The Central Election Commission (CEC) had a review of 14 national referendum proposals last week. Among the proposals, two proposals against same-sex marriage and one proposal against same-sex education initiated by the anti-LGBT group “Happiness of the Next Generation Alliance” passed the initial review. This decision has sparked an uproar.
Taiwan’s gay rights pioneer Chi Chia-wei said that the three anti-LGBT referendum proposals were clearly a violation of the Constitution. He accused the CEC of ignoring the Grand Justices’ Constitutional Interpretation No. 748 issued last year in support of same-sex marriage, while questioning how the government can put a human rights issue to a vote.
According to the Referendum Act, after a referendum proposal officially passes the CEC’s initial review, a referendum will be held if it can meet the threshold by collecting just over 280,000 signatures. The LGBT community staged a large protest outside the CEC earlier this week, and it also submitted an appeal to the court against the CEC’s decision.
Photo: CNA
照片 : 中央社
(CNA, translated by Eddy Chang)
中央選舉委員會於上週審查十四項全國性公民投票之提案，其中反同志團體「下一代幸福聯盟」發起的兩項反同性婚姻公投案，和一項反同志教育公投案都通過了中選會的初步審查，此舉引發社會一陣譁然。
台灣同志運動先驅祁家威表示，這三個反同公投案顯然違反了憲法，指中選會完全無視去年大法官釋憲第七四八號對於同婚的支持，並質疑政府怎麼可以用投票來決定人權議題？
根據公民投票法，一項公投案在通過初步審查後，只要能跨越二十八萬多人的連署門檻即可舉行。同志族群本週稍早在中選會前發起大規模抗議，並針對該會的決議向法院提出訴願。
（中央社）
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) has been used in cooking for over a century to enhance flavor. It is often found in Chinese dishes and many other cuisines. Despite its common use, many people misunderstand the safety of MSG. The bad __1__ of MSG started in the late 1960s, when a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine described symptoms like a racing heart, weakness, and numbness after the writer ate Northern Chinese food. While no specific cause was __2__, a series of questionable studies in 1968 began to point the finger at MSG. In one such study, neurologist Herbert Schaumburg and
A: The World Expo 2025 is set to open in Osaka, Japan, on Sunday, with 158 countries and regions and nine international organizations participating in the event. B: Wow, what’s the theme this time? A: The theme is “Designing Future Society for Our Lives.” B: Do you want to go? How long will it last? A: It’ll run for 184 days, until Oct. 13. Maybe we can go to Osaka during summer vacation. A: 2025年世界博覽會預計週日將在日本大阪開幕，158個國家或地區及9大國際組織將參與盛會！ B: 哇這次的主題是什麼？ A: 主題是：「創造閃耀生命光輝的未來社會」。 B: 你想要去嗎？展出多久啊？ A: 世博會共展出184天到10月13日，或許我們暑假時可以去大阪玩。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
A: The World Expo 2025 is about to open in Osaka. Is Taiwan going to participate in the event too? B: Sure, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) will launch a Taiwan pavilion named “Tech World.” A: That sounds cool, and it can showcase our national strength in technology. B: The theme is “Connecting the world to create better future lives together.” The pavilion aims to attract over one million visitors. A: I hope humans can really create better future lives through this year’s fair. A: 2025年世博會即將開幕，這次台灣也會參加嗎？ B: 當然啦，外貿協會的台灣館將以「Tech World」名義參展！ A: 聽起來蠻酷的，應該是想強調台灣的科技實力。 B: 策展主題則是：「連結世界，共創未來美好生活」，希望能吸引到100萬人次參訪。 A: 希望藉由這次世博會，人類真的能共創美好生活。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
The study had several issues. Small sample sizes made it hard to draw __7__ conclusions. Additionally, taking a __8__ like pure MSG on an empty stomach is likely to make a person ill in any case. Choosing individuals who already had a history of the symptoms could have created a bias because they were likely to __9__ the reactions again. When real scientific research on the effects of MSG was eventually done, many of the myths surrounding it were proven __10__. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other global organizations have found MSG safe to eat. Today, MSG
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