Articles written by Tom Purcell

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The dying art of Halloween costume humor

Halloween is upon us, which means you'd better be cautious about the costume you choose. Halloween has long been a staple of childhood, but in the past few decades it has been increasingly celebrated...

 

We need a rebirth of empathy

When I read a news piece about the passing of longtime California senator Dianne Feinstein a few weeks ago, some of the comments left at the bottom of the online article made me sad. Feinstein suffere...

 

A smaller home is a happy home

Houses are getting smaller again – which is going to make many Americans happier. Americans faced with high mortgage rates and a shortage of affordable homes for sale are opting for new, smaller hom...

 
 By Tom Purcell    Opinion    July 31, 2023

A/C hasn't only made life cooler

As a heat wave hits America from coast to coast, it’s hot outside – but cool inside, thanks to the triumph of air conditioning. For most of human history, there was little people could do to...

 
 By Tom Purcell    Opinion    July 17, 2023

The American dream is a life without debt

I dream of the day I will be 100% debt free! I took on debt fairly early in life, when I borrowed money to help cover the cost of my Penn State degree. That turned out to be a terrific investment ...

 
 By Tom Purcell    Opinion    June 5, 2023

Americans rediscover the summer picnic

It’s a positive trend that I hope continues: the resurgence of summer picnics. According to Mental Floss, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a picnic boom beginning in 2020 that is showing no signs of...

 
 By Tom Purcell    Opinion    May 22, 2023

Curing our loneliness epidemic

There is a loneliness epidemic in the United States, but there are some simple ways we can address it. A few weeks ago, the U.S. Surgeon General released a report titled "Our Epidemic of Loneliness an...

 
 By Tom Purcell    Opinion    May 15, 2023

The incredible life of bees

It's an excuse I've been dreaming of: A reason to NOT mow my lawn. A "No Mow May" movement is afoot to nurture our bee population for a good reason: bees are incredibly important to our own survival....

 
 By Tom Purcell    Opinion    April 3, 2023

Let's get our kids behind the wheel

The sun is shining today and Spring is upon us. Such days remind me still of the excitement I knew when I turned 16 in April and was finally able to get my driver's license – a wondrous rite of...

 
 By Tom Purcell    Opinion    March 6, 2023

Hey, ChatGPT, don't quit your day job

It’s at once amazing and troublesome. I speak of ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence application that was launched last November by OpenAI. In a matter of seconds, it can write apparently accurate...

 

Grateful for National Freedom Day

It’s one of the best days of the year and we owe our gratitude to the remarkable man who made it possible. Feb. 1 is National Freedom Day and its origin is as wonderful as is freedom itself. The...

 

Hope is all we have

 I’m filled with a renewed sense of hope all of the sudden.  Truthfully, I don’t know why I feel such hopefulness.  Last Friday I went to the hospital to have a hernia surgically repaired. T...

 

Digging the return to vinyl

Vinyl records are making a comeback, and it’s not just nostalgic old fogies who are driving the trend. According to Readers Digest UK, millennial and Gen Z consumers are digging the distinct sound...

 

Halloween is for kids, isn't it?

It's a question worth asking in these nutty times: how old is too old to trick-or-treat? On the question-and-answer website Quora, some people ask if the age of 12 is a good time to hang up the ghost...

 

Hung up on rudeness

Changing communications technology is one of life's never-ending annoyances, and now we have a new agitation: voice messaging. Voice messaging allows smartphone owners to record their voice and send...

 

On winning the lottery

I bought my first lottery ticket recently.  It was a $20 scratch-off that paid me a $40 prize.  Winning produced a nice little thrill, so I bought another $20 ticket right away. And lost.  I...

 

The elephant in the college classroom

"Half of that goes to the bank for your college fund!" That's what my father told me in the 8th grade, when I got my first paycheck for waking up at 5:30 a.m. to ride my bike a few miles to Cool...

 
 By Tom Purcell    Opinion    August 8, 2022

The keys to living well

Comedian Carl Reiner was good at living well - and he lived well until the age of 98. I recently watched his 2017 HBO documentary, "If You're Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast." It introduces viewers to...

 
 By Tom Purcell    Opinion    July 25, 2022

Teens not working doesn't work for America

Here's a trend that may not bode well for the future of our country: According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 40 percent of 16- to 19-year-olds have summer jobs - down from 75 perce...

 
 By Tom Purcell    Opinion    July 11, 2022

The need to vacate this summer

I sure could use a vacation about now - but I have no plans to take one this summer. That's the breaks for self-employed people like me who do not enjoy paid-­vacation benefits. When I do not work,...

 
 By Tom Purcell    Opinion    June 6, 2022

Growing up in a world of childhood worries

The only worry I had was that Old Man Miller might be hiding out behind the shed trying to catch us running through his garden when we played "Tag" in our back yards. If you grew up in the '70s in...

 
 By Tom Purcell    Opinion    May 9, 2022

Let's unleash the entrepreneur

I started my first business in the fifth grade when I convinced a neighbor to allow me to cut her grass with her electric lawn mower. That project ended in immediate failure. The mower was powered by...

 
 By Tom Purcell    Opinion    April 18, 2022

Learning to appreciate the regular flu

I recommend the seasonal flu — but please allow me to explain. About a week ago, I felt suddenly rundown and weak. I just wanted to lie down. I thought nothing of it at the time. My family is facing...

 
 By Tom Purcell    Opinion    April 4, 2022

What is a woman?

I’m glad there’s widespread confusion about what a woman is. I’ve been confused my entire life. In the most basic sense, the difference between a male and a female is that a female has two X...

 
 By Tom Purcell    Opinion    March 14, 2022

Old family photos bring new perspective

My mother and father keep our old photos in their hall closet in a sturdy old Pabst Blue Ribbon box. Sifting through old photos is a glorious experience — one, we now know, that relieves aches and...

 

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