Man gets letter from his 106-year-old Japanese teacher 相隔八十載 台日師生情

“I am so happy to learn that my second-grade elementary school teacher is still alive!” says Yang Tusheng, who lives in Taichung’s Wuri District. Two days ago, his classmate Yang Hantsung’s son, Yang Penjung, gave him a letter and pictures sent by their Japanese teacher, Ms Takagi, who is a centenarian. He said with great delight, “My teacher has reached 106 years old. I must personally write a letter to her, telling her what it has been like for us over the past 80 years.” 「真高興，小學二年級的老師還健在！」住在台中烏日區高齡九十歲的楊塗生，前兩天從同學楊漢宗的兒子楊本容手中接到日籍百歲女老師高木波惠的信件和照片，喜不自勝，嚷著說：「老師都一百零六歲了，我一定要親自寫信給老師，報告八十年來的近況。」

Yang Tusheng is already 90 years old, but is still in good shape and has a good memory. “Ms Takagi was our second-grade homeroom teacher in the elementary school. She was a very diligent teacher. Although her father was a police officer, many very senior students would naughtily cut her skirt apart, using scissors.” 楊塗生高齡九十了，但是身體還很硬朗，記憶亦很清晰，「高木波惠是我小學二年級時的導師，教學認真得很。雖然高木老師的父親是警察，但有高好幾屆的學長，竟然還曾調皮地用剪刀剪破高木老師的裙子。」

Yang Tusheng said he has already reached 90 years old and could not believe that 106-year-old Ms Takagi is still alive; he is really happy. Looking at Ms Takagi’s pictures reminds him of his sixth-grade homeroom teacher, Naomi, as well. “I really want to thank the postman for not giving up on searching for clues to find us. Thanks to his hard work, old folks like us can have a chance to read our teacher’s letter.” He smiled and said, “I have not used Japanese for quite a while. Neither have I written letters for a long time. I am afraid that I will not be able to fully convey what I want to say, but in order to express my gratitude for my teacher’s care for us, I will find the time to write to her, telling her how I have been.” 楊塗生說，自己已經九十歲了，沒想到高齡一百零六歲的高木老師還健在，真的很高興。看見高木老師的照片，他還想起六年級的導師叫平林，「感謝郵差不放棄找線索，才讓我們這群老學生能看到老師的來信。」楊塗生笑著說：「我已經很久沒用日文，也已經很久沒有寫信了，真擔心辭不達意，為了感謝老師的關心，我一定會找個時間寫信告訴老師自己的近況。」

(Liberty Times, Translated By Ethan Zhan) （自由時報記者陳建志）

International Day of Peace 國際和平日

Vocabulary: Self study/Review here

1. Global (adj)
2. Headquarters (n.)
3. Commitment (n.)
4. Workshop (n.) 研討會，討論會
5. Speech (n.) 演說；發言；談話
6. Celebrate (v.)
7. Individual (n.)
8. Support (n.)
9. Colleague (n.)
10. seriously (adv.)
11. something devoted to something: 將…貢獻給，把…奉獻給 EX: September 21st is devoted to peace.
12. war torn: 飽經戰亂的；受戰爭蹂躪的
    EX:It is a long-term task to rebuild the infrastructure of a war-torn country such as Angola.重建像安哥拉這樣飽受戰爭蹂躪的國家的基礎設施是一項長期的任務。

13. prayer: 禱文，禱詞

EX: a prayer of thanks 表示感謝的禱文

She always says her prayers (= prays) before she goes to sleep. 她睡前總要念禱文。

The International Day of Peace should be one of the most important days of the year. It occurs annually [every year] on September 21st. It is dedicated to peace as well as the absence [不存在；缺乏]of war. This day also serves as a global ceasefire [停火協定] day. Many countries, political groups and military groups observe [obey a custom] it. The day starts when the U.N. rings the “Peace Bell” at its New York headquarters. This bell was a gift from the people of Japan. There is a message on the side of the bell that says: "Long live absolute [total] world peace." The U.N. said: "Peace Day should be devoted to commemorating [officially respect] and strengthening the ideals[理想；標準極高的原則] of peace [and] that our permanent [長久的；永久的] commitment, above all interests [利益，好處] or differences of any kind, is to peace."

Thousands of Peace Day events take place around the world every year. These include concerts involving rock superstars to football tournaments [錦標賽] for peace and baking cakes for peace. Many organizations hold educational workshops in schools, especially those in war-torn countries. Nobel Peace Prize laureates [諾貝爾獎得獎者] also make speeches to show the world their work has not finished. Anyone can celebrate Peace Day. It can be a simple, individual act such as lighting a candle and saying a prayer. For those who want to be more active, it can involve getting the support of friends and colleagues to plan a large event. Hopefully, this day will take off and people will think about peace more seriously.

++ This is taken from my 8th grade Social Studies class.

Yoga for the Seasons 季節

Winter 冬季

Christmas

Winter Depression

Winter Sports
St. Nicholas 聖尼古拉斯節
Listening to too much Christmas music is bad for your health 臨床心理學家：聽太多耶誕音樂對健康有害
The passing of the winter solstice means that the new year is coming 進入冬至後也意味著，新的一年即

Transition From Winter (Vata season) to Spring (Kapha season)

Transition tip: Springtime is a great time for warmer, moving styles of yoga that focus on detoxing the body, especially the liver after a winter of heavier food and less movement. It’s also a great time to try something new! If you’re developing a home practice, consider adding in backbends, heart opening poses, inversions, and twists.

Spring 春天

Children Get Sick Easier 

Easter
A Spring View
St. Patrick
Detoxing排毒
Elephant water battle heralds Thai new year 大象打水仗 宣告泰國新年起跑
Steroids rely on liver to metabolize 類固醇靠肝臟代謝
Tranquility for Spring

Summer 夏天

Air Conditioning and Heart Attacks 熱天進出冷氣房 心肌梗塞急症激增

Swimmer's Ear 夏天戲水 急性外耳炎多三成

Summer Anger 火氣 夏令 瑜伽

Summer Babies 夏天出生的寶寶較不可能當上CEO
What Did Chinese People Eat in Summer? 沒有霜淇淋，古人夏天都吃什..

Transition From Summer (Pitta season) to Autumn (Vata season)

Transition tip: Autumn is a GREAT time for Yin yoga and some restorative practices. If there’s a lot of variety in your current practice, consider settling into a stable routine through the autumn and start to vary it a little towards the end of winter. If you’ve got a home practice going, try adding forward bends, standing poses, and some balance poses into the mix.

Fall 秋天

Pomelo picking tips for Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋節吃文旦 挑柚技巧學三招！
Full-moon arrives two days late for this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋月今年不圓 天文館：真正月圓要晚兩天
Diwali 排燈節

Thanksgiving, More Thanksgiving

Sources:

https://www.doyouyoga.com/how-to-change-up-your-yoga-practice-for-the-season-ahead-50917/

https://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/health/seasonal-health

Workaholics Have Serious Psychiatric Disorder 工作狂有嚴重的精神疾病

新聞辭典

1. psychiatric：形容詞，精神病（學）的。例句：She worked as a nurse in a psychiatric hospital.（她在精神病院擔任護士。）

2. workaholism：名詞，工作狂，醉心工作。例句： Japanese people are famous for their workaholism.（日本人以醉心工作聞名。）

3. neurobiological：形容詞，神經學的，神經生物學的。例句：Hundreds of millions of people worldwide are affected by neurological disorders.（全球有億萬人受神經系統疾病影響。）

Are you staying up late to finish "important" emails? Do you take work home on the weekends? You might want to re-examine why you are working so hard, because according to Norwegian research, workaholics often have a number of psychiatric disorders. 你正在熬夜結束「重要」的電子郵件嗎？你週末帶工作回家嗎？你可能要重新檢視為何工作如此認真，因為根據挪威研究，工作狂往往罹患若干精神疾病。

A study led by the University of Bergen examined 16,426 working adults and found an association between workaholism and psychiatric problems. The research found that：32.7% of workaholics had ADHD - 33.8 % had anxiety - 25.6 % of workaholics had OCD - 8.9 % had depression. 一項由卑爾根大學領導的研究，檢視1萬6426名在職成年人，發現醉心工作與精神疾病之間有所關聯。該研究發現：32.7%的工作狂患有注意力不足過動症（ADHD）－33.8 %罹患焦慮症－25.6%的工作狂患有強迫症（OCD）－8.9%患有憂鬱症。

"Workaholics scored higher on all the psychiatric symptoms than non-workaholics," said researcher and Clinical Psychologist Specialist Cecilie Schou Andreassen. "Thus, taking work to the extreme may be a sign of psychological or emotional issues." 「比起非工作狂，工作狂在所有精神疾病症狀（的檢測）中獲得高分。」研究團隊成員、臨床心理學專家賽希利．休．安德里森指出。「因此，工作太過極端可能是精神或情緒問題的徵兆。」

The scientists encourage further research in this field, stressing the importance of neurobiological deviations in workaholism . How often do you work overtime? Maybe it’s time to take a break. 科學家鼓勵在此領域作進一步研究，強調神經生物學偏差在醉心工作上的重要性。您有多常加班？也許是該休息一下的時候了。

People who read books are kinder, study finds－研究發現，讀書的人更親切

New Words:

1. empathetic：形容詞，移情作用的，感情移入的。例句：Women are usually more empathetic than men.（女性通常比男性更容易產生移情作用。）

2. interpersonal：形容詞，人與人之間的，人際交往的。例句：Interpersonal skills are the skills you use to interact with people and communicate.（人際關係技巧是你與人互動和溝通時使用的技巧。）

3. experimental：（科學）實驗的，試驗性的。例句：There is no experimental evidence for the theory.（這套理論並無實驗佐證。）

Want to become a better person? Then you might want to consider picking up a book because according to a new study, reading regularly could make you kinder and more empathetic. 想要變成更好的人嗎？你可能要考慮拾起書本，因為根據一項新研究，定期閱讀可使你更親切和更具同理心。

Researchers from Kingston University looked at the effects of reading or watching television on different traits. Participants were questioned on their preference for books, TV and plays. They were then tested on their interpersonal skills, such as how much they considered people’s feelings and whether they acted to help others.

倫敦金士頓大學研究人員探討閱讀或看電視對不同特徵的影響。受試者被問及他們對於書籍、電視和戲劇的偏好。他們隨後接受人際技巧測試，例如能在多大程度上考慮別人的心情，以及是否採取行動幫助他人。

The study found that readers were more likely to act in a socially acceptable manner. Instead, TV lovers were less friendly and less understanding of others’ views. The team suggests that reading books allows people to see things from other people’s points of views, making them better at understanding others. 研究發現，閱讀者更有可能採取社會可以接受的行為。反之，電視愛好者較不友善，且較不理解他人觀點。研究團隊指出，閱讀讓人們能從他人觀點看待事物，使他們更能了解別人。

The study revealed that fiction fans showed more positive social behavior while readers of drama and romance novels were found to be the most emphatic. Similarly, lovers of more experimental books showed the ability to see things from different perspectives. 研究顯示，虛構小說迷展現更多的正面社會行為，而戲劇和浪漫小說讀者被發現最富同理心。同樣地，偏好科學實驗書籍的人，則展現從不同角度看待事物的能力。

Women who have regular sex live longer －女性定期做愛，壽命較長

New Words:

1. uncover：動詞，揭露，揭示。例句：The investigation uncovered evidence of a large-scale illegal trade in wild birds.（這項調查揭露一起大規模非法野生鳥類貿易的事證。）

2. quiz：動詞，考問，盤問。例句：She spent an hour being quizzed by journalists.（她花了一個小時接受記者的考問。）

3. oxytocin：名詞，催產素：例句：Oxytocin is known as the "love hormone" due to its beneficial role in social bonding.（催產素被稱為「愛的荷爾蒙」，因為它扮演有助於社會連結的角色。）

Women who have regular sex live longer, a study suggests. Scientists have uncovered the first biological evidence that frequent bedroom activity boosts lifespan by protecting our DNA. 一項研究指出，定期做愛的女性壽命較長。科學家揭露首個生物學證據，頻繁的閨房之樂能保護我們的去氧核醣核酸（DNA），得以延年益壽。

Researchers quizzed 129 women aged between 20 and 50 about their love lives. They then carried out blood tests and measured the length of participants’ telomeres. The study focused on telomeres – protective caps on the ends of DNA – that predict a person’s biological age. 研究人員考問129名婦女的愛情生活，其年齡介於20至50歲間。她們稍後進行血液測試，並量測受試者的端粒長度。這項研究聚焦於端粒—DNA末端的保護帽—可預測一個人的生物年齡。

Experts found women who had regular sex had significantly longer telomeres – boosting their overall life expectancy. Shorter telomeres have been associated with aging, disease, and a higher risk of death. 專家發現，定期做愛的女性，明顯擁有更長的端粒—延長她們的整體壽命。較短的端粒與老化、疾病和更高的死亡風險有關。

How sex could have such an effect is unclear. One possibility is that it reduces stress. It may also boost the immune system. Another theory is that it triggers the release of oxytocin – the so-called cuddle hormone – which has been linked to better health.

性愛為何有此效果至今未明。一種可能性是，性愛可能降低壓力。它可能也促進免疫系統。另一項理論是，性愛觸發催產素—所謂的擁抱荷爾蒙－與更佳的健康有關。

Smartphone detox 停掉手機網路小實驗 她的生活變得....

 TODAY’S WORDS 今日單字

1. post v.發文；公佈 

例: I need to check jobs that are posted on the bulletin board. (我需要看一下公佈在佈告欄的工作職缺。)

2. habit n. 習慣 

例: Smoking is a bad habit.(抽煙是壞習慣。)

3. take...for granted phr. 當理所當然 

例: Freedom of speech should not be taken for granted. (言論自由不應被視為理所當然。)

With the popularity of smartphones, checking Facebook, chatting, playing games and swiping a cellphone screen are common and totally normal occurrences, and more and more people are becoming heavy users. Have you ever thought what life would be like without a phone connection to the Internet?

Hsieh Hsin-hsuan, who was once shortlisted by Tourism Australia for “The Best Job in the World,” posted on Facebook on Monday last week that although she had no smartphone four years ago, she has now become a heavy Internet user. “I look at my phone right before bed, I return messages while I’m on the bus, I check Facebook while I’m eating,” she said, “How could I manage without an unlimited data plan? With everyone dumping so much information on the Internet, how can I resist rushing to catch up on it?”

Wanting to test whether she really needed the Internet so badly, Hsieh said she stopped going online on her phone for one month, forcing herself to go back to the days of reaching for her phone only when it rang, turning it on only when she had to contact someone, and waiting until she got home to respond to online messages.

When Hsieh stopped using the Internet, she got in the habit of putting books in her bag, talking to taxi drivers and chatting with the station master when waiting for a train. On weekends she lay down at the seaside, closed her eyes and listened to her friends hum songs and gossip, which enabled her to converse more clearly with her friends than all the messages that she was too busy to answer.

Hsieh reached the conclusion that we do not really need a lot, but we just get used to things and take them for granted. “If you try giving yourself back all that time, you will find that there are so many things you can do,” she said.

(Liberty Times, translated by Zane Kheir)

智慧型手機普及，看臉書、聊天、玩遊戲、滑手機，每天做這些事情正常不過，更有人成為重度使用者，你有想過有天沒有網路手機生活是如何嗎？

曾入圍澳洲旅遊局「世界最棒工作」的謝昕璇，上週一在臉書發文，指出四年前她還是一個連智慧手機都沒有的人，如今卻成了網路重度使用者，「睡前的空檔要看一下手機，搭車的空檔要回一下訊息，吃飯的空檔要看一下臉書狀態，網路怎麼可能不吃到飽？別人丟的資訊這麼多不快看怎麼行？」

「想測試自己是不是真的這麼需要網路！」謝昕璇說，她停掉網路一個月，讓自己回到只有手機響才會拿出來、需要聯繫才能打開、唯有回家才能有網路回覆的時候。

謝昕璇在停網路的時候，開始習慣在包包中放本書、坐計程車或等車就和司機、站長聊天、週末躺在海邊，閉著眼睛聽朋友哼歌、聊八卦，原本回不完的簡訊，更能一次表達清楚。

謝昕璇也得到了結論，「原來我們需要的真的不多，只是已經習慣了，就當理所當然了！試著把時間還給自己，可以發現自己能做的事情還有這麼多！」

(自由時報)

Resources:
Amy Ippoliti's  4 Tips for a Digital Detox
5 Reasons For Digital Detox