CUTE MATHEMATIC TIMES TABLE

MATH GAMES

Very fun games for primary students and useful to them at learning math~

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Dongzhi Festival 21/12/12

The Dōngzhì Festival or Winter Solstice Festival (Chinese: 冬至; pinyin: Dōngzhì; literally "the Extreme of Winter") is one of the most important festivals celebrated by the Chinese and other East Asians during the Dongzhi solar term (winter solstice) on or around December 22 when sunshine is weakest and daylight shortest. It occurred on December 21 (East Asia time) in 2012.

The origins of this festival can be traced back to the yin and yang philosophy of balance and harmony in the cosmos. After this celebration, there will be days with longer daylight hours and therefore an increase in positive energy flowing in. The philosophical significance of this is symbolized by the I Ching hexagram fù (復, "Returning").

   Traditional Activities

  Traditionally, the Dongzhi Festival is also a time for the family to get together. One activity that occurs during these get togethers (especially in the southern parts of China and in Chinese communities overseas) is the making and eating of tangyuan (湯圓) or balls of glutinuous rice, which symbolize reunion. Tangyuan are made of glutinuous rice flour and sometimes brightly coloured. Each family member receives at least one largetangyuan in addition to several small ones. The flour balls may be plain or stuffed. They are cooked in a sweet soup or savoury broth with both the ball and the soup/broth served in one bowl. It is also often served with a mildly alcoholic unfiltered rice wine containing whole grains of glutinous rice (and often also Sweet Osmanthus flowers), called jiuniang.

In northern China, people typically eat dumplings on Dongzhi. It is said to have originated from Zhang Zhongjing in the Han Dynasty. On one cold winter day, he saw the poor suffering from chilblains on their ears. Feeling sympathetic, he ordered his apprentices to make dumplings with lamb and other ingredients, and distribute them among the poor to keep them warm, to keep their ears from getting chilblains. Since the dumplings were shaped like ears, Zhang named the dish "qùhán jiāoěr tāng" (祛寒嬌耳湯) or dumpling soup that expels the cold. From that time on, it has been a tradition to eat dumplings on the day of Dongzhi.

Old traditions also require people with the same surname or from the same clan to gather at their ancestral temples to worship on this day. There is always a grand reunion dinner following the sacrificial ceremony.

The festive food is also a reminder that we are now a year older and should behave better in the coming year. Even today, many Chinese around the world, especially the elderly, still insist that one is "a year older" right after the Dongzhi celebration instead of waiting for the Chinese New Year.

残忍的温暖，你要吗？？

羽絨-穿上讓人暖意洋溢，但可知道這份溫暖，其實是白鵝、灰鵝活生生任人「凌遲式」在身上拔呀拔，一撮一撮為人類換來的？動保團體Four Paws最近發現，羽絨行業經外界多年炮轟卻依舊殘酷，而且變本加厲。

東歐不少農場為提高羽絨品質，採用活生生拔毛手法，粗暴地拔去鵝隻的頸胸前最輕最細軟的羽毛，任由牠們傷痕纍纍流血，若傷口太大，竟不用麻醉劑直接用針線縫合，殘酷得令人心寒。

近年冬季潮興羽絨，但型格羽絨走在潮流最前，人性卻在悄悄在倒退。別以為羽絨一定是在鴨鵝屠宰後才採摘，原來超輕超柔軟的優質羽絨，必須在活鵝的頸、胸、腹活剝，鵝背和鵝翼也嫌太長太重，這類羽絨動輒每公斤賣22鎊（273港元）。已屠宰的鴨鵝羽絨則會大貶值，因清洗、烘乾程序影響質量，每公斤只能賣1.6鎊（20港元）。

「那些拔毛兵團的男男女女拔到麻木，他們懶理鵝受驚，狠狠捉住鵝腳或鵝翼就扯出鵝毛，有時大力得令鵝折翼或斷腳受傷。」Four Paws幹事米勒（Marcus Mueller）本月在匈牙利考察，親眼目睹拔羽絨手法的殘酷。「如果拔完了牠們流血不止，他們會用針線粗粗把傷口縫合，全程不用麻醉藥。」噩夢，在鵝隻短短一生還不只經歷一次。米勒說「約五周後再長出鵝毛，悲劇再次重演──這樣你們才能有漂亮的冬褸！」


每隻鵝每次拔毛平均有150克羽絨，約夠填滿一個枕頭，冬褸則需要三至四隻鵝受罪。而鵝肉供食用的白鵝在26周屠宰前，最少拔毛三次。但命運最可悲的，要數灰鵝（Grey geese），牠們的肝臟可製頂級佳餚鵝肝（foie gras），一生最少遭如此殘酷拔毛一至兩次，還要接受強制灌肥，農民會用附有20至30厘米長管的漏斗，將飼料灌入鵝鴨的食道內，每天多達四次，直至12周大，鵝肝比正常肥10倍便遭屠宰，至死方休。

米勒呼籲民眾關注羽絨道德問題多年，但明顯仍然徒勞無功，活剝羽絨在匈牙利、波蘭、烏克蘭、俄羅斯和摩爾多瓦等地仍然非常普遍，無論時裝業界還是顧客，不是懵然不知，就是視若無睹。米勒歸咎是人們追捧潮流之過，坦言英、法、德等地的人根本不適合穿羽絨：「這些國家氣候潮濕，當羽絨沾濕了就沒用了，還不如穿人造纖維大褸，你也會感覺既溫暖又乾爽──而且很明顯你還有良心！」

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BENIFITS OF GREEN TEA POWDER

Green tea has become a popular drink as it has been implicated in reducing the risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, and high cholesterol. The health benefits are out there, but drinking green tea isn't your only alternative. The popularity of green tea inspired many companies to provide alternative means of getting the benefits of green tea. At many Asian grocers, you will find green tea flavored gummy bears, green tea flavored ice cream, and green tea cookies. However, as with many packaged and processed foods, the amount of the 'good stuff' can be dubious. The good news is it is easy to incorporate more green tea into your daily life with green tea powder.

Green tea powder is not a new innovation. The Japanese tea ceremony is based on matcha, a specialized green tea powder. Green tea power is as it sounds, ground up green tea leaves, thus it maintains a rich green color. You can purchase green tea powder online or at most Japanese or Chinese grocers.

Food:

With green tea powder, you can add the benefits of green tea to any food. Like tea leaves, it can be add to hot water for instant green tea. You can also shake up your exercise but adding a small amount of green tea powder to bottled water. For a quick and healthy dessert, you can mix in a teaspoon full of green tea powder to non-fat yogurt or ice cream. You can also add a spoon full to a smoothie for an extra healthy kick.

It is also suitable for baking. Just take your favorite cake or cookie recipe and add a teaspoon of green tea powder into the mix before baking. Because of its rich color, you can also use it instead of food coloring to decorate certain foods.

Skin Treatment:

The skin is the largest organ on our body. The benefits of green tea include rejuvenation of skin cells and reduction of inflammation and cancer. It does not, however, directly block UV rays. Thus, good protection against the sun should include a good sun block with green tea. They can work together to minimize any possible sun damage and subsequent skin tumors.

There are several ways to use green tea powder with your sun block (take note, however, to use zinc oxide-based sunscreens as other sunscreen chemical might react with green tea). You can keep fill a salt dispenser with green tea powder and add a little to your sunscreen before putting it on.

You can also add it to your skin treatment routines. Making a green tea mask is easy with green tea powder. Just use two teaspoon full of powder and add a teaspoon of warm water to bring out the flavonoids. You can adjust the thickness by mixing in more or less water. Because green tea lacks the irritating chemicals such as alpha hydroxy and glycolic acid, you won't have to worry about leaving the mask on your face for too long. In fact, because green tea has anti-inflammatory components, it will reduce the redness caused by facial peels and acidic facials.

Recipe for Kueh Kosui

RECIPE KUEH KOSUI

Ingredients

Serves: 8

·         100 g dark palm sugar, chopped

·         100 ml water

·         50 g sugar

·         1 pandan leaf, knotted

·         60 g rice flour

·         20 g tapioca flour

·         ½ teaspoon alkaline water

·         Topping:

·         60 g freshly grated coconut

·         pinch of salt

Preparation method

Prep: 10 mins | Cook: 30 mins | Extra time: 4 hours, cooling

First make the syrup: put the dark palm sugar , knotted pandan leaf and water into a pot and cook until it becomes a syrup. Then add regular sugar and stir until they've all dissolved. Remove the pandan leaf and let cool.

Prepare egg cups or mold in a steamer and lightly steam. Mix the rice flour and tapioca flour together and then add the alkaline water. Pour in the cooled syrup and stir to create a smooth batter.

Cook the batter in a pan over very low heat, stirring continuously until it thickens slightly and immediately remove from heat.

Pour the batter into the egg cups about ¾ full. Steam for about 15 minutes or until it's cooked and set. Remove from heat and let cool completely before unmolding.

Mix the grated coconut with a little salt. Unmold the little cakes and top with coconut.

Now, the kueh is ready to server.