The Solomon Islands, one of Taiwan’s South Pacific diplomatic allies, has an area of 28,000 square kilometers, over 90 percent of which is covered in tropical rain forest. The country has abundant forestry products, and it is estimated that it is home to over 7,000 indigenous species, and dotted with deposits of minerals such as gold, nickel, copper, cobalt and aluminum ore.
Over the past few decades, however, due to mass deforestation and the planting of cash crops such as coconut and cocoa, the area of virgin forest has gradually shrunk. With this, species are struggling to survive, and many are on the verge of extinction.
For this reason, Taiwan has implemented a joint program with the Soloman Islands’ Ministry of Forestry and Research, and sent a botany survey team to collate the Solomon Islands’ plants, establish greenhouses and improve the National Herbarium and digital preservation facilities in the country. At the same time, the team is training Solomon Islands’ botanical conservation staff, to improve their basic scientific knowledge in botany. Taiwan’s International Cooperation and Development Fund is also helping to publish an illustrated catalog of the flora of the Solomon Islands, to bolster the country’s natural conservation efforts.
Photo courtesy of the Embassy of the Republic of China in the Solomon Islands
照片: 我駐索羅門大使館提供
(CNA, translated by Paul Cooper)
台灣在南太平洋的邦交國索羅門群島陸地面積約兩萬八千平方公里,九成以上為熱帶雨林所覆蓋,林產豐富,據估計至少有七千多種原生物種,並有多處蘊藏金、鎳、銅、鈷、鋁土等礦物。
但近十幾年來因大量砍伐森林及種植油椰子、可可等經濟作物,原生森林面積逐漸減少,物種承受極大的生存壓力,更有部分物種瀕臨絕種。
台灣因此與索羅門群島森林部共同合作推行計畫,派遣植物專家調查團隊採集索國植物資源、建置索國溫室及強化國家植物標本館設備及數位化保存,同時訓練索國植物資源保存人員的能力,強化植物基礎科學知識。國合會也協助出版索羅門群島植物圖鑑,以提升索國自然保育工作。
(中央社)
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