When scuba diving instructor Yin Te-cheng was recently diving with a group at Longdong Bay in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District late last month, he spotted a sea turtle trapped in a net that looked as though it was on the verge of death. Yin spent half an hour freeing the turtle from the net.
Yin did not realize the turtle was a critically endangered hawksbill sea turtle until he got a closer look at it. According to Yin, it looked like the turtle had been trapped in the net for several days. It was swimming just three meters from the surface, and a thin layer of seaweed had even started to grow on its shell. Yin hurried to free the turtle from the net without any hesitation.
Hawksbill sea turtles typically inhabit the areas around tropical coral reefs and eat seaweed, algae, and invertebrates such as sponges and urchins. In the past, humans and other animals encroaching on their habitat have threatened their nesting sites. Together with illegal hunting, this has resulted in rapidly decreasing hawksbill sea turtle populations around the world.
Photo: Wu Liang-yi, Taipei Times
照片:自由時報記者吳亮儀
An average adult hawksbill sea turtle is about a meter long and weighs on average 80kg. The heaviest hawksbill turtle ever caught weighed 127kg. The turtles are predominantly found in the tropical reefs of the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
Yin said the turtle would have drowned or starved to death if it had been freed a few days later. Fortunately, it was found and freed in time. As soon as it recovered its freedom, the turtle swam into the depths of the ocean.
(LIBERTY TIMES, TRANSLATED BY TAIJING WU)
當潛水教練尹德成上月底在新北市貢寮區龍洞灣帶著一群人潛水時,發現一隻海龜遭漁網纏住,似乎已奄奄一息。教練花了半小時才解開網子,將牠放走。
Photo: Yu Chao-fu, Taipei Times
照片:自由時報記者俞肇福
在尹德成更靠近觀察前,他並不知道這隻烏龜是保育類的玳瑁。他說那時海龜似乎已經受困多天,只距離水面約三公尺游泳,連龜殼都長出薄薄一層海藻。教練不假思索便趕緊替牠解開漁網。
玳瑁多居住在珊瑚礁區附近的水域,以珊瑚礁的海藻、海草及海綿、海膽等無脊椎動物為食。過去人類與動物因侵占棲息地威脅築巢地,加上非法捕捉,使全世界玳瑁族群急速減少。
成年玳瑁身長大約一公尺,平均體重八十公斤。曾經捕過最重的玳瑁有一百二十七公斤重。這種海龜普遍分布於印度洋、太平洋,與大西洋的熱帶珊瑚礁。
尹德成說,若是再晚幾天解開漁網,這隻海龜一定會溺死或餓死,幸好及早發現解救那隻海龜重獲自由後,便往大海深處游走。
(自由時報記者吳亮儀)
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