Yoga for Feet

The foot-washing ritual 曉明女中洗腳禮

After the Last Supper, Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, leaving behind him a paradigm of service. On Thursday last week, Stella Matutina Girls’ High School in Taichung also performed the rite of foot washing, during which Principal Chu Nan-tzu and a dozen teachers washed some students’ feet.

Chu said that the feet are the lowliest part of the body and the one that most easily gets dirty. Both washing other people’s feet and letting others wash yours take considerable courage. Just as it may be difficult for a person to bow down and kneel to wash someone else’s feet, the person receiving the service may also be worried about his own smell, the ugliness of his feet, itches, athlete’s foot and so on. It is a challenge for both the service provider and the receiver. Hence people can learn through the foot-washing service that providing a service is a humble job that requires extraordinary benevolence and love. A person who provides service with love will not think about his identity or his own needs and rights, but only the needs of others.

During the foot-washing ritual, most students felt embarrassed to have their feet washed by their teachers. The teachers washed the students’ feet attentively with clean water and then dried them. Some teachers considerately asked the students whether the water temperature was comfortable for them or encouraged them to study diligently.

Chen Chun-chin, president of the students’ union, received the foot-washing service from Chu and then provided the same service to her classmates. Chen said that, in comparison, washing other people’s feet was easier than letting others wash hers. Washing others’ feet was pure giving, whereas letting others wash hers had a lot to do with receiving. Initially, she felt very awkward about letting the principal wash her feet, since, after all, the principal is an elder as well as head of the school. However, when she saw the principal kneeling down before her, washing her feet and rubbing them, she felt embarrassed yet also enchanted. She really felt from the bottom of her heart that she wanted to emulate her teachers’ act of bowing down and serving with humility.

(Liberty Times, translated by Ethan Zhan)

耶穌在最後晚餐後為門徒洗腳，留下服務的典範，台中曉明女中上週四也辦「洗腳禮」，由校長朱南子等十餘名師長親自替學生洗腳。

朱南子說，腳是最卑微、最易弄髒的部位，不論為人洗腳或被洗腳，都需要有很大的勇氣。彎下腰、俯下身，為人洗腳，固然不易，被洗腳的人也會擔心自己腳臭、腳醜、腳癢、有香港腳等。對雙方來說，都非常不容易。因此，希望藉著洗腳禮，體會到服務是謙虛的，是需要極大的善意與愛。在愛中的服務，不會考慮自己的身份、自己的需要、自己的權利，只想到對方的需要。

洗腳禮進行時，多數學生面對師長幫洗腳都顯得靦腆。老師們則細心地幫學生用清水洗滌腳部，再仔細擦乾，有的老師還貼心地詢問學生水溫等舒適度，或是不忘勉勵學生好好加油。

自治會長陳淳蓁接受校長朱南子洗腳後幫同學洗腳。她說，兩者相較，幫人洗腳遠比接受別人洗腳容易。幫助別人只是純粹的付出，但被別人洗腳則承受較多。原本她對於是否接受校長洗腳一事十分糾結，畢竟校長是長輩又是一校之長，然而看到校長蹲在自己眼前，幫自己洗腳又擦腳的過程，感覺既不好意思卻又很奇妙，真的有從心底冒出要學習師長彎下腰、謙卑服務的想法。

〔自由時報記者蘇孟娟／台中報導〕

Hate mornings? Blame your DNA: Study discover the genes that make us 'night owls' or 'larks' 研究：愛早起的人更苗條 夜貓子更聰明

研究：愛早起的人更苗條 夜貓子更聰明

 Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, happy and slim, according to new research.

 新研究顯示，早睡早起有助於身體健康，保持心 情愉悅，還有瘦身功效。

 A study that analysed the DNA of sel ­professed 'nights owls' and 'morning larks' found that people who like to rise early tend to be thinner than those who go to bed later.

 通過分析“夜貓子”和“早起鳥”的DNA，研究發現：早起的人會比晚睡的人更瘦。

They are also less prone to depression and less likely to suffer from insomnia.

 早起的人罹患抑鬱症和失眠症的幾率也更小。
 Almost 90,000 people were asked if they were naturally a morning or a night person and had their DNA analysed.

 此項研究讓近9萬人選擇自己是“夜貓子”還是“早起鳥”，並分析了他們的DNA。



 This revealed 15 genes that were linked to a person being a 'lark' or an 'owl'.

 研究結果表明，人類體內有15個基因與“早起還是晚睡”有關。

 A preference for mornings rose with age, with more than twice as many of over­60s describing themselves as morning types than under­30s.

年齡越大，人起的就越早。認為自己是早起類型的人中，60歲以上的比30歲以下多出一 倍。

Women were more likely to enjoy mornings than men, the journal Nature Communications reports.

《自然通訊》期刊中有文章表明，女性比男性更愛早起。

 The researchers, from the California ­based genetic testing company 23andMe aren't sure why a person's body clock might be so strongly linked to health.

 此項研究的研究人員來自總部位於加利福尼亞州的個人基因檢測公司23andMe，他們也無法確知生物鐘與健康之間為何如此密切相關。

 But it might to be as simple as too many late nights taking their toll on evening types.

 但這背後的原因也許很簡單，經常熬夜讓那些夜貓子的身體付出了代價。

 For instance, the study suggested that a gene that is involved in body weight also affects whether someone is at their best in the morning or at night.

 舉例來說，該研究表明，與體重有關的一個基因會影響人們的最佳狀態是在早上還是夜晚。

Researcher David Hinds said: 'We like to think of our preferences and behaviour as core to who we are and it's interesting to see how our biology influences these things, like whether you are a morning person or a night owl.

 研究人員大衛·海因茲說：“我們喜歡把我們的偏好和行為當作'我們是誰'這個問題的核心。研 究生理特質如何影響人早起或晚睡等行為偏好其實挺有趣的。”

 'With large genetic databases available for study, we can uncover the genetics behind a variety of conditions and diseases and hopefully reach a better understanding of how we differ from one another.'

大衛還說：“現如今，可供研究的基因庫資料龐大，我們可以發現各種病症背後的遺傳學原 理，有望對個體特殊性有更深的理解。”

 But night owls needn't despair because a previous study found them to be brainier than those who leap out of bed when it is still dark.

 但“夜貓子”們也不必沮喪。之前的一項研究表明，晚睡的人比那些天還沒亮就起床的人更聰 明。

 To be precise, the brainiest go to bed at 29 minutes past midnight ­ while least clever turn off the bedroom light at 11.41pm, the British study found.

 確切地說，根據一項英國研究，最聰明的人在零點29分時睡覺，而智商最低的那些人在晚 上11點41分關燈上床。

 It is thought the division into larks and owls has its roots deep in evolution, with early risers in the Stone Age taking the initiative in food gathering, while late bidders stood guard late into the night.

人們認為，“夜貓子”和“早起鳥”這種分類可以從人類進化上找到深層原因。在石器時代，早 起的人帶頭採集食物，晚睡的人則在夜晚守夜。 Vocabulary take a toll on: 給……造成重大傷亡（或損失）

Cold and flu are not the same: If in doubt, seek prompt treatment 感冒流感大不同 勿延誤就醫

The weather has been very changeable lately. Ever since the Lunar New Year, a lot of people have been suffering from symptoms such as fever, sore throat, aching all over, vomiting and diarrhea. In addition, most people cannot tell the difference between the common cold and influenza, causing them to delay seeking treatment when they catch the flu and leading to complications.

Huang Shan-sung, a physician at the ear, nose and throat department of Da Chien General Hospital in Miaoli City, explains that the common cold is mostly characterized by upper respiratory tract symptoms such as sneezing and a runny nose, and people can recover fully in three to five days. However, the flu symptoms caused by the influenza virus are more severe, including fever, aching all over, blocked and runny nose, dry cough, poor appetite and so on.

Huang says influenza is very infectious and easy to catch if one does not take adequate preventive measures. A minority of patients may have severe complications such as viral or bacterial pneumonia, middle ear infections, encephalitis, pericarditis and other serious secondary infections. Elderly people, babies, young children, people suffering from chronic ailments such as heart, lung or kidney conditions and metabolic diseases and those with impaired immune functions should be especially careful.

Apart from getting flu vaccinations, Huang suggests avoiding going into crowded public places as much as possible, wearing a surgical mask when necessary, improved personal hygiene, frequent hand washing and making sure that air can circulate indoors. People should also make sure to get regular exercise and eat plenty of vitamin-rich fruit so as to strengthen their resistance to infection, he says.

(Liberty Times, translated by Julian Clegg)

最近天氣變化大，從春節期間開始，不少人出現發燒、喉嚨痛、全身痠痛及上吐下瀉等狀況，加上多數人分不清楚一般感冒及流行性感冒的不同，造成患上流感時延誤就醫，引發併發症。

苗栗市大千綜合醫院耳鼻喉科醫師黃山崧解釋，一般感冒多為打噴嚏、流鼻水等上呼吸道症狀，約三到五天就能痊癒，但流感病毒造成的感冒狀況較為嚴重，包括發燒、全身痠痛、鼻塞、流鼻水、乾咳、食慾不振等症狀。

黃山崧說，流感傳染性很強，未做好防範措施很容易感染，少數患者可能出現嚴重併發症，例如病毒性或細菌性肺炎、中耳炎、腦炎、心包膜炎及其他嚴重的繼發性感染等。老年人、嬰幼兒、患有心、肺、腎臟及代謝性疾病等慢性病患者及免疫功能不全者，要特別留意。

除了接種流感疫苗，黃山崧建議，應盡量避免進出人群多的公共場所，必要時戴口罩，加強個人衛生、勤洗手，保持室內空氣流通，同時維持規律的運動，多吃含豐富維生素的水果，增加身體抵抗力。

（自由時報記者彭健禮）

TODAY’S WORDS
今日單字

1. changeable adj. 變化大；起伏不定 

例: Ronald’s mood is very changeable; I wish he could chill out a little.

(羅納德的脾氣起伏不定，我希望他能放輕鬆點。)

2. ache v. 痠痛 

例: My arm muscles are aching after hand-washing three blankets yesterday.

(昨天手洗了三條毛毯後，我的手臂肌肉就一直痠痛。)

3. cannot tell the difference phr.分不清楚 

例: I cannot tell the difference between a butterfly and a moth. (我分不清楚蝴蝶與蛾的區別。)