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 17, 2011
Volume 9, Number 18
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

Once upon a time, when my kids were young and running amok in the neighborhood, making a savory-scented meatloaf was a fun way to calm my inner soul.

Back in the day, before anyone ever heard about Mad Cow Disease, I'd throw ground beef into a bowl, add bread crumbs, an egg, salt, pepper, ketchup, sage, garlic, then plunge my bare hands into the mixture and vigorously blend it all together.

Now every package of meat comes with dire warnings about safe handling. This amazes me because my parents plunked their unprotected fingers into all sorts of edibles, tasted the uncooked concoctions to make sure the spices were right - and yet remained healthy and hardy well into their eighties and nineties.

So yesterday, while I was standing in the butcher section of one of Carpenter Country's grocery stores watching the clerk put a tray of fresh meatloaf mix into the case, I asked myself, What's to fear?

The answers came back quickly. Botulism. High cholesterol. Alzheimer's. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Possibly even dry skin and wrinkles.

Before any more bad thoughts could crowd into my head and make me nutso or maybe give me a nervous breakdown, I tossed a package of ground beef into my cart, then rushed to the kitchen aisle for a pair of poly food prep gloves. "Better safe than sorry," I said to the cashier, as I checked out.

The end result: I'm home. I'm calm. My kitchen smells heavenly -

But blending and mixing with shrink-wrapped fingers is definitely not as much fun.

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TOP DRAWER ARTICLE

Cloud Computing

by
HL Carpenter

Even if you're a down-to-earth business owner, you may want to put your head in the cloud – the computing cloud, that is.

Click here to read the rest of this article

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TOP DRAWER TIPS
Topics and Tidbits

Tip: If you're leery of cloud computing because of security concerns, consider a private cloud instead of a public one. A private cloud is the same idea - sharing infrastructure virtually - but serves only your organization, or a group of related organizations.

Glossary Term: Virtual Migration. Moving your physical computer storage and operating activities to the “cloud”.

Financial Horoscope: Touching the clouds is a goal within your reach. Stand tall and take a look around. With good planning, the forecast for your financial future is full of blue skies.

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TOP DRAWER SATIRE

Delivering Hope

by
HL Carpenter

Hope Unlimited has long promised good things to customers. Now the company is facing a government investigation into how well it delivers on those promises.

Click here to read the rest of this satire