The White House says it has no evidence that extraterrestrial creatures exist.
The Obama administration made the unusual declaration last Monday in response to a feature on its Web site that allows people to submit petitions that administration officials must respond to if enough people sign on.
In this case, more than 5,000 people signed a petition demanding that the White House disclose the government’s knowledge of extraterrestrial beings, and more than 12,000 signed another petition seeking formal acknowledgment of an extraterrestrial presence engaging the human race.
Photo: Reuters
照片:路透
In response, Phil Larson of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy wrote that the US government has no evidence that life exists outside Earth, or that an extraterrestrial presence has contacted any member of the human race.
“In addition, there is no credible information to suggest that any evidence is being hidden from the public’s eye,” Larson wrote.
It is not the first petition to force the White House to engage on a somewhat offbeat topic since the “We the People” Web page was inaugurated in September. The White House also has been forced to explain why it cannot comment in response to a petition demanding “Try Casey Anthony in Federal Court for Lying to the FBI Investigators.”
And various petitions demanding legalization of marijuana have gathered more than 100,000 names, to which the White House argues that marijuana is associated with addiction, respiratory disease and cognitive impairment, and legalizing it would not be the answer.
When the Web site debuted, the White House promised to respond to any petition that offered 5,000 or more signatures within 30 days, but it has now raised that threshold to 25,000.(AP)
白宮表示沒有證據顯示外星人存在。
歐巴馬政府為了回應一個在其網民對執政官員請願的專題,上週一提出罕見的聲明。請願人數達一定規模時,政府官員就必須回應。
在這個例子,超過五千人簽署請願書,要求白宮揭露政府對於外星人所掌握的資訊。另有一萬兩千人簽署另外一項請願書,尋求正式承認外星人存在且與人類互動。
白宮科技政策辦公室的菲爾‧拉爾森回應寫道,美國政府沒有證據顯示地球以外有生命存在,或是有外星人現身並與任何人類族群有接觸。
拉爾森寫道:「除此以外,並沒有可靠的消息透露有任何對大眾隱匿證據。」
自從白宮九月推出名為「我們即人民」網頁活動鼓勵民眾請願以來,這已不是第一個逼著白宮著手處理這類多少有些稀奇古怪的主題。白宮也被強迫要解釋為何白宮無法針對要求「在聯邦法院對凱西‧安東尼因為對聯邦調查局調查員說謊展開審判」的請願。
然而許多請願要求大麻的合法化,連署人數已超過十萬人。對此,白宮辯稱大麻與成癮、呼吸道疾病,以及認知障礙有關,所以不會回答此合法化問題。
當這個網站成立之初,白宮答應會在三十天內回應任何連署超過五千人的請願,但是現在它已經將連署人數的標準提高到兩萬五千人。(美聯社/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