Pen of Passion

I have uploaded some of my garden photos to Flickr. Check them out if you have time.
link: garden photos

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One month from now, China will celebrate the first Olympics on its home soil. Given China’s horrific human rights record, should the international community boycott Beijing 2008? If yes, to what extent should we boycott the Olympics? Explain the pros and cons.

China’s Human Rights Record:

1) The country’s one-child policy is blamed for having caused millions of infanticides, forced abortions, and abandonment of newborns.
2) Extreme censorship of the press and brutal treatment of activists.
3) Engage in torture and religious oppression.
4) Supporting repressive regimes around the world including Sudan (Darfur) and Zimbabwe.

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–Pick your favorite from each of the following pairs/groups.
–read previous results
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#1 - Myspace vs Facebook vs Friendster vs Orkut

#2 - Diamond vs Pearl

#3 - Clowns vs Mimes

Image Credits: wikimedia
Top Posts for June: 1. Life Art || 2. Pick Your Favorites - R6 || 3. Blogs of Note

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~vintage 12/2007

Part I

Michelle had always considered herself a lucky woman. She was married into a wealthy and highly respected family. She had two wonderful kids and a husband who loved her dearly. Her favorite hobby was gardening. She actually owned a flower shop, which was not too far away from her home.

Yet, Michelle’s perfect life had been showing a few minor cracks. Her husband was a businessman who often left home for long business trips. Rumors had been circulating that he was having an affair with a flight attendant. Despite the rumors, Michelle had complete confidence in her husband’s faithfulness; they had gone through so much together.

During a trip to the mall, Michelle ran into Jennifer — an old friend from college who recently moved into town. Their friendship quickly rekindled; they became the best of friends. It was through Jennifer that Michelle had her first casino experience. The experience was pretty forgettable, however. The people (in the casino) were just not her people, she thought.

When Michelle’s mother-in-law celebrated her 60^th birthday, she threw a huge birthday bash inviting all the friends and family to attend. Michelle was not invited to the party. Michelle and her mother-in-law had always had a tumultuous relationship. In fact, Michelle’s mother-in-law had never publicly recognized Michelle as her daughter-in-law. But since her husband still insisted that she should attend the party, Michelle reluctantly agreed.

It turned out that the decision was a grave mistake. Most people at the party showed an apparent aversion towards her. No one would talk to her or would even acknowledge her existence. She felt like an outsider. Meanwhile, her mother-in-law was busy introducing her son to some of her young female friends. Nothing could be more obvious.

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Part II

After the birthday bash, Michelle began to suffer from an acute depression. Sadly, her husband had to leave home once again for another business trip and thus was unable to console her. Michelle was confined to her large but empty home–lonely and isolated. Fortunately, her good friend Jennifer was once again there for her. Michelle was able to confide to her friend her deepest feelings and frustrations. To help relieving Michelle from her emotional problems, Jennifer would once again take her to the casino. Unlike the first time, Michelle felt much more comfortable this time around. The casino would eventually become her second home.

At first, Michelle actually won quite a bit of money. It would go downhill from there, however. She would soon exhaust all her funds and savings. Despite her debts, Michelle continued to gamble. She just couldn’t stop. To pay for her debts, Michelle was forced to mortgage both her car and the flower shop. Soon, she had to sell off all her jewelries.

At first, her husband didn’t suspect her of gambling. Over time, it would become obvious. When Michelle’s husband confronted her with regards to her gambling, she pleaded him for forgiveness and promised to stop gambling. Her husband took her at her words. In fact, he even settled all of her debts.

For a few months, it would appear as though Michelle had finally learn her lesson. She became a mother to her kids again, and her flower shop thrived. But on one fateful afternoon, Michelle left home abruptly after receiving a phone call from Jennifer. After not hearing anything from her for about roughly seven hours, Michelle’s husband and her two kids were getting really worried about her. They contacted the police and stayed up late to wait for any news of her.

At around 4 A.M., there was a sound at the door — entering was Michelle. Upon seeing her, her husband did not say a word. Her tired appearance had already betrayed her. The couple would divorce a month later. The husband sold the mansion and gave Michelle haft of the proceeds.

Had she finally learned her lesson? Michelle was last seen in a hospital recuperating from a severe fatigue–resulted from her spending too many hours gambling.

~Simon N.

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You are looking for your glasses. You know the following statements are true. Where are the glasses? Explain why.

a. If my glasses are on the kitchen table, then I saw them at breakfast.
b. I was reading the newspaper in either the kitchen, the bedroom, or the living room.
c. If I was reading the newspaper in the kitchen, then my glasses are on the kitchen table.
d. If I was reading the newspaper in bed, then my glasses are on the bed table.
e. If I was reading the newspaper in the living room, then my glasses are on the coffee table.
f. I did not see my glasses at breakfast.

Source: Susanna S. Epp

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