TOP DRAWER INK NEWSLETTER

 

Here's the latest issue of Top Drawer Ink, the newsletter written by author HL Carpenter that's chock full of humor and common sense information.

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May 8, 2004
Volume 2, Number 9
ISSN 1554-6330

In this issue:

1. Carpenter Country Essay

2. Top Drawer Article

3. Top Drawer Tips

4. Top Drawer Book Review

5. Top Drawer Satire

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CARPENTER COUNTRY

What's Happening in Our Neck of the Human Experience

Here in Carpenter Country, some of us are moms and some of us aren’t. Either way, we were all someone’s child once and we all have or have had a mother. We celebrate Mother’s Day for her.

Like desserts, moms come in all shapes and sizes: Short, tall, wide, narrow, sweet, sour, good, bad.

Some love their kids beyond belief. They are patient, calm, unperturbed by calamities both large and small. Others become exasperated, agitated and irritated by even the smallest mishap.

Children, however, arrive in one size: small! From there they grow into lots of different body shapes - and dispositions. Early on, those dispositions are the same as Mom’s. But it’s only a matter of time before cuddly babies grow into gangly teens. Some pass through this stage never giving Mom a bit of trouble. Others like to shock with piercings, green hair and tattoos.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Mother Nature was less contrary and children and moms got along with each other, from the first day to the last?

Well, given age and time, it does happen. Kids grow up and their temperament begins to resemble, more and more, the lady they tried to be different from. The biggest shock of all arrives the day they realize – ready or not, bad or good - they’ve turned into … her.

For those who still have a mom, let her know you care with a card, a call or a hug. She’ll appreciate it.

For the rest of us – our moms will live forever in our hearts.

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TOP DRAWER ARTICLE

The Ups and Downs of Interest Rates

by
HL Carpenter

The rates go up, the rates go down ... do you have an interest in interest rates? If you’re a mortgage holder, an investor, a balance-carrying credit card holder or a business owner, the answer is yes. Whether you’re a borrower or a lender, interest rates affect your income and spending ability.

So what should you do now that rates may be rising again? Here are three ideas:

Read the entire article here

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TOP DRAWER TIPS
Topics and Tidbits

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TOP DRAWER BOOK REVIEW

by
HL Carpenter

Confessions of a Tax Collector
by Richard Yancey
364 pages; hardcover; $24.95
HarperCollins, New York, 2004

Back in the good old days, before the creation of the office of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, the Internal Revenue Service had teeth.

And they weren’t afraid to bite errant taxpayers.

Read the entire review here

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TOP DRAWER SATIRE

Laughing Stock

by
HL Carpenter

In the furor over the Google IPO this week, another company’s initial public offering has been completely ignored. To G. Rin (Chuckles) Outloud, Chief Optimism Officer of Laughing, Inc., the lack of attention is just one more sign of how much his company’s product is needed.

Read the rest here