Tom Purcell
I'm so unhappy with my cable TV and internet services that I'm going to do what I've long dreamed of doing: Cancel my subscription! Consumer Reports says cable providers "have consistently rated below average among services we cover...
In these heated, divisive times, all of us sure could use more kindness. 17, offers us a reminder to embrace kindness. 17 is Random Acts of Kindness Day 2019. Unexpected kindness is one of my favorite forms of that art...
While organizing my home office a few weeks ago, I came across a letter my grandfather wrote back in 1924. His cursive handwriting was artful - perfect penmanship...
My Uncle Jimmy would've hated the late-model SUV I rented for a recent trip to New Jersey. You see, this modern SUV boasted "smart" technologies designed to keep me safe and happy...
Relax, People! My problem with Girl Scout Cookies is personal. Some nutritionists say the cookies are unhealthy, so it's immoral for Girl Scouts to promote these sugary, fatty treats to a nation struggling with an obesity epidemic...
We'll celebrate Dr. s birthday and legacy next week. Too many of us are consumed with hatred and anger, which have reared their ugly heads in our public discourse lately...
Is technology innovation doing us more harm than good? My parents recently got Amazon's supposedly "intelligent" personal assistant, Alexa. Ask her to turn the lights on or off, and, if they're plugged into a "smart" device, she'll do that, too...
Celebrating the holidays with friends and family the past few weeks was great, but I m tired, bloated and crabby. What a great opportunity to start fresh and resolve to do great things in 2019...
I love Christmas. My mother has six children, 17 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren - and counting...
I thought Facebook knew too much about me, but it turns out Google is even worse. The more both know about us, the better they're able to target us with ads we're likely to click...
Merry debt-fueled Christmas, America! Here's what's worse: NerdWallet finds that this Christmas, "American consumers plan to spend more, charge more to credit, and take a longer time to pay it all off...
Full Archive
- 03/11/2019 Irish Stereotypes No Joking Matter
- 02/18/2019 Living the Cord-Cutting Dream
- 02/11/2019 Sunday Set to Remind: ‘Be Kind’
- 02/05/2019 Time to Embrace Cursive Handwriting Again
- 01/28/2019 Tech Making ‘Car Guys’ Endangered Species
- 01/21/2019 Relax, People! They’re Just Cookies!
- 01/14/2019 It’s Up to Us to Realize Dr. King’s Dream
- 01/07/2019 Alexa, Why Won’t You Reply to My Father?
- 01/01/2019 Resolutions Our Politicians Won’t Keep
- 12/21/2018 Joy, Wonder, Laughter Children’s Christmas Gifts to Adults
- 12/17/2018 All Along, Google’s Been Googling Me
- 12/10/2018 I’m Dreaming of a Debt-Free Christmas
- 12/03/2018 Good Grief! Critics Miss Christmas Specials’ Points
- 11/26/2018 Concierge Doc Shows Way to Lower Health-Care Costs
- 11/19/2018 Give More Thanks – It’s Good for You
- 11/12/2018 Effective Wit a Dying Art in Politics
- 11/05/2018 Smaller American Towns Connect in Ways Washingtonians Don’t
- 10/29/2018 After Pittsburgh’s Synagogue Tragedy, Start with Mister Rogers
- 10/22/2018 After Saudi Visit, ‘Freedom’ Just another Word for Home Sweet Home
- 10/15/2018 Dietary Scientists, Make up Your Minds!
- 10/08/2018 Failing U.S. Citizenship
- 10/01/2018 Jokes Abound, But Political Divide No Laughing Matter
- 09/24/2018 Spendthrift Idioms Define Congress
- 09/17/2018 Government Grounds for Gobbledygook
- 09/10/2018 Recalling 9/11: We’re Not So Divided After All
- 09/03/2018 The Higher Tech Gets, the Ruder We Get
- 08/27/2018 School Lunch Bell Signals Another Round in Fight
- 08/20/2018 Why Homeownership Pressure Is Good
- 08/13/2018 Americans Too Worried to Vacation
- 08/06/2018 Home Alone No Way to Work
- 07/30/2018 D.C. vs Pittsburgh
- 07/23/2018 Wearing Out Longevity’s Welcome
- 07/16/2018 Be Civil, by George!
- 07/09/2018 Summertime Dinner Calls Long Overdue
- 07/02/2018 Illuminating Independence
- 06/25/2018 Confusing Facts & Opinions
- 06/18/2018 We Need to Embrace the Wit and Wisdom of Will Rogers
- 06/13/2018 The Incredible Power of Fathers
- 06/11/2018 Skilled Trades Beat Degree Debt
- 06/04/2018 For Happiness, Head for the Hills
- 05/29/2018 Left Behind at the Drive-in Theater
- 05/24/2018 For Memorial Day – Serving Those Who Serve Us
- 05/21/2018 The Evolving American Prom
- 05/14/2018 Longing for the Old, Wooden Stereo Console
- 05/10/2018 For Mother’s Day, Embracing Our Lost Sense of Humor
- 05/07/2018 An Apology to My Niece on Her College Graduation Day
- 04/30/2018 The Growing Art of American Cursing
- 04/22/2018 Facebook Knows What about Me?
- 04/16/2018 Tax-Time Q & A
- 07/26/2010 How to Mooch off Your Parents in a Down Economy
- 07/19/2010 Needed: Blue-Collar Horse Sense
- 07/13/2010 Navigating the Second Amendment in Washington, D.C.
- 07/05/2010 The Case For Marriage
- 06/29/2010 Necessity, Mother of Invention
- 06/21/2010 The Upside to Hiring Independent Contractors
- 06/15/2010 For Father’s Day Saving for a Rainy Day
- 06/14/2010 Getting Americans Interested in the World Cup
- 06/07/2010 My Sisters Teach Equality to the Women of Afghanistan
- 05/31/2010 On Fixer-Uppers
- 05/24/2010 Sex Harassment for Kids
- 05/18/2010 Ban the Burger Month
- 05/11/2010 Hey, Big Spenders
- 05/04/2010 For Mother’s Day – Spreading the Art of Laughter
- 04/27/2010 Food Stamps for College Kids
- 04/19/2010 Pledge of Allegiance Revised
- 04/12/2010 Enough Chirping
- 04/06/2010 Springtime in Washington
- 03/29/2010 Tan & Tax
- 03/22/2010 Census 101
- 03/15/2010 Why We Need More Irish Spirit
How do you generate readership in a rapidly shrinking newspaper market? Engage Op/Ed readers with lively, entertaining columns – columns like Tom Purcell's.
Column Archive
- 03/11/2019 Irish Stereotypes No Joking Matter
- 02/18/2019 Living the Cord-Cutting Dream
- 02/11/2019 Sunday Set to Remind: ‘Be Kind’
- 02/05/2019 Time to Embrace Cursive Handwriting Again
- 01/28/2019 Tech Making ‘Car Guys’ Endangered Species
- 01/21/2019 Relax, People! They’re Just Cookies!
- 01/14/2019 It’s Up to Us to Realize Dr. King’s Dream
- 01/07/2019 Alexa, Why Won’t You Reply to My Father?
- 01/01/2019 Resolutions Our Politicians Won’t Keep
- 12/21/2018 Joy, Wonder, Laughter Children’s Christmas Gifts to Adults
- 12/17/2018 All Along, Google’s Been Googling Me
- 12/10/2018 I’m Dreaming of a Debt-Free Christmas
- 12/03/2018 Good Grief! Critics Miss Christmas Specials’ Points
- 11/26/2018 Concierge Doc Shows Way to Lower Health-Care Costs
- 11/19/2018 Give More Thanks – It’s Good for You
- 11/12/2018 Effective Wit a Dying Art in Politics
- 11/05/2018 Smaller American Towns Connect in Ways Washingtonians Don’t
- 10/29/2018 After Pittsburgh’s Synagogue Tragedy, Start with Mister Rogers
- 10/22/2018 After Saudi Visit, ‘Freedom’ Just another Word for Home Sweet Home
- 10/15/2018 Dietary Scientists, Make up Your Minds!