小世界理論

今日與書涵妹見面

再度驗證小世界理論是無所不在的

出動藏在中研院地下層的肛蛋的時後到了～～！

國安局長蔡朝明：SARS是生化戰劑

2008-10-06 13:45:14　程平


大陸爆發毒奶事件，有網友戲稱這是中國大陸發動的生化戰劑，雖然這樣的指控或許是玩笑，不過國安局長蔡朝明今天在立院答詢時證實，多年前造成全台大恐慌的SARS病毒，國安局有證據是生化戰劑，而且經過聯合國專家的調查，大陸某些地方的確有問題。
（程平報導）
大陸爆發毒奶粉事件，也讓台灣受到極大的影響，民進黨立委涂醒哲6號在立院國防委員會質詢時就表示，在2007出版的「中國大陸食品污染」這本書中，就已經提到毒奶粉事件，國安局是否有事先做好情資掌握，但國安局長蔡朝明在答覆時只表示，這方面他還需要進一步查證，而涂醒哲也質疑，幾年前造成恐慌的SARS病毒，是否已經排除是生物恐怖戰，對此，蔡朝明則肯定的表示，SARS是生化戰劑。

蔡朝明也強調，國安局對於生物恐怖戰相關資訊的蒐集從沒停止，而且都會提供給相關單位進行處理。


=========
看樣子應該是出動中研肛蛋的時機了

台大的原子光研究所也應該要浮上檯面了

還有，台北市趕快改造成「第三新台北市」吧～～^_^b

我的青春啊～～！

記得那時還是個流鼻涕穿藍色短褲上學的小毛頭

少年快報一本30元

任天堂一台三千

遊戲卡匣更貴

小毛頭們買不起

除了互通有無之外

就只能去路邊的電動間看人玩 過乾癮

「很久很久以前...」

「出來吧！神龍！」

小時候的回憶是最美好的

看到這種廣告

真的會讓人有想流淚的衝動...

凡走過必留下痕跡

搜尋引擎真是可怕

想看的

不想看的

全一股腦兒給扔到你跟前

Leonard v. Pepsico, Inc.

米國人的腦袋有時候真的怪怪的 >"<

起因：

百事可樂當年在電視上打廣告

也弄了個集點換贈品的活動

壞就壞在廣告最後是個小男孩開台直昇機出來

旁邊打上「7 million points」....

沒想到這傢伙真的去弄出來七百萬點的點數要跟百事可樂換一台直昇機= =+

百事可樂當然沒辦法換給他

最後就是搞到法院去啦～

最後判決是百事勝訴啦（幸好法官沒跟著原告一起腦X...:P

比起來7-11的歐噴將活動還是可愛多了....:P

Wiki連結：

Leonard v. Pepsico, Inc., 88 F.Supp.2d 116 (S.D.N.Y. 1996)

判決全文（PDF檔）

"JOHN D.R. LEONARD, Plaintiff, -against- PEPSICO, INC., Defendant."

quid pro quo

不要為了一個人的幸福

而埋葬更多人的幸福

張飛打岳飛...

更，第一次寫舉發案，

越寫就越覺得自己在拿張飛打岳飛...囧

霧裡看花

最近看東西常有無法對焦的情形

而且常常看到疊影    囧rz

真的是年紀大

啥米症狀統統都跑出來 = =

神奇專利第二彈--逗貓雷射槍

真的有這種神奇專利耶  囧

「逗貓雷射槍」
==================

US 5,443,036

Title: Method of exercising a cat

Patent number: 5443036
Filing date: Nov 2, 1993
Issue date: Aug 22, 1995
Inventors: Kevin T. Amiss, Martin H. Abbott

U.S. Classification
119/707

International Classification
A01K 2900

Abstract
A method for inducing cats to exercise consists of directing a beam of invisible light produced by a hand-held laser apparatus onto the floor or wall or other opaque surface in the vicinity of the cat, then moving the laser so as to cause the bright pattern of light to move in an irregular way fascinating to cats, and to any other animal with a chase instinct.

Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method of inducing aerobic exercise in an unrestrained cat comprising the steps of:

(a) directing an intense coherent beam of invisible light produced by a hand-held laser apparatus to produce a bright highly-focused pattern of light at the intersection of the beam and an opaque surface, said pattern being of visual interest to a cat; and
(b) selectively redirecting said beam out of the cat's immediate reach to induce said cat to run and chase said beam and pattern of light around an exercise area.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said bright pattern of light is small in area relative to a paw of the cat.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said beam remains invisible between said laser and said opaque surface until impinging on said opaque surface.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) includes sweeping said beam at an angular speed to cause said pattern to move along said opaque surface at a speed in the range of five to twenty-five feet per second.

超神奇的 RPG 專利

這東西拿FF7或是勇者鬥惡龍3的卡帶＋任天堂主機就可以舉發掉了吧？
TIPO的審查官真是超神奇的@@


遊戲機及電腦可讀取程式產品
專利公告號 I259778　
證書號 I259778
公告日期 2006/08/11
申請案號 093117840
申請日期 2004/06/18
優先權
國家 申請案號 申請日期
日本 2003-175623 2003/06/19
申請人 阿魯策股份有限公司 ARUZE CORP. ; 日本
發明人 町田松三 MACHIDA, MATSUZO
代理人資訊 陳長文; 臺北市松山區敦化北路201號7樓

申請專利範圍
1.一種遊戲機，其允許一玩家輸入一盟友角色之動作命令以進行一遊戲，該遊戲機包括：
一操作單元，其允許該玩家輸入該動作命令；
一顯示控制部份，其顯示包括至少一盟友角色與至少一敵人角色之複數個角色於一顯示器上，用以顯示該遊戲的進行，且顯示該盟友角色與該敵人角色間的一戰鬥；及
一執行順序計算部份，其計算在該戰鬥中該等複數個角色之動作的執行順序，
其中該顯示控制部份在該顯示器上，顯示藉由該執行順序計算部份所計算的該執行順序。

2.如申請專利範圍第1項之遊戲機，進一步包含一動作決定部份，其基於由該玩家輸入至該操作單元之動作命令決定該盟友角色的一動作。

3.如申請專利範圍第2項之遊戲機，其中該動作決定部份基於一預定演算法決定該敵人角色的動作。

4.如申請專利範圍第1至3項中任一項之遊戲機，進一步包含一角色參數儲存部份，其儲存之角色參數包括指出該等複數個角色之技術的技術參數，及指出由該等複數個角色所擁有之道具的擁有道具參數，
其中該執行順序計算部份基於儲存於該角色參數儲存部份內之該等角色參數，計算該等複數個角色的動作之執行順序。

5.如申請專利範圍第1至3項中任一項之遊戲機，進一步包含一動作執行部份，其基於由該執行順序計算部份計算出之該執行順序，執行該等複數個角色之動作。

6.如申請專利範圍第5項之遊戲機，其中當使一預定盟友角色及一與該預定盟友角色不同之盟友角色採取組合動作的一預定組合條件滿足，如果執行該預定盟友角色之動作時，該動作執行部份不依照由該執行順序計算部份計算出之執行順序也執行該不同盟友角色之動作。

7.如申請專利範圍第1至3項中任一項之遊戲機，其中該執行順序計算部份基於設定給予該等複數個角色之輪動間隔值，以計算該等複數個角色的動作之執行順序。

8.如申請專利範圍第7項之遊戲機，進一步包含一角色參數儲存部份，其儲存之角色參數包括指出該等複數個角色之技術的技術參數，及指出由該等複數個角色擁有之道具的擁有道具參數，
其中該執行順序計算部份基於儲存於該角色參數儲存部份內之該等角色參數，藉由修正該等輪動間隔值計算該等複數個角色的動作之執行順序。

9.如申請專利範圍第7項之遊戲機，其中當複數個該等複數個角色具有相同輪動間隔值時，該執行順序計算部份計算該等複數個角色的動作之執行順序，使得該盟友角色比任何其他角色優先。

10.如申請專利範圍第7項之遊戲機，其中當複數個盟友角色具有相同輪動間隔值時，該執行順序計算部份依據該等角色之該表列順序，以計算該等複數個角色的動作之執行順序。

11.如申請專利範圍第7項之遊戲機，其中每次各個該等複數個角色完成動作之執行時，該執行順序計算部份更新設定給予完成動作執行之該角色的輪動間隔值。

12.如申請專利範圍第11項之遊戲機，其中每次各個該等複數個角色完成動作之執行時，該執行順序計算部份基於一設置以回應該動作型式的執行命令修正值，以更新設定給予完成動作執行之該角色的輪動間隔值。

13.如申請專利範圍第7項之遊戲機，其中該執行順序計算部份排除在該戰鬥中各輪動內完成動作執行之該角色，以計算該等複數個角色的動作之執行順序。

14.一種電腦可讀取程式產品，其用以儲存一遊戲程式以造成一電腦執行下列步驟：
允許一玩家輸入一盟友角色的一動作命令以進行一遊戲；
顯示包括至少一盟友角色與至少一敵人角色之複數個角色於一顯示器上，用以顯示該遊戲的進行，且顯示該盟友角色與敵人角色間的一戰鬥；
在該戰鬥時，計算該等複數個角色之動作的執行順序；及
顯示所計算的執行順序於該顯示器上。

15.如申請專利範圍第14項中之程式產品，其進一步造成該電腦執行一基於由該玩家輸入之該操作命令決定該盟友角色的動作之步驟。

16.如申請專利範圍第14或15項中之程式產品，其進一步造成該電腦執行一基於一預定演算法決定該敵人角色的動作之步驟。

17.如申請專利範圍第14或15項中之程式產品，其進一步造成該電腦執行一儲存包括指出該等複數個角色之技術的技術參數，及指出由該等複數個角色所擁有之道具的擁有道具參數之角色參數的步驟，
其中在計算該執行順序時，該等複數個角色的動作係基於該等角色參數計算出。

18.如申請專利範圍第14或15項中之程式產品，其進一步造成該電腦執行一基於所計算之執行順序執行該等複數個角色之該等動作的步驟。

19.如申請專利範圍第18項中之程式產品，其中當使一預定盟友角色及與該預定盟友角色不同之一盟友角色採取組合動作的一預定組合條件滿足時，在執行該預定盟友角色之動作中，也執行該不同盟友角色之動作而不依照所計算出之執行順序。

20.如申請專利範圍第14或15項中之程式產品，其中在計算該執行順序中，該等複數個角色的動作之執行順序，係基於設定給予該等複數個角色之輪動間隔值而計算出。

21.如申請專利範圍第20項中之程式產品，進一步造成該電腦執行一儲存包括指出該等複數個角色之技術的技術參數，及指出由該等複數個角色所擁有之道具的擁有道具參數之角色參數的步驟，
其中在計算該執行順序中，該輪動間隔值係基於該等角色參數加以修正。

22.如申請專利範圍第20項中之程式產品，其中在計算該執行順序時，當該等複數個角色中超過一者具有相同輪動間隔值時，該等複數個角色的動作之執行順序經計算，使得該盟友角色比任何其他角色優先。

23.如申請專利範圍第20項中之程式產品，其中在計算該執行順序時，當該等盟友角色中超過一者具有相同輪動間隔值時，該等複數個角色的動作之執行順序係依據該等盟友角色之該表列順序計算。

24.如申請專利範圍第20項中之程式產品，其中在計算該執行順序時，每次各個該等複數個角色完成動作之執行時，設定給予完成動作執行之該角色的該輪動間隔值被更新。

25.如申請專利範圍第24項中之程式產品，其中在計算該執行順序時，每次各個該等複數個角色完成動作之執行時，設定給予完成動作執行之該角色的輪動間隔值，係基於一經設置以回應該動作型式的執行命令修正值加以更新。

26.如申請專利範圍第20項中之程式產品，其中在計算該執行順序時，在該戰鬥中各輪內完成動作執行之該角色，被排除在計算該等複數個角色之動作的執行順序之外。

リンダ リンダ（Linda Linda）

歌：The Blue Hearts（ザ·ハイロウズ）
作詞作曲：甲本ヒロト

ドブネズミみたいに  美しくなりたい
写真には写らない  美しさがあるから

リンダリンダ　リンダリンダリンダ
リンダリンダ　リンダリンダリンダ

もしも僕がいつか君と  出会い話し合うなら
そんな時は  どうか愛の  意味を知って下さい

リンダリンダ　リンダリンダリンダ
リンダリンダ　リンダリンダリンダ

ドブネズミみたいに  誰よりもやさしい
ドブネズミみたいに  何よりもあたたかく


リンダリンダ　リンダリンダリンダ
リンダリンダ　リンダリンダリンダ

もしも僕がいつか君と  出会い話し合うなら
そんな時はどうか愛の  意味を知って下さい
愛じゃなくても 恋じゃなくても 君を離しはしない
決して負けない 強い力を僕は一つだけ持つ

リンダリンダ　リンダリンダリンダ
リンダリンダ　リンダリンダリンダ

Release of ADwD...

千呼萬喚死始出來的《冰與火之歌》第五部《A Dance with Dragons》

終於釋出了...

他的封面 XD

下面分別是美國版和英國版的封面。

馬汀自己也在網頁中提到，「如果」他可以在六月前寫完ADwD的話，

那我們就可能在秋天看到；如果不行的話...well...

「...you'll see them eventually, I hope.」

真想告訴他：「快寫！不要『富堅』化了！！」（揮鞭～

決定了 看板娘就是你！

真夏の果実—サザンオールスターズ

大叔的歌第二彈...
=======================

作詩：桑田佳祐 作曲：桑田佳祐


涙があふれる 悲しい季節は
誰かに抱かれた夢を見る
泣きたい気持ちは言葉に出来ない
今夜も冷たい雨が降る
こらえきれなくて ため息ばかり
今もこの胸に 夏は巡る

※四六時中も好きと言って
夢の中へ連れて行って
忘れられない Heart & Soul
声にならない(夜が待てない)
砂に書いた名前消して
波はどこへ帰るのか
通り過ぎ行くLove & Roll
愛をそのままに※

マイナス100度の太陽みたいに
身体を湿らす恋をして
めまいがしそうな真夏の果実は
今でも心に咲いている
遠く離れても黄昏時は
熱い面影が胸に迫る

(※くり返し)

こんな夜は涙見せずに
また逢えると言って欲しい
忘れられない Heart & Soul
涙の果実よ

Dental

13年的陳跡

13年的痛擠在一次

洗完牙的感覺...好怪 @@

磨得舌尖好痛= =

明天還要去補牙...Orz

TSUNAMI-SOUTHERN ALL STARS

很大叔的歌，可是還是很好聽...

=============================

風に戸惑う弱気な僕
通りすがるあの日の幻影(かげ)
本当は見た目以上
涙もろい過去がある
止めど流る清(さや)か水よ
消せど燃ゆる魔性の火よ
あんなに好きな女性(ひと)に
出逢う夏は二度とない

人は誰も愛求めて　闇に彷徨う運命(さだめ)
そして風まかせ Oh, My destiny
涙枯れるまで

見つめ合うと素直にお喋り出来ない
津波のような侘しさに
I know, 怯えてる Hoo...
めぐり逢えた瞬間(とき)から魔法が解けない
鏡のような夢の中で
想い出はいつの日も...雨

夢が終わり目醒める時
深い闇に夜明けが来る
本当は見た目以上
打たれ強い僕がいる

泣き出しそうな空眺めて　波に漂うカモメ
きっと世は情け Oh,Sweet memory
旅立ちを胸に

人は涙見せずに大人になれない
ガラスのような恋だとは
I know...気付いてる,Hoo...
身も心も愛しい人しか見えない
張り裂けそうな胸の奥で
悲しみに耐えるのは何故？

見つめ合うと素直にお喋り出来ない
津波のような侘しさに
I know... 怯えてる Hoo...
巡り逢えた瞬間(とき)から死ぬまで好きと言って
鏡のような夢の中で
微笑みをくれたのは誰？

好きなのに泣いたのは何故？
想い出はいつの日も...雨

那便來戰吧！

“A long time ago, one of our ancestors made a terrible mistake.
They disobeyed the authority. And that is what brought Dust into
the world. And ever since then, we’ve been sick. Sick with evil -
sick with Dust.”

　　　　　　　　　　~by Mrs. Coulter, The Golden Compass
===============================================

鄉民們，學著點，看看上面那句話，這才是「戰意十足」啊啊～～～

台灣角川，你又來了！

　　日前在誠品看到伊坂幸太郎的新書「天才搶匪盜轉地球」（陽気なギャングが地球を回す），翻了一下，覺得滿有趣的，回家之後就在誠品網路書店訂了一本。前天拿到書，昨天趁颱風天沒事拿起來看，突然，看到一句話：「......然而，人的恐懼也是由大腦裡的扁桃體負責記憶......」（p75）。扁桃體？大腦？記憶？唔，雖然當初唸解剖或是生理的時候都不太用功，再加上時隔多年，大腦的詳細解剖構造和分區功能早就（從一開始就）不復記憶。不過，我怎麼不記得大腦裡有個「扁桃體」？況且，我印象中的「扁桃體」是位在咽喉區域的淋巴組織，難不成在我不當學生的這幾年，生物醫學竟然發生了如此巨大的變化？

　　不信邪，把「扁桃體」用google搜尋，發現跟我的印象符合，至少第一頁的十個結果都是在講咽喉部的tonsil這個東西。那我手上的書上白紙黑字寫的，難道是伊坂幸太郎信口胡謅出來的嗎？不，雖然這本的基調有點戲謔，可是這麼冷的笑話－咽喉的扁桃腺跑到大腦裡－他應該是說不出來的。

　　一本翻譯小說出現文意不通的情形，如果不是作者的錯，那麼，就剩下翻譯的問題了...

　　把書翻過來，出版社－「台灣角川」...台灣角川...角川...唔，等等，我記得之前「青之炎」的出版社也是「台灣角川」，當時裡面也是出現了同樣把日文漢字名詞原封不動地搬做中文譯名（「心室細動」->「心室震顫」(ventricular fibrillation)）。難道，歷史又再度重演？

　　再仔細的查日文wiki裡面有關扁桃体的相關條目才發現，原來日文的扁桃体是「amygdala」，中文正式譯名是「杏仁體」，負責情感學習以及恐懼時的生理反應。

　　至此，真相大白。

　　他ｘ的角川，你又來了！！

Truly, Madly, Guiltily

Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company
Date of Publication: March 27, 2005 Sunday
Section 9; Column 1; Style Desk; MODERN LOVE; Pg. 11
By Ayelet Waldman


I HAVE been in many mothers' groups -- Mommy and Me, Gymboree, Second-Time Moms -- and each time, within three minutes, the conversation invariably comes around to the topic of how often mommy feels compelled to put out. Everyone wants to be reassured that no one else is having sex either. These are women who, for the most part, are comfortable with their bodies, consider themselves sexual beings. These are women who love their husbands or partners. Still, almost none of them are having any sex.

There are agreed upon reasons for this bed death. They are exhausted. It still hurts. They are so physically available to their babies -- nursing, carrying, stroking -- how could they bear to be physically available to anyone else?

But the real reason for this lack of sex, or at least the most profound, is that the wife's passion has been refocused. Instead of concentrating her ardor on her husband, she concentrates it on her babies. Where once her husband was the center of her passionate universe, there is now a new sun in whose orbit she revolves. Libido, as she once knew it, is gone, and in its place is all-consuming maternal desire. There is absolute unanimity on this topic, and instant reassurance.

Except, that is, from me.

I am the only woman in Mommy and Me who seems to be, well, getting any. This could fill me with smug well-being. I could sit in the room and gloat over my wonderful marriage. I could think about how our sex life -- always vital, even torrid -- is more exciting and imaginative now than it was when we first met. I could check my watch to see if I have time to stop at Good Vibrations to see if they have any exciting new toys. I could even gaze pityingly at the other mothers in the group, wishing that they too could experience a love as deep as my own.

But I don't. I am far too busy worrying about what's wrong with me. Why, of all the women in the room, am I the only one who has not made the erotic transition a good mother is supposed to make? Why am I the only one incapable of placing her children at the center of her passionate universe?

WHEN my first daughter was born, my husband held her in his hands and said, ''My God, she's so beautiful.''

I unwrapped the baby from her blankets. She was average size, with long thin fingers and a random assortment of toes. Her eyes were close set, and she had her father's hooked nose. It looked better on him.

She looked like a newborn baby, red and scrawny, blotchy faced and mewling. I don't remember what I said to my husband. Actually I remember very little of my Percocet- and Vicodin-fogged first few days of motherhood except for someone calling and squealing, ''Aren't you just completely in love?'' And of course I was. Just not with my baby.

I do love her. But I'm not in love with her. Nor with her two brothers or sister. Yes, I have four children. Four children with whom I spend a good part of every day: bathing them, combing their hair, sitting with them while they do their homework, holding them while they weep their tragic tears. But I'm not in love with any of them. I am in love with my husband.

It is his face that inspires in me paroxysms of infatuated devotion. If a good mother is one who loves her child more than anyone else in the world, I am not a good mother. I am in fact a bad mother. I love my husband more than I love my children.

An example: I often engage in the parental pastime known as God Forbid. What if, God forbid, someone were to snatch one of my children? God forbid. I imagine what it would feel like to lose one or even all of them. I imagine myself consumed, destroyed by the pain. And yet, in these imaginings, there is always a future beyond the child's death. Because if I were to lose one of my children, God forbid, even if I lost all my children, God forbid, I would still have him, my husband.

But my imagination simply fails me when I try to picture a future beyond my husband's death. Of course I would have to live. I have four children, a mortgage, work to do. But I can imagine no joy without my husband.

I don't think the other mothers at Mommy and Me feel this way. I know they would be absolutely devastated if they found themselves widowed. But any one of them would sacrifice anything, including their husbands, for their children.

Can my bad motherhood be my husband's fault? Perhaps he just inspires more complete adoration than other husbands. He cooks, cleans, cares for the children at least 50 percent of the time.

If the most erotic form of foreplay to a mother of a small child is, as I've heard some women claim, loading the dishwasher or sweeping the floor, then he's a master of titillation.

He's handsome, brilliant and successful. But he can also be scatterbrained, antisocial and arrogant. He is a bad dancer, and he knows far too much about Klingon politics and the lyrics to Yes songs. All in all, he's not that much better than other men. The fault must be my own.

I am trying to remember those first days and weeks after giving birth. I know that my sexual longing for my husband took a while to return. I recall not wanting to make love. I did not even want to cuddle. At times I felt that if my husband's hand were to accidentally brush against my breast while reaching for the saltshaker, I would saw it off with the butter knife.

Even now I am not always in the mood. By the time the children go to bed, I am as drained as any mother who has spent her day working, car pooling, building Lego castles and shopping for the precisely correct soccer cleat. I am also a compulsive reader. Put together fatigue and bookwormishness, and you could have a situation in which nobody ever gets any. Except that when I catch a glimpse of my husband from the corner of my eye -- his smooth, round shoulders, his bright-blue eyes through the magnification of his reading glasses -- I fold over the page of my novel.

Sometimes I think I am alone in this obsession with my spouse. Sometimes I think my husband does not feel as I do. He loves the children the way a mother is supposed to. He has put them at the center of his world. But he is a man and thus possesses a strong libido. Having found something to usurp me as the sun of his universe does not mean he wants to make love to me any less.

And yet, he says I am wrong. He says he loves me as I love him. Every so often we escape from the children for a few days. We talk about our love, about how much we love each other's bodies and brains, about the things that make us happy in our marriage.

During the course of these meandering and exhilarating conversations, we touch each other, we start to make love, we stop.

And afterward my husband will say that we, he and I, are the core of what he cherishes, that the children are satellites, beloved but tangential.

He seems entirely unperturbed by loving me like this. Loving me more than his children does not bother him. It does not make him feel like a bad father. He does not feel that loving me more than he loves them is a kind of infidelity.

And neither, I suppose, should I. I should not use that wretched phrase ''bad mother.'' At the very least, I should allow that, if nothing else, I am good enough. I do know this: When I look around the room at the other mothers in the group, I know that I would not change places with any of them.

I wish some learned sociologist would publish a definitive study of marriages where the parents are desperately, ardently in love, where the parents love each other even more than they love the children. It would be wonderful if it could be established, once and for all, that the children of these marriages are more successful, happier, live longer and have healthier lives than children whose mothers focus their desires and passions on them.

BUT even in the likely event that this study is not forthcoming, even in the event that I face a day of reckoning in which my children, God forbid, become heroin addicts or, God forbid, are unable to form decent attachments and wander from one miserable and unsatisfying relationship to another, or, God forbid, other things too awful even to imagine befall them, I cannot regret that when I look at my husband I still feel the same quickening of desire that I felt 12 years ago when I saw him for the first time, standing in the lobby of my apartment building, a bouquet of purple irises in his hands.

And if my children resent having been moons rather than the sun? If they berate me for not having loved them enough? If they call me a bad mother?

I will tell them that I wish for them a love like I have for their father. I will tell them that they are my children, and they deserve both to love and be loved like that. I will tell them to settle for nothing less than what they saw when they looked at me, looking at him.

Adapted from ''Because I Said So: 33 Mothers Write About Children, Sex, Men, Aging, Faith, Race and Themselves'' published by HarperCollins.

The Oath of Night's Watch

"Night gathers, and now my watch begins.
It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children.
I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post.
I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls.
I am the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men.
I pledge my life and honor to the Night's Watch, for this night and all the nights to come."

　　　　　　　　　　　　~"The Song of Ice and Fire", by George R. R. Martin