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Topic: About Christmas: Make your own Christmas tree with these money-saving hacks

相信大家都知道，節慶的裝飾品並不便宜，尤其是在亞洲地區。因此，也難怪有越來越多人決定自己DIY製作裝飾品打造出屬於自己的夢幻聖誕節。
Most people agree that decorating for the holidays isn’t cheap, especially in Asia. There is, therefore, little wonder that an increasing number of people have decided to make this Christmas season extra special by doing a lot of crafts on their own.

能夠把一樣東西化腐朽為神奇總是讓人著迷，而展示自己創意成品的最佳方式就是把它掛到聖誕樹上。
There’s something magical about turning something ordinary into something special, and there’s no better way to display your creations than on your Christmas tree.

許多人在網路上分享交流各自創意手作點子，在臉書上還能找到像是「低成本手作」等教你省錢做裝飾品的社團。裡面的成員不吝於分享用花串、燈泡和木框等簡易材料製作聖誕樹的秘訣。
Many ideas are shared online and through money-saving Facebook groups such as “On a Budget.” The members show people how to create a Christmas tree out of just garlands, lights and a wooden frame.

他們放上手作過程的圖片讓人一目瞭然，像是示範如何將常綠樹狀裝飾花串纏繞在三角木框上。
There are many photos that show some crafty methods of creating a tree by simply wrapping the green evergreen-like garland around the triangle-shaped wood frame.

最後，一棵固定在牆上、形狀完美的精美手作聖誕樹令網友驚艷，網友們紛紛留言讚嘆：「這個點子太棒了！看起來好美」、「很適合住在小房間的人用來佈置」。
The end result is a stunning, perfectly shaped wall-mounted Christmas tree. “What a great idea this looks fantastic,” one person wrote. Another said: “Great for anyone who has a small room.”

這些手作教學除了能吸引房間不夠擺不下一棵正規大小聖誕樹的人以外，對於那些不想花大錢買短期聖誕裝飾品的人而言，這些教學也相當實用。
In addition to appealing to people who may not have room for an actual tree, the hack is also useful for those who do not want to spend money on Christmas decor that is only good for a few weeks.

有網友留言稱讚：「手作DIY告訴我們只要善用創意與想像力，不用花大錢也能做很多事。」另外也有熱心的人分享自己的手作技巧，既簡單又能充滿節慶氣氛。
“Shows what you can do with imagination and a small budget,” one person wrote. Others shared their own versions of the hack, showing just how festive and easy it can be.

Next Article

Topic: Chimei Museum to hold pre-Christmas celebrations on weekends 超浪漫！奇美博物館超大聖誕樹成熱門打卡地

進入一年的尾聲也代表浪漫聖誕節即將來臨，各大百貨商場開始佈置聖誕裝飾並擺出超大聖誕樹吸引民眾目光。住在台南的你有福了！奇美博物館在繆思廣場擺放一棵13公尺高的「幸福耶誕樹」，每日下午五點半至十點半點燈，浪漫的燈光下搭配奇美博物館西洋建築外觀，絕對是聖誕節熱門打卡景點！
Christmas is around the corner and local department stores have already installed their Christmas decorations and set up large Christmas trees to attract the attention of shoppers. If you are living in Tainan, you should know that The Chimei Museum has also installed a 13-meter-high Christmas tree on its Muse Plaza. The tree lights up from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. every day. The installation is the perfect match to the western architecture of the museum which has become one of the top destinations for celebrating Christmas in southern Taiwan.

另外還有集結多達70攤的皇家聖誕市集於十二月十四、十五日、二十一日和二十二日兩個週末中午十二點至晚上十點展開，販賣各式美食飲料，還有皇家貴族最愛糕點。
In addition, the Royal Christmas Market boasts 70 specialty stalls on the weekends on Dec. 14-15 and 21-22nd from noon to 10 p.m., selling various delights, drinks and Royal family’s favorite pastry.

活動期間還有精緻音樂饗宴，邀請多位奇美藝術獎得主在館內大廳演奏弦樂、管樂、爵士樂等聖誕主題音樂。
What’s more? There will also be music feasts over the weekends. Some award-winning musicians are invited to play Christmas-themed jazz and orchestra music during the celebrations.
Source article: https://chinapost.nownews.com/20191209-894509 ; https://chinapost.nownews.com/20191127-873777

Topic: Dihua Street’s Lunar New Year market

Every year, in the two-week run up to the Lunar New Year break, businesses along Taipei’s Dihua Street hold a special Lunar New Year specialties market.
每年春節假期前兩週左右，台北迪化街的商家都會辦理年貨市集。

The store-lined roads, with outside stalls laden with New Year dried fruits, candies, spiced drinks and meat jerkies, are packed with people anxious to stock up for the holiday.
商店林立的年貨大街擠滿趕辦年貨的人，店鋪前擺出的攤子滿是蜜餞、糖果、薑茶和肉乾等年貨。

The weather was cold on Wednesday, but mercifully sunny to take the bite from the cold, and the air was full of anticipation and festive spirit.
週三天氣很冷，但幸好出了太陽，驅走了一些寒意，空氣中充滿著年節的味道與對過年的期盼。

The sellers themselves, wearing matching Lunar New Year jackets and tops in each individual stall, were all in a jovial mood, smiling and joking with the customers as they handed out free samples and took their money.
每攤的售貨員都穿著自家店統一的春節外套及上衣，喜氣洋洋，發試吃品和收錢的時候，都跟顧客有說有笑。

The shoppers were dressed up warm, some in casual clothes, some in their best suits for the occasion; there were monks and foreigners and photographers and mothers bringing their children, as well as pet owners, carrying their dogs on their shoulders or pushing them along in pet pushchairs. There was one guy walking his pet pig — he’d had it for five months, he said — which had its snout pressed to the ground, hoovering the tarmac for fallen sweets, treats or dried meats.
採買的顧客穿著保暖的衣服，有些只是居家服，也有人穿得很慎重。人群中有僧侶、外國人、攝影師、帶著孩子的母親，以及把狗扛在肩上或用寵物推車推著的飼主。還有一個人牽著寵物豬──他說他已經養了五個月──那隻豬把鼻子貼在地上，把掉在路面上的糖果、零食或肉乾吸起來吃。
Source article: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2020/01/18/2003729416

Topic: EPA steps up checks for carcinogenic industrial dye in Mid-Autumn mooncakes

With the Mid-Autumn Festival nearly upon us, bakery shelves are heaving with a vast array of appetizing mooncakes in a mind-boggling variety of shapes, sizes and flavors. For many Taiwanese gourmands, the venerable egg yolk pastry is a special favorite. However, in the past some unscrupulous businesses were discovered to have added the harmful industrial dye Sudan Red G to their egg yolk pastries to give the salty egg yolks a rosy-red luster. Sudan Red G was classified as a toxic chemical by the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) in July 2018. The administration says it has been carrying out inspections since the ban but has not discovered any illegal use of Sudan Red G. However, with increased demand for egg yolk pastries during the festive season, the administration says it will intensify inspection work during the period.
中秋佳節即將到來，市面上開始出現各式各樣可口的月餅，尤其蛋黃酥最受歡迎。然而過去曾發生有不肖業者為了使鹹蛋黃色澤紅潤，而添加對人體有害的工業用染料「蘇丹紅」。環保署表示，蘇丹紅色素已於二○一八年六月公告為「毒性化學物質」，近年來稽查沒有再發現業者違法使用蘇丹紅，不過考量中秋節將近，鹹蛋黃需求增加，環保署將加強稽查。

In the past, some egg farms would add the carcinogenic substance to duck feed in order to give their salted duck eggs a deep color and luster. In 2017, the illegal use of Sudan Red G was detected in an online retailer’s salted egg yolk mooncakes. The poultry farm which supplied the egg yolks was required to cull its duck population and destroy its stock of duck eggs. Fraud charges were also brought against the farm. The following year, the EPA classified Sudan Red G as a category 4 toxic chemical.
過去有業者為了讓鹹鴨蛋看起來色澤飽滿，在鴨隻飼料中添加有致癌風險的蘇丹紅，二○一七年曾發生網購名店月餅原料鹹蛋黃被驗出違法添加蘇丹紅，供貨畜牧場鴨隻撲殺、鴨蛋銷毀，業者被依詐欺取財罪嫌起訴，環保署則在隔年將蘇丹紅色素列為第四類毒性化學物質。

Sudan Red G is in fact an umbrella term for a series of related chemical dyes that sound similar but have different molecular structures, chiefly Sudan Red I, II, III and IV, and Sudan Red 7B and G. Because the molecular structure of the Sudan Red G dye is easily soluble in oils, it is often used in industrial settings such as colorant in furniture paint, shoe polish, floor wax, car wax and oils to give products a rich color and luster.
蘇丹紅其實是幾種相似但不同的分子之統稱，這幾種化學物質常作為染料，主要包括：蘇丹紅I、蘇丹紅II、蘇丹紅III、蘇丹紅IV、蘇丹紅7B、蘇丹紅G，由於蘇丹紅色素的分子結構易溶於油脂，在工業上常用於家具漆、鞋油、地板蠟、汽車蠟和油脂著色，使色澤飽滿鮮豔。

Sudan Red G’s unique properties — inexpensive, easy-to-obtain, stable, and color-fade resistant — mean that it often crops up in food safety incidents. In addition to salted egg yolks, outside of Taiwan Sudan Red G has been found to have been added to chilli sauce and chilli powder; however, the group of dyes with which Sudan Red G shares a common molecular structure are listed as category 3 carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
由於蘇丹紅便宜易取得、穩定又不易褪色的特性，因此常在食安事件中佔有「一席之地」，除了鹹蛋黃，國外也曾在辣椒醬、辣椒粉中發現添加蘇丹紅；不過這類色素的分子都被國際癌症研究機構列為第三類致癌物。

EPA Toxic and Chemical Substances Bureau Director-General Hsieh Yein-rui advises consumers not to choose food products that appear overly vivid and bright, or that look unnatural. Hsieh adds that the nutritional value of egg yolks is the same whether they are yellow or red in color, and warns that customers who select egg-containing products on the basis of their bright luster may well be consuming adulterated egg yolks.
環保署毒物及化學物質局長謝燕儒呼籲，消費者不要挑選顏色過於鮮豔、看起來不自然的食品，且蛋黃不論是黃色或紅色營養價值都一樣，過度在意色澤，反而可能吃進「加料」的蛋黃。Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2021/09/19/2003764584

回顧星期天LBS - 節慶相關時事趣聞 All about festivals

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