A Taiwanese man with eight “wives” and 32 children said last week he was over the moon at the prospect of collecting NT$147,600 (US$4,500) in consumer vouchers. This would make his family the largest beneficiary of the new scheme.
“It seems that my family will benefit the most from the program. I am very grateful, it will help us a lot,” a smiling Liu Ho-mu told local television.
Liu, a self-proclaimed “spiritual teacher,” has for more than 20 years lived with eight women who have borne him 32 children in central Chang-hua county.
PHOTO: AFP
He attracted attention four years ago when women’s rights groups urged prosecutors to look into his multiple relationships, as bigamy is a criminal offense in Taiwan punishable with a maximum five-year prison term.
But Liu has claimed that all his wedding ceremonies were presided over by “gods, ghosts and Buddha” and that he broke no law because he did not officially register any of the relationships as formal marriages.
His 41-member family is entitled to the money under a consumer vouchers scheme unveiled by the government last week in a bid to stimulate spending and boost the economy.
Under the scheme, the country’s 23 million people regardless of age or wealth will be given NT$3,600 Taiwan dollars. The program is expected to cost some NT$82 billion and contribute a 0.64 percent increase to the 2009 GDP, officials said.(AFP)
一名娶了八個老婆、育有三十二名子女的台灣男子上週表示，他非常高興自己有機會領到新台幣十四萬七千六百元（四千五百美元）的消費券。他們一家將是這項新計畫的最大受惠者。
劉和穆笑著對當地電視台記者說：「我們家應該是這個政策的最大受益者。我非常感激，這對我們幫助很大。」
住在中台灣彰化縣、自詡為「心靈導師」的劉先生和八個老婆同住一個屋簷下二十多年，共育有三十二名子女。
四年前，女權團體曾要求檢察官調查他一夫多妻的婚姻關係，因為台灣的刑法規定，重婚依法可處最高五年的有期徒刑。
但劉先生說，他都是在「神、鬼和佛」的見證下完婚的，因為他沒有正式登記結婚，所以並不構成違法行為。
政府上週宣佈，為刺激消費及促進經濟活絡，計畫發放消費券；他家的四十一位成員都可領到這筆錢。
依照該計畫，台灣兩千三百萬人民不論年齡、貧富，都將領到新台幣三千六百元。官員表示，這項計畫預計花費新台幣八百二十億元左右，估計將提高二ＯＯ九年的國內生產毛額零點六四個百分點。
（法新社�翻譯：袁星塵）
A: Yet another shopping mall has just opened in Taipei. B: Do you mean the Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Nangang? A: Yeah, the shopping mall run by Japanese Mitsui & Co. opened last week. B: I hear the mall features about 300 stores, Vieshow Cinemas and Japanese Lopia supermarket. A: With the opening, a war is breaking out between Taipei’s department stores. A: 台北又有新的購物商場可逛啦。 B: 你是說Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport 南港？ A: 對啊這家日本三井集團旗下的商場上週開幕。 B: 聽說商場有威秀影城、樂比亞日系超市，還有多達300家專櫃。 A: 新商場一開幕，看來又要掀起一場百貨大戰啦！ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
A: Hey, didn’t you go to the opening of the Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Nangang last week? B: Yeah, there are about 300 shops, including the first overseas branch of Japan’s Mahou Dokoro — a famous Harry Potter-themed store. A: Wow, I’ve always wanted to get a magic wand. B: There are also a bunch of great restaurants, such as Smart Fish hotpot restaurant. A: I wish I had Harry Potter’s “apparition” and “disapparition” magic, so I could teleport to the mall right now. A: 你上週不是有去LaLaport南港的盛大開幕嗎？有什麼特別的？ B: 那裡有多達300家專櫃，包括魔法之地的海外首店——它可是日本知名的《哈利波特》專賣店。 A: 哇我一直想買根魔杖。 B: 另外還有各式各樣的美食，像是林聰明沙鍋魚頭。 A: 真希望我也有哈利波特的「現影術／消影術」魔法，能瞬間移動到商場去！ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
When it comes to movies, some people delight in watching spine-chilling horror films. Surprisingly, apart from containing a few scares, horror movies may also offer an unexpected __1__. According to a study, watching 90 minutes of a scary movie can burn an average of 113 calories, which is roughly __2__ to taking a 30-minute walk. Researchers from the University of Westminster carried out an experiment in which they __3__ participants’ oxygen intake, carbon dioxide output, and heart rates while they were watching horror movies without any distractions. The results revealed that physiological responses to fear play a crucial role
Dos & Don’ts — 想想看，這句話英語該怎麼說？ 1. 你覺得這部電影怎樣？ ˇ What do you think of the movie? χ How do you like the movie? χ How do you think of the movie? 註︰What do you think of ＝ What is your opinion of。 think 的受詞是 what，不能用 how。 2. 你認為哪一個歌星唱得最好？ ˇ Which singer do you think is the best? χ Do you think which singer is the best? 註︰英語中 which singer 似乎是 do you think 的受詞，實則 do you think 是插入語，其他例子如下： 你以為他喜歡誰？ Who do you think he likes? 你以為我住在哪裏？ Where do you think I live? 你想我昨天在公園裏碰到了誰？ Whom/Who do you think I met in the park yesterday? 3. 他不論到什麼地方，總是帶著一把雨傘。 ˇ No matter where he goes, he
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