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Qintel puts Pittsburgh on the map for cyber intelligence

Columns

Western Pennsylvania’s leadership in AI, robotics and cyber intelligence companies that work with the Department of War was reinforced recently. Qintel was selected for an $84 million contract with the United States Cyber Command to deliver a threat intelligence solution in support of full-spectrum cyber operations. Qintel also just announced it will be part of the inaugural Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit in the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, which Sen. David McCormick (R-Pa.) is hosting in July. The two-day conference convenes CEOs, investors and senior military ...

America was much more of a mess at the bicentennial than it is today

Columns

As we approach the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, America is in a pretty foul mood, and I understand why. For starters, Washington is broken, prices are high and rising, and AI is scaring the stuffing out of people. Understanding, however, is not synonymous with agreement. In other words, some complaints about America in 2026 have more empirical weight than others. Crime may be too high, but it’s been going down for a while. Actually, let’s start there because crime is a good example of how perceptions don’t necessarily reflect reality. Since 2000, ...

Protecting babies from whooping cough during pregnancy

Columns

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’ve read that there’s a big increase in whooping cough. I am pregnant and want to know the best way to protect my baby. Is it exclusive breastfeeding? Getting the vaccine? Making sure that visitors are vaccinated or wear masks? — D.G. ANSWER: Whooping cough is caused by a species of bacteria called Bordetella pertussis. This causes a respiratory infection that can be very serious in infants, with over 80% of the youngest babies needing hospitalization. You are right that there have been massive increases in the risk of this infection during the past two years. An ...

Loneliness: People do need people

Columns

Ashley, North Dakota, is a small farming town where the local diet leans hard on sausage, deep-fried chicken and strudel. It has something of a medical center, but the nearest trauma hospital able to handle the most serious injuries is almost four hours away in Fargo. Yet the elders in McIntosh County, with Ashley as its county seat, frequently live into their 90s, and sometimes beyond. It had the highest proportion of people 85 and older in the country. Doesn’t make sense until you see why it does. Stress levels are low. The farmers pursue a lifetime of physical exercise. When ...

Dear Annie: Feeling forgotten by a flaky friend

Columns

Dear Annie: My best friend has become impossible to make plans with. She says yes to everything, then cancels at the last minute with a vague excuse. Sometimes she says she is “too tired,” other times she says work got crazy, and once she forgot completely until I texted from the restaurant asking if she was on her way. The worst was when I saw on social media that she had gone out with another group the same night she canceled on me because she “needed a quiet night.” I know people are busy, and I do not want to be needy. But after the third canceled dinner, the second missed ...

Lessons from Graham Platner

Columns

How can Graham Platner, who might win the Democratic nomination for senator from Maine in next Tuesday’s primary election ever be seriously considered for such a job, given the amount of personal baggage he carries? The answer is we have so lowered our standards and think so little of our politicians that, as the saying used to go, anyone can grow up to be president, or senator. Platner has been accused of so many things that just one would have been enough to derail his candidacy in another era when character mattered. Today, power is all that appears to matter and the way in ...