Please supply your own pinch of salt

I’m sure that this is entirely real, but on the off chance that it’s a made up effort, please don’t try the same to your own bank. For they will laugh at you, and cut off all access to credit.

This is an actual letter that was sent to a bank by an 86 year old woman. The bank manager thought it amusing enough to have it published in the New York Times.

Dear Sir:
I am writing to thank you for bouncing my check with which I endeavored to pay my plumber last month. By my calculations, three nanoseconds must have elapsed between his presenting the check and the arrival in my account of the funds needed to honor it. I refer, of course, to the automatic monthly deposit of my entire pension, an arrangement which, I admit, has been in place for only eight years. You are to be commended for seizing that brief window of opportunity, and also for debiting my account $30 by way of penalty for the inconvenience caused to your bank. My thankfulness springs from the manner in which this incident has caused me to rethink my errant financial ways. I noticed that whereas I personally answer your telephone calls and letters, — when I try to contact you, I am confronted by the impersonal, overcharging, pre-recorded, faceless entity which your bank has become.

From now on, I, like you, choose only to deal with a flesh-and-blood person. My mortgage and loan repayments will therefore and hereafter no longer be automatic, but will arrive at your bank, by check, addressed personally and confidentially to an employee at your bank whom you must nominate. Be aware that it is an offense under the Postal Act for any other person to open such an envelope. Please find attached an Application Contact which I require your chosen employee to complete. I am sorry it runs to eight pages, but in order that I know as much about him or her as your bank knows about me, there is no alternative. Please note that all copies of his or her medical history must be countersigned by a Notary Public, and the mandatory details of his/her financial situation (income, debts, assets and liabilities) must be accompanied by documented proof. In due course, at MY convenience, I will issue your employee with a PIN number which he/she must quote in dealings with me. I regret that it cannot be shorter than 28 digits but, again, I have modeled it on the number of button presses required of me to access my account balance on your phone bank service.. As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Let me level the playing field even further. When you call me, press buttons as follows:
IMMEDIATELY AFTER DIALING, PRESS THE STAR (*) BUTTON FOR ENGLISH
#1. To make an appointment to see me
#2. To query a missing payment.
#3. To transfer the call to my living room in case I am there.
#4. To transfer the call to my bedroom in case I am sleeping
#5. To transfer the call to my toilet in case I am attending to nature.
#6. To transfer the call to my mobile phone if I am not at home
#7. To leave a message on my computer, a password to access my computer is required. Password will be communicated to you at a later date to that Authorized Contact mentioned earlier.
#8. To return to the main menu and to listen to options 1 through 7.
#9. To make a general complaint or inquiry.
The contact will then be put on hold, pending the attention of my automated answering service.
#10. This is a second reminder to press* for English. While this may, on occasion, involve a lengthy wait, uplifting music will play for the duration of the call.Regrettably, but again following your example, I must also levy an establishment fee to cover the setting up of this new arrangement.

May I wish you a happy, if ever so slightly less prosperous New Year?
Your Humble Client

Stock backup postage

Daddy’s car in the woods?
Little Johnny watched his daddy’s car pass by the school playground and go into the
woods.Curious, he followed the car and saw Daddy and Aunt Jane in a passionate
embrace.
Little Johnny found this so exciting that he could hardly contain himself as he ran
home and started to tell his mother.’Mummy, I was at the playground and I saw
Daddy’s car go into the woods with Aunt Jane.I went back to look and he was giving
Aunt Jane a big kiss, and then he helped her take off her shirt.Then Aunt Jane
helped Daddy take his pants off, then Aunt Jane…’
At this point Mummy cut him off and said, ‘Johnny, this is such an interesting
story, lets save the rest of it for supper time.I want to see the look on Daddy’s
face when you tell it tonight.’
At the dinner table that evening, Mummy asked little Johnny to tell his story Johnny
started his story, ‘I was at the playground and I saw Daddy’s car go into the woods
with Aunt Jane.I went back to look and he was giving Aunt Jane a big kiss, then he
helped her take off her shirt.Then Aunt Jane helped Daddy take his pants off, then
Aunt Jane and Daddy started doing the same thing that Mummy and Uncle Bill used to
do when Daddy was away on the oil rigs.’

Mummy fainted!
Moral:
Sometimes you need to just shut the f##k up and listen to the whole story before you
interrupt!

Ah the things you have to fall back on when you unintentionally lie in in the morning…

From the bulletin

The following have all appeared in church magazines so let us thank God for church ladies with typewriters.

  • Next weekend’s Fasting & Prayer Conference in Whitby includes all meals.
  • Sunday morning sermon: ‘Jesus Walks on the Water’
    Sunday evening sermon: ‘Searching for Jesus.’
  • Ladies, don’t forget the rummage sale. It’s a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.
  • Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community.
    Smile at someone who is hard to love.
    Say ‘Hell’ to someone who doesn’t care much about you.
  • Don’t let worry kill you off – let the Church help.
  • Miss Charlene Mason sang ‘I will not pass this way again,’ giving obvious pleasure to the congregation .
  • For those of you who have children and don’t know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
  • Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.
  • Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.
  • At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be ‘What Is Hell?’
    Come early and listen to our choir practice
  • Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.
  • Scouts are saving aluminium cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.
  • Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.
  • The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility.
  • Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM – prayer and medication to follow.
  • The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.
  • This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.
  • The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the Congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.
  • Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door.
  • The school drama group will be presenting Shakespeare’s Hamlet in the Church hall on Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.
  • Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.

Ta to Alex for sending that one in.

Show and tell day

The picture below the fold was submitted by a primary school child. They were asked to bring in a picture of what their parents did for money. After it was marked and the child brought it home, she returned to school the next day with the following note:

Dear Ms. Davis,

I want to be very clear on my child’s illustration. It is NOT of me on a dance pole
on a stage in a strip joint. I work at B&Q and had commented to my daughter how
much money we made in the recent snowstorm. This picture is of me selling a shovel.

Mrs. Harrington

Continue reading

Updates to an oldie

See if you can spot the differences between this old post and the current one that’s doing the rounds:

Economic Models Explained
SOCIALISM
You have 2 cows.
You give one to your neighbour.

COMMUNISM
You have 2 cows.
The State takes both and gives you some milk.

FASCISM
You have 2 cows.
The State takes both and sells you some milk.

NAZISM
You have 2 cows.
The State takes both and shoots you.

BUREAUCRATISM
You have 2 cows.
The State takes both, shoots one, milks the other, and then throws the milk away.

TRADITIONAL CAPITALISM
You have two cows.
You sell one and buy a bull.
Your herd multiplies, and the economy grows.
You sell them and retire on the income.

SURREALISM
You have two giraffes.
The government requires you to take harmonica lessons.

AN AMERICAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You sell one, and force the other to produce the milk of four cows.
Later, you hire a consultant to analyse why the cow has dropped dead.

ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND VENTURE CAPITALISM
You have two cows.
You sell three of them to your publicly listed company, using letters of credit opened by your brother-in-law at the bank, then execute a debt/equity swap with an associated general offer so that you get all four cows back, with a tax exemption for five cows.
The milk rights of the six cows are transferred via an intermediary to a Cayman Island Company secretly owned by the majority shareholder who sells the rights to all seven cows back to your listed company.
The annual report says the company owns eight cows, with an option on one more.
You sell one cow to buy a new president of the United States, leaving you with nine cows.
No balance sheet provided with the release.
The public then buys your bull.

A FRENCH CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You go on strike, organize a riot, and block the roads, because you want three cows.

A JAPANESE CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk.
You then create a clever cow cartoon image called ‘Cowkimon’ and market it worldwide.

A GERMAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You re-engineer them so they live for 100 years, eat once a month, and milk themselves.

AN ITALIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows, but you don’t know where they are.
You decide to have lunch.

A RUSSIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You count them and learn you have five cows.
You count them again and learn you have 42 cows.
You count them again and learn you have 2 cows.
You stop counting cows and open another bottle of vodka.

A SWISS CORPORATION
You have 5000 cows. None of them belong to you.
You charge the owners for storing them.

A CHINESE CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You have 300 people milking them.
You claim that you have full employment, and high bovine productivity.
You arrest the newsman who reported the real situation.

AN INDIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You worship them.

A BRITISH CORPORATION
You have two cows.
Both are mad.

AN IRAQI CORPORATION
Everyone thinks you have lots of cows.
You tell them that you have none.
No-one believes you, so they bomb the crap out of you and invade your country.
You still have no cows, but at least you are now a Democracy.

AN AUSTRALIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
Business seems pretty good.
You close the office and go for a few beers to celebrate.

A WELSH CORPORATION
You have two cows.
The one on the left looks very attractive

Oh dear

ronaldo

For the record, I was a fan of Ronaldo’s work on the pitch. And I wish him all the best with his transfer. But it would have taken a bit of effort not to slightly dislike someone who kept acting the way he did. So this picture amused me.

Well, those are reasons 1 to 41…

Men Are Just Happier People– What do you expect from such simple creatures?
chair
Your last name stays put. The garage is all yours. Wedding plans take care of themselves. Chocolate is just another snack. You can be President. You can never be pregnant. You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park. You can wear NO shirt to a water park. Car mechanics tell you the truth. The world is your urinal. You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is just too icky. You don’t have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt. Same work, more pay. Wrinkles add character. Wedding dress $5000. Tux rental-$100. People never stare at your chest when you’re talking to them. New shoes don’t cut, blister, or mangle your
feet. One mood all the time.

Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat. You know stuff about tanks. A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase. You can open all your own jars. You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness. If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend.

Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack. Three pairs of shoes are more than enough. You almost never have strap problems in public. You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes. :-) Everything on your face stays its original colour. The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades. You only have to shave your face and neck.

You can play with toys all your life. One wallet and one pair of shoes — one color for all seasons. You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look. You can ‘do’ your nails with a pocket knife. You have freedom of choice concerning growing a moustache.

gut

You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes.

No wonder men are happier.

I don’t like to boast…

A father once sat down his only son, and decided to explain to him the facts of life…

beaver2

Son, someday you will make a girl very happy, for a short period of time. Then she’ll leave you and be with new men who are ten times better than you could ever hope to be. These men are called helicopter pilots.

And you’ll never guess who just joined their ranks,,,,

Oh dear

From the inbox:
This is going out to all of you who send me email. One of you sent me a virus, and a pretty bad one at that. Look what it did to my mouse:

virus-mouse

That is almost painfully bad, but at least it fills the space…

A little casual stereotyping

call-centre

Mujibar was trying to get a job in India.

The Personnel Manager said, ‘Mujibar, you have passed all the tests, except one. Unless you pass it , you cannot qualify for this job.’

Mujibar said, ‘I am ready.’

The manager said, ‘Make a sentence using the words Yellow, Pink, and Green ..’

Mujibar thought for a few minutes and said, ‘Mister manager, I am ready’

The manager said, ‘Go ahead..’

Mujibar said, ‘The telephone goes green, green, and I pink it up, and say, Yellow, this is Mujibar.’

Mujibar now works at a call centre.

No doubt you have spoken to him.

I know I have.

There’s the silver lining

Yes, the economy may be hitting the buffers.

Yes, the Bank of England may have decided to make the pound in your pocket worth much less tomorrow than it was yesterday.

Yes, hundreds of thousands may be out of work.

But, in the manner of 20M, we should always look on the bright side.

howard

And good riddance to you, sir.

I hope he gets air miles for that…

Dave and Jim were a couple of drinking buddies who worked as Aircraft mechanics in Melbourne .

One day the airport was fogged in and they were stuck in the hangar with nothing to do.

Dave said, ‘Man, I wish we had something to drink!’

Jim says, ‘Me too. Y’know, I’ve heard you can drink jet fuel and get a buzz.

You wanna try it?’

So they pour themselves a couple of glasses of high octane booze and get completely smashed.

The next morning Dave wakes up and is surprised at how good he feels.

In fact he feels GREAT! NO hangover! NO bad side effects.

Nothing!

Then the phone rings. It’s Jim. Jim says, ‘Hey, how do you feel this morning?’

Dave says, ‘I feel great, how about you?’

Jim says, ‘I feel great, too. You don’t have a hangover?’

Dave says, ‘No that jet fuel is great stuff — no hangover, nothing. We ought to do this more often.’

‘Yeah, well there’s just one thing.’

‘What’s that?’

‘Have you farted yet?’

‘No.’

‘Well, DON’T, ‘ cause I’m in New Zealand