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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January 29, 2005
Volume 3, Number 2
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 ExperienceHere’s a twofold campaign: Get healthier by stamping out stereotyping.
Why eliminate stereotyping? Because there’s no good side to it. At best, this usually oversimplified perception of a person or a group can be used to poke fun. At worst it can lead to erratic behavior such as road rage, which is definitely not healthy.
On the roads here in Carpenter Country, where everyone always obeys the speed limit and no one ever tailgates (please note the tongue-in-cheek smiley face), stereotyping runs rampant.
For instance, senior drivers are often characterized as someone doing 25 MPH in the fast lane, directional signal still blinking from the last turn, with no visible person behind the wheel.
But stand back! The elderly aren’t the only typecast drivers on this pot-holed highway.
People in the 30-50 age group may not have vision and hearing problems, but are perceived to have time constraints. For them, the ‘behind the wheel’ identity is a harried individual making a mad dash to work and/or day care, cradling a cell phone with one hand while attempting to control a rambunctious toddler with the other.
As for young people, the assumption is they’re all healthy, wealthy and wiser than the rest of us, which leads to the belief some are plagued with a mindset called ‘attitude’. The stereotypical teen driver: racing along at high speed, passing recklessly, usually on a double white line with an upright middle finger extended out of the window, while the boom box shakes the car.
These images, when recounted with a laugh, seem funny. But the problem is that such popular preconceptions divide us. And that can lead to intolerance, anger … even the earlier mentioned road rage.
So how do we stamp out stereotyping and get healthier at the same time?
We’ve decided whenever someone forgets to shut off their directional, seems inattentive, or blasts our ears with their music, we’ll forget stereotyping – and smile.
We figure a little levity will make us feel better. Maybe others will join in and soon everyone can roll along with less pigeon-holing and more goodwill.
After all, goodwill makes us happier, and happier people are healthier people.
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TOP DRAWER ARTICLE
Getting Ready for Tax Time
byHL Carpenter
Sure, it’s only January. But you have to prepare your tax return eventually. And the sooner you begin, the sooner you’ll have the dreaded task behind you.
Here are tips to get you going.
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
Interested
in e-filing your tax return? Start here: http://www.irs.gov/efile/.
Need
a loan? Looking for financial calculators? Check here: http://mortgages.interest.com/.
Fraud,
scams and more fraud. Read about it - and about how to avoid it - here:
http://www.quatloos.com/.
Here's
one for the just-for-fun department: A site that has all the info you
could ever want to know about frogs. http://www.allaboutfrogs.org/.
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TOP DRAWER BOOK REVIEW
byHL Carpenter
The Cheating Culture
by David Callahan
353 pages; hardcover; $26.00
Harcourt, Inc., New York, 2004
Are we a nation of cheaters?
From tax evasion to accounting implosions to baseball steroids, the answer seems evident. Despite the current upsurge of conservative virtuosity, we’re ethically challenged to the point where you’re considered a chump if you follow the rules. Of course, this is hardly a new phenomenon. Look back to the 1920’s and you’ll find much of the same behavior.
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TOP DRAWER SATIRE
Tomorrow is Soon Enough
byHL Carpenter
Anything worth doing can wait until tomorrow.
That may become the vision statement for a much-anticipated start-up company in the Washington, D.C. area. Details remain hazy, but a prominent group of procrastinators in the nation’s capital is considering organizational options.
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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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