The animal rights group PETA is taking aim at America’s annual Groundhog Day ritual, urging that the weather-forecasting rodent at the heart of the celebration be replaced by a robot.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals criticized the frenzied annual celebration in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where each Feb. 2 a groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil checks to see if spring is coming.
“Give Phil a holiday this Groundhog Day,” PETA wrote on its blog.
The lobby group’s executive vice president, Tracy Reiman, called for a robot stand-in.
“Switching to a robotic animal for Groundhog Day celebrations would be a win-win situation for the town,” she wrote in a letter to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club’s Inner Circle, which organizes the bizarre annual festival.
“An animatronic groundhog would attract new and curious tourists, and the real groundhogs would finally get a good winter’s sleep.”
“Groundhogs are typically shy animals and are likely to feel fear and stress when they are out of their burrows,” according to PETA.
The tradition, made famous in the 1993 Bill Murray comedy Groundhog Day, requires the marmot to be awakened from hibernation on Feb. 2.
If he appears to see his shadow, winter will continue for six weeks. If not, spring starts.
PETA’s suggestion fell on deaf ears.
“This is just crazy,” said William Deeley, president of the Inner Circle, the group of businessmen that organizes the event.
Mocking the suggestion that the animal needs to “prepare for hibernation,” one Phil fan wrote on the PETA blog, “Prepare for hibernation? He has shelter, food, and better medical attention then most humans in the US. What does he need to prepare? …Imagine if we could all have a life like Phil.”
(AFP WITH STAFF WRITER)
動物權保護團體「善待動物組織」(PETA)將矛頭對準美國一年一度的「土撥鼠節」傳統,主張將該慶典主角,即負責預報天氣的土撥鼠換成機器土撥鼠。
善待動物組織批評每年二月二日在賓州彭蘇塔維尼市舉行的這項瘋狂年度盛典;活動中會請一隻名叫「菲爾」的土撥鼠出來確認春天是否即將來臨。
善待動物組織在其部落格上寫道:「今年土撥鼠節讓菲爾放一天假吧!」
該遊說團體的執行副總崔西.瑞曼要求以機器土撥鼠代替菲爾。
她寫了一封信給舉辦這個乖誕年度慶典的彭蘇塔維尼市土撥鼠俱樂部理事會,信中提到:「以土撥鼠機器人代替菲爾,對貴鎮來說會是個雙贏的局面。」
「機器土撥鼠可望為貴市吸引新的好奇觀光客,而真正的土撥鼠也總算能好好冬眠。」
善待動物組織表示:「土撥鼠是害羞的動物,從洞穴被抓出來時可能會感到害怕或緊張。」
每年二月二日把這隻冬眠的土撥鼠叫醒預報天氣的傳統,因一九九三年比爾.莫非主演的喜劇《今天暫時停止》而聲名大噪。
如果菲爾看到自己的影子,冬天就將再持續六週;如果他沒看到影子,則宣告春天來臨。
善待動物組織的建議未受到重視。
主辦土撥鼠節的商業理事會會長威廉.迪利說:「這太瘋狂了。」
一名認為這「需要為冬眠作準備」的建議很可笑的菲爾迷,在善待動物組織的部落格上留言說:「為冬眠作準備?他已經有住處、食物和比多數美國人更好的醫療照顧了。他還需要準備什麼?…如果我們能過得像菲爾一樣,夫復何求。」
(法新社╱翻譯:袁星塵)
As the priest Antonius Hambroek stood in the dim chamber of Fort Zeelandia, his eldest daughter clung to him, her voice trembling. “Father, don’t go. They’ll kill you, and what will become of Mother and my sisters?” Outside, the sounds of Koxinga’s relentless canon siege boomed through the fortress. The defenders were on the brink of collapse. Starvation gnawed at their resolve, and the air carried the acrid stench of spent gunpowder and rotting flesh. Dutch reinforcements from Batavia had failed to arrive, leaving the garrison isolated and hopeless. Hambroek’s face was calm, though sorrow weighed heavily on his
As we bundle up in thick coats to stay warm during the winter, there is a population that has already adapted to extremely low temperatures. These people live in the remote city of Yakutsk, the coldest city on Earth. Yakutsk is situated in the heart of Siberia, which is the capital of the Sakha Republic in Russia. This historic mining city began to flourish in the 19th century following the discovery of gold deposits. Given its construction on permafrost, the average temperature in the city remains below 0°C for over half the year, with winter temperatures dropping to an astonishing -50°C.
The Dutch introduced the Indian mango (Mangifera indica) to Taiwan in the 17th century. It is a green-skinned mango with thick fibers that get stuck in the teeth, but it boasts a rich aroma and a unique taste. In 1954, Taiwan’s Council of Agriculture introduced several mango cultivars from Florida, USA, including the Irwin, Haden, and Keitt varieties. After seven years of testing and domestication, the Irwin variety was chosen for promotion. Years later, the sample saplings started to bear fruit. These mangoes were large, with thin, vibrant red peels and golden pulp. The Irwin mangoes were mouth-wateringly sweet and
對話 Dialogue 清清:今天中午我要多吃一點,不然晚上可能會吃不飽。 Qīngqing: Jīntiān zhōngwǔ wǒ yào duō chī yìdiǎn, bùrán wǎnshàng kěnéng huì chībùbǎo. 華華:怎麼了?為什麼會吃不飽? Huáhua: Zěnmele? Wèishénme huì chībùbǎo? 清清:今天大年初七,是「人日節」,傳統上結了婚的女兒要回家給父母送長壽麵,而且最好是素的,我姐姐會回來,只吃素麵,我應該很快就餓了。 Qīngqing: Jīntiān Dànián chūqī, shì “Rénrì jié,” chuántǒng shàng jiéle hūn de nǚ’ér yào huíjiā gěi fùmǔ sòng chángshòumiàn, érqiě zuìhǎo shì sù de, wǒ jiějie huì huílái, zhǐ chī sùmiàn, wǒ yīnggāi hěn kuài jiù èle. 華華:我還是第一次聽說有「人日節」呢!這是怎麼來的啊? Huáhua: Wǒ háishì dì yī cì tīngshuō yǒu “Rénrì jié” ne! Zhè shì zěnme lái de a? 清清:老一輩的人說,女媧是在第七天造出了「人」,所以今天可說是我們每個人的「生日」呢!生日快樂! Qīngqing: Lǎoyíbèi de rén shuō, Nǚwā shì zài dì qī tiān zào chūle “rén,” suǒyǐ jīntiān kěshuōshì wǒmen měi ge rén de “shēngrì” ne! Shēngrì kuàilè! 華華:你也是啊!欸?那前六天女媧都做了什麼呢? Huáhua: Nǐ yěshì a! Éi? Nà