鼠年假期跟讀#774: Cute rat lanterns unveiled for Lantern Festival
台灣燈會將於 2 月 8 日至 23 日在台中登場，交通部觀光局今（ 13 ）日公布小提燈造型，以農曆生肖鼠為題，採用家喻戶曉的老鼠娶親故事為發想，並命名為吉利鼠與美力鼠，提燈擺動時會彎腰鞠躬，相互拜年。
Taiwan Lantern Festival will run from Feb. 8 to 23 in Taichung, central Taiwan. For the occasion, the Tourism Bureau recently unveiled giveaway handheld lanterns for the young and the young at heart, featuring a rats couple inspired by the well-known Chinese story “A Rat Story.”
觀光局表示，今年小提燈利用雙面印刷方式，呈現鼠新郎「吉利鼠」與鼠新娘「美力鼠」兩個不同造型，在拿到小提燈後，可以自行選擇組裝成新郎或是新娘，並將頸部和腰部設計成可轉動的關節，提燈時上、下拉動時，會彎腰鞠躬，相互拜年，小朋友也可將手伸入小提燈內，當作手偶來玩。
Two types of lanterns are available, a rat bridegroom and a rat bride. The lanterns feature movable joints so that the paper-made cartoon characters can bow as if they were giving New Year’s greetings. More importantly, the lanterns can be used as hand puppets by children.
觀光局指出，台灣燈會將於 2 月 8 日元宵節當日晚間 7 時正式開燈，之後每小時整點展演 1 場主燈秀，小提燈也會在燈區免費發放給民眾。為響應環保節能，建議遊客儘量利用公共運輸，輕鬆賞燈，免卻塞車之苦。
The 2020 Taiwan Lantern Festival in Taichung will kick off at 7 p.m. on Feb. 8, with the main lantern light show scheduled every hour. The rats-themed lanterns will be available free of charge at the three exhibition areas during the festival. You should take public transportation to avoid traffic, the Tourism Bureau said.
觀光局表示，今年預計將發放9.5萬盞小提燈給一般民眾，在2月8日到23日每天下午3點分別在主展區（馬場園區、森林園區）、副展區（文心森林園區）共3個點發送。
Organizers have prepared 95,000 handheld lanterns, distributed by Feb. 8 to Feb. 23 at 3 p.m. at the Houli Horse Ranch, Forest Park Area and Wen-Xin Forest Park, according to the Tourism Bureau.
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台灣之光！SparkCatch夜光棒球 經日本網紅介紹大熱門｜Taiwan ‘Spark Catch’ lights up night
新發明！由台灣業者所開發的「夜光棒球」（Spark Catch）日前被日本著名YouTuber TokusanTV介紹，並且短時間就衝破10萬以上點閱率，獲得日本觀眾歡迎。
An ingenious baseball invention, “Spark Catch,” has been thrust into the spotlight thanks to a Japanese YouTuber, TokusanTV. In no time, the video was streamed more than 100,000 times, gaining the favors of many Japanese viewers.
「夜光棒球」（Spark Catch）是由發明人Link 和 Tim，身為廣大賣肝工作的上班族群之一，四年多前因為「真的好想在晚上下班後catch ball啊！」的念頭，就這麼熱血地決定著手研發顛覆市場的全新產品「Spark Catch夜光棒球」。
“Spark Catch” was invented by Link and Tim — two busy office employees. Their invention stemmed from a genuine desire: play catch ball after work at night. With this observation in mind, the “Spark Catch” — a sparkling baseball — was born.
今年夜光棒球也跟Lamigo桃猿隊合作推出限量版，並且造成搶購風潮，而最近他們也把版圖推向美國、日本等市場，希望讓更多人知道這項全新的產品。
A limited-edition of the “Spark Catch” was released this year in collaboration with a local baseball team, Lamigo. The ball was sold out within minutes. With this great start, the creators plan to release their product to the U.S. and Japan in hopes that it would reach a wider audience.
Source article: https://chinapost.nownews.com/20200108-924419; https://chinapost.nownews.com/20200115-932625