Tom Purcell stories, Page 3

I will qualify for Medicare coverage in five years and, much to my surprise, I can’t wait to get government health coverage — because my current coverage is pricey. I recently finished a consulting assignment, which provided me full health benefits. To maintain my health insurance policy through COBRA, I...

IQs have dropped for the first time in American history, and the experts aren’t quite sure why. According to Neuroscience News, a new Northwestern University study finds that our average IQ scores have decreased in three out of four cognitive measures. The study found that “scores of verbal reasoning (logic,...

The sun is shining 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 passage fewer and fewer teens choose to experience today. According to...

The St. Patrick’s Day spirit has arrived, and we sure are in need of some Irish levity. The economy is limping, and inflation is hitting us hard. It reminds me of the laborer who fell off a roof at a construction site: “Were you hurt by the fall?” asked his...

I dread the coming of Sunday, March 12. At 2 a.m. that morning, our clocks will “spring forward.” That means my yellow Labrador, Thurber, who wakes me at exactly 6 every morning, will begin waking me at exactly 5 every morning. He’ll do so because that’s when his Labradorian clock...

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 articles or answer questions on a multitude of subjects. When I asked ChatGPT what it is, it responded this...

The day started at 7 a.m. with a breakfast meeting and ended after 11 p.m. — and I was exhausted. It was 1996. I had spent 16 straight hours with Pennsylvania’s freshman senator, Rick Santorum, to report on “A day in the life of a senator.” I realized that same...

There are no small number of accusations lately that — shocking as it may be — some of our politicians are lying to us. Some Republicans shouted the “L” word during President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, when he said Republicans want to end Social Security and Medicare....

All my father ever wanted as a young man was to marry my mother and start a family — plans that were interrupted when he was drafted into the Army during the Korean conflict. As he served in Texas, Germany and other parts of the world, there was only one...

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 creation of this day dates back to 1863, during the thick...

I love my gas stove — almost as much as I love my Weber gas grill. So I became curious this past week when I heard that a commissioner in one of our ever-expanding federal-government agencies discussed a possible ban on natural gas stoves. As the story goes, Richard Trumka...

What makes us happy and fulfilled? According to the directors of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, the longest scientific study of happiness ever conducted, the answer is very simple: our relationships. “The stronger our relationships, the more likely we are to live happy, satisfying and overall healthier lives,” according...

Earmarks are back and they’re costing American taxpayers a bundle. In case you’ve forgotten, earmarks, says FactCheck.org, “are government funds that are allocated by a legislator for a particular pet project, often without proper review.” Often attached to the 12 large appropriation bills that Congress by law is supposed to...

It was late December of 2020. Covid cabin fever was hitting me hard. As a writer and communications consultant, I’ve long worked from an office in my home. I was used to working alone at home, but covid isolation was pushing me beyond my limits. Family issues were also weighing...

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. They stuffed a hose down my mouth and pumped me with air, then sliced and sewed...

The Tribune-Review ran a great piece about the nostalgia many Pittsburghers hold for their favorite old suburban shopping malls — especially around the holidays. Malls around the country are in trouble these days. Experts say their golden age ended years ago, and Pittsburgh proves it. Century III Mall, which was...

My dog Thurber has been lying to me. It only figures, because it’s impossible to avoid mistruths these days. We just exited a miserable election cycle in which truth stretching, name calling and vote pandering were all in high gear — and inescapable. Our politicians in both major parties really...

I’m not feeling it this year. I’m just not feeling the Christmas spirit of any kind, and I know, for the benefit of others, I need to get out of my slump. Christmas cheer is a real thing. A variety of studies have found we actually do become more cheerful...

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 of vinyl — and especially digging its imperfections and limitations. The scratch and crackle of a needle...

Is the glass half empty or half full? In my experience it’s always been half full — and that’s one of many things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving. We lost my father this year, and that leaves a huge hole in our hearts — until we focus on the...

This week half the country will be upset by the midterm election results and half will be elated. Regardless, politics is causing every one of us more stress than it ought to, but, believe it or not, there is, hopefully, still some humor that we can all enjoy. Since Congress...

I’m already anxious about the outcome. I speak of next week’s elections, and a modern malady the Mayo Clinic refers to as “election stress disorder.” “We notice it in our bodies, the tension in our shoulders,” says Dr. Robert Bright, a Mayo Clinic psychiatrist. “Sometimes people get GI (gastrointestinal) upset...

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 costumes. That sounds about right to me. My mother would have decked...

It was one of the most awesome experiences of my childhood. It happened 50 years ago on an overcast day in Pittsburgh on Sept. 30, 1972. My Little League team had cheap-seat tickets in right field in Three Rivers Stadium. My dad and some coaches took us to the game...

Gosh, I hate debt. I’ve been in and out of debt from time to time. When I was younger I took out a car loan for a nice set of wheels that I really couldn’t afford. I borrowed money I didn’t have to buy a really nice stereo system, too....