A: The weather is so hot. Why don’t you turn on the air con?
B: Haven’t you heard? Taipower has announced “summer electricity rates,” which came in on June 1 and will last through to Sept. 30. So I don’t dare use the air con too much.
A: Summer electricity rates? So does that mean that electricity will become more expensive?
Photo courtesy of Hualien County’s Fonglin Township Office 照片：花蓮縣鳳林鎮公所提供
B: Of course. The cost of electricity is rising by nearly 30 percent.
A: 天氣好熱唷，你怎麼不開冷氣？
B: 你還不知道嗎？台電宣布從六月一日起實施「夏月電價」，一直到九月三十日止，所以我不敢常開冷氣。
A: 夏月電價？電費會變貴嗎？
B: 當然啦，漲幅最高可能將近百分之三十。
（Translated by Edward Jones, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
Russian figure skater Petr Gumennik has been forced to change his short program music two days before the men’s program at the Milan Cortina Olympics after joining a growing list of figure skaters dealing with copyright issues. Gumennik, who is participating as a neutral athlete at the Winter Games, had been working all season to music from “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer,” a psychological thriller film. But the 23-year-old Russian national champion learned in the last few days that he did not have proper permission to perform to the music, leaving him in limbo as the Winter Games began. Given such
People praise the wisdom of owls and the loyalty of dogs, yet pigs are rarely commended for anything. Branded as lazy and dirty, they’ve long had a bad rap. But if you scratch beneath the surface, you’ll find that pigs are among the most underestimated animals of all. If you’ve watched the animated television series Peppa Pig, you’ll know how much pigs love muddy puddles. In truth, wallowing in mud is not a sign of poor hygiene but a matter of biological necessity. Because pigs have few functional sweat glands, they cannot regulate their body temperature like humans do.
The UK government has unveiled plans to lower the national voting age from 18 to 16, a transformation set to take effect in the next general election. With youth turnout at historic lows, the reform is framed as a way to reengage younger citizens and restore trust in the political process, though reactions remain divided. Just as the UK reduced the voting age to 18 in 1969, the current proposal reflects evolving conceptions of civic maturity. If 16-year-olds can work and pay taxes, advocates contend, should they not also have a say in shaping the laws they follow? Supporters also believe
Continued from yesterday（延續自昨日） https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang By now, it’s clear that pigs are not what we imagine them to be. But the surprises don’t end here. These creatures also carry traits that further defy common stereotypes. Take their noses, for example. A pig’s sense of smell is so keen that it can detect truffles, rare and expensive fungi buried deep underground. Farmers in Europe once relied on pigs to sniff out these culinary treasures, though dogs are now preferred because pigs are often tempted to eat what they find. Pigs also see the world in a unique way. With their eyes positioned
RSS