days I swear she doesn’t brush her hair. She’s told me herself that her mom has said to her, “What’s wrong with you? Since you got married, you’ve let yourself go,” and I think the same thing. I want to say something to her, but I don’t want to hurt her feelings. What should I do? — Troubled MIL Dear Troubled: Don’t say anything about her looks. Changes to appearance can sometimes point to ...

Antique flags can include copies, which can still be valuable

The Continental Congress established the design of the United States flag on June 14, 1776. There are several stories about the first Flag Day celebration, such as that it was in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1861, or that a New York kindergarten teacher celebrated it with his class in 1889, but ...

A message to recent grads facing an AI-affected job market

As 2026 college graduates prepare for the next chapter of their lives, the news on the job market front is kind of mixed. Those going to graduate school full time may be a little relieved that they are not entering the workforce just yet, but a report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers offers a somewhat encouraging outlook. According to their projections, employers are expected to increase 2026 graduate hires by 5.6%. This data is based on a survey sponsored by Jobscan, administered from Feb. 12 to March 17 to 185 respondents, including 142 NACE members. It is ...

AI replacing workers gives government less tax revenue

Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the U.S. government would receive most of the revenue to provide services to the American people via the revenue received from personal income taxes. It also is how we fund Social Security, Medicare and unemployment compensation as “workers pay into” those systems to derive their benefits, respectfully, from these government systems when eligible. My question: What happens when we have a dramatic decrease in monies going into those funds as well as into the federal coffers? Well, it would mean we would have to make major adjustments in the ...