Author: Thomas Purcell

Punxsutawney Phil must be stopped. The lovable little groundhog must be stopped. You know Phil. Every: Feb. 2, Groundhog Day, he is yanked from a tree stump in Punxsutawney, Pa. If he sees his shadow, his organizers allege, there will be six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t, spring will be just around the corner. […]

The illusion was good while it lasted. I speak of the male biological clock. Yet another study, reported at PsychCentral.com, finds that children of older fathers are more likely to suffer “from mental health issues, including schizophrenia, mood disorders, neurotic disorders, eating disorders, personality disorders and other developmental and childhood disorders such as autism and […]

The Huffington Post is onto something. In a recent report, the website listed seven things that the iPhone, first released to the public only seven years ago, has made obsolete – though there are surely plenty more than seven. Up first, says the website: roadmaps. Thanks to Google Maps, which anyone can use on his […]

It’s a story about how freedom is all. I speak of the Little Sisters of the Poor, an international congregation of Roman Catholic nuns who have devoted their lives to caring for the elderly poor. I am lucky to know more about this remarkable organization than many. In 2007, I wrote a column about Gorman […]

Farewell, old friend. I am going to miss you. I speak of the incandescent bulb – the light of my life for all of my years. As of Jan. 1, you have been shut off. That was the mission of a 2007 law that raised energy-efficiency and wattage standards far beyond what you are capable […]

President Obama, despondent over his low poll numbers and the lack of trust many Americans have for him and his policies, did something drastic. He met with the psychic medium who once helped Hillary Clinton contact the spirit of Eleanor Roosevelt. With the medium’s help, Obama summoned the only presence in America who could help […]

There’s a reason why only 8 percent of New Year’s resolutions are kept: Too many of us make resolutions that lack resolve. “Resolve” is a powerful world. According to one dictionary, it means “to solve a problem, or to find a satisfactory way of dealing with a disagreement.” Bill Gates elaborated on the concept in […]

I’m turning into my father. About this time every year, my father pulls me aside and asks me to tell my five sisters that he doesn’t need any gifts for Christmas – and, “for Godsakes, please tell your sisters I don’t need more sweaters. I can’t wear the sweaters I have now. Use the money […]

Boy, do we need to get back to the basics in America – especially with our Christmas toys. Consider: In the basement of any kid’s home you’ll find once-trendy, dust-collecting gadgets that are no longer played with. So I was delighted to stumble across a Geekdad.com article by Jonathan Liu that ranked “The 5 Best […]

A new study has come out that finds men and women really do think differently. According to The Independent, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania used a new and very precise brain-scanning technique, diffusion tensor imaging, to create a neural map of the human brain. The technique has found that male and female brains are […]

I’ve heard a lot of interesting stories of people trying, and failing, to sign up for ObamaCare, but this one takes the cake. According to UPI, Shane Smith, of Fort Collins, Colo., had his new ObamaCare insurance opened under his dog’s name. As it goes, Smith’s existing plan was canceled because it failed to meet […]

Sure, the country isn’t doing so well at the moment, but there are still plenty of reasons to be thankful this Thanksgiving. I sit at the “big people’s table” now, just to the left of my father. It took me years to earn that coveted spot, and for that, I am thankful. Everyone in my […]

Last week, when Bill Clinton said President Obama should allow people to keep their health-insurance coverage – an early attempt to distance Hillary and himself from ObamaCare – I began to worry that the Clintons may be serious about another run at the White House. I surely don’t want Hillary to be our next president, […]

Sheesh, what did they expect? I speak of the backlash to the Affordable Care Act of 2010, which passed along purely partisan lines. Not one Republican in the House or Senate voted in favor of it. More than half of the American people were against it in 2010. In fact, according to Politico, ObamaCare was […]

Ida Ayres never served a day in the armed forces, but she knows a thing or two about the sacrifices of war. When we think of war and conflict, we think of the men and women who put themselves in harm’s way, as we should. But what about the parents, children, siblings and spouses who […]

Dear American citizens: Millions of you are asking why your health insurance policies are being canceled and the premiums and deductibles for your new policies are, for the majority of you, doubling, tripling or worse. You are particularly upset because President Obama said over and over again that your premiums would go down and you […]

“The wife and I came up with so many Halloween costume ideas this year to satirize Washington politicians, but we aren’t sure which to choose.” “You speak of a relatively recent trend in which adults pick or create Halloween costumes that mock or satirize current events and popular culture. Robert Thompson, a pop-culture expert and […]

The French daily Le Monde alleges that the US National Security Agency has spied on French diplomats in Washington and at the UN. I contacted my French informant, Pierre Le Paint, to learn more about the incident. “What could America possibly have to gain by spying on the French?” I said. “The people currently running […]

Rebecca was stunned when she opened her mail last week. Her insurance carrier, Highmark BCBS, said her health insurance premium would rise 40 percent this year and her policy would be canceled on: Dec. 1, 2014. She had purchased the policy in 2009, after her husband had passed away from lupus, which he’d contracted 10 years […]

“Man, this government shutdown is making America look foolish.” “I agree with you. I am certainly no fan of the shutdown. But the division in Washington is a reflection of the division in our representative republic.” “I think it’s a reflection of a total lack of leadership among our politicians in Washington.” “You speak the […]

Boy, is technology making us ruder. I read with great delight a Wall Street Journal story about a couple of Boston lawyers. One, a 24-year-old woman, sent an e-mail to an older, established lawyer declining a recent job offer. The older lawyer, miffed the woman would e-mail a rejection after she’d already accepted the job […]

I remember when a billion used to be a number so big nobody could comprehend it, though it is still a massive number. According to Snopes.com 1 billion seconds equals 31.7 years. A billion seconds have elapsed since 1981. One billion minutes is equal to 1,901 years – which would take us back, almost, to […]

The article in The Washington Post filled me with hope: There’s a trend toward college-educated people getting into the trades. One 29-year-old fellow in Washington, D.C. – he has a degree from Notre Dame – considered going to law school, like many others in the lawyer-saturated town. After watching his friends work long hours as […]

Q: Is the government too big and powerful? Does a one-legged duck swim in circles? A: Ah, yes, you speak of a recent Gallup survey that found 60 percent of Americans think the federal government has too much power – a full percentage point higher than the previous high recorded in September 2010. Gallup’s Joy […]

What’s in a name? Way too much these days where babies are concerned. According to The Wall Street Journal, parents are obsessing over what to name their kids. They’re hiring consultants, applying mathematical formulas and software programs and even bringing in nutty spiritualist types. One couple hired a pair of consultants to draw up a […]

Like millions of Americans, I’ve become a “Duck Dynasty” fan. “Duck Dynasty,” as you surely are aware, is an A&E reality show that presents the Robertson clan, the long-bearded owners and operators of Duck Commander in West Monroe, La. Duck Commander hand-makes duck calls. The story is a rags-to-riches one. Phil Robertson, the patriarch of […]

His neck and underarms were swollen. His skin itched, particularly on his arms. Sleeping at night was impossible. The symptoms started five years ago. He was 50 then. He’d been fit and healthy all his life. The diagnosis was not pleasant. He had contracted chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a cancer, says: mayoclinic.com: , of the blood and […]

I became upset when I got word. Jeep, reports Automotive News, is shifting its focus away from hearty off-road 4X4’s to, mostly, dinky little two-wheel-drive cars that ride smoothly on paved roads – the kind of cars Europeans like to drive. This is what happens when an iconic American brand is sold to a European […]

During my last visit to New York City, I stumbled into an unexpected discussion about its restrictive gun polices. The discussion occurred after I ducked into a coffee shop. The place was empty except for three transit employees. “I don’t know why the kid shot me,” said one of the men. “But I got myself […]

“President Bush is the first president to accomplish what?” “He’s the first to propose a budget that tops $3 trillion. He was also the first to propose one that topped $2 trillion. Now the budget is about $4 trillion. America is the proud owner of the largest government on Earth.” “That’s a lot of government.” […]