The Mark Ma tire company is planning to construct a new manufacturing facility in Miaoli City’s Nanshih Borough. However, local residents fear the tire factory will harm the surrounding ecological environment and have a negative impact on house prices. Further, there was no communication with residents before deciding to build the factory. On Saturday last week, residents who want Mark Ma to cancel its plan gathered outside the proposed location of the factory, unfurled white banners and shouted, “No to polluting factories — get the hell out of our community.”
The manufacturer responded that, as per normal procedure, the planning application is currently with the county government. It said that building work on the factory has not yet started and that a public hearing is expected to be held after the Lunar New Year so as to communicate properly with local residents. The factory spokesperson emphasized that all products made by the Mark Ma tire company conform with environmental regulations governing manufactured products.
Residents say there are already examples of tire manufacturers causing environmental pollution. In particular, during the process of tire construction carbon black may be produced. Aside from the potential for airborne pollution, carbon black may adhere to nearby residential houses, vehicles, road surfaces and water ditches, which would be difficult to clean up. Residents are even more concerned that the factory will pollute water that feeds the nearby Houlong River.(LIBERTY TIMES, TRANSLATED BY EDWARD JONES)
Photo: Tsai Cheng-min, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者蔡政珉
瑪克瑪輪胎公司計畫在苗栗市南勢里興建廠房,但居民認為,輪胎工廠恐危害周邊生態環境,也影響地價,且設廠前沒有與他們溝通,上週六聚集廠房預定地前,拉起白布條,高喊「抗議高污染工廠滾出社區」,希望瑪克瑪取消設廠計畫。
廠方回應,相關程序目前還在跟縣府申請中,還沒設廠,預計農曆年後召開公聽會,與居民妥善溝通;廠方強調,瑪克瑪輪胎生產的產品都是合乎環保法規的產品。
居民說,輪胎工廠造成環境污染早有案例,尤其輪胎生產過程中,可能產生炭黑,除了可能造成空氣污染,附近房屋、車輛、路面、水溝都可能有炭黑附著,不易清除,更恐怕會污染鄰近後龍溪水源。
(自由時報記者蔡政珉)
The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years killed at least 16 people and damaged dozens of buildings, but the destruction was largely contained thanks to decades of preparedness work. Taiwan sits on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity along the Pacific Rim, and — much like neighboring Japan — has a long history of catastrophic quakes. How does April 3 compare with other recent quakes? The April 3 earthquake, which measured 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale, was felt across Taiwan. It was the most severe since a 7.6 magnitude quake in 1999 killed
Around the time of the Dragon Boat Festival in June, the streets of Taiwan are filled with the delightful aroma of zongzi, a traditional snack made of sticky rice wrapped in leaves. The leaves are folded into a cone and then filled with sticky rice and other ingredients such as braised pork belly, peanuts and salted duck egg yolks. The filled leaves are then tightly tied with kitchen twine and ready for cooking. 每到六月端午時節,街頭巷尾就會飄出粽子的香氣。粽子是將糯米包進粽葉的傳統美食,先將粽葉折成圓錐狀塞入糯米,以及紅燒肉、花生、鹹鴨蛋黃等配料,用棉線綁緊後即可烹煮。 Dragon Boat Festival (n. phr.) 端午節 aroma
Everyone has seen a piece of fruit turn brown after being cut. Have you ever wondered why that happens? It is a common phenomenon that occurs due to a chemical reaction called enzymatic browning. The appearance, flavor and nutritional value of the fruit are all affected by this reaction. Some fruits, such as apples, pears, bananas, avocados and peaches, are more prone to enzymatic browning than others. These fruits contain high levels of an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, or PPO for short. __1__ This causes a chain of chemical reactions that ultimately transforms the phenolic compounds into
There are several methods to prevent or slow down enzymatic browning in fruit. __3__ This lowers the pH level of the fruit tissue, causing the PPO to be far less active. Another method is to store the fruit in an airtight container or to wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Doing this will reduce its exposure to oxygen. __4__ Although fruit that has undergone enzymatic browning may look less appealing, it is still safe to eat. However, by using one of these simple methods, you can enjoy fresh-looking fruit for a longer period. 有一些方法能避免或減緩水果的酶促褐變。其中一個有效的方式就是在切片水果的表面塗上酸性物質,像是檸檬汁或醋。這樣做能降低水果組織的酸鹼值,讓 PPO 更不為活躍。另一個方式是將水果存放在密封的容器內,或用保鮮膜將其緊緊包住。這樣做會減少水果與氧氣的接觸。快速蒸一下切片水果或將其短暫浸泡在滾水中也能使PPO失去活性,並終止 PPO 與空氣的作用。 雖然經歷酶促褐變的水果可能看起來較不吸引人,但仍然可以安全食用。然而,藉由採用這些簡單方法中的其中一個,你就能在更長的一段時間享用看起來新鮮的水果。 What Did You