Tom Purcell

Irish Stereotypes No Joking Matter
Ah, St. Here's what three typical St...
Living the Cord-Cutting Dream
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...
Sunday Set to Remind: ‘Be Kind’
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...
Time to Embrace Cursive Handwriting Again
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...
Tech Making ‘Car Guys’ Endangered Species
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! They’re Just Cookies!
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...
It’s Up to Us to Realize Dr. King’s Dream
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...
Alexa, Why Won’t You Reply to My Father?
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...
Resolutions Our Politicians Won’t Keep
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...
Joy, Wonder, Laughter Children’s Christmas Gifts to Adults
I love Christmas. My mother has six children, 17 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren - and counting...
All Along, Google’s Been Googling Me
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...
I’m Dreaming of a Debt-Free Christmas
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

How do you generate readership in a rapidly shrinking newspaper market? Engage Op/Ed readers with lively, entertaining columns – columns like Tom Purcell's.