Social media in need of a learner’s permit

July 23, 2026

Young people entering the workplace need to learn how to navigate the muddy waters of social media. They need to learn how to use it for marketing and sharing crucial information. They need to know when to court interaction and when to act as background. They need to understand that literacy isn’t just about Jane Austen and that bullying can happen online as well as in the school cafeteria. That becomes a priority as Pennsylvania puts in place new requirements for schools to teach about the mental, psychological and even physical effects of our digital world. The new laws, which ...

The bottom 1 percent we rarely discuss

July 23, 2026

America spends an extraordinary amount of time debating the top 1% — the billionaires, corporate CEOs and hedge fund managers — and the widening gap between the rich and everyone else. It is an important conversation in a nation that prizes both opportunity and free enterprise. But there is another 1% we talk about far too little. Not the poor. Not the single mother working two jobs. Not the veteran struggling to find his footing. Not the family living paycheck to paycheck. Poverty is not a moral failing, and millions of Americans with modest means are among our country’s ...

More than just a walk: How a 2,300-mile Walk for Peace thrust a Texas Buddhist monk and his rescue dog into the spotlight

July 23, 2026

LOS ANGELES — Chien Le first met the Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara in 2005, a few years before Pannakara became a novice monk at the Texas Buddhist temple where he is now the deputy abbot. What struck Le then, and amazes him still, is Pannakara’s iron-clad determination. “When he ...

Hurt by lack of notice about mom’s trip to West Coast

July 22, 2026

Dear Annie: My mom and I have always been close. I’m 35 now, but we talk almost every day, even though she’s in Virginia, where I grew up, and I moved to Washington state after college. We make an effort to see each other as much as possible, but of course, it’s never enough. Recently, a work trip brought her to San Francisco, but I didn’t find out until she was already boarding the plane. San Francisco is a lot closer to me than Virginia is. I couldn’t help but think that if the situation were reversed, I would have found a way to tack on a few days and see her. She ...

Doctor recommends aggressive treatment for Crohn’s disease

July 22, 2026

Dear Dr. Roach: I’m a 57-year-old man, and I’ve had Crohn’s disease since I was a child. For the past 18 years, I’ve managed it quite successfully with 6-MP, budesonide and Xifaxan. For the past five years in particular, I’ve been in perfect health. My C-reactive protein (CRP) test was under 5 mg/dL, and my colonoscopy from about four years ago was pristine. Just recently, I had a colonoscopy that showed significant inflammation, and my blood work is showing it, too, with a CRP of 19.5 mg/dL. My doctor recommends an aggressive treatment with Skyrizi. I don’t want to take ...

Horoscope: Thursday, July 23

July 22, 2026

You are comforted, nourished and fortified by your favorite “ingredients,” including funny friends, affection and adventure. Aries (March 21-April 19) You gathered information. You explored possibilities. You changed your mind three times. Now it’s time to pick. You’ll gain more useful information from action than from another week of deliberation. Taurus (April 20-May 20) What starts as a curiosity or possible source of entertainment will escalate and transform into something much more substantial and emotional. It could even change you. So be careful what you dabble in now. ...