Sun to strike NY streets in magical ‘Manhattanhenge’ 夕陽映照紐約街景 形成「曼哈頓巨石陣」美景

TODAY’S WORDS 今日單字

1. align v.對齊 

例: The various parts of the machine are not aligning properly. (此機器多處零件未能適度對齊。)

2. speculate v.預測 

例: It’s still too early to speculate about which candidate will win the election.(現在預測哪位候選人會當選還言之過早。)

3. effect n.效應 

例: What sort of effect do you think these changes will have in the near future?

(你認為這些改變會在不久的將來帶來什麼樣的效應呢？)

It is dubbed “Manhattanhenge” and happens semiannually when the sun aligns at dusk with streets in a glowing magic trick as rays of sunlight span across New York perfectly, from west to east.

“Manhattanhenge may just be a unique urban phenomenon in the world,” says astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, of the American Museum of Natural History, who officially discovered the phenomenon.

The name “Manhattanhenge” is a play on Manhattan, this city’s most famous borough, and Stonehenge, the megalithic monument in southern England with large stone blocks set out in concentric circles.

At Stonehenge, the sun crosses the site’s central axis during the summer and winter solstices, leading experts to speculate that the site could have been used as a sort of sun calendar, as well as for religious ceremonies.

But in Manhattan, the phenomenon takes place before and after the summer solstices when at dusk but before sunset, the sun neatly matches up with the even-numbered streets running west and east, sending out fingers of light.

“As a kid I visited Stonehenge in the Salisbury Plain of England and did research on other stone monuments across the British Isles,” deGrasse Tyson told AFP.

“So I was, in a way, imprinted by the emotional power that terrestrial alignments with the sun can have on a culture or civilization.”

“Any city crossed by a rectangular grid can identify days where the setting sun aligns with their streets. But a closer look at such cities around the world shows them to be less than ideal for this purpose,” he stressed.

DeGrasse Tyson first started thinking about the “Manhattanhenge” effect back in 1996. It was not until five years later, July 2001, that he took a photo of the sun-meets-skyscrapers display.It and others were published in 2002 in a special edition of Natural History Magazine called “City of Stars,” he said. And the effect began to become better known.

(AFP）

美國自然歷史博物館天體物理學家尼爾‧德格拉斯泰森說：「『曼哈頓巨石陣』可能只是世上一個特殊的都會現象。」德格拉斯泰森也是此現象的正式發現者。

在紐約最負盛名的曼哈頓區內，「曼哈頓巨石陣」是該區上演的一齣劇。這名稱類似英國南部的巨石陣，這些巨石遺跡以同心圓排列。

太陽光在夏至與冬至正好穿越英國巨石陣的中心軸線，引起專家們做出預測，認為巨石陣可能被當作一種日曆與宗教儀式的用途。

但在曼哈頓，此現象發生於夏至前與後，日落前的黃昏，這個時間，太陽日落軌跡恰巧與紐約棋盤式東西向的偶數街道，不偏不倚地對齊，放射出指針般的光芒。

德格拉斯泰森告訴法新社說：「我小時候去過英國索爾斯堡平原的巨石陣，並對其他遍及不列顛群島的巨石遺跡做過研究。」

他說：「陸地與太陽軌道對齊的現象，從某方面來說，對於文明也扮演重要的角色，也就是這種撼動人心的力量，讓我銘記在心。」

他強調說：「只要有棋盤式道路的城市，太陽照射軌跡與街道對齊，就能得知今天是什麼日子。但細究世界上的這些城市會發現，這並非是個理想預測日子的方法。」

德格拉斯泰森早在一九九六年，首度想到「曼哈頓巨石陣」的現象。直到五年後，也就是二零零一年七月，他才用影像記錄太陽遇見摩天大樓的景象。

他說，這與其他標題為「星光之城」的攝影作品集，於二零零二年以特刊方式，刊載於《自然歷史雜誌》。自此之後，該效應更廣為人知。

（法新社／翻譯：林亞蒂）

What did ancient Chinese people eat in summer? 沒有霜淇淋，古人夏天都吃什麼？

Su shan 酥山

Su shan is a dish that looks like crushed ice with milk and butter. 酥山是一種用牛奶、奶油製成的看起來像刨冰的美食。 Poet Wang Lingran from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) described how people made and enjoyed su shan in his poem Ode to Su He Shan. According to the text, sugar was added to su shan that was shaped into many forms. Sometimes, su shan was decorated with flowers and leaves to make it more beautiful. 唐代詩人王泠然在詩歌《蘇合山賦》中描述了人們如何製作和享用酥山。根據詩中所介紹的，人們在酥中加入糖，並做出各種造型。有時候，酥山還用花朵、樹葉作為裝飾。

"It is neither solid, nor watery and disappears once it touches teeth," the poet wrote. 王泠然在詩中寫道："非固非絺；觸皓齒而便消"。

The su shan in his poem was thought by many scholars to be an early form of ice cream. However, only the royals and nobles were lucky enough to have large iceboxes to create the delicacy in summer. 他筆下的酥山被很多學者認為是霜淇淋的早期形態。不過，只有王公貴族才有幸擁有大型冰窖來製作這一夏日美食。

Ice and iced beverages 冰食和冷飲

Although there were no fridges in ancient times, iceboxes to store ice cubes in summer had become very common in rich families by the Tang Dynasty. 儘管古代沒有冰箱，但有錢人家夏天用冰窖來儲存冰塊在唐代已經很普遍了。 At that time, people either had ice water or crunched shaved ice. 那時候，人們既可以喝冰水也可以吃冰沙。 People could easily buy iced beverages on the street during the Song Dynasty (960-1279). As a community service, some rich people even provided free ice water and medicine on the street for free. 在宋代，人們很容易就能在街上買到用冰鎮的冷飲。一些有錢人家甚至義務地在街頭路邊"散暑藥冰水"。 Ice water sold during the Song Dynasty was often added to mung beans or licorice to help prevent heat stroke. 宋代市面上出售的冰水還經常被加入綠豆湯或甘草湯來幫助人們祛暑降溫。

Cherries with cheese and cane syrup 糖酪澆櫻桃

During the Wei, Jin and Southern and Northern dynasties (220-581), dairy food appeared more frequently on ancient Chinese people's tables. 在魏晉南北朝時期，乳製品越來越多地出現在中國古人的餐桌上。 People made three kinds of cheese. One was called tian lao, or sweet cheese, which tasted like cheese yet looked like yogurt. Another is gan lao, or dried cheese, similar to solid cheese eaten today. The last one is cu lao, a kind of half-sour, half-sweet cheese, like yogurt. 當時有三種酪製品。一種叫甜酪，味道是乳酪的口感，但形態上更近似優酪乳。另一種叫乾酪，比較接近我們今天吃的固態西式乳酪製品。還有一種叫酢酪，類似於優酪乳，味道酸甜。 The climate in the Yellow River area in the Tang Dynasty was warmer and moister, very different from today. Many cherry trees were planted there at that time. The fruit was common in early summer and people often added cheese and cane syrup to the cherries. 唐代黃河流域的氣候更為溫暖潮濕，與今日很不相同。許多櫻桃樹就是在那個時候被栽種在那裡的。初夏櫻桃大量結實，人們經常將乳酪、蔗糖和櫻桃混拌在一起享用。


Lu You, a noted poet from the Song Dynasty, once wrote: "eat cherry, peach and cheese at the same time". 宋代詩人陸游有詩句雲："蠟櫻、桃子、酪同時。" Thus in the Song Dynasty, when ancient Chinese people sent cherries as gifts, cheese was often presented together. 因而在宋代，古人在饋贈櫻桃的時候，常常連同乳酪一併奉送。 When rich noble people had cherries with cheese and cane syrup, they often used plates and bowls made of gold or colored glaze to make the fruit look more mouthwatering. 當富有的貴人享用糖酪澆櫻桃時，他們經常用金盤、彩畫榼等器皿來盛放，讓這道美食在視覺上更加賞心悅目。

Hot weather and air conditioning contributing to spike in heart attacks 熱天進出冷氣房 心肌梗塞急症激增

TODAY’S WORDS 今日單字

1. sweltering adj. 悶熱的 (men1 re4 de5)

例: The apartment was sweltering because the air conditioner broke. (公寓裡空調壞掉，所以熱得喘不過氣來。)

2. heatstroke n. 中暑 (zhong4 shu3)

例: High body temperature, lack of sweating, nausea and a headache are all signs of heatstroke. (中暑的徵兆包含體溫高、缺乏汗、噁心感和頭痛。)

3. nausea n. 噁心感 (e3 xin1 gan3)

例: A wave of nausea swept over him and he suddenly fainted.

In the sweltering heat, you are constantly going in and out of air-conditioned rooms, intermittently hot and cold, which can increase the risk of having a heart attack and be hazardous to your health. Chi Mei Hospital’s Chili branch in Greater Tainan recently received three patients having heart attacks, all allegedly caused by being hot and cold off and on because they kept going in and out of air-conditioned rooms, which caused the capillaries in the heart to constrict and lead to coronary muscle blockage. 大熱天進出冷氣房，忽冷忽熱的情況容易導致心肌梗塞，危害健康。佳里奇美醫院近來就接獲三名急性心肌梗塞的急診病患，皆因進出冷氣房忽冷忽熱時造成心血管收縮，進而造成冠狀動脈阻塞。

The high temperatures last month broke historical records. According to statistics from the Bureau of Health Promotion, as many as 427 people sought medical attention because of heatstroke last month, which is twice as high as last year. The high temperatures are putting people’s lives in severe danger. 六月均溫破歷史紀錄，國健局統計，六月因中暑急診的人數高達四百二十七人，是去年同期的兩倍，高溫對民眾健康造成嚴重威脅。

With the relentless heat in recent days, Chi Mei Hospital’s Chili branch had three heart attack patients in the emergency room that were thought to have been related to the weather. Kuo Ping-jang, head of the emergency department at the hospital, said that the patients, two over the age of 80 and one 40-something, came into the emergency room complaining of chest pain, difficulties breathing and looking unwell. After an electrocardiogram (EKG) confirmed that they all had acute myocardial infarctions, they were given emergency treatment along with drugs and immediately sent to the hospital’s Yongkang branch, where they underwent cardiac catheterization. All of the patients have since left the hospital. 近日天氣持續高溫，佳里奇美醫院即已接連接獲三起疑與天氣有關的急症病例。佳里奇美醫院急診室主任郭炳讓表示，兩位八十歲病患及一位四十餘歲的病患被送急診，到院時均表示胸痛及呼吸不順，表情痛苦，以心電圖檢查確認是急性心肌梗塞，經緊急處置、給藥，立即轉送永康奇美醫學中心，由心臟內科進行心導管手術，目前均已出院。

Kuo says that heart attacks are caused by a shortage of blood supply to the heart due to coronary muscle blockage, and if you do not seek emergency treatment immediately it could do irreversible damage to the heart. The symptoms and warning signs of a heart attack include pressure or tightness in the center of the chest, nausea, paleness of pallor, anxiety, shortness of breath and a cold sweat, Kuo says. 郭炳讓並指出，心肌梗塞是冠狀動脈阻塞造成心臟肌肉缺少血液供應，若未立即急救，可能導致心臟損害。病症的特徵為胸骨後或心前區突然發生壓迫感或悶痛，伴有噁心、面色蒼白、煩燥心悸、呼吸短促、冒冷汗。

People typically assume that the low temperatures during winter increase one’s risk of having a heart attack, but Kuo says that the risk is actually slightly higher in the summer than it is in winter. The main reason, he says, is because people usually go in and out of air-conditioned rooms when the weather is scorching hot, which can cause the capillaries in the heart to constrict improperly. If the capillaries in a person’s heart already have problems it can affect the flow of blood and cause blockage in the coronary muscle, leading to an acute myocardial infarction. 他強調，大家常以為冬天氣溫驟降較易心肌梗塞，其實夏天的病例還略高於冬天。主因天氣炎熱時，室內多會開冷氣，民眾進出冷氣房，忽冷忽熱，容易造成心血管不當收縮，血管不佳的病人可能影響血液流量，進而造成冠狀動脈阻塞，引發急性心肌梗塞。

(Liberty Times, Translated by Kyle Jeffcoat) （自由時報記者黃博郎）

Resources:

http://www.yogajournal.com/health/2613
http://www.artofliving.org/in-en/yoga/health-and-wellness/20-postures-healthy-heart

Summer Anger Yoga 火氣 夏令 瑜伽

Hotter temperatures lead to hotter tempers

溫度越高火氣越大

The sun sets behind an iron ore bulk carrier moored at the iron ore loading facility in Port Hedland, about 1,600km north of Perth, Australia on May 30, 2008.
二００八年五月三十日，太陽在一艘從澳洲珀斯往北一千六百公里的黑德蘭港卸貨設備停泊的鐵礦散裝貨船落下。

Photo: Rueters

A big new study says as the world gets warmer, people are more prone to get hot under the collar. Scientists found that aggressive acts like violent crimes and wars become more likely with each added degree.

The research analyzed 60 studies of such things as the historic collapses of empires, recent wars and violent crime rates in the United States. They found a common thread — extreme weather, hot or dry, means more violence.

An author of the study said that when the weather gets bad people tend to be more willing to hurt others. The team of economists even came up with a formula that predicts how much the risk of different types of violence should increase with extreme weather.

In war-torn parts of equatorial Africa, it says, every added degree Fahrenheit or so increases the chance of conflict between groups, rebellion, war and civil unrest by 11 percent to 14 percent.

(Liberty Times)

一份大型的新研究說，隨著世界愈來愈熱，人們也愈來愈容易生氣。科學家發現，氣溫每升高一度，暴力犯罪與戰爭等咄咄逼人的舉動的可能性也隨之增加。

這份研究分析六十份針對歷史上帝國瓦解、近代戰爭與美國暴力犯罪率等的研究成果。他們發現一個共通的線索：極端天氣，不管是極熱或極乾，都代表更多暴力。

研究作者表示，天氣讓壞人們更傾向於傷害他人。這個經濟學家團隊甚至提出一套公式，預測不同種類的暴力隨極端天氣增加的風險有多高。

研究團隊說，在赤道非洲戰亂頻仍地區，溫度每增加華氏一度左右，不同群體間的衝突——叛亂、戰爭與內亂——的機率，也會增加百分之十一到百分之十四。

（自由時報／翻譯：國際新聞中心）

TODAY’S WORDS 今日單字

1. prone adj.

傾向於；易於 (qing3 xiang4 yu2; yi4 yu2)

例: I’ve always been prone to headaches.

(我容易頭痛。)

2. hot under the collar idiom

發怒的；尷尬的 (fa1 nu4 de5; gan1 ga4 de5)

例: When I suggested he was mistaken he got rather hot under the collar.

(當我暗示他錯了的時候，他相當生氣。)

3. come up with v. phr.

提出某種想法或計畫 (ti2 chu1 mou2 zhong3 xiang2 fa3 huo4 ji4 hua4)

例: She’s come up with some amazing schemes to double her income.

(她提出一些讓自己收入倍增的驚人計畫。)

Summer is the season for swimmer’s ear 夏天戲水 急性外耳炎多三成

People wash their hair and go swimming more often in the summer, and with more water entering the ears along with damage caused by improper cleaning, symptoms, for example, pain, itching, secretions and odors, can also occur more frequently.

Otolaryngologists, or ear, nose and throat doctors, have recently seen a 30 percent increase in cases of acute otitis externa, or swimmer’s ear, which if left untreated could get worse and cause the eardrum to rupture, do damage to the middle ear, and possibly affect one’s hearing.

Swimmer’s ear is very common during the summer months. Wu Sih-wei, director of Taichung Hospital’s Department of Otolaryngology, says that around 90 percent of swimmer’s ear cases are water-related. Water can easily enter the ear when washing one’s hair, rinsing off in the shower or taking a dip in the pool to cool off. When the inside of the ear is wet and moist, people will usually want to dig around in their ears, but because the skin inside the ear canal is quite thin, damage can easily be done, causing inflammation if the water inside the ear is unsanitary.

Many people this summer with ear infections are exhibiting the symptoms of pain and itching, and subsequently digging moist, odorous secretions out of their ears. In severe cases, people are not going to the doctor until pus starts running out of their ears. Most of the cases that doctors are seeing are swimmer’s ear. If the condition grows worse, it could cause the eardrum to rupture or otitis media, commonly called middle ear infection.

Aside from swimmer’s ear, many people are also getting chronic infections due to outer ear infections caused by mold, which also causes pain, itching and secretions.


Wu suggests wearing earplugs when swimming to keep water from entering the ears, and says people should not use cotton swabs or Q-tips to clean their ears after taking a shower or washing their hair to avoid doing damage to the ear canal and causing infection. Wu also adds that people should not use the same cotton swabs or Q-tips that have been used by other people when visiting hair or beauty salons.

(Liberty Times, Translated by Kyle Jeffcoat)

TODAY’S WORDS

今日單字

1. inflammation n.
發炎 (fa1 yan2)
例: Inflammation can be caused by infection.
(感染可引起發炎。)

2. symptom n.
症狀 (zheng4 zhuang4)
例: A runny nose and a sore throat are typical symptoms of the common cold.
(感冒常見的症狀包含流鼻涕與喉嚨痛。)

3. cotton swab n. phr.
棉花棒 (mian2 hua1 bang4)
例: Using cotton swabs is not a medically recommended method for removing earwax.
(用棉花棒掏耳垢不是醫界推薦的方法。)

夏季洗頭、游泳機會多，耳朵容易進水加上不當掏耳受傷，出現耳朵痛、癢、分泌物濕臭等不適，耳鼻喉科醫師觀察急性外耳炎患者增加三成，如果惡化，耳膜破損、傷及中耳，可能影響聽力。

夏季常見民眾罹患急性外耳炎，台中醫院耳鼻喉科主任吳思緯指出，約有九成患者與耳朵接觸水有關。洗頭、沖涼或是游泳消暑，都使得耳朵容易進水，當耳朵悶濕就會想掏耳朵，耳道皮膚薄，常因不當掏耳造成破皮，一旦水質不潔就容易感染細菌發炎。

今夏許多患者的耳朵出現疼痛、發癢症狀，又動手掏耳朵掏出又濕又臭的分泌物，有人嚴重到耳朵流出膿液才就醫，大多數是罹患急性外耳炎，再惡化可能造成耳膜破裂、中耳炎。
除了急性外耳炎，也有許多患者外耳感染黴菌造成慢性發炎，一樣又痛又癢，出現分泌物。
吳思緯建議，游泳戴耳塞，以避免耳朵進水，洗澡、洗頭後也盡量不要用棉花棒或用掏耳棒挖耳朵，以防耳道彎曲受傷造成發炎，也不要到理髮廳或理容院，與其他人共用掏耳棒清耳朵。

（自由時報記者蔡淑媛）