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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June 3, 2006
Volume 4, Number 11
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 it’s birthday time again. Most of us love to celebrate our day, but there’s one curmudgeon in the bunch who always claims he wishes no one would remember.

When we kid him about his mulish resistance to being feted he tells us he had a big bash on his thirty-ninth birthday, and since he’s planning to stay that age forever he doesn’t need any more parties.

We’re sure there are other loveable sourballs in this world with the same idiosyncrasy. Hopefully they’re in the minority since birthday celebrations have been around for a long time.

The merrymaking is believed to have started with the Pagans. Now there was a crowd of people who liked to party. Of course, in days of old, men and women feared bad things happened all the time - but especially during major life changes.

To ward off evil spirits they surrounded themselves with a village of friends and relatives who danced and sang very loudly. Over the centuries these fests became popular with kings as well as common folk and a tradition was born. Today each culture has its own unique way of marking the event.

This week our small corner of the world featured a cake to enjoy, candles to wish on, plus lots of gifts to open. And when friends and family began to sing a heartfelt rendition of the Happy Birthday song, we noticed our reluctant honoree trying to hide a smile.

May he have many more thirty-ninth birthdays.

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TOP DRAWER ARTICLE

The End of the Phone Excise Tax

by
HL Carpenter

What would you call a temporary tax that has existed for one hundred and seven years? For many, words like outrageous, outdated or totally ridiculous come to mind.

Those words may be what five Federal Appeals Courts finally heard when they agreed the government should stop collecting the long distance telephone tax.

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

The Winning Spirit
by Joe Montana and Tom Mitchell
ISBN 1-4000-6444-9
167 pages; hardcover; $23.95
Random House, New York, 2005

Did you know there is an “i” in team? Okay, maybe the “i” is actually in the word “win”, which is what you want your team to do. It’s also in “individuals”, who make up every team.

The Winning Spirit is about that “i” – or, more precisely, you.

Read the entire review here

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TOP DRAWER SATIRE

Buying Ethics

by
HL Carpenter

It used to be you either had ethics or else you hired a lawyer to convince a judge and jury that you did. Today, there’s a third option: Buy a set.

Read the rest here