Hsinchu County Councilor Chiu Chen-wei has launched a fight to save an old Formosan ash tree and has received a lot of support from local people. Hu Pao-yuan, director of the China University of Science and Technology’s forest pest diagnostic clinic, was invited to inspect the tree. After he had inspected it, he said the old tree was not only sick but also had termites, so they would have to cut off the old branches and inject medicine to try to help it recover.
“The old tree, which is located behind a shelter, is over 100 years old. Many elderly people from Baoshan share memories of the tree, and none of us wants to see it cut down,” says 57-year-old former township councilor Liu Yun-fa, who now acts as an ecology guide. He found that the old Formosa ash tree was dropping leaves and its branches were becoming yellow, among other symptoms, which prompted him to rush to ask Chiu for help. He hopes to preserve this landmark tree of Baoshan Village.
Chiu said that in Youtian Village, where this old Formosan ash tree stands, there were once many Formosan ashes, so the old name for the local area was “protruding ash trees.” This grandfatherly tree is over 100 years old and is like a local cultural symbol made by nature. Chen said that he and local residents will fully cooperate with Hu to rescue the old tree, and he will make sure it continues to grow there, allowing the young people of Baoshan Village to go on appreciating its magnificence.
(Liberty Times, translated by Clare Lear)
Photo: Tsai Meng-shang, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者蔡孟尚
新竹縣議員邱振瑋發起的搶救寶山「雞油樹爺爺」大作戰，獲得不少鄉親響應；中華科技大學樹木病蟲害診斷中心主任胡寶元應邀到場調查後說，老雞油樹不但染病且遭白蟻入侵，將以清除枯枝及投藥方式協助它恢復健康。
「這座位於茶亭後方的老雞油樹，已經有一百多歲的樹齡，是許多老寶山人的共同回憶，我們都不願意見到它倒下。」五十七歲前鄉民代表劉運發目前擔任生態導覽員，他發現老雞油樹出現樹葉掉落、樹枝枯黃等症狀後，趕緊向邱振瑋求助，希望能夠保住這棵寶山鄉的地標性植物。
邱振瑋說，這棵老雞油樹所在的油田村早年有許多雞油樹，所以當地的古地名叫「雞油凸」。這棵有一百多歲樹齡的「雞油樹爺爺」可說是當地天然的文化意象；他和在地鄉親會全力配合胡寶元搶救老樹，一定要讓它繼續聳立當地，讓寶山鄉的年輕子弟也能繼續欣賞它的英姿。
（自由時報記者蔡孟尚）
In an effort to fight phone scams, British mobile phone company O2 has introduced Daisy, an AI designed to engage phone con artists in time-wasting conversations. Daisy is portrayed as a kindly British granny, exploiting scammers’ tendency to target the elderly. Her voice, based on a real grandmother’s for authenticity, adds to her credibility in the role. “O2” has distributed several dedicated phone numbers online to direct scammers to Daisy instead of actual customers. When Daisy receives a call, she translates the scammers’ spoken words into text and then responds to them accordingly through a text-to-speech system. Remarkably, Daisy
A: Isn’t the Met Gala, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s fundraiser, chaired by Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour? B: Yeah, the blockbuster “The Devil Wears Prada” is allegedly based on her story. A: This year’s four co-chairs are actor Colman Domingo, F1 driver Lewis Hamilton, rapper A$AP Rocky and Louis Vuitton men’s creative director Pharrell Williams. B: And basketball superstar LeBron James is the honorary chair. A: I can’t wait to see the lineup of stars on the red carpet. A: 大都會博物館慈善晚宴「Met Gala」，是《時尚》雜誌全球總監安娜溫圖為該館服裝學院主辦的募款活動吧？ B: 對啊，電影《穿著普拉達的惡魔》據說是以她為範本。 A: 今年晚宴共同主席還有：演員柯爾曼多明哥、F1賽車手路易斯漢米頓、饒舌歌手A$AP洛基、LV男裝創意總監菲董。 B: 籃球巨星勒布朗詹姆斯則是榮譽主席。 A: 紅毯上的全球星光真令人期待！ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
Bilingual Story is a fictionalized account. 雙語故事部分內容純屬虛構。 Emma had reviewed 41 resumes that morning. While the ATS screened out 288 unqualified, she screened for AI slop. She could spot it a mile away. She muttered AI buzzwords like curses under her breath. “Team player.” “Results-driven.” “Stakeholder alignment.” “Leveraging core competencies.” Each resume reeked of AI modeling: a cemetery of cliches, tombstones of personality. AI wasn’t just changing hiring. It was draining the humanity from it. Then she found it: a plain PDF cover letter. No template. No design flourishes. The first line read: “I once tried to automate my
1. 他走出門，左右看一下，就過了馬路。 ˇ He walked outside, looked left and right, and crossed the road. χ He walked outside and looked left and right, crossed the road. 註︰並列連接詞 and 在這句中連接三個述語。一般的結構是 x, y, and z。x and y and z 是加強語氣的結構，x and y, z 則不可以。 2. 他們知道自己的弱點以及如何趕上其他競爭者。 ˇ They saw where their weak points lay and how they could catch up with the other competitors. χ They saw where their weak points lay and how to catch up with the other competitors. 註：and 一般連接同等成分，結構相等的單詞、片語或子句。誤句中 and 的前面是子句，後面是不定詞片語，不能用 and 連接，必須把不定詞片語改為子句，and 前後的結構才相等。 3. 她坐上計程車，直接到機場。 ˇ She took a cab, which took her straight to the airport. ˇ She took a cab and it took her straight
RSS