The Beipu Cold Springs are quite unusual in that they have a mixture of carbonic acid and sulfur. The sulfur gives the water a slightly saline taste, and makes it a light rusty yellow. The sulfur also forms precipitates under the sun, making the water appear rather muddy. In the summer, the temperature of the water is around 15 degrees Celsius, perfect for playing in the water and cooling down.
The spring bubbles out from the bed of Taping Creek. Although the water is quite cool, and you might feel cold when you first get in, you will start to get a feeling of warmth after you have been in there for some time, because of the minerals in the water. When you get out, your skin might feel a bit oily.
In the background there is a waterfall. Listening to the cascading water and feeling the cool water vapor on your face can be incredibly relaxing. The braver among you can go under the waterfall for some negative ion therapy, and give yourself a natural spa.
Photo: Tsai Meng-shang, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者蔡孟尚
(Liberty Times, translated by Paul Cooper)
北埔冷泉是少見的碳酸與硫磺共生泉，因有硫磺成分所以泉水略有鹹味，水質亦呈現淡淡的黃褐色，經太陽照射後會產生沉澱物，因此看起來較混濁。夏季水溫約攝氏十五度，相當適合來此玩水、消暑。
這股冷泉於大坪溪河床自然湧出。雖然冷泉水溫偏低，剛入水時會覺得冰冷，但因泉水中有大量的礦物質，泡久了反而會有股暖意，離開泉水後，還會覺得皮膚特別滑潤。
背後就是瀑布，聽著嘩啦啦的水流聲，臉上還能感受到陣陣冰涼水氣，讓人徹底放鬆。膽子大一點的人，還可以到瀑布下感受負離子的洗禮，體驗一下天然SPA。
（自由時報）
Chinese startup DeepSeek’s launch of its latest AI models, which it says are on a par or better than industry-leading models in the US at a fraction of the cost, is threatening to upset the technology world order. The company has attracted attention in global AI circles after writing in a paper last month that the training of DeepSeek-V3 required less than US$6 million worth of computing power from Nvidia H800 chips. DeepSeek’s AI Assistant, powered by DeepSeek-V3, has overtaken rival ChatGPT to become the top-rated free application available on Apple’s App Store in the US. This has raised doubts about the reasoning
Recently, the Iraq parliament’s preliminary approval of a controversial proposal to drastically lower the legal marriage age for girls from 18 to nine has sparked widespread concern. This move has drawn strong reactions both domestically and internationally, as many worry it will exacerbate child marriage issues and severely infringe upon women’s rights. At the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1994, Iraq explicitly prohibited the legalization of child marriage. Currently, the legal marriage age for both men and women is 18, although women can marry at 15 with a guardian’s consent. The newly proposed amendment to the Personal
A: Any plans for Valentine’s Day tomorrow? B: I’ll go to karaoke with a group of fans to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the late pop diva Whitney Houston’s debut. A: Sounds like fun. B: She released her eponymous album “Whitney Houston” on Feb. 14, 1985, launching a glorious career that spanned over four decades. A: Can I join you for karaoke? A: 明天情人節你要幹嘛？ B: 我要和一群歌迷去KTV，慶祝流行天后惠妮休斯頓出道40週年！ A: 哇好像很好玩。 B: 她在1985年2月14日發行同名專輯《惠妮休斯頓》，並開啟了輝煌的40年演藝生涯。 A: 我能跟你一起去KTV嗎？ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
A: I remember that the late pop diva Whitney Houston’s 1985 debut album “Whitney Houston” is a diamond album, meaning it sold over 10 million units in the US. B: Her 1987 album “Whitney” and 1992 soundtrack “The Bodyguard” have also reached diamond status, making her the only black singer with three diamond albums. A: Many people think that her songs are difficult to sing. B: I challenge you to sing her megahit “I Will Always Love You” at tonight’s karaoke party. A: OK, challenge accepted. A: 我記得流行天后惠妮休斯頓的1985年出道專輯《惠妮休斯頓》還是一張鑽石唱片呢，表示在美國狂賣超過1千萬張。 B: 她1987年的次張專輯《惠妮》、1992年的電影《終極保鑣》原聲帶也獲得鑽石唱片認證，使她成為唯一擁有3張鑽石唱片的黑人歌手！ A: 而許多人覺得她的歌都很難唱。 B: 那我挑戰你在今晚的KTV派對唱她的名曲《我將永遠愛你》。 A: 好啊我接受你的挑戰。 （By Eddy
RSS