Articles written by W. A. Swan

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About me - W. A. Swan

I try to be a simple, middle of the road, type of guy. I don't like blatant commercialism, like when car ads insist you "buy now because we say so". I'm not big into politics when it comes to voting honestly because, to me, there are never any people to vote

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Creative Writing > Memoirs Memoirs: Lessons learned from my cat: 1 of 20

When I first found Alley, I had never owned a cat before. I had no clue what to do with a cat, let alone care for one. Slowly, over months it seems to me, my Alley showed me what it takes to live in the same house with a cat. Since that time, now more than three years ago, she has taught me quite a few things about life and ...
Society & Lifestyle > Personal Morals & Values Modern-day conveniences: Whatever did we do without them?: 1 of 10

Writing this article made me think back a bit, quite a way back actually. Then I sat here and thought O, My God, what would I do without things that were literally unheard of when I was growing up? The things I take for granted today, well, most of them didn't come to pass until about two decades ago maybe. Like, the microwa...
Creative Writing > Memoirs Memoirs: How I use the internet: 7 of 37

How do we use the Internet? That's a question that would have a different answer for almost every half decade of it's existence now. Although the first users of what we now call the Internet, were researchers and people from MIT sharing information, it was always about sharing information. While this may show my age, it will...
Jobs & Careers > Employers Motivating employees: Is money or recognition more appreciated?: 9 of 44

While I am honestly sorry to admit it, I would have to say that the financial side of this argument would win with me. I have myself been in jobs where both sides come into play. I have seen employers who give all the pats on the back they can just to avoid paying more. I have also been with employers who hand out yearly bon...
Creative Writing > Humor Humor: You're having a bad day when: 19 of 82

It's 3 a.m. in the morning and the dog just woke you up. The first thing you see is the dog looking all innocent; the first thing you smell, well, you know you don't like it. So starts the bad day. You get out of bed, hoping not to put your feet down into the gift the dog laid out for you. You then spend half an hour cleanin...
Politics, News & Issues > Political & Economic Theory Welfare: Help or hindrance?: 8 of 25

There is a very hard question out there. Especially for those of us who had to choose between minimum wage living, and welfare. The Welfare Office will tell you 99% of the time that having a minimum wage job is better than what they offer. Here are some facts that I dealt with trying to work with their system. On full Welfar...
Food & Drink > Food & Drink (Other) Thoughts on food and beverages: 19 of 41

Snickers with caffeine? Yes, I just saw this on TV this morning. Snickers, the candy bar, is now being offered with caffeine in the candy bar. Apparently there are people out there in the 18-24 age group that can't get enough sugar or caffeine into their diets. What's funny is that in just the past few weeks there have been ...
Politics, News & Issues > US Elections US elections: Historical turning points in election history: 1 of 2

The year 2008, while being already proven to become a mark in American history, may go down as the year when so many different scenarios would make history. It almost seems inevitable that 2008, and its' Presidential elections will make history. This has become the year that nobody thought would ever be seen. While so many t...
Personal Finance > Taxes Tax preparation - the truth behind tax season ads: 1 of 2

So the season has come for Uncle Sam to come knocking again. It's almost like Santa Claus in reverse. And of course, now that we're deep into the season, all the tax prep places like Jackson Hewitt, and H & R Block are all over the media trying to get you in the door. Then there's the software business of it, with Turbo Tax ...
Society & Lifestyle > Morals, Values & Norms (Other) Tipping: Assessing when and how much is enough: 4 of 6

When to tip, and how much do I give them? I know this question firsthand, from both sides of the debate. Having been able to go out to eat, like most common people I know, I know this becomes a question every time the bill shows up after the meal. But, since I have also been a waiter, and a cab driver, I can honestly tell yo...