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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February 6, 2010
Volume 8, Number 3
ISSN 1554-6330

In this issue:

1. Carpenter Country Essay

2. Top Drawer Article

3. Top Drawer Tips

4. Top Drawer Satire

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CARPENTER COUNTRY

What's Happening in Our Neck of the Human Experience

Holidays! Holidays! Holidays! No one enjoys celebrating holidays more than the short one - and according to the new calendar hanging on Carpenter Country's office wall, February is filled with them.

Three old favorites jump out – Groundhog Day, Valentine's Day and Presidents Day. Two others the short one is familiar with are Super-Bowl Sunday and Ash Wednesday.

But there's more!

Freedom Day (Feb. 1) commemorates the date in 1865 when President Lincoln signed a proposed resolution that became the 13th amendment to the constitution and outlawed slavery. Today it symbolizes freedom for all Americans.

National Wear Red Day (Feb. 5) raises awareness of America's number one killer, heart disease. Note to self: Buy a red dress pin.

White Shirt Day (Feb. 11) motivates a switch from red dress pin to white blouse to honor the United Auto Workers and their accomplishments.

Fat Tuesday (Feb. 16) marks the last night of Mardi Gras. The next day is the beginning of the Lenten season and for those planning to start fasting, now is the final moment to eat every fatty, heart-stopping food on the 'wear red' no-no list.

Wow! Sure is a lot to celebrate – but wait, there's still more.

On the 24th, we have Inconvenience Yourself Day, observed by putting other people's concerns ahead of our own. Twenty four hours later it's National Chili Day, (yum!) followed immediately by For Pete's Sake Day (Feb. 26).

And For Pete's Sake is about all the short one will have the strength to say by the time this party month is over.

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TOP DRAWER ARTICLE

Valentine Gifts on a Budget

by
HL Carpenter

Cupid's coming! How can you surprise your favorite someone with a special gift – and still stay within your budget?

Here are thrifty ideas.

Click here to read the rest of this article

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TOP DRAWER TIPS
Topics and Tidbits

Tip: The US Greeting Card Association, a trade organization representing greeting card and stationery publishers, wants you to stay safe this Valentine's Day. Watch out for a phishing scam involving fraudulent greeting card emails supposedly sent by a 'family member' or 'close friend'. Instead of a love note, you get a virus-infected computer. Visit the association’s greeting-card-dot-org web site for tips on how to safely open ecards.

Glossary Term: Facts for Features. Statistics produced by the US Census Bureau covering a variety of holidays. For facts and figures about Valentine's Day in the US, including the number of locations producing chocolate and cocoa products, the number of jewelry stores, and the combined wholesale value of domestically produced cut flowers, visit the dot-gov site of the US Census Bureau.

Financial Horoscope: Love saving money? Pay no attention to conventional thinking. Celebrate your frugal heart and romance your budget and your sweetie at the same time.

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TOP DRAWER SATIRE

Bad Weather

by
HL Carpenter

Despite the billions of dollars spent by the US government over the past decade to prevent unauthorized access at points of entry, Bad Weather somehow managed to cross the Canadian border into America this week. The US Weather Security Administration is taking heat for the security lapse, which sources within the agency say has occurred more than once this year.

Click here to read the rest of this satire