Ganesha Chaturthi 印度象神節

Ganesha Chaturthi is one of the largest Hindu festivals, held over an 11-day period every August or September in the Gregorian calendar. It is celebrated throughout India, but also in other countries around the world. 印度象神節是最盛大的印度教節慶之一，在每年陽曆八月或九月連續舉行十一天。不僅印度舉國慶祝，在世界其他國家也有慶典。

The festival is celebrated in honor of the Hindu god Ganesha. Idols of the god are placed in temporary public shrines and in private houses. They are then paraded around the streets in a procession down to the nearest convenient body of water and immersed. 象神節是為了紀念印度神祇伽尼薩。伽尼薩神像先安置在臨時的公共神龕及民宅，然後抬出來沿街遊行，到附近的河川水域施行浸禮。

Ganesha is a major god in the Hindu pantheon, and is instantly recognizable because of his elephant head. He is considered as the god of beginnings, the remover of obstacles and the patron of arts and sciences. Ganesha emerged as a distinct deity as early as the 4th and 5th centuries AD, although the form he took incorporated earlier attributes from ancient Indian texts.伽尼薩神是印度教眾神中的重要神祇，並因其獨特象頭而能夠立即辨認出。人們相信祂是起始之神，可以消除困難，並為藝術與科學的守護神。早在西元四到五世紀，伽尼薩神便以其獨特的形象存在，儘管其樣貌融合了更早期的印度經典的描述。

（台北時報編譯林俐凱譯）

Yoga for World Suicide Prevention Day

Vocabulary: Chinese/English (Quizlet)

1. commit suicide 自殺
2. attempt 企圖
3. prevent (v.) 阻止, 妨礙, 預防
4. mental health 精神健康狀態
5. raise (v.) 增加；提高；改善
6. awareness (n.)意識
7. preventable (adj.) 可防止的，可預防的，可阻止的
8. factor (n.) 因素；要素
9. downturn (n.) 衰退，漸入低迷
10. bully (n./v.)恃強淩弱者，以大欺小者/ 傷害；脅迫；欺負，欺淩
11. assist (v.) 幫助；協助；援助
12. assisted suicide 協助自殺，輔助自殺

III. The Reading: (Handout)

World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) is a day we should all put on our calendars. It highlights (強調) a huge but often ignored(忽視) problem in our society (社會). Every year thousands of people take their own lives. Around 3,000 people a day commit suicide. Another 60,000 a day attempt suicide. WSPD promotes (促進) ways to identify (確定) possible suicide cases and to prevent suicide. The day is organized (安排有序的) by the International Association for Suicide Prevention. This important group acts as a forum(論壇) for academics(學者), mental health professionals (職業的), and suicide survivors(倖存者) to work together to understand suicide better. They raise awareness that suicide is a preventable cause of hundreds of thousands of deaths around the world.

The word suicide comes from Latin, meaning to kill oneself. There are many factors that lead to someone taking their own life. These include depression(憂鬱症), shame (羞恥), physical pain, anxiety (焦慮), and relationship problems. A growing reason nowadays is financial ($) difficulties. There is a sudden increase in suicide in rich nations(countries) when there is a downturn in the economy (經濟). Another worrying trend (趨向) is the number of young people who resort to suicide because of bullying. Suicide is in fact, one of the leading causes of death among teenagers and young adults. In Japan, there are Internet suicide clubs so you can end your life with others who are equally desperate (拼命的). A hot topic(話題) today is assisted suicide – helping another person end his or her life.

Comprehension:

1. What problem is ignored by society?

2. Who organized World Suicide Prevention Day?

3. Which groups attend the forum?

4. Is suicide preventable? Explain.

5. Why do young people commit or attempt to commit suicide?

6. What is assisted suicide?

7. Why is bullying such a serious problem?

Students return to schools as new academic year begins 各級學校開學日 學生勤做收心操

TODAY’S WORDS
今日單字

1. school year phr. 學年 

2. campus n. 校園 

3. back-to-school adj. 開學的 

4. experimental adj. 實驗的 

5. flat-rate adj. 單一費率 

The new school year for most elementary schools and junior and senior high schools across Taiwan begins today, and that for universities in two weeks. To help students re-adjust to campus life, local education departments are introducing a series of exercises to refocus their minds, and various “back-to-school” apps that provide online reading and interactive learning. 全國大部分的國小、國中和高中的新學年將於今日展開，大學則在兩週後開學。為了要幫助學生們即早適應校園生活，各地教育局推出一系列收心操，並透過各種開學應用程式來提供線上閱讀和互動學習等活動。

This year, Taiwan Yuansheng International Academy, the nation’s first Aboriginal experimental senior high school, was launched at Christ’s College Taipei in New Taipei City’s Tamsui District. Ten Bunun freshmen will take special music and cultural lessons in addition to their regular classes. 全台首間原住民實驗高中原聲國際學院，今年亦在台北基督學院成立，該校位於新北市淡水區，十位來自布農族的新生除了學習一般課程，還有特別的音樂與文化課程。

Meanwhile, a back-to-school sales war is heating up. According to A-mart hypermarket chain and Kuang Nan Fashion Shop, items below NT$500 (US$16), such as the NT$299 book holder, are most popular this year. The nation’s three major telecom companies are also attracting student customers with a NT$488 flat-rate cellphone monthly package. 此外，開學季的促銷大戰也已開打。根據愛買量販店和光南大批發的觀察，今年以五百元（十六美元）以下商品最受歡迎，例如兩百九十九元的桌上型書架。台灣的電信三雄則推出手機每月四百八十八元吃到飽的單一費率學生價，希望能搶攻學生族群。

(Eddy Chang, Taipei Times)（台北時報張聖恩）