英倫翻譯社/ Trsmaster

◎管淑平

’Pregnant man’ Thomas Beatie’s divorce from his ex-wife Nancy is trapped in legal limbo while an Arizona judge decides if their marriage was ever valid in the first place.

「懷孕男」湯馬斯．畢提與其前妻南西離婚案卡在法律灰色地帶，正等待亞利桑納法官裁定他們的婚姻是否從一開始就具有效力。

Thomas Beatie was born a woman and underwent a sex change but retained female reproductive organs and gave birth to three children.

畢提原本天生是女的，動了變性手術，但保留女性生殖器官，並且生了3個小孩。

The couple, who married in 2003, are now trying to get divorced and work out the custody issues for their three children, plus the division of property and spousal support.

這對2003年結婚的夫妻現在要離婚，正在處理他們3名子女的監護權，以及分財產和贍養費的問題。

But their divorce plans stalled when Family Court Judge Douglas Gerlach said in late June that he was unable to find any legal authority defining a man as someone who can give birth.

但去年6月底家事法庭法官道格拉斯．葛拉克說，他無法找到任何把能生孩子的人定義為男性的法定許可權，因此耽擱了他們的離婚計畫。

The validity of the Beatie’s marriage now hangs in the balance, as same-sex marriage is forbidden in Arizona and the state doesn’t recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.

◎陳維真

Think of cats as cute purring bundles of fur? Think again. A new study says free-roaming kitties are serious killers.

你以為貓是可愛又會呼嚕呼嚕叫的小毛球嗎？再想一想吧。一項新研究發現，自由遊走的小貓咪其實是恐怖的殺手。

Such cats are a leading cause of deaths of birds and small mammals in the United States, with pet and ownerless cats blamed for killing up to 3.7 billion birds and as many as 20.7 billion other animals each year, government scientists said in a study released on Tuesday.

政府科學家在週二公佈的研究中指出，貓是美國鳥類與小型哺乳類動物的主要死因，家貓與無人飼養的貓一年殺害37億隻鳥，以及多達207億隻其他動物。

Ownerless cats, including barn cats, strays and feral colonies, are behind the vast majority of bird and mammal deaths, according to the study, "The impact of free-ranging cats on wildlife in the United States," published Tuesday in the online journal Nature Communications.

這份題為「自由放養的貓對美國野生動物的影響」的報告週二發表於線上期刊「自然通訊」，根據這份報告，絕大多數鳥類和哺乳動物死亡都與無人飼養的貓有關，包含農倉的貓、流浪貓、野貓等。

The findings by researchers with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service show the bulk of birds killed by cats in the United States - excluding Alaska and Hawaii - were native species.

史密森保育生物學研究所和美國魚類暨野生動物管理局研究人員發現，除阿拉斯加州和夏威夷外，美國貓咪獵殺的大量鳥類多是原生種。

Cats largely prey on non-native mice and rats in densely populated urban areas where native wildlife is scarce, the research shows.

◎魏國金

Up to half of all the food produced worldwide ends up going to waste due to poor harvesting, storage and transport methods as well as irresponsible retailer and consumer behavior, a report said.

全球生產的食物中多達半數最後流於浪費，因為不良的收成、儲藏與運輸方式，以及零售商、消費者不負責任的行為，一份報告指出。

The world produces about four billion metric tons of food a year but 1.2 to 2 billion metric tons is not eaten, the study by the London-based Institution of Mechanical Engineers said.

全球一年生產約40億公噸的食物，但12至20億公噸沒有被食用，總部設於倫敦的機械工程師學會研究指出。

In developed countries, efficient farming methods, transport and storage mean that most of the wastage occurs through retail and customer behavior.

在已開發國家，有效率的農作方式、運輸與儲存，意味著多數的浪費發生在零售與消費行為上。

Retailers produce 1.6 million metric tons of food waste a year because they reject crops of edible fruit and vegetables because they do not meet exacting size and appearance criteria, the report by the engineering society said.

零售商一年造成160萬公噸的食物浪費，因為他們拒絕大小與外觀不符合嚴格標準的可食用蔬果作物，該工程師學會的報告指出。

Of the food which does reach supermarket shelves, 30-50 percent of what is bought in developed countries is thrown away by customers, often due to poor understanding of "best before" and "use by" dates.

◎國際新聞中心

Scientists say they can find no convincing evidence to show that taking vitamin D supplements will fend off a cold. The 161 people who took daily vitamin D for 18 months caught as many colds as the 161 who took fake pills.

科學家說，他們未能發現具說服力的證據，顯示吃維他命補充品可對抗感冒。161名每天吃維他命D連吃18個月的人，與吃安慰劑的161人感冒機率相同。

The study was reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

這項研究發表在「美國醫學協會期刊」。

But a leading UK cold expert said vitamin D was useful. Prof Ronald Eccles, of the Common Cold Centre at Cardiff University, said it can give the immune system a much-needed boost during winter when vitamin D reserves may be low.

但英國知名感冒專家說，維他命D很有用。卡地夫大學感冒中心主任愛爾柯斯教授說，維他命D能在冬季給予免疫系統非常需要的幫助。

He said echinacea supplements may also help ward off coughs and colds, but added： "Supplements do not work for everybody because people’s immune systems are different. It’s not a case of one size fits all."

他說，紫錐菊補充劑或許也能對抗咳嗽與感冒，但「補充劑不是對每個人都有效，因為免疫系統因人而異，並非一體適用。」

新聞辭典

An Iowa couple who won a $202 million Powerball jackpot in September is donating $3 million to their son’s high school for a new football stadium - but the gift comes with a catch.

一對在去年9月中了威力球頭彩2.02億美元獎金的愛荷華州夫妻，捐出300萬美元給兒子就讀的高中蓋一座新的美式足球場——但此一餽贈另有隱情。

The stadium visitor’s locker room must be painted pink.

這座體育場的客隊更衣室，必須漆成粉紅色。

The Bondurant-Farrar school district accepted the $3 million donation from Brian and Mary Lohse on Monday, The Des Moines Register reported.

（愛州首府）第蒙紀錄報報導，邦杜蘭特－法勒學區週一接受布萊恩與瑪莉‧羅西300萬美元捐款。

The couple from the Des Moines suburb of Bondurant requested only that the new stadium be completed before the fall 2014 football season - their oldest son’s senior year - and that the visiting team’s locker room be painted pink.