Demand for ethanol for cars will attract enough support to pass a major farm bill next year, despite disagreement on subsidy payments for farmers, Democratic Senator Tom Harkin and Republican Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns agree.
Popularity of corn-based ethanol has soared because of high oil and gas prices. Corn prices have risen so high, and surpluses have dropped so low, however, that lawmakers want to find other crops to make ethanol and keep the industry growing.
Other crops, like switchgrass and sugar cane, can also be used to make ethanol.
PHOTO: AP
Secretary Johanns argues for distributing dollars more equitably, pointing out that fruit and vegetable growers get no subsidy checks even though their crops are worth as much as subsidized crops — corn, soybeans, wheat, rice and cotton.
Plenty of lawmakers disagree with that proposed change.
But both sides agree on the desire to spur production of ethanol, a grain alcohol that is blended with gasoline to make cleaner-burning fuel.
The land that will be used to grow the corn and other ethanol plants was previously marked as conservation land. Secretary Johanns made sure to point out that only a limited amount of this land would actually be used to grow new crops, and that most would still be conserved.
Johanns said he and Harkin have similar goals for conservation programs.
Harkin's counterpart in the House, Democrat Collin Peterson, is pushing the idea of a conservation program that would pay farmers to grow around 5 million acres (2 million hectares) of switchgrass and other noncorn crops for ethanol.(AP)
民主黨參議員湯姆.赫爾金與共和黨籍農業部長麥可.約翰斯達成協議,雖然他們對農民津貼有歧見,但鑒於汽車乙醇的需求,明年將通過一項重大農業法案。
由於油價居高不下,玉米提煉的乙醇日益風行。玉米價格漲幅驚人,剩餘量卻大幅下滑,國會議員盼能找出可製造乙醇的其他農作物,讓農業維持成長。
如軟枝草與甘蔗等其他農作物也可以用來製造乙醇。
約翰斯部長認為要更公平分配財源,他說雖然蔬果農人的作物與獲得津貼的作物(玉米、大豆、小麥、米、棉花)價值不相上下,卻未獲得津貼。
許多國會議員反對這項提案中的變革。
不過,民主與共和兩黨都認可增加乙醇生產量的需求。乙醇是可以與汽油滲合的穀物酒精,可製成燃燒較潔淨的燃料。
打算用來種玉米與其他可製乙醇的植物之土地原先被稱為「conservation land」。約翰斯部長肯定地指出,這些土地只有一小幅會拿來種玉米,大多數仍會作保育之用。
約翰斯說,他和赫爾金對保育計畫的目標相同。
赫爾金的盟友民主黨眾議員柯林.彼得森就推動一項保育計畫,希望能補助農民種植約五萬英畝(約兩百公頃)可提煉乙醇的軟枝草與其他非玉米作物。 (美聯社╱翻譯︰賴美君)
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