Tens of thousands of people have crowded Hindu temples across India this month because of reports that gods and goddesses were “drinking” the milk that worshippers offered them.
The milk “miracle” first surfaced in 1995 when temples in India, Britain and Canada were crowded with believers who said that the portly god of good fortune, Lord Ganesha, was now choosing milk instead of the candy he usually prefers.
Belief and worship hold an important place in the lives of most Indians. But the Indian Rationalist Association says the latest milk-drinking “miracle” is just milk being sinking into the statues through tiny holes in the stone.
PHOTO: EPA
Even so, there was a reported 30-percent jump in the price of milk when the “miracle” was first reported.
“Forget deities. I fed a cup of coffee to a statue of Jawaharlal Nehru (India's first prime minister) right before television cameras,” Indian Rationalist Association president Sanal Edamaruku said in New Delhi.
“Even bricks are drinking milk,” he said.
His opinion came under fire from Hindu priest Mahant Surendra Nath.
“Why disbelieve when these things are happening right before our eyes?” said the priest.
The milk-drinking-deity craze came just days after many Muslims in the western Indian city of Mumbai drank “sweet” seawater.
Tens of thousands of Mumbai residents drank strangely colored seawater even though doctors said it was full of the city's waste water.
Scientists said that the seawater had become less salty because of heavy rains which caused nearby rivers to overflow.
“The mass hysteria was simply ridiculous — and lethal,” said Edamaruku.(AFP)
本月全印度成千上萬的民眾湧入印度廟,因為有報導指出,廟裡眾神明會「飲用」信徒供奉的牛奶。
牛奶「神蹟」首次出現於一九九五年,當時印度、英國和加拿大的廟宇擠滿了善男信女,聲稱胖嘟嘟的好運神─象鼻神甘那夏現在改喝牛奶,不吃平時偏好的糖果。
信仰和敬拜在多數印度民眾的生活中扮演重要的角色,但印度唯理協會指出,近來的「飲用牛奶奇蹟」,其實只是牛奶透過石頭的小洞孔滲入雕像中。
儘管如此,「奇蹟」初次被報導後,牛奶價格據報暴漲了三成。
印度唯理協會主席沙紐?伊達馬魯庫在新德里表示:「不要說是神明,我才在電視攝影機前餵尼赫魯(印度第一任總理)的雕像喝了一杯咖啡。」
他說:「連磚瓦都在喝牛奶。」
他的言論受到印度祭司馬翰蘇蘭卓?那特的抨擊。
他說:「為何不相信這些就發生在你眼前的事?」
在印度西部城市孟買許多穆斯林飲用「甜」海水之後,便出現了這波「神仙喝牛奶」的熱潮。
儘管醫師們指出海水充滿城市排放的廢水,成千上萬的孟買居民仍飲用著顏色詭異的海水。
科學家說附近河流因豪雨氾濫成災,導致海水鹹度降低。
伊達馬魯庫說:「大眾歇斯底里的現象簡直荒謬─而且危險。」
(法新社╱翻譯︰鄭湘儀)
Although shaved ice can be found even in fall and winter, douhua is a dessert that can be enjoyed year round in both hot and cold weather. Douhua is made from soy milk which is set by using coagulants such as gypsum or bittern. The resulting texture of douhua is soft and silky. It is often served with a sweet syrup and various toppings. Each shop selling douhua has many toppings for customers to choose from, such as peanuts, mesona jelly, tapioca balls, mung beans, adzuki beans and taro paste. 刨冰雖然秋冬也吃得到,但有什麼甜品冷暖皆宜,豆花是好選擇。豆花是在豆漿中拌入石膏、鹵水等促凝劑製成,白嫩絲滑,舀入糖水享用。每間豆花店還有許多種配料任君選擇,如花生、仙草凍、粉圓、綠豆、紅豆和芋泥等。 coagulant (n.) 促凝劑 gypsum (n.)
A: This year’s Special Contribution Awards go to singer Cheng Hua-jiuan and composer Liu Ching-chi. B: Cheng was not only a singer, but also wrote hundreds of hits in both the Chinese and Taiwanese languages. I listened to her music show on the radio when I was young. A: It was so sad to hear of her death in March. B: But why doesn’t the organizer present a Special Contribution Award to the late singer CoCo Lee? A: CoCo was not a Republic of China national, so she’s not eligible for this category. A: 今年金曲獎特別貢獻獎頒給歌手鄭華娟、編曲劉清池! B:
A: The 35th Golden Melody Awards ceremony will take place at the Taipei Arena on Saturday. B: Who are this year’s nominees for Best Male Singer? A: The nominees are Xu Jun, JJ Lin, Marz23, MC HotDog and Jude Chiu. B: How about the nominees for Best Female Singer? A: The nominees are Faith Yang, Shi Shi, 9m88, Su Yunying and Tia Ray. A: 第35屆金曲獎本週六即將在台北小巨蛋登場! B: 今年入圍最佳男歌手的有誰啊? A: 入圍的有:許鈞、林俊傑、Marz23、熱狗、裘德。 B: 最佳女歌手呢? A: 入圍的有:楊乃文、孫盛希、9m88、蘇運瑩、袁婭維。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
With extreme heat gripping much of the Northern Hemisphere last week, authorities and public health experts have issued heat warnings to help keep people safe. Parts of China, India, the Middle East, southern Europe and the United States are bracing for the possibility of new record highs. WHAT ARE THE HEALTH RISKS? Heat affects health in several ways. Heat exhaustion, which can include dizziness, headaches, shaking and thirst, can affect anyone, and is not usually serious, providing the person cools down within 30 minutes. The more serious version is heatstroke, when the body’s core temperature goes above 40.6 degrees Celsius. It is a medical emergency