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?

Study: Vitamin D could prevent common cold 研究：維生素D可預防感冒

A study announced on Feb. 16 indicates that taking Vitamin D supplements can prevent respiratory tract infections such as colds and influenza, reigniting the debate on the effectiveness of non-prescription dietary supplements.

The study, in the British medical publication BMJ, claims to have discovered, for the first time, “clear evidence” of a link between Vitamin D and influenza, after evaluating the different results from a total of 25 clinical trials in 14 countries.

This is especially apparent for people suffering from Vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D can be absorbed through a number of foods. The human body is also able to synthesize Vitamin D endogenously when ultraviolet rays from sunlight make contact with the skin.

Many people have Vitamin D deficiency, especially residents of areas of climates of low levels of sunlight.

For many years, scientific studies have come up with mixed conclusions about Vitamin D, with some finding that low levels of Vitamin D can increase the risk of bone fracture, cardiovascular disease, colorectal cancer, diabetes, depression, Alzheimer’s disease and death. Other studies, however, showed that it was impossible to prove a link between Vitamin D and risk of disease.

(CNA, translated by Paul Cooper)

二月十六日公布的研究指出，攝取維生素D補給品可預防感冒、流感等呼吸道感染，再度掀起了非處方營養補給品是否有效的論辯。

刊登在英國醫學期刊的研究宣稱，評估十四個國家共二十五份不同的臨床試驗後，「首度發現 」維生素D和流感相關的「明確證據」。

這對維生素D含量不足的人影響特別明顯。維生素D可透過一些食物攝取，皮膚接觸到紫外線時，人體也會自行合成。

許多人維生素D含量不足，特別是灰暗陰霾氣候區的居民。

科學研究多年來對維生素D結論不一，有些結論認為維生素D偏低會增加骨折、心臟疾病、大腸直腸癌、糖尿病、憂鬱症、阿茲海默症和死亡風險，但也有研究顯示，無法證明維生素D和疾病風險有關。

（中央社）

True or False 是非題

A) For some time, sporadic studies have demonstrated evidence of a link between Vitamin D and certain diseases.

TODAY’S WORDS 今日單字

1. clinical adj. 臨床 

2. deficiency n.含量不足 

3. diabetes n.糖尿病

4. depression n. 憂鬱症

B) The recent BMJ study has shown for the first time clear evidence of a link between Vitamin D and diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s.

C) As a result of this study, the medical establishment now believes that dietary supplements can cure the common cold.

D) Vitamin D can be found in some foods, but can also be produced by the human body.

Answers: A) T, B) F, C) F, D) T

This story has been viewed 9083 times.

If Santa were salaried...如果耶誕老人支薪 年薪可賺四百萬

A child has his picture taken with a Father Christmas who turned up bearing gifts in Greater Tainan on Dec. 17.
十二月十七日在台南耶誕老人突然造訪送禮，小朋友驚喜，開心合影。

Every Christmas Eve is Santa’s busiest time. Santa Claus does not have an easy job. He not only has to prepare gifts for each of the world’s children, he also needs to deliver them to the kids in a single night. But if we were to actually calculate Santa’s salary, how much would he earn?

The latest labor survey announced on an insurance Web site discovered that, if you combined all of his festive activities, from the management and distribution to tasks such as checking off name lists of how good or naughty children have been, altogether Santa should get an annual salary of US$139,924, approximately NT$4.4 million.

The Web site explained that Santa’s tasks include managing the reindeer, reading kids’ letters, wrapping presents, keeping a stealthy check on whether children have been good, sweeping chimneys, driving the sleigh, and singing Christmas carols.

TODAY’S WORDS
今日單字

1. naughty adj. 淘氣 

例: He was always a very naughty child.

(他以前是個非常淘氣的小孩。)

2. stealthy adj. 偷偷 

例: He stole a stealthy look at the presents.

3. carol n.耶誕歌 

例: We will sing Christmas carols tonight.

(我們今晚會吟唱耶誕歌。)

(Liberty Times, translated by Paul Cooper)

每年耶誕節前夕就是耶誕老人工作的旺季。耶誕老人工作並不輕鬆，不僅須要為世上每個孩子準備禮物，還要在一個晚上之內送到孩子手上！但若現實一點估算耶誕老人薪水，他能賺多少？

一份由保險網站公布的最新的勞動力調查發現，綜合整個耶誕慶祝活動，從管理送貨系統到檢查小孩子的乖寶寶和淘氣名單等各項工程，加總起來耶誕老人一年應可賺到十三萬九千九百二十四美元（約新台幣四百四十萬元）薪水。

該網站解釋，耶誕老人的工作內容包括，管理馴鹿、閱讀孩子寫的信、包裝禮物、偷偷調查孩子乖不乖、掃煙囪、駕駛雪橇、唱耶誕歌等等。

（自由時報)