British Prime Minister David Cameron unveiled the newest recruit to 10 Downing Street last Tuesday: a rat-catching feline called Larry with a “very strong predatory drive.”
The four-year-old tabby, a former stray, has joined Cameron and his family to take command of pest control issues.
The prime minister’s official spokesman said staff members had chosen Larry but Cameron’s young children had given him their approval, and the cat would now have the run of most of the house.
Photo: AFP and Reuters 照片:法新社與路透
Battersea Dogs and Cats Home said Larry was the “unanimous” choice of Downing Street staffers, who picked him because he was “very sociable” in addition to his apparent rat-catching skills.
Larry’s appointment comes after a rat was spotted in two television news bulletins scurrying around outside the black door of the prime minister’s residence in central London.
There has been no Downing Street cat since Sybil, who moved in with then chancellor Alistair Darling in 2007 but returned to Edinburgh after six months, having failed to settle in central London.
Photo: AFP and Reuters 照片:法新社與路透
Sybil was the first cat to live in the street since the legendary Humphrey, a stray who took up residence under prime minister Margaret Thatcher and outstayed John Major, before Tony Blair retired him in 1997.
Humphrey was on the payroll, receiving 100 pounds (NT$4,748) a year from the Cabinet Office budget.
But with Cameron’s coalition government facing public anger over sweeping cuts to public services, there was no immediate word on whether funding for Larry would come from the Downing Street kitty.
(AFP)
Photo: AFP and Reuters 照片:法新社與路透
英國首相大衛‧卡麥隆上週二公布唐寧街十號新成員:一隻名為來利的貓,因有極佳的掠食本能,特被聘來抓老鼠。
現年四歲的虎斑貓,原是一隻流浪貓,現已與卡麥隆及其家人同住,專職病蟲害防治。
首相正式發言人說,官邸工作人員選定來利,不過批准牠入住的是卡麥隆年幼的孩子們,這隻貓可在屋內大部分的地方自由行動。
巴特西狗貓之家說,來利是唐寧街官邸員工「一致同意的」選擇,他們選擇來利是因為牠除了看起來像是有捕鼠絕技外,還「非常社會化」。
有兩家電視台新聞播報中,拍攝到老鼠急忙亂竄於倫敦市中心首相官邸外的黑色大門的鏡頭,因而才創造來利此一職務。
自西比爾這隻貓於二零零七年與前財政大臣阿里斯泰爾‧達林入住唐寧街後,就沒有其他貓入住過。不過西比爾在六個月後無功而返,離開倫敦中心回到愛丁堡。
西比爾是繼享有盛名的漢佛萊之後,第一隻住在這條街的貓。漢佛萊原是隻流浪貓,在前首相瑪格麗特‧柴契爾任內搬入官邸,並待得比前首相約翰‧梅傑還久,直到前首相東尼‧布雷爾一九九七年入住官邸,才宣布牠退休。
漢佛萊當時有支薪,內閣辦公室支付牠一年一百英磅(約新台幣四千七百四十八元)的年薪。
不過因卡麥隆聯合政府大規模縮減公共預算而導致民怨,來利的薪水是否來自唐寧街的公費箱,目前還不得而知。
(法新社/翻譯:林亞蒂)
A: Artificial intelligence technology has been causing controversy lately: a student was caught cheating with AI to win the grand prize in an art contest. B: That’s so absurd. Does this mean that AI paints better than humans? A: Maybe. Luckily, the student was later disqualified. B: And more absurdly, it’s becoming more and more popular to use AI technology to “resurrect” people. A: Yeah, some netizens even posted videos featuring the late singer CoCo Lee, who was “resurrected” by them with AI software. A: 人工智慧的爭議不斷,有學生違規使用AI參加美術展,甚至贏得首獎。 B: 真誇張,這是不是代表AI比人類還強大? A: 或許吧,幸好得獎資格被取消。 B: 還有更誇張的︰讓死者重現的「AI復活」技術越來越熱門。 A: 對啊,還有網友製作已故歌后李玟「復活」的影片呢! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
It’s no secret that Japanese people have a deep affection for noodles. Like in the rest of East Asia, noodles are an important staple food, second only to rice. Japanese people have enjoyed noodles for over 1,000 years. The first noodles came from China and were introduced around 800 CE. As time passed, noodles in Japan not only became widespread but also developed some unique Japanese characteristics. The three most popular types of noodles in Japan are ramen, soba, and udon. Ramen, typically made from wheat flour, is usually thin and firm. The dough is kneaded and left to
Rice is an essential ingredient in Taiwanese cuisine. Many foods are made of rice, adding more variety to our cooking, such as rice cake, or “gui.” Wagui is made by steaming rice flour batter in a bowl. The term “gui” refers to a type of food made from rice, while “wa” refers to a bowl. The pronunciation of “gui” in Taiwanese Hokkien is similar to the word for “nobility” in Chinese, so it is common for people to prepare various types of gui, including wagui, as offerings to the gods or ancestors,. 米是台灣重要的主食,用米製成的食品十分多元,豐富我們的飲食,如米做成的「粿」。粿的意思是米做成的糕點,碗粿是將在來米漿倒入碗中蒸熟,因而得名。粿因為音同「貴」,因此碗粿等粿食常用作供品祭拜神明和祖先。 nobility (n.) 高貴,高尚;貴族 offering (n.) 供品 While Taiwan may not be
Continued from yesterday(延續自昨日) https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang As with many aspects of Japanese culture, there is etiquette to follow when you enjoy noodles. To fully experience noodles like a local on your next visit to Japan, consider these simple guidelines. First, be careful where you put your chopsticks. Don’t leave them sticking up in the broth or set them at the side of the bowl. When you have finished eating or if you’re taking a break, place them on the chopstick rest next to the bowl. Also, it is impolite to wave chopsticks around or bring them above mouth-level. Second, don’t take too