A group of seniors from Yilan County’s Yuanshan Township whose average age exceeds 75 has formed the Yuanshan Township Winning for Yilan Team, which after more than two months of practice won first place in the eastern division of the national health awareness contest held by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The group will be contending in Taipei on Oct. 7 for the national championship title in hopes of securing a second consecutive win.
The majority of the team’s members come from Yilan County’s Yuanji Dance Troupe for Youthful Seniors, which for over a decade has been exercising at Yuanshan Park, nurturing a strong team spirit and attracting an increasing number of seniors to join the group. This group of seniors, so full of vitality, performed quite well the first time that they participated in the national health awareness competition for seniors two years ago, and became the national champions last year.
Competing in the competition for the third time this year, Yuanshan Township Mayor Chiang Yung-ho joined the group at the contest as head cheerleader, and living up to everyone’s expectations, the team won first place in the eastern division and will go on to represent the east in the finals. One of the team’s members, Yu Chen-hsiao, president of the Yuanshan Health Promotion Association, says that for more than two months the team practiced every day without anyone complaining about being tired or missing a day of practice, and that the team members held their head’s high and maintained strong morale to become the top team in the eastern division.
Photo: Wu Shih-tsung, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者吳世聰
The oldest member on the team is 95 years old — former Yuanshan Township mayor Huang Ping-hui’s mother Huang Tseng A-er. One member who is 102 years old will join the group for the finals in Taipei next month. Huang Tseng says, with a smile on her face, that being able to exercise and dance with everyone keeps her healthy and happy.
(Liberty Times, Translated by Kyle Jeffcoat)
宜蘭縣員山鄉一群平均年齡逾七十五歲的阿公阿嬤,組成「員山鄉認真打拚宜蘭隊」,經過兩個多月排練,參加國民健康署舉辦的全國老人健康促進競賽,勇奪東區組冠軍,十月七日將到台北爭取全國冠軍,尋求二連霸。
Photo: Wu Shih-tsung, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者吳世聰
這支冠軍隊伍班底,主要來自宜蘭縣的「不老元極舞團隊」,成員十多年來在員山公園一起做運動,培養出深厚感情及默契,也吸引愈來愈多長者一同加入;這群充滿活力的阿公阿嬤,前年首度組隊報名參加全國老人健康促進競賽,就獲得不錯成績,去年更是勇奪全國冠軍。
今年第三次參加競賽,員山鄉長江永和隨團擔任啦啦隊長,阿公阿嬤不負所望,再度脫穎而出榮獲東區冠軍,將代表東區參加全國決賽。團員之一員山鄉衛促會理事長游振孝說,兩個多月來,每天用心練習,沒有人喊累請假,隊員保持高昂士氣,是贏得東區冠軍關鍵。
其中,最年長的是高齡九十五歲、前員山鄉長黃評譿母親黃曾阿娥;下個月在台北的全國決賽,會有一位一百零二歲的人瑞一同參加;黃曾阿娥笑著說,跟著大家一起運動跳舞真的很好,身體健康又保持心情快樂。
(自由時報記者胡健森)
The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years killed at least 16 people and damaged dozens of buildings, but the destruction was largely contained thanks to decades of preparedness work. Taiwan sits on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity along the Pacific Rim, and — much like neighboring Japan — has a long history of catastrophic quakes. How does April 3 compare with other recent quakes? The April 3 earthquake, which measured 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale, was felt across Taiwan. It was the most severe since a 7.6 magnitude quake in 1999 killed
Around the time of the Dragon Boat Festival in June, the streets of Taiwan are filled with the delightful aroma of zongzi, a traditional snack made of sticky rice wrapped in leaves. The leaves are folded into a cone and then filled with sticky rice and other ingredients such as braised pork belly, peanuts and salted duck egg yolks. The filled leaves are then tightly tied with kitchen twine and ready for cooking. 每到六月端午時節,街頭巷尾就會飄出粽子的香氣。粽子是將糯米包進粽葉的傳統美食,先將粽葉折成圓錐狀塞入糯米,以及紅燒肉、花生、鹹鴨蛋黃等配料,用棉線綁緊後即可烹煮。 Dragon Boat Festival (n. phr.) 端午節 aroma
Everyone has seen a piece of fruit turn brown after being cut. Have you ever wondered why that happens? It is a common phenomenon that occurs due to a chemical reaction called enzymatic browning. The appearance, flavor and nutritional value of the fruit are all affected by this reaction. Some fruits, such as apples, pears, bananas, avocados and peaches, are more prone to enzymatic browning than others. These fruits contain high levels of an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, or PPO for short. __1__ This causes a chain of chemical reactions that ultimately transforms the phenolic compounds into
There are several methods to prevent or slow down enzymatic browning in fruit. __3__ This lowers the pH level of the fruit tissue, causing the PPO to be far less active. Another method is to store the fruit in an airtight container or to wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Doing this will reduce its exposure to oxygen. __4__ Although fruit that has undergone enzymatic browning may look less appealing, it is still safe to eat. However, by using one of these simple methods, you can enjoy fresh-looking fruit for a longer period. 有一些方法能避免或減緩水果的酶促褐變。其中一個有效的方式就是在切片水果的表面塗上酸性物質,像是檸檬汁或醋。這樣做能降低水果組織的酸鹼值,讓 PPO 更不為活躍。另一個方式是將水果存放在密封的容器內,或用保鮮膜將其緊緊包住。這樣做會減少水果與氧氣的接觸。快速蒸一下切片水果或將其短暫浸泡在滾水中也能使PPO失去活性,並終止 PPO 與空氣的作用。 雖然經歷酶促褐變的水果可能看起來較不吸引人,但仍然可以安全食用。然而,藉由採用這些簡單方法中的其中一個,你就能在更長的一段時間享用看起來新鮮的水果。 What Did You