Intead of adding water which could dilute the taste. add 1-2 cleaned, peeled raw potatoes into the soup. The potatoes would absorb the excess salt.
Remove cooked potatoes.
Done !
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
How to prevent tears when cutting onions ?
Place onions in refrigerator before peeling.
Breathing through your mouth instead of nose will also help.
Breathing through your mouth instead of nose will also help.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Authenticity of Buddha tooth relic still subject of discussion
SINGAPORE
Some people are still continuing to question the authenticity of the Buddha tooth relic housed in the temple along South Bridge Road.
The tooth relic is stored on the fourth floor of the temple which usually does not allow any photography.
But given the current interest, it has made an exception.
No one is allowed to enter the chamber, but from the outside, you can see the stupa which contains the tooth relic.
The stupa was built using 420 kilograms of gold, donated by devotees who can only visit the tooth relic twice a year - the first day of the Lunar New Year and Vesak Day.
The only other way to see it is through brochures, which could be the reason why people are made more curious about its authenticity.
Some experts have also reportedly questioned whether the tooth is from the Buddha himself.
Liau Ming Ong, a donor, says: "The reverend Fa Zhou have to come out to speak the truth. You cannot simply brush it off and you think it's real, it's real. It's not correct. We have scholars from all over the world, come here to take a look and they look at the size of the tooth, then it's very ridiculous."
Ong Kim Dee, another donor, says: "Since we've donated the money, we need to know the truth, whether this is the truth from a Buddha or any animal, we have the right to know. Everyday we see a lot of local and foreign tourists visit the temple. If one day they find out it is not the truth, then I think it's a joke, it's not very good for Singapore."
Renowned artist Tan Swie Hian had done some research on Buddhism and believes it teaches the pursuit of truth.
He says: "I don't mind praying to a buffalo's tooth provided I'm told it is one. Let me get it right before my prayer. The Buddha's teaching is all about seeing things as they are and this is nothing to do with Buddhism or faith. It is a claim that can be easily, conclusively proven by science."
The founder of Nei Xue Tang, a Buddhist art museum, says he had received similar looking tooth relics when he visited Myanmar previously.
Woon Wee Teng says: "Many monks gave them to me and they told me, of course these teeth are quite similar to the one in the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and they told me please, bring them home to Singapore and put in the Museum to display. And of course, I'm very careful. I must do due diligence. What I did was to take them back, to check with the vet, forensic and also I checked with dentists, they're all forensics as well and they confirm that it's a non-human, herbivore's tooth. So I make a decision to not display."
Mr Woon says if the temple has the Buddha tooth, then as a public institution it has the responsibility to show proof.
He adds that the responsibility is even greater if the temple is collecting public money.
Mr Woon says: "We mustn't be seen by the outside world, internationally that we can't tell the difference between a horse tooth and a human tooth. That would be a disaster, it's a lot of embarrassment. I think they should get it right and since it's so clear that it's a herbivore's tooth, then they must rectify it."
And verifying the authenticity of all displays is something the Asian Civilisations Museum takes seriously.
Tan Huism, Deputy Director of Asian Civilisation Museum's Curation and Collections, says: "A museum is a place where we'll display objects that are authentic to the cultures. We decide whether these objects are authentic to their cultures and their timing...through stylistic comparisons with similar objects found at that time and other museums.
"We would then look at the pieces and see how these pieces compare with similar pieces from other museums. Of course you could also do scientific testing."
Within the temple grounds, there are many notices explaining its position on the tooth relic.
It says the suggestion of DNA testing, whilst simplistic, is a practical challenge to conduct.
It adds DNA testing is also invasive and it is unlikely that any Buddhist temple and their devotees would agree to such a test for what they believe to be the Buddha tooth. - CNA/ch
Some people are still continuing to question the authenticity of the Buddha tooth relic housed in the temple along South Bridge Road.
The tooth relic is stored on the fourth floor of the temple which usually does not allow any photography.
But given the current interest, it has made an exception.
No one is allowed to enter the chamber, but from the outside, you can see the stupa which contains the tooth relic.
The stupa was built using 420 kilograms of gold, donated by devotees who can only visit the tooth relic twice a year - the first day of the Lunar New Year and Vesak Day.
The only other way to see it is through brochures, which could be the reason why people are made more curious about its authenticity.
Some experts have also reportedly questioned whether the tooth is from the Buddha himself.
Liau Ming Ong, a donor, says: "The reverend Fa Zhou have to come out to speak the truth. You cannot simply brush it off and you think it's real, it's real. It's not correct. We have scholars from all over the world, come here to take a look and they look at the size of the tooth, then it's very ridiculous."
Ong Kim Dee, another donor, says: "Since we've donated the money, we need to know the truth, whether this is the truth from a Buddha or any animal, we have the right to know. Everyday we see a lot of local and foreign tourists visit the temple. If one day they find out it is not the truth, then I think it's a joke, it's not very good for Singapore."
Renowned artist Tan Swie Hian had done some research on Buddhism and believes it teaches the pursuit of truth.
He says: "I don't mind praying to a buffalo's tooth provided I'm told it is one. Let me get it right before my prayer. The Buddha's teaching is all about seeing things as they are and this is nothing to do with Buddhism or faith. It is a claim that can be easily, conclusively proven by science."
The founder of Nei Xue Tang, a Buddhist art museum, says he had received similar looking tooth relics when he visited Myanmar previously.
Woon Wee Teng says: "Many monks gave them to me and they told me, of course these teeth are quite similar to the one in the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and they told me please, bring them home to Singapore and put in the Museum to display. And of course, I'm very careful. I must do due diligence. What I did was to take them back, to check with the vet, forensic and also I checked with dentists, they're all forensics as well and they confirm that it's a non-human, herbivore's tooth. So I make a decision to not display."
Mr Woon says if the temple has the Buddha tooth, then as a public institution it has the responsibility to show proof.
He adds that the responsibility is even greater if the temple is collecting public money.
Mr Woon says: "We mustn't be seen by the outside world, internationally that we can't tell the difference between a horse tooth and a human tooth. That would be a disaster, it's a lot of embarrassment. I think they should get it right and since it's so clear that it's a herbivore's tooth, then they must rectify it."
And verifying the authenticity of all displays is something the Asian Civilisations Museum takes seriously.
Tan Huism, Deputy Director of Asian Civilisation Museum's Curation and Collections, says: "A museum is a place where we'll display objects that are authentic to the cultures. We decide whether these objects are authentic to their cultures and their timing...through stylistic comparisons with similar objects found at that time and other museums.
"We would then look at the pieces and see how these pieces compare with similar pieces from other museums. Of course you could also do scientific testing."
Within the temple grounds, there are many notices explaining its position on the tooth relic.
It says the suggestion of DNA testing, whilst simplistic, is a practical challenge to conduct.
It adds DNA testing is also invasive and it is unlikely that any Buddhist temple and their devotees would agree to such a test for what they believe to be the Buddha tooth. - CNA/ch
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Some call for proof, others say it is not necessary
Readers have written as many as 20 letters to The Sunday Times after its report last week that there were doubts over the relic's (above) authenticity.
THE Sunday Times received 20 letters from readers after it reported last week that doubts have been cast on the authenticity of the Buddha tooth relic in a temple here.
Dental specialists had also said that they believed the tooth, said to have been found in Myanmar and given to the temple, belonged to a herbivorous animal.
At least 16 letter-writers were upset.
One of them was private tutor Brandon Lee, 35. He had sponsored more than $4,000 worth of statues and tiles in the new temple at Chinatown.
Readers suggested that the temple should let dental experts examine the tooth. They said that with so much donated to the temple's construction, there should be some transparency.
More than 60,000 donors have given the temple $45 million and 270kg of gold.
The gold was later melted and rebuilt into a 3.6m-high stupa to house the tooth relic.
The Venerable Shi Fazhao is not in Singapore and hence unable to respond to queries, said temple aides.
But he had earlier ruled out conducting DNA tests on the tooth.
Dengue Fever Can Kill You
As we enter the warmer period of the year, mosquito breeding activity increases, resulting in a jump in Dengue Fever cases in Singapore.
Mosquitoes thrive during the warmer months from April to September. Residents here are advised to check the potential mosquitoes breeding sites in and outside your homes.
Everyone has to be extra vigilant during this period to identify and destroy such breeding sites to prevent the spread of dengu fever.
There are several ways to prevent mosquito breeding.
Turn pails and watering cans over and store them under shelter.
Remove water in plant pot plates. Clean and scrub the plate thoroughly to remove mosquitoes eggs. Avoid the use of plant pots plates if possible.
Loosen soil from potted plants to prevent the accumulation of stagnant water on the surface of the hardened soil.
Do not block the flow of water in scupper drains along common corridors. Avoid placing potted plants and other paraphernalia over the scupper drains.
Cover rarely used gully traps. Replace the gully trap with non-perforated ones and install anti-mosquito valves.
Cover bamboo pole after use. Rainwater can potentially accumulate in these bamboo pole holders if they are uncovered and create a habitat.
No tray or receptacles should be placed beneath and or/on top of an air conditioning unit so as not to create a condition favourable for mosquito breeding.
Change water in flower vases. Clean and scrub the inner sides of vases. Wash roots of flowers and plants thoroughly as mosquito eggs can stick to them easily.
Consult your doctor should you have these symptons
* Flu-like illness
* Abrupt onset of high fever
* Severe headache with pain behind the eyes
* Muscle and joint pains
* Loss of sense of taste and appetite
* Measles-like rash over chest and upper limbs
* Nausea
* Vomiting
Mosquitoes thrive during the warmer months from April to September. Residents here are advised to check the potential mosquitoes breeding sites in and outside your homes.
Everyone has to be extra vigilant during this period to identify and destroy such breeding sites to prevent the spread of dengu fever.
There are several ways to prevent mosquito breeding.
Turn pails and watering cans over and store them under shelter.
Remove water in plant pot plates. Clean and scrub the plate thoroughly to remove mosquitoes eggs. Avoid the use of plant pots plates if possible.
Loosen soil from potted plants to prevent the accumulation of stagnant water on the surface of the hardened soil.
Do not block the flow of water in scupper drains along common corridors. Avoid placing potted plants and other paraphernalia over the scupper drains.
Cover rarely used gully traps. Replace the gully trap with non-perforated ones and install anti-mosquito valves.
Cover bamboo pole after use. Rainwater can potentially accumulate in these bamboo pole holders if they are uncovered and create a habitat.
No tray or receptacles should be placed beneath and or/on top of an air conditioning unit so as not to create a condition favourable for mosquito breeding.
Change water in flower vases. Clean and scrub the inner sides of vases. Wash roots of flowers and plants thoroughly as mosquito eggs can stick to them easily.
Consult your doctor should you have these symptons
* Flu-like illness
* Abrupt onset of high fever
* Severe headache with pain behind the eyes
* Muscle and joint pains
* Loss of sense of taste and appetite
* Measles-like rash over chest and upper limbs
* Nausea
* Vomiting
Saturday, July 21, 2007
A Journey to the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple
Singapore News
WHEN it comes to housing a relic as sacred as a Buddha tooth, devotees spare no expense - as was the case for the new Buddha Tooth Relic Temple in Chinatown.
More than 60,000 donors poured $45 million and 270kg of gold into the four-storey building, where a tooth believed to be one of Buddha's molars now resides in a 3.6m-high stupa made out of worshippers' gold donations.
But now, doubts have been cast over whether this tooth belonged to Buddha - or even a human
But now, doubts have been cast over whether this tooth belonged to Buddha - or even a human
being. And they range from the historical and political to the anatomical.
Mr Yap Kok Feng, a paralegal executive, wrote to Lianhe Zaobao recently claiming that the relic looks nothing like a human tooth.
When contacted, he said that he had shown a picture of it to dentists who believe it to be a herbivore's.
One of them, Dr Pamela Craig, a senior lecturer at the School of Dental Science at the University of Melbourne, told The Sunday Times she had examined photographs and compared the tooth with teeth from various animal skulls in her comparative dental anatomy department.
'There's absolutely no possibility that it is a human tooth,' said Dr Craig, who specialises in human and animal oral anatomy.
'I'm almost certain that it belongs to a member of the Bos species, probably a cow or a water buffalo.'
Dr Craig said human teeth should be rounded with a short crown and a comparatively longer root, but the picture clearly shows a long crown and a shorter root.
'In this case, looking at a photo is clear enough because it's so obvious that it's not a human tooth. It's like comparing a pear and an apple.'
The Sunday Times also showed a picture of the tooth to four other dentists, including two forensic dental experts. All said the tooth could not have come from a human.
.jpg)
'This is an animal 'cheek tooth', that is, a molar at the back of the mouth,' said Professor David K. Whittaker, a forensic dental specialist at Cardiff University in Britain.
The seemingly uneven biting surface is indicative of grass-eating animals whose teeth have 'a very efficient grinding surface for breaking up coarse plant materials,' he said.
Dr Myra Elliott, a consultant oral and maxillofacial surgeon with a practice at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre, said: 'Even if human teeth have been fossilised, there's still a pattern. And what is shown in the picture doesn't look like a primate's tooth at all.'
The size of the tooth - measuring 7.5cm - is also far too long for a human tooth, said Dr Anthony Goh, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon.
'There isn't enough space in the jaw.'
The tooth relic was supposed to have been discovered by a Myanmar monk, the late Venerable Cakkapala of Bandula Monastery, in 1980 while restoring a collapsed stupa at Bagan Hill in Mrauk-U, Myanmar.
He gave the relic to Venerable Shi Fazhao, the abbot of both the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Golden Pagoda Buddhist Temple in Tampines in 2002.
The public can see the tooth only twice a year - on Vesak Day and the first day of Chinese New Year.
When The Sunday Times asked Venerable Shi Fazhao about the tooth, he said in Mandarin: 'To me, it has always been real and I have never questioned its authenticity.'
As for the dental experts' assessment, he said: 'They can say all they want, I don't care what they say. If you believe it's real, then it's real.'
The curious dental structure is not the only bone of contention here.
In another Lianhe Zaobao commentary published on July 6, Chinese Buddhism studies researcher and lecturer Wan Bingyan cited religious and historical texts supporting the popular belief that only two of Buddha's teeth are left in this world.
They are now believed to be at the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy, Sri Lanka, and the Ling Guang Monastery in Beijing, China.
When a third surfaced in 1998 after a Tibetan monk smuggled it out and handed it to Taiwan's Venerable Master Hsing Yun of Fo Guang Shan Temple, it was fingered by Chinese officials as a fake.
Buddha's relics are venerated by Buddhists worldwide and held up as national treasures in Sri Lanka and China.
China had allowed its Buddha tooth relic to go on tour to Thailand, Hong Kong and thrice to Myanmar at the government's invitation.
Two tooth relic pagodas were later built in Yangon and Mandalay, one housing an ivory replica tooth and the other, donated religious items.
Mr Kyaw Swe Tint, counsellor at the Myanmar Embassy here, said that as far as he knows, there has been no evidence of genuine tooth relics in his country.
'This (the one believed to be housed here) could very well be a fake,' he said.
But Venerable Shi Fazhao said Venerable Cakkapala had given him the tooth; it was a private matter between two people and not between two countries. 'Don't politicise it,' he said.
Would he let an expert examine the tooth in Singapore? He replied: 'It's mine, why should I let you examine it? Why don't you go examine what's in Sri Lanka and China first?'
Venerable B. Dhammaratana, religious adviser of the Buddhist Research Society, explains that different Buddhist societies would subscribe to different versions of Buddha's legends.
'You can't say which is right or which is wrong.'
Well, I have spent about an hour in the temple with my family. It is not difficult to find a donation box. They are all located at all the entrances and on certain levels. We have donated some money on level 1 and level 4. We have also brought some mini bells each costs $1 at a gift shop. The staffs claimed that the bells can protect one from spiritual and blessed with good luck. My family was indeed very happy after visiting the temple but was quickly saddened and surprised by the abovementioned news when friends informed us about it.
Mr Yap Kok Feng, a paralegal executive, wrote to Lianhe Zaobao recently claiming that the relic looks nothing like a human tooth.
When contacted, he said that he had shown a picture of it to dentists who believe it to be a herbivore's.
One of them, Dr Pamela Craig, a senior lecturer at the School of Dental Science at the University of Melbourne, told The Sunday Times she had examined photographs and compared the tooth with teeth from various animal skulls in her comparative dental anatomy department. 'There's absolutely no possibility that it is a human tooth,' said Dr Craig, who specialises in human and animal oral anatomy.
'I'm almost certain that it belongs to a member of the Bos species, probably a cow or a water buffalo.'
Dr Craig said human teeth should be rounded with a short crown and a comparatively longer root, but the picture clearly shows a long crown and a shorter root.
'In this case, looking at a photo is clear enough because it's so obvious that it's not a human tooth. It's like comparing a pear and an apple.'
The Sunday Times also showed a picture of the tooth to four other dentists, including two forensic dental experts. All said the tooth could not have come from a human.
.jpg)
'This is an animal 'cheek tooth', that is, a molar at the back of the mouth,' said Professor David K. Whittaker, a forensic dental specialist at Cardiff University in Britain.The seemingly uneven biting surface is indicative of grass-eating animals whose teeth have 'a very efficient grinding surface for breaking up coarse plant materials,' he said.
Dr Myra Elliott, a consultant oral and maxillofacial surgeon with a practice at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre, said: 'Even if human teeth have been fossilised, there's still a pattern. And what is shown in the picture doesn't look like a primate's tooth at all.'
The size of the tooth - measuring 7.5cm - is also far too long for a human tooth, said Dr Anthony Goh, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon.
'There isn't enough space in the jaw.'
The tooth relic was supposed to have been discovered by a Myanmar monk, the late Venerable Cakkapala of Bandula Monastery, in 1980 while restoring a collapsed stupa at Bagan Hill in Mrauk-U, Myanmar.
He gave the relic to Venerable Shi Fazhao, the abbot of both the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Golden Pagoda Buddhist Temple in Tampines in 2002.
The public can see the tooth only twice a year - on Vesak Day and the first day of Chinese New Year.
When The Sunday Times asked Venerable Shi Fazhao about the tooth, he said in Mandarin: 'To me, it has always been real and I have never questioned its authenticity.'
As for the dental experts' assessment, he said: 'They can say all they want, I don't care what they say. If you believe it's real, then it's real.'
The curious dental structure is not the only bone of contention here.
In another Lianhe Zaobao commentary published on July 6, Chinese Buddhism studies researcher and lecturer Wan Bingyan cited religious and historical texts supporting the popular belief that only two of Buddha's teeth are left in this world.
They are now believed to be at the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy, Sri Lanka, and the Ling Guang Monastery in Beijing, China.
When a third surfaced in 1998 after a Tibetan monk smuggled it out and handed it to Taiwan's Venerable Master Hsing Yun of Fo Guang Shan Temple, it was fingered by Chinese officials as a fake.
Buddha's relics are venerated by Buddhists worldwide and held up as national treasures in Sri Lanka and China.
China had allowed its Buddha tooth relic to go on tour to Thailand, Hong Kong and thrice to Myanmar at the government's invitation.
Two tooth relic pagodas were later built in Yangon and Mandalay, one housing an ivory replica tooth and the other, donated religious items.
Mr Kyaw Swe Tint, counsellor at the Myanmar Embassy here, said that as far as he knows, there has been no evidence of genuine tooth relics in his country.
'This (the one believed to be housed here) could very well be a fake,' he said.
But Venerable Shi Fazhao said Venerable Cakkapala had given him the tooth; it was a private matter between two people and not between two countries. 'Don't politicise it,' he said.
Would he let an expert examine the tooth in Singapore? He replied: 'It's mine, why should I let you examine it? Why don't you go examine what's in Sri Lanka and China first?'
Venerable B. Dhammaratana, religious adviser of the Buddhist Research Society, explains that different Buddhist societies would subscribe to different versions of Buddha's legends.
'You can't say which is right or which is wrong.'
Well, I have spent about an hour in the temple with my family. It is not difficult to find a donation box. They are all located at all the entrances and on certain levels. We have donated some money on level 1 and level 4. We have also brought some mini bells each costs $1 at a gift shop. The staffs claimed that the bells can protect one from spiritual and blessed with good luck. My family was indeed very happy after visiting the temple but was quickly saddened and surprised by the abovementioned news when friends informed us about it.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Another Joke To Share
In one hot sunny day, when Melvin was passing by a fruit stall, he heard someone shouted :
'' Watermelon ! Watermelon ! Come and grab ! One for only $2 ! Not Sweet, no charge !!! Watermelon ! Watermelon ! Don't buy will regret ! ''
Melvin walked up happily to the hawker and said : '' Very Good ! May I have a Big and Unsweet Watermelon ? ''
The man cried : " What !??? ''
'' Watermelon ! Watermelon ! Come and grab ! One for only $2 ! Not Sweet, no charge !!! Watermelon ! Watermelon ! Don't buy will regret ! ''
Melvin walked up happily to the hawker and said : '' Very Good ! May I have a Big and Unsweet Watermelon ? ''
The man cried : " What !??? ''
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