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 19, 2010
Volume 8, Number 12
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

Well, it's the middle of June. The flower gardens are all planted and blooming nicely. The new pickup truck is running like a champ. Ditto the Hermle clock. Even the bluebird eggs have hatched safely and the fledglings have flown away.

At the moment no trips are planned and there isn't even a holiday or a birthday on the horizon. What to do? Kick back, relax, take a ride to the beach, read a book, play bunco, go out for another lunch?

What!

And that's when the editor of Top Drawer Ink, who also happens to be my favorite one and only daughter, pulls me from my doldrums. "I've found a great writing contest," she says. "Do you want to collaborate on a story?"

"Yes," I answer. YES! YES! YES!

She sends an outline and the two of us get busy - plotting, locating settings, thinking up characters, giving the hero, the heroine, the villain, names and problems.

Soon emails with chapters are flying back and forth - hurry, hurry, there's a deadline to meet.

Just before the due date the story comes together, but we're not done yet. There's still the re-read, the rewrite and the proofread.

Then, finally, the pages are printed out, boxed up and mailed off.

Will our efforts win the prize?

We never know. But whether the final result brings a publication notice or a rejection slip, it hardly matters. The fun, for me, is in the trying -

And the working together.

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TOP DRAWER ARTICLE

Bankers Blanket Bond

by
HL Carpenter

A blanket bond, or a blanket fidelity bond, sounds warm, fuzzy and friendly, like something that would safeguard your accounts against phishing, check counterfeiting and identity theft. But it's actually a type of insurance a financial institution purchases to protect itself.

Click here to read the rest of this article

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TOP DRAWER TIPS
Topics and Tidbits

Tip: According to the US Federal Trade Commission, banks, credit unions, savings and loans, brokerage, and other financial institutions are currently regulated by a variety of federal and state agencies and laws. Congress is working on financial legislation to consolidate the rules and create a national Consumer Financial Protection Agency.

Glossary Term: Fidelity Bond. A guaranty, or agreement, that reimburses employers for losses caused by dishonest employees.

Financial Horoscope: Here's a summertime activity you can participate in with a minimum of sweat: Review your bank account and credit reports on a regular basis. The best insurance is vigilance.

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TOP DRAWER SATIRE

Hope and Change

by
HL Carpenter

In a press release that stunned fans, celebrity couple Hope and Change today announced a mutual decision to divorce.

Click here to read the rest of this satire