Tom Purcell stories, Page 9
Tom Purcell: Little Sisters of the Poor meet pandemic with grace, humility
In the outside world, the covid-19 pandemic is highlighting our divisions. Inside the Little Sisters of the Poor retirement residence in Pittsburgh, it’s revealing the power of grace and humility. The mission of Little Sisters of the Poor (LSP), a Roman Catholic order founded in France in 1839 by St....
Tom Purcell: The EPA made it harder to mow my lawn
I used to enjoy mowing the lawn. Now it agitates the heck out of me. My agitation is the result of the gas-container safety spouts the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has mandated since 2009 — spouts that barely allow gas to come out. According to Jeffrey Tucker, editorial director at...
Tom Purcell: Work-from-home productivity has come a long way since 1918
Covid-19 has millions working from home. As a longtime teleworker, let me offer some advice. Working from home has many upsides: no traffic jams, office politics or need for business attire. But a month-plus into this pandemic, many are realizing teleworking’s downsides. My morning commute goes from my bedroom to...
Tom Purcell: Worrying about my not-so-worried parents
My sisters and I worry that our 83-year-old mother and 86-year-old father aren’t nearly as worried about covid-19 as we are. Though this pandemic is as unique as it is unnerving, they tell us they’ve experienced plenty of unnerving events. Born in 1933, in the thick of the Great Depression,...
Tom Purcell: Pandemic threatens John Prine when needed most
When I was a junior at Penn State, I had a front-row seat when legendary singer-songwriter John Prine performed on campus. If you aren’t familiar with Prine’s work, you aren’t alone. He’s often called the greatest singer and songwriter you’ve never heard of. New York Times columnist Dan Barry explains...
Tom Purcell: Amid pandemic, cyber scams a growing threat
The dirty rotten crooks. While the rest of the world is doing its best to sacrifice to beat an unseen biological virus, cyberscammers are trying to attack us with a variety of digital viruses. Before the start of 2020, I warned about the rapid increase in cyberattacks. The more we...
Tom Purcell: Polio lessons for coronavirus
My Aunt Cecelia was just beginning the eighth grade when it happened. In late spring 1951, she came home from school with a high temperature, feeling very ill. The next morning, her legs gave out as she tried to get out of bed. By that evening, she was so weak...
Tom Purcell: Just when we need it, Irish wit, wisdom abounds
We could use some Irish wit and wisdom right now. Here’s a good start: “You’ll never plow a field by turning it over in your mind.” That’s a lesson well taught by the many Irish immigrants, including my great-grandfather, who boldly came to America to make a better life for...
Tom Purcell: No laughing matter
At least Michael Bloomberg gave it a try. Having done poorly in his first Democratic presidential candidate debate, he joked during the Feb. 25 debate in South Carolina that he was surprised the other candidates showed up — because he “did such a good job beating them last week.” His...
Tom Purcell: Kids have to make names for themselves
Get this: New parents are giving newborns outlandish names — so they’ll stand out on social media. That’s according to a new survey of British parents by ChannelMum, which found 72% of respondents “believe a unique name will help their child stand out from the crowd,” StudyFinds reports. So, what...
Tom Purcell: Clark Bar reunites chocolate, peanut butter & Americans
Every time I bite into a Clark Bar, I become 10 years old again. Irish immigrant D.L. Clark created the legendary chocolate-coated peanut- butter-crunch confection in Pittsburgh in 1917. Individually wrapped Clark Bars were shipped to U.S. troops during World War I and became popular nationwide after the war. According to...
Tom Purcell: How to renew dying art of romance? Ask our elders
The day my mother and father met, he was arguing with some high school friends about whether a slice of lemon would corrode the coating on a porcelain sink. “I never came across any man quite like your father,” my mother says, still happily befuddled by the stubborn old fellow....
Tom Purcell: The DC disorder that’s sadder than SAD
Maybe seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is bringing me down — or not. Overcast winter weather triggers SAD. Lack of exposure to sunlight can cause higher levels of melatonin and lower levels of serotonin in the brain, which can cause depression-like symptoms. But then again, maybe it’s the news — and...
Tom Purcell: Clarity’s cost — the $5 million comma
Clarity is in short supply across America, but no longer at dairy farms in Maine. In 2014, you see, drivers for a dairy company in Portland, Maine, sued their employer for overtime pay because a state law pertaining to overtime-pay exemptions failed to include the Oxford comma. What is the...
Tom Purcell: Family landlines better than smartphones for teens
When my childhood home got a phone call, it was an event. That was partly because my father, a longtime phone company employee, installed four brass-belled phones throughout our home. The phones rang so loudly it sounded like crooks were breaking into Fort Knox. It was also because we were...
Tom Purcell: George Washington’s ignored example
Have I benefited from nepotism and cronyism? Sure. But at least I feel guilty about it. Nepotism, says Dictionary.com, is “patronage bestowed or favoritism shown on the basis of family relationship, as in business and politics.” The concept is alive and well in Washington, D.C. Barron’s reports that Chelsea Clinton...
Tom Purcell: Update hairstyle, update outlook
My father and I still regret the first and only time I dabbled in the world of high fashion. According to Yahoo! Lifestyle, retro fashions from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s are making a comeback this year. Allthingshair.com reports that 16 throwback hairstyles from the ’70s are “back and better...
Tom Purcell: Don’t take cyber scammers’ bait in 2020
One of 2019’s biggest stories will be bigger in 2020: Cyber scams are on the rise. “As people increasingly conduct business and live their lives online, more and more criminals are leveraging the internet to steal,” reports Forbes’ Stu Sjouwerman. The dirty rotten scammers continue to evolve, too, targeting businesses,...
Tom Purcell: Amid such a clatter, here’s what really should matter
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through America, people were angry or delighted, and most uncomplimentary. Despite it being the time of the year to unite, gather and share good cheer, the president’s impeachment turned the country on its ear. “High crimes for certain,” his opponents did claim, “because...
Tom Purcell: Why Christmas nostalgia is good for us
I indulge more deeply in Christmas nostalgia with every passing year, but it turns out that doing so is a good thing. “Nostalgia,” according to Merriam-Webster, is “a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for the return to some past period or irrecoverable condition.” Time is certainly irrecoverable. I wish I’d...
Tom Purcell: Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow
We could use a good snowstorm right about now. I love a good dusting of snow. I love how it disrupts our routines and throws everything out of whack. I lived in Washington, D.C., for nearly eight years. It delighted me how that city went into a panic every time...
Tom Purcell: OK boomer — there’s hope for the future
I don’t blame millennials and Gen Z for mocking baby boomers with the trending “OK boomer” meme. I’ve had my issues with baby boomers, too. “OK boomer,” dictionary.com reports, “is a viral internet slang phrase used, often in a humorous or ironic manner, to call out or dismiss out-of-touch or...
Tom Purcell: Best Christmas gifts don’t come from stores
What’s the best gift you ever received? Whatever it was, it surely wasn’t a material item bought in a store. An experience, rather than a material good, is the best gift to receive. That’s what University of Toronto professor Cindy Chan and University of California professor Cassie Mogilner discovered in...
Tom Purcell: Let’s talk this Thanksgiving
America could use a good food fight this Thanksgiving. Every day in our country, factions grow and battle lines harden. Americans are spending more time with like-minded people, their “tribes,” and less with people holding differing viewpoints, those “Neanderthals hell-bent on destroying the country.” Technology has widened our divide. Social...
Tom Purcell: Driving an ‘underwater car’ no fun
What’s the best car on the road? One that’s paid off. That’s what my father loves to say. Regrettably, too many Americans aren’t heeding his advice. What’s worse is that they’re taking on “underwater” loans that far exceed their cars’ value. The Wall Street Journal recently featured a 40-year-old electrician...
