A: Some cities and counties require you to use special bags to throw your garbage out in. Taipei and New Taipei City do this, for example. The cost of the bag goes toward the cost of processing the garbage.
B: I know that type of bag. If I go to the supermarket and forget to bring a bag, when I go to pay at the till, the sales clerk tells me that if I want a plastic bag I will need to pay extra, and they give me one of those bags.
A: Yes, the bags are dual use: later on, you can use them to throw out your trash. You don’t have to use them for recycling, though.
Photo courtesy of Taipei City Government Department of Environmental Protection 照片:台北市環保局提供
B: Thank goodness for that. I was wondering how I would be able to stuff cardboard boxes into one of those small bags.
A: 有些縣市丟垃圾要用專門的袋子裝,比如說台北市和新北市,因為買袋子的錢,就包含了垃圾處理費。
B: 我知道這種袋子。我去超市忘了帶購物袋,結帳的時候店員說,如果要塑膠袋的話得要另外付錢,買的就是這種袋子。
A: 對呀,這袋子可以重複利用,最後用來裝垃圾丟掉。不過如果是資源回收,就可以不用這種袋子。
B: 太好了,讓我鬆了一口氣。我還在煩惱說,這些紙箱要怎麼塞進這個小袋子呢!
(Translated by Paul Cooper, Taipei Times/台北時報林俐凱)
Tangbao are one of the most internationally renowned delicacies, that win the hearts of both locals and tourists. Their charm lies in the paper-thin flour wrapper that needs to be folded evenly almost 20 times. Folding a tangbao requires skill to deal with a bulging filling and a thin wrapper. Tangbao are served in a bamboo steamer in which they are steamed, not only adding to the visual appearance, but ensuring they do not get cold before reaching the table. The best way to enjoy a tangbao is to dip it in a mixture of vinegar and soy sauce with
The Bank of Japan (BoJ) announced a seismic change in direction on March 19, hiking interest rates for the first time in 17 years. The move represents an unwinding of an ultra-loose — and maverick -- policy aimed at putting Japan’s “lost decades” of stagnation and deflation behind it. The last time the BoJ raised interest rates was in 2007, but its war against deflation began in earnest in 2013 under then-prime minister Shinzo Abe. “Abenomics” combined generous government spending and central bank monetary easing. The BoJ spent vast amounts on bonds and other assets to pump liquidity into the
A: Wow, YouTuber Xander 73’s channel “73_Tricking” now has over 10 million subscribers, making him Taiwan’s first 10-million YTR. B: Cool! But what’s “tricking?” A: Basically, it’s a sport derived from extreme martial arts. B: Xander 73’s income is as high as NT$600,000 per month. What’s the secret of his success? A: He often uses English catchphrases in his videos to attract more viewers from around the world. This shows how important English is. A: 哇,YouTuber奇軒的「奇軒Tricking」頻道訂閱突破千萬人, 成為台灣首位千萬YTR! B: 好厲害,但什麼是tricking啊? A: 聽說是極限武術所衍生的運動。 B: 奇軒月入60萬,成功的秘訣是什麼呢? A: 他常使用英文標語,所以能吸引全球觀眾,可見英文多重要。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Have you ever wished for an extra hour to prepare for exams or finish homework? In some countries, people actually adjust their clocks to gain or lose an hour, all for the sake of Daylight Saving Time (DST). Specifically, clocks are set forward by an hour in March and then set back in November. One of the primary reasons for implementing DST is to make better use of natural daylight so that people can reduce energy consumption. The concept originated with Benjamin Franklin in 1784 and became widely adopted during World War I. Today, this system is in place