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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September 4, 2004
Volume 2, Number 17
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 ExperienceMost of us look forward to vacations. A great get-away can fuel our energy and awaken our senses. Unfortunately all the bad news about airline bombings and terrorist activities may have discouraged a few R&R plans.
Here in Carpenter Country, where summer sojourns have always been a regular occurrence, we noticed our sabbaticals had fallen to a new low of a week or less.
Well, we thought, enough of that - time for a two week vacation – and to heck with scary reports!
The next day, airport security scanned our passports and before we knew it we were heading north just twenty-four hours ahead of a bigger threat than terrorism - Hurricane Charley.
A short flight later we met up with friends in New York, and after another passport check, boarded a cruise ship headed for Canada with a second stop at Nova Scotia.
The Captain, hoping to outrun the storm that seemed to be following us up the coast, switched the ship’s itinerary. Because of his wise strategy, the seas we traveled remained calm. In Nova Scotia and Halifax a ‘thanks for bringing the sunshine’ greeted our arrival.
Five days of food, fun and sightseeing followed. The sixth evening found us back in NY – where we immediately climbed the gangplank of The Lady Liberty for a voyage up the East River.
New York City’s homeland security meter hovered near high alert and the Coast Guard boat that passed our craft as we navigated the river bristled with guns. But the town at night was an electric light show. Buildings glowed like jewels set in black velvet. Brilliant green strobes illuminated the Empire State building. To our eyes, all of NY was alight and the shine and sparkle quickly banished any anxiety.
Before long we circled the Statue of Liberty. The sight of the Lady spotlighted against a darkened sky, her torch held high, was awe-inspiring. She stood for liberty, for freedom, for all the good about our country.
Relatives from Europe once told us they felt the same sense of wonder when their ship entered NY harbor and they caught a first glimpse of the Statue. They knew, as they gazed at her, that America was a place where people could work or travel anywhere without fear of being shot or blown to pieces.
September 11, 2001 destroyed that feeling of security - but only temporarily.
On this vacation, even though we passed through numerous security scans, freedom rang out from every direction. We’re happy to say the American spirit is alive and well.
May it always remain that way.
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TOP DRAWER ARTICLE
A CPA Could Fill the Bill
byHL Carpenter
You’ve handled your personal finances all your life, but now you find keeping up with your monthly bank statements or managing your portfolio more of a burden than a joy. You’d like to turn the job over to someone else. Someone you can trust to handle your fiscal matters as well and as privately as you do.
A Certified Public Accountant (CPA) may be the professional you’re looking for.
This information should not be considered legal, investment or tax advice. Top Drawer
Ink Corp. does not provide legal, investment or tax advice. Always
consult your legal, investment and/or tax advisor regarding your
personal situation. |
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TOP DRAWER TIPS
Topics and Tidbits
Have
you been keeping up with statue artwork? Jacksonville, Florida is the
latest entrant, with manatees. (Our thanks to Deborah Musgrave for this
link.) http://jacksonville.com/images/galleries/manatees/.
If
you need to register to vote, or want to learn more about the process
or request an absentee ballot, try http://www.declareyourself.com/.
Looking
for a way to reduce prescription drug costs? Check http://www.rxaminer.com/consult/consult_mydrugs.asp
or http://www.needymeds.com/.
Here's
one for the believe-it-or-not section: an association of professional
dog pooper scoopers. http://www.apaws.org/.
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TOP DRAWER BOOK REVIEW
byHL Carpenter
The Culting of Brands
by Douglas Atkin
230 pages; hardcover; $24.95
The Penguin Group, New York, 2004
When actress Gwyneth Paltrow named her new daughter Apple, pundits quipped
she was, perhaps, a bit too attached to her i-Pod.
You might agree, but author and marketer Douglas Atkin thinks this type of attachment is a good thing. In fact, he’d like you to achieve a similar level of cult-like behavior for your own company’s products.
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TOP DRAWER SATIRE
Hero for Hire
byHL Carpenter
Hero for Hire, Inc. (NYSE, HERO) may be down for the count. The temporary employment firm, which specializes in high powered placements of caped crusaders, champions of the downtrodden and defenders of justice, saw profit levels dive 65% in August.
At the market close today, shares had fallen $2.50, or 17%, to $5.98 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The drop riled investors and analysts, who are pushing management to aggressively outsource the hero business and regain market share.
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HL Carpenter, an experienced investor and a CPA, specializes in reader friendly financial and tax topics for individuals and small businesses, and publishes Top Drawer Ink, a newsletter that's chock full of humor and common sense information.
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Last update: January 8, 2011
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