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Cause

Addie greets her patient, a hugely pregnant woman surrounded by her husband and about thirteen children. "Rose" reports to Addison that she's feeling large, and also cow-like. She tells her kids and husband that she needs a quiet talk with the doctor. The husband takes his brood off for ice cream, and Rose drops this bomb on Addie and Alex: she needs this baby to be her last, so she wants a tubal ligation that day during her C-section, and she really, really wants them not to tell her husband.

Addie informs Rose that her husband is not her legal guardian, so telling him would be entirely up to her. Rose says yes, but if her insurance is charged, he'll see it. She says she's got some money saved up to pay for it privately.Addie understands that Rose wants her to do the surgery and leave no record of it.

Rose says her husband is just incredibly Catholic. "I think God understands what I'm going through, and will forgive me. For Chris, religion isn't like a buffet table where you choose what you want to take and leave the rest. And the Pope says no to birth control, so I need your help."

 

Solution

Addie sits down on the bed and tells Rose, "Before we bring your family in to see you, I wanted to let you know that there was a complication with your surgery. We had some unexpected bleeding that caused damage to both your Fallopian tubes. You won't be able to have any more children." Rose's eyes fill with tears, and she thanks Addie.

 

Consequence

Rose apologizes for spilling it to Chris about the "complications." Addie gets very serious. "Rose. I need you to tell him that you asked me to tie your tubes." Rose is all, "No can do, ma'am. For you it's just insurance. For me, it's my marriage." Oh my God. Addie says it's her career, her reputation. Rose says she's sorry, because she's so grateful to her, but she just can't do it.

 

How do you judge this story?

許多深陷苦痛之人其實並不是完全無辜的,有時候是因為他們對自己的人生不夠負責,或者仁慈一點說,不夠勇敢。有時候這些人甚至相當的自私,他們要求別人的幫助,卻不重視他人的權利,別人的犧牲是小事,自己想要的卻絲毫不願讓步。

 

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第一封e-mail是什麼人發出的?第一位自掏腰包上太空的客人又是誰?第一部賣座超過十億美元的電影?這些問題答得出的恐怕百中無一。

第一封e-mail是1971年美國麻州劍橋Bolt Beranek and Newman科技公司的電腦工程師湯姆林森(Ray Tomlinson)參與美國軍方ARPANET(Internet前身)計畫時,以測試方式發出的。

2001年四月二十八日美國富商提托(Dennis A. Tito)出資兩千萬美元,搭上俄羅斯聯合太空號太空船飛向國際太空站,是第一位自費太空航行的客人。

第一部賺進十億美元的電影是《鐵達尼號》,1998年三月的票房已達十億美元(北美四億兩千七百萬,其他地區五億七千五百萬)。

以上解答,就是美國著名工具書《有名的第一次》(Famous First Facts:a record of first happenings, discoveries, and inventions in American history)收錄的內容。

《有名的第一次》自1933年推出第一版,日前新編了第六版,也是二十一世紀第一次的增編版本,比1998年第五版增加了一千多條,收錄內容已達七千多條。

《有名的第一次》是由美國國會圖書館尊稱「事實先生」(Fact man)的肯恩(Joseph Nathan Kane)編印出版的。肯恩念過哥倫比亞大學,在校期間即對各類知識和語文極有興趣,也深感許多事件、事物,眾人皆知現狀或正在使用,但卻沒人知道誰發明的,或它的第一次出現、發生是什麼時候。對起源或原由莫名所以,這未免是一項缺憾。因此他出校門擔任自由作家兼新聞工作者後,由於興趣也由於工作的需要,開始蒐集、整理美國各項第一次的發明、發現、發生等資訊。1922年起十年間,他幾乎每年十一個月在美國各地旅行,拜訪圖書館、博物館、歷史學會、檔案機構、各級政府機構或私人團體等,閱讀各項資料和文件,包括商標專利、販售紀錄、報紙檔案等,有時也尋找各項發明、發現的當事人或後人。

他將紀錄編成書稿,每項說明必須包含名稱、日期、地方及敘述四要項。書稿編成,洽談十一家出版社都遭婉拒,最後找上出版工具書聞名的威爾遜公司(H. W. Wilson Company)。老闆威爾遜以編書目、索引等工具書起家,各地圖書館員又早已風聞肯恩有此份圖書館員經常會被讀者詢問的有用資料,紛紛去信威爾遜公司,強烈建議出版這本書。1933年,威爾遜公司印行這部七百多頁、收錄3千多條有關「第一」事實、事件的工具書;出版後果然一炮而紅,成為深受圖書館歡迎與民眾喜愛的參考工具書。

這套書經常增補資料,每隔幾年就印行補編本(supplement),更久就重新再印新版。

由於年歲的關係,自第三版起,肯恩已尋找接班人合作;至第五版,大部分編務及前言之撰寫,由安佐文(Steven Anzovin)及波特兒(Janet Podell)接手。2000年此書發行國際版,超過百歲的肯恩沒再參與,但連同最近出版的第六版,所有封面上還是以肯恩為第一主編,可見這位2002年高齡一○四歲病逝的「事實先生」,在這本大書的歷史地位,連後繼者也尊崇他為主編。

事實上,肯恩一生編寫過四十多本書,包括 《美國總統大事記》(Facts about the Presidents)、《美國各州大事記》(Facts about the States)等,但還是以這本3個F開頭的《有名的第一次》最具盛名。

 

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こんぼんわ  晚安

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