Reader's Digest USA - November 2021

NOVEMBER 2021
What a
(ROAD)
The
TRIP! NICEST
By RD READERS
PLACES IN
AMERICA
HOPE. HELP. HEART.
About the
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A Trusted Friend in a Complicated World
Features
80 98
coveR StoRy
DELETE YOUR
INTERNET
FOOTPRINT*
With spies everywhere,
keep yourself safe with
these 25 smart steps.
By ChRis hoffman
65
Special RepoRt
tenants slept, much of a
The Nicest Places 92 12-story Florida condo-
in America* tRavel
minium collapsed, kill-
Take a trip with us to My Most Unforgettable
ing scores and sending
places where good Road Trip* survivors fleeing for
fRom toP: gERalD hERBERt/shuttERstoCK. alEx gREEn
people are making There’s lots to remem- their lives. But amid the
good things happen. ber while driving cross- rubble and dust, heroes
By RD EDitoRs country: buckle up, use appeared as neighbor
your blinker, check reached out to
92 your mirrors. But as our
readers will tell you, the
number one rule of the
neighbor
By KElli KEnnEDy fRom aP
road? Have some fun

along the way!
108
inSpiRation
98
DRama in Real life
How I Learned to
Make Friends Again*
It used to be so easy.
Night Terror* Then life got in the way.
In the middle of the By Billy BaKER fRom thE
night, as most of the BooK WE nEED to hang out
cover Photo illustration by Justin Metz Rd.com | NovembeR 2021 1

Reader ’s Digest Contents
Departments
4 Dear Reader 40
6 Letters
EvEryday HEroEs
8 Screen Saver
By Sydney Page from
the WaShington PoSt
12 The Book Lady
By andy SimmonS
your truE storiEs EvEryday miraclEs The Healthy
20 Penny for Your 46 Banding Together
55 More Than
Thoughts, and More By emma tauBenfeld
Winter-Dry Skin*
How to wE found a fix By liSa marie conKlin
22 Work Out Your 50 “Request” 59 Coping with
Worries by Writing Facebook Take You Dry-Eye Syndrome
By elizaBeth to Your Leaders, 60 News from the
BernStein from the and More World of Medicine
Wall Street Journal
QuotaBlE QuotEs
BEst PEt Pals
62 Giannis
Brain Games
30 Kid Being Kids 113 Fact or Fiction,
Antetokounmpo,
tHE food on Dan Levy, and More
your PlatE
Anne Sexton 117 Word Power
34 I Am Olive Oil
120 Photo Finish
By Kate loWenStein
and daniel gritzer
13 tHings Humor
40 The Dark Web
Demystified* Life in These United States �� 14
By michelle crouch Laugh Lines�� 29 from toP: Serge Bloch. Wragg/getty imageS
wHErE, oH wHErE? All in a Day’s Work �� 38
44 All Aboard! Laughter, the Best Medicine �� 52
Humor in Uniform �� 107
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2 November 2021 | rd.com * Story referenced on cover

INTRODUCING
NERVIVE
RESULTS
START IN
14 DAYS* HELPS
YOU
FALL
ASLEEP*
WORLD’S 1 SELLING NERVE CARE †

COMPANY
†
Nicholas Hall’s global CHC database, DB6, 2019 value sales at MSP
*THESE STATEMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN EVALUATED BY THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION. THIS PRODUCT IS NOT INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT, CURE, OR PREVENT ANY DISEASE.
Reader ’s Digest
DEAR READER
Getting in
the Spirit
here I come from, “nice” is
W just about the biggest com-

pliment you can receive.
“Iowa Nice” is an honor we vie with
Minnesota to claim—but we don’t downright friendly. A parade where
fight over it, of course. This sum- anyone can dress in costume, or not,
mer it was affirming to hear people and march. Businesses that roll out the
around the country sing the praises orange carpet. Friendly people, who
of my home state after the first Major will kindly direct you to the cemetery
League Baseball game played at the for a haunted history lesson. It’s just
Field of Dreams aired on national TV. a seasonal extension of the countless
So what does this have to do with instances of people coming together
the Headless Horseman? Well, I know and helping each other all year long.
a nice place when I see one, and I’ve In the spirit of all this good-
from top: James KirKiKis/shutterstocK. matthew cohen

landed near the village of Sleepy Hol- spiritedness, I’ll say that it’s not easy
low, New York. (Yes, it’s a real place!) choosing the Nicest Places in Amer-
In fact, Sleepy Hollow used to be ica, as I have helped to do for the past
called North Tarrytown until resi- four years. But it’s some of the most
dents voted to adopt its more famous uplifting work imaginable. Come
moniker in honor of local literary along as we visit this year’s crop
star Washington Irving, author of of Nicest Places, starting on page
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, fea- 65. And if you live in or know
turing the infamous horseman. about another nice place, we’d
Every fall, our towns fill love to hear about it.
up with people who come
Jody L. Rohlena,
for all the Halloween hap-
Deputy Editor
penings—and they find
a community vibe that’s Write to me at
far from terrifying. It’s [email protected].
4 November 2021 | rd.com

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in life, at age 51. I had
spent years unable to
LETTERS
Notes on the
“fit in” at school and
work. Adults with au-
September issue tism can be excellent
employees. Early diag-
nosis can make a pro-
found difference in
Brain Games That Really Work many people’s lives.
Thank you for spread-
Years ago, I began forgetting things after re-
ing the word.
turning from a trip to Australia. My husband —Teresa Ledbetter
took me to the emergency room, and four Garland, Texas
days later I awakened from a coma with a
A Thousand Stings
diagnosis that required me to exercise my
The Drama in Real Life
brain. I tried to read but couldn’t understand story of Doug April
what I was reading. But my bridge partners climbing up a rock face
had me count points in aces, kings, queens, to save his friend from
a swarm of killer bees
and jacks. And it worked! I just became a
gave me goose bumps.
Gold Life Master in bridge. One thousand bee
—Carol Szazynski Clearwater, Florida stings doesn’t seem
survivable, but I’m glad
Everyday Heroes more heart than most Ian Cappelle is alive to
When I turned to “Step- did something I know I tell the tale. April is a
ping Up to the Plate” never would’ve. It takes hero in my book.
and read “A longtime courage to give away —Emilee Jaskowiak
baseball card collector $35,000 in baseball Bethel, Ohio
seizes the opportunity cards to strangers.
to do good after a de- —Quirinius Taze True Stories
structive wildfire,” I Peters I enjoyed “The Mother
questioned how much Modesto, California of All Broken Records,”
good you could do after a true story about a
a natural disaster with My Autism Diagnosis, woman who asks her
rd photo studio
a bunch of baseball at Age 46 daughter to tell her if

cards. Then I kept Like Wanda Des- she begins repeating
reading and saw the champs, I was diag- herself the way her own
magic. A man with a lot nosed with autism later mother does, to which
6 november 2021
Reader ’s Digest
her daughter assures Where, Oh Where PRIME MOVERS

her, “Yes, you’ve al- As a proud Utah resi-
ready told me this.” dent, I was excited ✦✦ In Michelle Crouch’s
I read the story to my to see a photo of our list of Amazon facts,
daughters. One asked beautiful wind-sculpted number 13 states that
me, “Did you send that sandstone Wave in people often break into
in?” The other said, “Where, Oh Where.” smiles when they see
“Yeah, I was thinking But I was shocked to Amazon delivery vans
that too.” find that Arizona was pull up outside. My
—Alice Marcus your answer as to its grandson Jaxton gets
Solovy location. The Wave is so excited with any
Highland Park, Illinois located in Utah, just Amazon package that
north of the Utah/ arrives that my daughter
Word Power Arizona border. Arizona got him a birthday cake
made to look like an
I have two more to add would undoubtedly
Amazon box.
to your collection of like to claim it, but
—Cheryl Steiner
names that stem from it is ours! Holmesville, oHio
trades. A cooper is a —Tom Barkume
person who makes Wellsville, Utah
✦✦ I thoroughly enjoyed
barrels. In Hungary, your list of 13 things
Kovacs (like the come- From the editors: Amazon drivers won’t
dian Ernie Kovacs) is A representative from tell you, until, much to
about as common a last the Bureau of Land my dismay, I realized
ricHvintage/getty images. rd pHoto studio (pHoto frame)
name as Smith is in the Management confirms that there was no num-

United States—because that while the trail that ber 14: “Why I place your
a smith in Hungarian leads to the Wave begins largest packages directly
is a kovacs. in Utah, it crosses into in front of your outward-
—Daniel Lindsay Arizona before reaching opening door.”
Hilo, Hawaii the Wave. —P.H. via rd.com
The Power of Memory

The brain is a powerful yet finicky thing. Scents, songs, phrases,
or places can bring back memories long-forgotten. What surpris-
ing trigger has recovered a memory you’d thought was lost to
the sands of time? What random occurrence made you remember something
you’d completely forgotten about a loved one? What’s the first memory you’ve
kept from early childhood? Please share your story with us and see terms at
rd.com/memory. We might publish it in an upcoming issue.
Rd.com 7
EVERYDAY HEROES
Screen Saver
As the lost hiker grew desperate,
a stranger with an unusual pastime
was trying to rescue him
By Sydney Page
From the Washington Post
ene Compean was no stranger My phone is going to die. I’m lost,”
R to Angeles National Forest. He’d

hiked the park near his home in
Southern California numerous times.
he texted a friend, attaching a photo
showing where he was. The shot
showed his soot-stained legs hanging
But after venturing along a new path over a steep cascade of rocks.
last April, the 45-year-old mechanic All Compean could do then was
was lost. wait and hope. The temperature was
As the day faded into dusk, follow- dropping fast, and the winds were
ing several hours of aimless roaming, whipping. Dressed only in a tank top,
his concern turned to fear. The ter- shorts, and a hoodie, the hiker was
rain was remote and rugged. With no chilled to the bone. He hugged him-
flashlight, only a liter of water and a self into a tight ball, using his back-
power bar in his backpack, and less pack to shield his bare legs from the
than ten percent battery remaining frigid gusts that pounded him. But
on his cell phone, Compean was un- he wouldn’t sleep. After spotting two
prepared for anything more than the mountain lions and a bear, he spent
two-hour trek he’d planned. the night on high alert, keeping a big
Compean climbed to a spot, some stick and some sharp rocks beside
7,000 feet above sea level, where he him in case an animal came close.
found at least one bar of signal. “SOS. Sixty miles away in Ventura County,
8 November 2021 Photograph by Jose Mandojana

Reader ’s Digest
“I bet I can find

the spot,” Ben
Kuo thought
when he saw the
photo of the
missing hiker.
Rd.com 9
Reader ’s Digest Everyday Heroes
Ben Kuo was working at home when “He’s got to be on the south side be-
he read a tweet from the Los Angeles cause there’s not really any green val-
County Sheriff ’s Department, show- leys on the north side.”
ing a grainy image of a man’s legs. The That finding tightened his search,
sheriff’s search-and-rescue teams had leading him to an area that resem-
spent the previous night unsuccess- bled the terrain in the image. The
fully looking for Compean, so they final step was cross-referencing
released the photo to the public, hop- the original photo with 3-D images of
ing someone might know the location. the area from Google Earth. The loca-
Kuo, then 47, works in the tech tions matched!
industry, and he has an unusual He quickly called the sheriff ’s
hobby: “I have always loved looking department with the latitudinal and
for where photos are taken,” he says. longitudinal coordinates supplied by
Google Earth. Soon, a search-and-
AFTER SPOTTING rescue team helicopter was in the
air, hovering above Compean.
MOUNTAIN LIONS AND
After spending 27 hours alone in the
A BEAR, HE SPENT THE wilderness, Compean cried, “I’m safe!”
NIGHT ON HIGH ALERT. Days later, the two men met via
Zoom, where they made a plan to
meet in person. “Maybe we’ll go on
He frequently tries to identify where a hike,” Compean joked. Getting seri-
movie scenes, television shows, or ous, he told Kuo, “I owe you my life.”
commercials were filmed. He’s often Sgt. John Gilbert, of the sheriff ’s
successful. When he saw the blurry department, agrees. Compean’s story
image of Compean’s legs surrounded probably would have ended very
by an endless landscape of rocks and differently had a total stranger with
vegetation, he instinctively pulled strong satellite skills and a sharp eye
up a satellite map on his laptop. The for detail not taken action.
sheriff’s department said Compean’s “Ben’s help allowed us to get to that
car was parked near Buckhorn Camp- location much sooner than we prob-
ground, so he narrowed his search to ably would have,” Gilbert says.
the surrounding area. In fact, when Compean was finally
“There’s an amazing amount of in- pulled safely into the helicopter, one
formation you can get from satellites,” of his rescuers, unable to yell over the
says Kuo. The first thing he noticed din of the rotors, wrote on a piece of
in Compean’s photo were patches of paper, “You are so lucky.” RD
greenery. After comparing it to the
The WashingTon PosT (aPril 22, 2021),
satellite map, Kuo realized something: CoPyrighT © 2021 by WashingTon PosT.

Reader ’s Digest Everyday Heroes
that’s going to stretch my faith, my

The work ethic, my everything.”
So she raised the ante consider-
Book Lady ably by setting a new goal for her-
self: Give away one million books. It
sounds like an unreachable number,
By Andy Simmons but as Williams posted on Facebook:
“Don’t complain in the bleachers if
t wa s J e n n i - you aren’t willing
I fer Williams’s
mother who
got her hooked on
to work hard out
on the field.”
S o sh e g ot to
books. A librarian, work, first by roping
she read to her in friends to donate
three children ev- books or money to
ery day. “Not until buy books. Before
we went to kinder- long, as news of
garten,” Williams Williams’s project
told vadogwood Williams and a few of her books spread, strang-
.com, a local news ers started leaving
site. “Until we went to college.” bundles of books on her front porch.
When Williams, now 54, became an As quickly as the books come in, Wil-
elementary school teacher and tutor in liams gives them to local schools—free
Danville, Virginia, she wanted her stu- of charge—and also supplies books to
dents to fall in love with reading just as little free libraries around the city of
she had. But early on, she realized that 41,000 just over the North Carolina
some kids had limited access to books. border. She also hosts a book club for
“It’s very obvious to teachers of inmates in the local jail.
young children which kids are read to In the four years she’s been doing
versus kids who are not,” she said. “It’s all this, the Book Lady, as Williams
Courtesy Jennifer Hoge Williams
obvious at the end of the first day of has come to be known, has given
school.” To Williams, the solution was away more than 78,000 books—only
simple: Give kids books. In 2017, as 922,000 more to reach her goal! And
part of a civic event called Engage Dan- she’s not slowing down. It’s too impor-
ville, she gave away 900 used children’s tant for kids with few options. R
books over three days. Most people “Reading can take you anywhere,”
would be satisfied with that. Most. she told CNN. “You can travel in time
“I was like, ‘Anybody could do that,’ ” and space. If you can read, you can
she said. “I wanted to do something learn almost anything.” RD

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LIFE
in these
United States
I was eating breakfast

at a diner, sitting near
a man who had a cup
of coffee but no spoon.
Trying to get the wait-
ress’s attention, he
called out, “Excuse me,
this coffee is too hot to
stir with my finger.”
It worked. A minute
later, the waitress
returned with another
cup of coffee. “Here,”
she said. “This one
isn’t so hot.” Strahan’s teeth are hav- alarm my son even
— yefim Brodd ing a middle school more, since he loudly
Kirkland, Washington dance, where the boys reminded them, “She’s
stand on one side of the having gallbladder
Former football star room and the girls surgery!”
Trevor WhiTe/carToonsTock.com
and TV personality Mi- stand on the other.” — beryl eckert

chael Strahan is known Brighton, Colorado
for his gap-toothed grin. Shortly before my op-
But on the Mean Tweets eration, nurses tried How Are We Related?
segment of Jimmy to put my nervous son ✦✦ I don’t know why
Kimmel Live, Strahan at ease, assuring him, my in-laws feel
read aloud a tweet from “Your mother has the qualified to give me
someone who is clearly head surgeon.” parenting advice.
not a fan: “Michael That only seemed to After all, I live with

Reader ’s Digest
the results of their Just overheard my 54-year-old dad tell

efforts and it’s nothing my 58-year-old aunt, “Don’t tell Mom.”
to brag about.
—@Scarymommy So, apparently, that’s a lifelong thing.
— @bekah_owsley
✦✦ (At grocery store w/
in-laws) MIL: Is this
your cart? Me: The ✦✦ Ugh. I have to get
one with my children drunk every time I’m Got a funny story
in it? MIL: Yea. Me: .... around my in-laws just about friends or fam-
Yes. That’s my cart. so they know I’m not ily? It could be worth
Xanax—stat. pregnant. $$$. For details, go to
—@marlebean —@kendragarden rd.com/submit.
LITTLE ME
You can learn a lot about kids from their parents.
She’s So Over It Suddenly, she tripped, response: “Well, I don’t
My daughter had a and the trophy crashed, know anything.”
complete existential breaking in half. —Via Reddit
breakdown one day Everyone gasped,
when she found out expecting tears. She He’s a Family Man
that she was going to picked it up and said, When I asked my five-
have to pee every day “Look! Now I have year-old grandson why
of her life. two trophies!” he was so anxious to
—via Reddit — @marvinallen turn six, he replied,
“So I can finally get
He’s a Wordsmith She’s Curious married and have kids!”
My two-year-old son After a typical —Julee Smith
calls beards and mus- rapid-fire ques- Ogden, Utah
taches “face grass.” tion session
— @PAREENE with our five-
mikimad/Getty imaGes
year-old, my
She’s a Glass-Half-Full Gal wife won-
At a gymnastics dered why
“competition,” my she asks so
three-year-old was pos- many ques-
ing with her trophy. tions. Her
IS YOUR
BLADDER
ALWAYS
TAKING
YOU ON A
TRIP OF
ITS OWN?
In clinical trials, those taking

Myrbetriq made fewer trips to the
bathroom and had fewer leaks than USE OF MYRBETRIQ
those not taking Myrbetriq. Your
MYRBETRIQ® (mirabegron extended-release
results may vary. tablets) is a prescription medicine for adults
used to treat overactive bladder (OAB) with
symptoms of urgency, frequency and leakage.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Do not take MYRBETRIQ if you are allergic to
mirabegron or any ingredients in MYRBETRIQ.
MYRBETRIQ may cause your blood pressure
* Based on 24-month TRx shares for all branded to increase or make your blood pressure worse
OAB medications, IMS Health National if you have a history of high blood pressure.
Prescription Audit, January 2019–December You and your doctor should check your blood
2020. THIS INFORMATION DOES NOT IMPLY pressure while you are taking MYRBETRIQ.
SAFETY OR EFFICACY OF ANY PRODUCT;
NO COMPARISONS SHOULD BE MADE.
Call your doctor if you have increased blood
pressure.
MYRBETRIQ may increase your chances of
not being able to empty your bladder. Tell your
Myrbetriq® is a registered trademark of Astellas Pharma Inc.

All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
©2021 Astellas Pharma US, Inc. All rights reserved. 057-4592-PM 4/21
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION (continued)
doctor right away if you have trouble emptying about all of your medical conditions, including if
your bladder or you have a weak urine stream. you have liver or kidney problems.
MYRBETRIQ may cause an allergic reaction The most common side effects of
with swelling of the face, lips, throat or tongue MYRBETRIQ include high blood pressure,
with or without difficulty breathing. Stop using pain or swelling of the nose or throat
MYRBETRIQ and go to the nearest hospital (nasopharyngitis), urinary tract infection, and
emergency room right away. headache.
Tell your doctor about all the medicines you For further information, please talk to your
take including medications for overactive healthcare professional and see Brief
bladder or other medicines especially Summary of Prescribing Information for
thioridazine (Mellaril™ and Mellaril-S™), Myrbetriq® (mirabegron extended-release
flecainide (Tambocor®), propafenone tablets) on the following pages.
(Rythmol®), digoxin (Lanoxin®) or solifenacin You are encouraged to report negative side
succinate (VESIcare®). MYRBETRIQ may effects of prescription drugs to the FDA.
affect the way other medicines work, and other Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch
medicines may affect how MYRBETRIQ works. or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Find us on Facebook
and visit Myrbetriq.com
Important Facts About MYRBETRIQ®
(mirabegron extended-release tablets) Rx Only
Active Ingredient
Myrbetriq (mirabegron extended-release tablets) 25 mg, 50 mg
Purpose
Overactive Bladder (OAB) Symptoms Treatment
Uses
Myrbetriq (meer-BEH-trick) is a prescription medication used to treat adults with
the following symptoms due to a condition called overactive bladder: Urge urinary
incontinence: a strong need to urinate with leaking or wetting accidents Urgency: a strong
need to urinate right away Frequency: urinating often
Warnings
Do not take Myrbetriq if you are allergic to mirabegron or any of the ingredients in
Myrbetriq. See the end of this summary for a complete list of ingredients in Myrbetriq.
Serious Side Effects

increased blood pressure–You and your doctor should check your blood pressure
while you are taking Myrbetriq. Call your doctor if you have increased blood pressure
inability to empty your bladder (urinary retention)–Tell your doctor right away if
you are unable to empty your bladder angioedema–Myrbetriq may cause an allergic
reaction with swelling of the lips, face, tongue, or throat with or without difficulty breathing.
Stop using Myrbetriq and go to the nearest hospital emergency room right away.
Tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions, including:

liver problems or kidney problems very high uncontrolled blood pressure trouble
emptying your bladder or you have a weak urine stream if you are pregnant or plan to
become pregnant. It is not known if Myrbetriq will harm your unborn baby. Talk to your
doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. if you are breastfeeding or plan to
breastfeed. It is not known if Myrbetriq passes into your breast milk. Talk to your doctor about
the best way to feed your baby if you take Myrbetriq.
Myrbetriq may affect the way other medicines work, and other medicines may
affect how Myrbetriq works. Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take,
including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
Tell your doctor if you take: thioridazine (Mellaril™ or Mellaril-S™)
flecainide (Tambocor®) propafenone (Rythmol®) digoxin (Lanoxin®) solifenacin
succinate (VESIcare®)
Most Common Side Effects
high blood pressure pain or swelling of the nose or throat (nasopharyngitis) urinary
tract infection headache
Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away, or if
you have swelling of the face, lips, tongue or throat, hives, skin rash, or itching while taking
Myrbetriq.
These are not all the possible side effects of Myrbetriq. For more information, ask your
doctor or pharmacist. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088
or www.fda.gov/medwatch
Directions
Take Myrbetriq exactly as your doctor tells you to take it Take 1 Myrbetriq tablet 1 time
a day Take Myrbetriq with water and swallow the tablet whole Do not chew, break,
or crush the tablet You can take Myrbetriq with or without food If you miss a dose of
Myrbetriq, take it as soon as possible. If it has been more than 12 hours since taking the
last dose of Myrbetriq tablets, skip that dose and take the next dose at the usual time If
you take too much Myrbetriq, call your doctor or go to the nearest hospital emergency
room right away
Keep Myrbetriq and all medicines out of the reach of children.
Inactive Ingredients
Butylated hydroxytoluene, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hypromellose, magnesium stearate,
polyethylene glycol, polyethylene oxide, red ferric oxide (25 mg Myrbetriq tablet only), and
yellow ferric oxide.
For more information about Myrbetriq, talk to your health care provider.
Myrbetriq® and VESIcare® are registered

trademarks of Astellas Pharma Inc.
All other trademarks are the property of
their respective owners.
©2021 Astellas Pharma US, Inc.
057-4598-PM 4/21
Reader ’s Digest
Keeping the Change

YOUR It was November 21, my parents’ wedding
anniversary. But we had just buried my
TRUE father. So I was feeling down as I ran into the
STORIES
in 100 Words
bank to cash a check. The teller counted my
change. “Wow,” he said. “This penny is from
1951.” That was the year my parents married.
I looked and saw it was a wheat penny. My
Old Enough to sweet dad was a coin collector. He had jars
Know Better full of wheat pennies. Had the teller not
I was standing in the
grocery checkout line, commented, I would have spent that penny
wearing the Tshirt my without a second thought. But now I will
wife had given me for my
forever cherish my penny from heaven.
recent birthday. It read:
“I am the square root of —Melissa Kramer Herrin, Illinois
4,900 years old.” The
lady in line ahead of
me turned around and
looked at it, then said,
“I have no idea what
that means.” The
young man at the next
register explained,
“Ma’am, that means
he is 700 years old!”
—Fred Sallee
Belton, texas
Mind the Gaps I see some areas built up,

While we drove through but there are these long
rural South Carolina to gaps between them.”
visit family for Thanks My brother, a southern
To read more true giving, our Brooklynite gentleman, thought for
stories or submit one, friend was full of ques a moment and then an
go to rd.com/stories. tions. He studied the swered, “Down here, we
If we publish yours in passing landscape with a call those gaps farms.”
the print magazine, it worried look. “How’s the —Rose Gilbert
could be worth $100. economy down here? Maplewood, new Jersey
20 November 2021 | rd.com Illustration by Melanie Lambrick

HOW TO
Work Out Your

Worries by Writing
Spending just a few minutes jotting down your feelings
is good for your health, both mental and physical
By Elizabeth Bernstein
from The Wall STreeT Journal
22 november 2021
Reader ’s Digest
fter his father was rushed technique, and it’s different from writ
A to the hospital with gastro

intestinal bleeding, 43yearold
Yanatha Desouvre began to panic. So
ing in a journal. The idea is to reflect
honestly and thoughtfully on a par
ticular trauma or challenge, and to do
he did the one thing he knew would it in short sessions.
calm himself: He wrote. Pennebaker says that hundreds
“I’m so scared,” he started. “I don’t of studies over several decades have
know what I’ll do if I lose my dad.” looked at the potential benefits of ex
Over the next few weeks, Desou pressive writing and found that it can
vre filled several notebooks, writing strengthen the immune system, in
about his worry as well as his happy cluding for people with illnesses such
memories with his dad—the jokes as cancer, PTSD, depression, asthma,
they’d shared, the basketball games and arthritis. Research also found that
they’d watched, and the time they put it can help reduce chronic pain and
up hurricane shutters together, then inflammation, and improve mood,
cooled down with ice cream. Some sleep, and memory. And it may even
times Desouvre cried as he wrote. help reduce symptoms of depression
Often he laughed. and PTSD, and prevent colds and flu.
“Writing allowed me to face my Expressive writing works because it
fear,” says Desouvre, who teaches allows you to make meaning out of a
e ntrepreneurship at a college in painful experience, experts say. Rec
Miami. “My pen was a portal to pro ognizing that something is bothering
cess the pain.” you is an important first step. Trans
He is in good company. An exten lating that experience into language
sive body of research shows benefits forces you to organize your thoughts.
to writing about a traumatic experi And creating a narrative gives you a
ence or difficult situation in a manner sense of control.
that psychologists refer to as “expres But there are a few caveats. Expres
sive writing.” People who do this, re sive writing isn’t a magical panacea.
cording their deepest thoughts and It shouldn’t be used as a replacement
feelings, often show improved men for other treatments. And people cop
tal and physical health, says James ing with a severe trauma or depres
Pennebaker, PhD, a psychology pro sion may not find it useful to do on
fessor at the University of Texas, their own, without therapy.
Austin. Pennebaker pioneered the Yet it can be a powerful coping
scientific study of expressive writing tool for many, in large part because it
as a coping mechanism to deal with helps combat the secrecy people often
trauma in the 1980s. feel about a trauma, as well as their
Expressive writing is a specific reluctance to face emotions. “The
Photographs by Joleen Zubek Rd.com 23

Reader ’s Digest
more you avoid a problem, the more goal of the exercise is to find meaning
trouble you will have with it, because in an unsettling event.
you create a loop of trepidation and Yanatha Desouvre turned to expres-
apprehension, and increasing nega- sive writing about 15 years ago, after
tive emotions,” says Brian Marx, PhD, the breakup of what he says was an
a professor of psychiatry at the Bos- unhealthy relationship. He wrote to
ton University School of Medicine. He understand why it made him feel vul-
uses an expressive writing protocol he nerable and sometimes physically ill.
helped to design, called Written Ex- “You can’t keep things bottled up,”
posure Therapy, with PTSD patients he says. “It will make you sick.”
at the VA Boston Healthcare System.
Why write? Thinking or talking
about an event can lead to ruminat-
HE STARTS WITH
ing, where you become lost in your “THE TOUGH STUFF,”
emotions. But writing forces you to THEN WRITES ABOUT
slow down, says Joshua Smyth, PhD,
distinguished professor of biobehav-
HOW HE’S GROWN.
ioral health and medicine at Penn-
sylvania State University, who studies
expressive writing.
The mere act of labeling a feeling—
of putting words to an emotion—can
dampen the neural activity in the
threat area of the brain, says Annette
Stanton, PhD, distinguished profes- The writing brought up an older
sor and chair of the department of trauma as well. When he was nine, he
psychology at UCLA. says, he survived a shooting in a bar-
Stanton’s research suggests that ex- bershop in Brooklyn. He had night-
pressive writing can lead to lower de- mares about it over the years but tried
pressive symptoms, greater positive not to focus on it. He started writing
mood, and an enhanced appreciation about it, then kept going. It helped.
for life. “Writing can increase some- As he wrote, Desouvre asked him-
one’s acceptance of their experience, self how he felt about the traumas of
and acceptance is calming,” she says. his life and what they revealed. It was
What if you don’t consider yourself painful, he says. “But when I acknowl-
“a writer”? Don’t worry about spell- edged the pain,” he says, “I was able to
ing or grammar, and don’t share your see the courage I didn’t know I had.”
writing with anyone. But do dig deep He thinks of his expressive writ-
into your thoughts and feelings. The ing as a captain’s log—a recording
24 November 2021
How to Work Out Your Worries by Writing
HOW TO PRACTICE EXPRESSIVE WRITING:

Set aside time, alone. Choose a topic. What Don’t limit yourself. If
Turn off your phone. is bothering you most? your original topic leads
Don’t look at e-mail or Is it something you you to another one, that’s
social media. Expressive can’t talk to anyone else fine. “This is a meaning-
writing doesn’t work well about? Expressive writing making process,” says
with a lot of interruptions is perfect for this. Smyth. “It might take
or distractions. some writing to get
Let sleeping dogs lie. to what is really most
Think short-term. This is Don’t ruminate over essential.” And it’s OK if
not journaling. Your aim is something you weren’t you feel bad at first. This
to write for 15 to 20 min- troubled by to begin with. is normal if you’re focus-
utes daily for three days. Expressive writing is ing on a negative event.
meant for the topics you
Pick your medium. still need to process. Don’t share. Our writing
Using pen and paper is changes when we know
nice because it slows you Make the connections. others are going to read
down to the pace of your Explore your deepest it. Your goal is to be hon-
own handwriting. But re- thoughts and feelings. est with yourself.
search shows that using a Pick a topic that is worry-
computer or even recording you and explore why Power through. If you
ing your voice works it happened, how it is get stuck, just keep
too. “The secret sauce related to other things going. Smyth suggests
is in the translation of in your life, and why it writing the last sentence
thoughts and feelings into is bothering you now. you wrote over and over
language,” says Joshua until you get unstuck.
Smyth, PhD, professor of Give yourself advice.
biobehavioral health and What recommendations Move on. If you find it
medicine at Pennsylvania would you give to a friend doesn’t help after three
State University. with a similar issue? days, try something else.
of what happened and what he’s pandemic. But he’s also written about
learned. Sometimes he jots down just what he has gained: more time with
a few sentences. But he always starts his family, and perspective.
with “the tough stuff” and then writes “My expressive writing gave me the
about how he’s grown from the expe- courage to face my fears,” Desouvre
rience. Last year he wrote in a note- says. “And I believe it has helped me
book, recording the stress of wrestling discover the hope I need to heal.” RD
with germs, loss, misinformation, and
The Wall STreeT Journal (March 31, 2020), copyrighT
his kids’ homeschooling during the © 2020 by DoW JoneS & coMpany, inc.
Rd.com 25
Reader ’s Digest
LAUGH LINES
If I ever rob a bank, I won’t My dad and I went to a restau-
resort to guns or violence. rant and the waiter pointed at
I’ll bring in sizzling fajitas, the QR code on the wall and
said, “That’s our menu.” And my
the one distraction dad looked at it really close and
no human being can resist. said, “Is this some kind of joke?”
—@samgrittner — @johnistoasted
Restaurants
I have an idea drastically
for a hot wings overestimate
restaurant: The how much I
wings are free, but care about
napkins cost $100. which wood
— @lunch_enjoyer they smoke my
bacon over.
— @SLOnans
When I tell people I

“tried a new restau- Waiter: Would
rant,” I mean I went to you like to know
a place which is differ- the one thing on
ent from where I nor- the menu we’re
mally get fettuccini out of tonight?
alfredo—and I tried Me: No, no, I’ll
wragg/getty Images
their fettuccini alfredo. find it, thanks.

— @notviking — @whatsJo
Amuse Bouche
Rd.com | NovembeR 2021 29
Reader ’s Digest
Atlas and Poot Poot were both

born preemies, and their
bond grew as they did.
BEST PET PALS
Contest
Kid Being Kids

Poot Poot My ten-year-old daughter, Atlas,
Paris, texas and I stayed up with him all night.
Poot Poot was too little to nurse, so
his is Poot Poot, the white we milked his mother and used an
T Nigerian Dwarf goat that sur-

prised us all. Poot Poot was
born last March as a triplet and
eyedropper to hand-feed the milk
to her baby. When Poot Poot got too
groggy to eat, we put honey on his
was the tiniest kid we’d ever seen gums to give his low blood sugar a
Courtesy Mary MusiCk
at 1.4 pounds. quick boost, an old trick we’d learned

The size of a newborn rabbit at from other goat farmers.
birth, he had a body temperature so I slept on the couch with him on
low that it wouldn’t even register on top of me. To raise his body tempera-
the thermometer. We didn’t think he ture, we zipped him up in a reseal-
would make it to the morning. able plastic bag with his head poking

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Reader ’s Digest
out so we could submerge him in the kitchen sink

filled with warm water without his getting wet. We
found that it was much more effective than a heat-
ing pad to get his body temperature up.
On day two, Poot Poot turned a corner. We
finally got him to nurse from a regular baby bottle.
On our farm we have 15 goats plus chickens
and dogs. Poot Poot wasn’t the first goat we’d
had to bring inside our home, but he was the
sweetest. And the neatest. Poot Poot rarely made
messes—fortunately, because there wasn’t a
diaper small enough for him.
He stayed in the house with us for about a
month. He was just too little to keep outside; an-
other animal could
WHATEVER have pushed him
WE DO, around or scooped
him up. Each day, Atlas
HE DOES: and Poot Poot became
WATCHING TV, closer. His siblings and
PLAYING, OR the rest of the goat herd
didn’t take to him too
NAPPING. well, so he became
Atlas’s pet. She, too,
had been a preemie,
weighing only 2 pounds and 12 ounces when she
was born, so she has always thought it was sweet
that he was small, like her.
Poot Poot’s little tail wriggles at the sound of
her voice, and he likes to sit on her back while
she lies on the floor to read during homeschool-
ing. Whatever we do, he does: watching TV, play-
ade with ing, or napping. He loves to play with Atlas and
real CH CK N the dogs, even standing on top of our gentle Great
Dane when he curls up on the floor.
Now, weighing in at ten pounds, Poot Poot has
No fillers his own area outside. He has a new companion, a
two-month-old kid named Dotsy, who is already
the same size as him. Whenever Atlas steps foot
Purina trademarks are owned
by Société des Produits Nestlé S.A.
Best Pet Pals
outside the door,

Poot Poot screams
even heroes
and screams until
she comes over to
need heroes
get him. Atlas picks Over 3 million veterans suffer from
strawberries and PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder). Service dogs are proven
broccoli from the to help — even when traditional
garden for Poot Poot therapies cannot. But due to
training costs and lack of
and her to munch awareness, less than 1% of
on. The only thing he those in need of a service dog
loves more is crunchy are able to get one.
cheese balls. T D C wS v
D S s m ss
The pair play hide- p s m
and-seek in the tall s.
grass, Atlas waiting We helped pair three
until Poot Poot turns veterans with specially
trained service dogs
around, then dash- and followed their
ing off to hide, Poot year-long journey of
Poot bleating and hope and healing.
hopping as he fol-
lows the sound of her
voice. This little kid
has already brought
so much joy into our
lives and has become
a special part
of our family. RD
—Nominated by Mary
and atlas Musick
Have a Pet Pals tale?

Enter your story and
visuals and see terms
at rd.com/petpals.
Nominees may
appear in
print and
online. Purina trademarks are owned by
Société des Produits Nestlé S.A.
Reader ’s Digest
n early 2017, a special unit of the
FOOD
the
I Italian police arrested 33 members
of the ’Ndrangheta, the organized
crime group based in the Calabria re-
gion. The offense for which the men
ON YOUR were apprehended did not involve
selling drugs, committing murder, or
PLATE laundering money (though the group
is known for those things too). It was
about me, olive oil.
This notorious Italian mafia had
been taking low-quality olive mash,
called pomace, and selling it in Boston,
New York, Chicago, and New Jersey
as the good stuff—extra virgin—mak-
ing millions of dollars in the process.
This wasn’t the first time I was at
the center of some high drama; in fact,
that’s been part of my deal for millen-
nia. Take the Hanukkah story—the
one in which the Jews had only one
night’s worth of lamp oil but, miracu-
lously, it lasted eight. That was me,
back when I was more important as a
source of light than as a food.
I’ve also been used as perfume,
skin lotion, hair ointment, and even
a cleaning agent. The ancient Ro-
I Am Olive Oil … mans had no soap, so instead they’d
Beware of slather me all over their bodies and

then scrape the oil off with a dull
Imposters and blade called a strigil. I was used

similarly in ancient Greece, where
PLAINVIEW/GEtty ImAGEs
the sweaty, dirty scrapings from the

Spoilers bodies of elite athletes would be col-
lected and sold as a medicine be-
lieved to reduce inflammation and
By Kate Lowenstein other maladies. I give myself a lot of
and Daniel Gritzer credit on the health front, but I don’t
34 november 2021
think I really did much good like that.
Much more recently, I’ve been cat-
egorized into quality grades based
on processing methods and levels of
free oleic acid (the lower the level, the
more pristine the oil). Extra-virgin ol-
ive oil, or EVOO, has the lowest oleic
acid and the best flavor; it’s good raw
in dressings, or as a cooking oil. Virgin
oil has higher oleic acid but can work
as a frying oil, while refined oil (also
called “pure” or “olive pomace”) is so
heavily processed it’s better for lubri-
cating machinery than for use in food. OLIVE OIL DIP
Instances of fraud aside, high-
quality EVOO can be difficult to find, In a small bowl, stir together ½ cup
as there’s little guarantee that I will extra-virgin olive oil with 2 finely minced
Mark Derse/TMB sTuDios; ProP sTylisT: Melissa Franco; FooD sTylisT: Josh rink
still be in good form when you open cloves garlic, ½ teaspoon finely minced
the bottle. Time and heat can de- fresh rosemary needles, ½ teaspoon
grade my taste and health benefits finely minced fresh oregano leaves,
and bring me closer to full-on ran- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes,
cidity. Best-by dates often give more and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black
than two years for the oil in the bottle, pepper. Let infuse for at least 15 minutes
and up to 1 hour before serving with
but that assumes good storage condi-
fresh crusty bread. Garlic-herb oil can
tions, which are far from guaranteed
be refrigerated in an airtight container
in many places. How do you avoid for up to 2 days.
such pitfalls? There’s no easy answer,
but look for bottles that have a best- from a specialty shop that has a direct
by date that’s as far out as possible, relationship with the farmers, or from
which suggests it’s fresher. bigger (often more affordable) produc-
Avoid super cheap EVOO—a good ers that have a transparent process.
everyday olive oil costs about $15 per It’s also smart to skip those giant
liter. Go lower than that and chances jugs of me unless you’re sure you’ll
of getting the good stuff diminish. use me up within a couple of months,
Because light speeds oxidation, steer as I go rancid rapidly once my con-
clear of clear bottles; any company se- tainer is opened. Good versions of
rious about my quality will sell me in me can taste herbal, grassy, almondy,
dark glass or tin. Look for companies artichoke-y, green tomato-ish, and
with a shorter supply chain by buying peppery. Some varieties of me are
Rd.com 35
Reader ’s Digest The Food on Your Plate
artichoke-y, green tomato-ish, and If you’ve read much about oils

peppery. Some varieties of me are for cooking, their smoke point—the
floral, some mild, and others spicy. temperature at which the oil begins
Among my main sources of bit- to visibly emit bluish smoke, a sign of
terness are the antioxidants known the oil degrading as harmful free radi-
as polyphenols. An oil isn’t inher- cals form—has likely come up. EVOO
ently higher quality if it’s more bit- has a relatively low smoke point as
ter, though that might be indicative cooking oils go—somewhere in the
of more health benefits. In general, 320-370° range, which are typical
I’m one of the healthiest oils you frying temps.
can eat, courtesy of my low ratio of It’d be easy to conclude that EVOO
saturated fats and high proportion of should therefore be avoided for fry-
heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, ing, but this isn’t necessarily the
which tend to be more plentiful than case. Thanks to my high antioxidants,
in other vegetable oils. I am also a very stable oil, so while
My uses in the kitchen are vast, but my smoke point is low, I resist free-
I’m most handy for oiling a pan be- radical formation quite well, mak-
fore sautéing and for making simple ing me, counterintuitively, a pretty
sauces, vinaigrettes, and marinades. decent oil for frying. But of course,
I have a distinctive flavor, so using that assumes you’re getting the real
me in a dish is a question of whether me and not some cheap knockoff. RD
you want my flavor in your food. If the
answer is no—say, if you’re making a Kate Lowenstein is a health journalist
birthday cake or Chinese stir-fried and the editor-in-chief at Vice; Daniel
vegetables—a more neutral oil might Gritzer is the culinary director of the
be a better fit. cooking site Serious Eats.
Fair Weather Friend

One night when Al Roker was still a young meteorologist in Cleveland, the
evening news anchor, Doug Adair, was swatted on the head by a homeless
African American man outside the studio. During the broadcast the next day,
Adair turned to Roker and said, “Al, I don’t know if you heard, but last night
after the 11 o’clock news one of your people attacked me.” Before anyone
could draw a shocked breath, Roker calmly turned to him and asked,
“Doug, why would a weatherman attack you?” And that, my friends, is how
you become one of the most beloved fixtures on network news.
Judith NewmaN iN the New York times
36 november 2021 | rd.com

All
in a Day’s
WORK
“You don’t get an office. You get cargo pants.”
My 14-year-old’s first job asked how I learned in my arms, two on

was as a dishwasher at a about the job, I wrote, my shoulders, and one
restaurant. After his first ‘My mother taught me.’” on my head.
leo Cullum/CartoonstoCk.Com
shift, he came home up- —Veronica Barnard — @whoopiepie10

set, saying his cowork- Townsend,
ers had laughed at him. Massachusetts ✦✦ I earned $30 working
“Why would they do construction for a
that?” I asked. More First-Job Woes temp agency. When I
“Because our boss ✦✦ Had a job walking finished, there was a
posted my application five Chihuahuas. When $35 parking ticket on
on the bulletin board in they got tired, I had to my car.
the kitchen. Where it carry them home. Two — @DonnyJ44
38 November 2021
Reader ’s Digest
A guy in my office is shaking his protein Me (texting boss): We

shake, and this woman poked her head still on for work today?
Boss: Yes. You don’t
around the corner and said, “Do I hear have to text me this
margaritasssss?”... No Janet, it’s 10 a.m. every morning. We’re
— @TJKilbride “on” for work every day,
Mon.-Fri.
— @dlicj
✦✦ A woman yelled at he had a valid excuse.
me for watching her “Sorry, officer,” he
swim. I was a lifeguard. said. “I just had the car your funny story
—@ReaganPitrowski washed and was drying about the workplace
it out.” could be worth $$$.
The driver I stopped —Charles Dunning For details, go to page 2
for speeding insisted Haines City, Florida or rd.com/submit.
WOULD YOU HIRE THEM?

A job interview is your chance to
make a good first impression on
hiring managers. Don’t screw it up
the way these people did.
✦✦ My colleague and I interviewed a ✦✦ Pointing to the employment applica-

very nervous guy. When he got up to tion question “Have you ever been con-
leave, he opened the wrong door and victed of a felony?” a job-seeker asked,
walked into the closet. We waited for “You only want the felonies?” This was
him to emerge, and when he didn’t, for a banking position.
my coworker went to investigate. The Source: monSTer.com
poor man was so mortified, he was
trying to climb out a window rather ✦✦ I went to greet an interviewee in
STurTi/GeTTy imaGeS
than go back in. the lobby. I should point out that I am

Source: The Guardian five foot one and she is much taller.
Anyway, the moment she saw me,
✦✦ The candidate stated that his career she stood up, stuck out her hand,
goal was not to work. and said, “Well, hi there, Shorty!”
Source: inc.com Source: inc.com
Rd.com 39
13 THINGS
The Dark Web Demystified

By Michelle Crouch
The dark web is a collection of Because it’s anonymous and
1 Internet sites that you can’t find

with a regular search engine and
that people can visit anonymously.
2 encrypted, the dark web is (per-
haps unsurprisingly) a hotbed
of criminal activity. On dark web
As opposed to the “surface web” (the marketplaces, there are listings to
searchable part of the Internet that buy drugs, firearms, porn, exotic
anyone can access), the dark web animals, credit card numbers, and
is a subset of the “deep web,” which more—complete with photos, gush-
houses password-protected medical ing descriptions, and user reviews.
and financial records, pages behind There are also hate sites, conspiracy
paywalls, and cloud-based e-mail theory forums, and how-to tutorials
accounts such as Gmail. for every illegal activity imaginable.
40 November 2021 Illustration by Serge Bloch

Reader ’s Digest
Although simply intermediary. Bitcoin in 2020, according
3 accessing the dark

web is perfectly
legal, it can be risky
was the original cur-
rency of choice, but
it has been losing favor
to cybersecurity firm
Gemini Advisory.
Criminals use stolen
because the dark web because law enforce- data to make online
doesn’t have as many ment has been able purchases, or they
built-in protections as to trace some Bitcoin imprint it onto a card
the surface web does. transactions. Dark web they can walk into a
Surfing the dark web market administrators business and use.
can expose you to mali- are now experimenting
cious software, hackers, with other currencies, An easy way to
bots, and scams.
Since you can’t

including Monero
and Litecoin. 8 keep your credit
cards off the dark
web: Make sure a web-
4 find the dark web

using a regular
browser such as 6
The number of
dark web forum
users surged dur-
site address starts with
“https” (the “s” stands
for “secure”) before you
Chrome or Safari, users ing the COVID-19 lock- enter your payment
have to download a down. Criminals have information. You could
special router to get taken advantage of our also use a mobile pay-
there. The most popu- increased time online, ment app (think PayPal
lar is called Tor, short security gaps created or Apple Pay) that uses
for The Onion Router. by remote workforces, a technology that hides
It’s based on technol- and people’s anxiety your credit card num-
ogy developed by the during the crisis. ber when you pay.
U.S. Naval Research
Laboratory to protect Even if you’ve Some companies
the communications of
U.S. agents operating
under hostile regimes.
7 never been on the
dark web, there’s a
chance your credit card
9 will do a “dark
web sweep” to
check whether your
or bank information information has been
Purchases on has. Both the number compromised. But
5 the dark web are

made with crypto-
currency, which allows
and volume of data
breaches have esca-
lated in recent years,
there’s no reason to pay
for this service. To see
if your e-mail or phone
people to transfer and at least 115 million number has been in-
money instantly and stolen debit and credit cluded in a dark web
anonymously anywhere cards were posted to data dump, go to
in the world without an dark web marketplaces haveibeenpwnd.com.
Rd.com 41
Reader ’s Digest 13 Things
If you learn you’ve been as proof. Then they in totalitarian countries

part of a breach, change claim to have hacked who want access to un-
passwords and monitor into your computer and filtered or factual infor-
financial accounts—or recorded you visiting an mation. People under
consider a credit freeze. adult website or some- oppressive regimes can
thing else embarrass- use it to safely express
There’s a ing, and threaten to views that oppose their
10 reason why
experts say
you shouldn’t use the
distribute the video to
your contacts unless
you pay a ransom. If
government and to
access organizations for
support and resources.
same log-in credentials this scam happens to It’s also a place where
for different websites. you, don’t pay a dime. anonymous sources
Cybercriminals on Report it to the FBI and whistleblowers can
the dark web buy huge at ic3.gov. share secrets or tips
databases of username with journalists and law
and password combina- Increasingly, enforcement without
tions that come from
data breaches. Then
they use bots to plug
12 law enforce-
ment is using
the dark web to pin-
compromising their
identities. Many legiti-
mate organizations, in-
the credentials into point and break up cluding the New York
bank portals and other illegal activity. In one Times and Facebook,
lucrative sites until they of the biggest busts so have versions of their
crack into an account. far, 338 people were sites on the dark web. RD
arrested worldwide in
Fraudsters 2019 as part of a take- Protect Yourself
11 also use dark

web username/
password lists for a
down of a dark web
child pornography site.
Learn more ways to
safeguard your iden-
tity and maintain
anonymity online
common blackmail But The dark
scam: They e-mail you
saying they have your
password and share it
13 web isn’t all
bad. It can be a
lifeline for people living
in “Delete Your Inter-
net Footprint” on
page 80.
Goodnight Twitter, Goodnight Facebook

My friend’s toddler babbled “Don’t forget to subscribe” as he was put to bed.
The kid watches so much YouTube, he thought it meant “goodbye.”
@tomgara

WHERE,RD OH
An
WHERE?
Photo Quiz
44 November 2021
Reader ’s Digest
ll aboard! Many states offer scenic fall foliage train
A tours, but this particular line has treated passengers

to stunning autumnal views from atop the Bass Point
Creek High Bridge, a 156-foot-high steel structure built in
1913. The company that operates this rail line bought its
steam locomotive—one of the world’s last commercially
produced—from China in 1989 for $350,000, hence the
Chinese flag alongside our own on the locomotive. But
justin rogers/country
where was this scene photographed? (Answer on page 119.)
A Norwich, Connecticut C Boone County, Iowa

B Treasure Valley, Idaho D Elkins, West Virginia
Rd.com 45
EVERYDAY MIRACLES
Banding Together
By Emma Taubenfeld
aul O’Sullivan lounged around popping out of the woodwork as doz-
P his Baltimore apartment one

evening in 2014, feeling bored.
So, like a lot of people with nothing
ens of name twins from around the
world filled his screen. On a whim, the
then-27-year-old human resources
better to do, he logged on to Facebook employee decided to send friend re-
to find out just how many others on quests to them all.
the social network shared his name. Many of his fellow Paul O’Sullivans
Moments later, Paul O’Sullivans were ignored him, but a few felt too curious
46 November 2021 Illustration by Gel Jamlang

Reader ’s Digest
to pass up his invitation. “My first re- on his own layer until they achieve the
action was ‘Who is this guy and what sound they want.
does he want from me?’” says Paul The Paul O’Sullivan Band released
O’Sullivan from the Netherlands— its first original song, “Namesake,”
now known as Rotterdam Paul. in March 2016. It’s an upbeat track
As Baltimore Paul scrolled through about long-distance relationships—
the other Paul O’Sullivans’ profiles, he not romantic ones, but friendships
noticed something four of them had like those they had begun to develop.
in common: They were all musicians. But just months after the song’s
Like Baltimore Paul, Rotterdam Paul release, Baltimore Paul began ex-
sings and plays guitar. Another Paul in periencing health issues that forced
Manchester, England, plays bass. And
Paul from Pennsylvania is a drummer.
Four men with the same name who all “WRITING A SONG WITH
love making music? Baltimore Paul SOMEONE ACROSS THE
had an idea. Wouldn’t it be funny, OCEAN MAKES YOU
he asked the other musical Pauls, if
they formed a band called The Paul FEEL LESS TRAPPED.”
O’Sullivans? Yes, it would be, they all
agreed. And so they did.
Starting a band across multiple time him to take time off from making mu-
zones proved to be tricky. Shaky Wi-Fi sic. The other Pauls decided to take
and other technical difficulties meant a break too—from the band, that is.
they were often out of sync. And be- But they didn’t press pause on their
ing even half a second off from one an- friendship. Instead of supporting one
other wrecked their sound. To fix this, another on bass and drums, they sup-
they created a sort of musical assem- ported one another more generally.
bly line. Baltimore Paul and Rotterdam The other Pauls made sure Baltimore
Paul write and record a basic track, Paul never felt alone, even with the
then e-mail it to Manchester Paul. miles (and ocean) between them.
“I listen to the song over a few days,” They shared family pictures, chatted
says Manchester Paul, “to get a feel for live on Instagram, and checked in on
what bass arrangement seems most Baltimore Paul and on one another.
appropriate.” Once he records a bass “The other Pauls are gentle, dear,
track, he e-mails it back to Baltimore caring people,” says Pennsylvania
Paul, who then builds it into the main Paul. “They are a fountain of joy.”
song. Later, Pennsylvania Paul adds It was about four years before Bal-
the drumbeat. Round and round the timore Paul was well enough to start
track goes, with each member adding making music again. The first thing
Rd.com 47
Reader ’s Digest Everyday Miracles
the band did was create a music video “Life is tough sometimes,” says
for “Namesake,” which debuted on Pennsylvania Paul. “When you have
YouTube in February 2020. In its first an opportunity to generate joy, you
two weeks online, the video pulled in have to put aside the other stuff.”
more than 20,000 views. A new source of joy for the Pauls is
And when COVID-19 slowly shut getting to spend time with each other
down the world just weeks later, in person. Last fall, Baltimore Paul
the Pauls didn’t miss a beat. After surprised Pennsylvania Paul at his
all, the band had already gotten the home after coordinating with his fian-
hang of remote work. But now their cée. It was the first time any of them
international connection took on had met face-to-face without a com-
new meaning. “Writing a song with puter screen in the way. The two spent
someone across the ocean makes more time together this past summer
you feel less trapped,” says Baltimore and hope to add the other two Pauls
Paul. They used their time during to the mix soon. And when sched-
the pandemic to record their first EP, ules allow, they plan to embark on a
or short album. Titled Internet Fa- whirlwind four-stop world tour—one
mous: A Retrospective, it was released concert in each of their hometowns.
last April. “What are the odds,” says Baltimore
Half of the proceeds from the EP Paul, that a random Facebook request
will be donated to the COVID-19 Soli- would lead not only to new music but
darity Response Fund, which supports to lasting friendships as well? “Some
the World Health Organization’s work. things are just meant to be.” RD
Tricks of the Trade

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BID: Sotheby’s, the auction company
CAKE: The Cheesecake Factory
FIZZ: National Beverage Company
HOG: Harley-Davidson Motorcycles
PZZA: Papa John’s
ZEUS: Olympic Steel, Inc.

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5 Tricks to
Improve Your Life*
1
“Request” Facebook Take You to Your Leaders
Tech Facebook has made it just as easy to find your government
officials as your old school chums and favorite cousins. Stay
informed about the civic goings-on in your area by going to
facebook.com/townhall. Enter your home address and you’ll see
federal, state, and local officials, including some council members
and municipal office holders. What’s more, you’ll be able to contact
each of them with the click of a button, and see a feed devoted to
joleen zubek
posts from civic leaders in your district. Don’t forget to turn on

reminders about upcoming elections too!
*From RD.com
50 november 2021
Reader ’s Digest
2
Get Free Shipping
3
Don’t Hammer Your Nails
Every Time Home Next time you go to pick up a hammer, spare
money If you’re shopping your fingernails when you’re aiming for the metal ones.
online and just a few Hold the nail in place by tucking it between the arms
dollars away from free of a bobby pin. The nail stem will fit snugly into the
shipping, it’s tempting indents of the bobby pin’s bumps for a tight hold, and
to buy one more item— an errant swing won’t crush your fingertips.
probably something you
don’t really need—to
save those shipping fees.
Instead, add a gift card
to your cart. Choose a
4
Cook Brown Rice Twice as Fast
dollar amount that puts Food If you think brown rice takes too long to cook,
you over the free ship- here’s a way to speed things up: Soak the rice in a covered
ping threshold and use pot at a 2-to-1 water-to-rice ratio and leave it in the fridge
the card later for some- overnight. The rice, having absorbed most of the water
thing you actually want. by the next day, will take half the amount of time to cook.
Redline 96 /Getty imaGes (plant), membio/Getty imaGes (sponGes)
5
Assist Your Not-So-Green Thumb
gardening If you have a houseplant
that’s prone to drying out quickly
(or if you’re prone to occasionally
missing a watering), place a kitchen
sponge at the bottom of the pot
under the soil the next time you
repot the plant. The sponge will
act as a reservoir, absorbing and
holding any excess water to feed
back to your plant the next time
the roots are a bit parched. RD
Rd.com 51
LAUGHTER
The best Medicine
A man had too much

to drink and needed
a ride home. So he
called his wife to come
pick him up.
“Where are you?”
she asked.
“Let’s see,” he said,
looking around. “I’m at
the corner of Walk and
Don’t Walk.”
—Submitted by
Melanie L. Jungles
Evergreen, Colorado
Upon entering a store, “Yep, that’s him,” son the box of animal
a man noticed a big the man replied. crackers he had
“BEWARE OF DOG” “He doesn’t look begged her for. As she
sign posted on the dangerous. Why do unpacked the rest of
door. He continued you need that sign?” the groceries, the boy
cautiously until he “Because,” the man spread the crackers all
noticed an old hound explained, “before I over the kitchen table.
asleep on the floor put it up, people kept “What are you do-
near the cash register. tripping over him.” ing?” the mom asked.
“Is that the dog —StartSat60.com “I’m looking for the
we’re supposed to seal,” said the boy. “It
Dan Piraro
beware of?” he asked A mother returned says you can’t eat these
a worker behind from the supermarket if it’s broken.”
the counter. and handed her young —Scoutlife.org

Reader ’s Digest
My body is a wonderland. But the weird members of the laity,”

one Alice fell into. the priest said, “and I
can’t find my collar.”
—@stirthemoose “My, my,” his friend
replied. “A lay date and
I used to be addicted to A priest was looking for a collar short.”
the hokey pokey. But I something when his —Submitted by
turned myself around. friend walked in. Wendell Powers
—Fatherly.com “I’m meeting some Woodbury, Minnesota
What’s Up, Doc?

✦✦ The doctor gave me A REAL PLOT TWIST
some cream for my The author of The Prince thought it better to be feared
skin rash. He said I was than loved and instructed youngsters to be cunning
a sight for psoriasis. and cutthroat. Here’s how Mr. Machiavelli would review
—BestliFeonline.net
these more recent children’s titles:
✦✦ Where the Wild Things Are: Max could have been a
✦✦ I went to see the
arlindo 71 /Getty imaGes (caterPillar), ekinyalGin/Getty imaGes (Book)
great and terrible ruler. But he allowed loneliness to

doctor about my creep into his heart and gave up his position of power.
short-term memory I give this opus 3 out of 5 stars.
problems. The first ✦✦ Guess How Much I Love You?: Love should be used
thing he did was make only for deceitful means, and Little Nutbrown Hare
me pay in advance. understands that his father’s love can be used to
—memesBams.com manipulate his actions. 4 stars.
✦✦ Charlotte’s Web: Charlotte should have drained
Tonight’s forecast: dark; that pig for all he was worth. Instead, she made the
continued dark tonight, mistake of choosing to have empathy for the weak hog.
turning to partly light Pathetic. I award this book 1 weak dying star.
in the morning. ✦✦ The Very Hungry Caterpillar: The ambitious young
—George Carlin, caterpillar eats his way through bigger and more diffi-
comedian cult obstacles and emerges more powerful than ever.
5 glorious stars.
✦✦ The Giving Tree: The boy uses fraud to
Got a funny joke? deceive the tree into giving him more and
It could be worth $$$. more of itself. The ends always justify the
For details, go to means. 5 stars.
rd.com/submit. —Pointsincase.com
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Reader ’s Digest
Wellness from Thehealthy.com
More Than
Winter-Dry
Skin
Eczema and psoriasis flare
up this time of year. Here’s
what you need to know.
By Lisa Marie Conklin

with reporting by Lambeth
Hochwald and Jen Babakhan
or some people, freezing tem-
F peratures and harsh winds can

cause more than chapped lips
and dry skin. People with eczema or
psoriasis—two inflammatory skin
conditions—are most likely to expe-
rience flare-ups when the weather
turns cold and dry. Though these
skin conditions are often mistaken for
each other (both can include itching,
rashes, and redness), there are differ-
ences in how they affect the body and
how they are treated.
Illustrations by James Steinberg Rd.com | NovembeR 2021 55

Reader ’s Digest
There are several types of eczema, swelling; crusted or oozing skin; and
but the most common is atopic derma- rough, leathery, scaly patches. These
titis (AD), an allergic skin disease. The symptoms can come and go, with pe-
main symptom is itching, which can riods of clear skin followed by flare-
be so intense that scratching leaves the ups when the skin becomes itchy and
skin vulnerable to infection. “Eczema irritated again.
is an inherited skin condition often Anything that might rob the skin of
associated with asthma or allergic moisture can precipitate a flare-up,
rhinitis [hay fever],” says Jeffrey Wein- including the cold, dry air of winter;
berg, MD, associate clinical professor central heating; and frequent bathing
of dermatology with the Mount Sinai without applying a moisturizer after-
hospitals in New York City. ward. Skin that’s exposed to winter
Eczema often starts in early child- elements is particularly vulnerable,
hood, and some people outgrow the especially on the hands and face. And
symptoms as they age. In children the as people bundle up, wool and poly-
disease usually appears on the cheeks, ester clothing can also be irritants.
elbows, knees, and scalp. In adults, ec- There is no cure for eczema, but
zema typically shows up in the creases flare-ups can be minimized and
of the face and neck, behind the knees, symptoms managed. The most impor-
and on the wrists and ankles. tant step is moisturizing frequently.
Besides itching, eczema symptoms Symptoms are usually treated with top-
can include dry, red, scaly, or inflamed ical medications (including corticoste-
skin; bleeding (from scratching); roids), biologic agents (drugs created
i tried it...
Green Tea Instead of Coffee for a Week

When my doctor told me my blood pressure was slightly
elevated, I decided to swap out coffee for green tea (which
has only about one-third the caffeine of my favorite dark
roast) for a week to see how I’d feel. By 3 p.m. on the first day,
Jurga Po alessi/getty images
I was feeling groggy and had a bad headache—a sign of caf-

feine withdrawal. I suffered through another mild headache
around noon on day two, but I had a glorious night’s sleep with no tossing or
turning, no middle-of-the-night awakenings. By day three, I felt less bloated and
sluggish after lunch and had a surge of productivity and alertness. By the end
of the week, my complexion was glowing (thanks, antioxidants!), and I was less
jittery and irritable. Green tea, you just may have won this one. —Hana Hong
56 November 2021
The Healthy
in a lab to mimic naturally occurring eight million Americans, according

proteins and molecules), immuno to the National Psoriasis Foundation.
suppressant drugs, and phototherapy. Psoriasis can occur at any age, but it
Usually, the body grows new skin most commonly begins between the
cells and sheds them every 30 days. ages of 15 and 25.
But for people with psoriasis, the im As with eczema, both environmen
mune system goes into overdrive and tal factors and genetic predisposition
produces new skin cells every three play a role. While it may be difficult for
to four days. Instead of shedding the most people to tell the two conditions
overproduced cells, the dead skin apart, it’s actually fairly easy for der
piles up as raised reddish patches matologists: Psoriasis usually makes
with a thick, scaly, silverywhite layer. the skin thicker and patchier than ec
These patches, called plaques, can ap zema, and it doesn’t itch as intensely.
pear anywhere on the body but most Winter is usually a bad time for
often occur on the elbows, behind the people with psoriasis, in part because
knees, and on the scalp, lower back, of the cold, dry weather, but also be
and buttocks. cause of the relative lack of ultraviolet
This condition affects an estimated light, which can ease the condition in
Rd.com 57
Reader ’s Digest
the warmer months. What’s more, just school after many years of developing
about anything that jolts the immune red, itchy skin patches, she tried every
system can bring about a painful topical medication available, without
flare-up, including stress, colds, strep success. Kerner had heard about bio-
throat, or even an ear infection. logic medications, but they were de-
One in three people with psoriasis scribed as a last resort by her doctor.
develop psoriatic arthritis, a disease She became more desperate as her
that causes stiffness, swelling, and condition worsened. “The patches be-
pain in the joints and surrounding came more visible; they were on my
areas. The chronic inflammation in arms and legs,” she says. “To cover
psoriasis is also associated with other them up I would wear long sleeves,
serious conditions such as cardio- turtlenecks, and pants—all the things
vascular disease and diabetes. you shouldn’t do with psoriasis be-
There are many treatment options cause it overheats the skin and makes
for psoriasis sufferers. Mild to moder- it worse.”
ate cases can be treated topically with Finally Kerner consulted another
a combination of steroids and emol- doctor, who listened to her story and
lients such as petroleum jelly mixed immediately said, “We’re going to put
you on a biologic.”
“PSORIASIS IS Kerner was so relieved she burst
into tears. “I began giving myself bio-
NOT FATAL, BUT logic injections every two weeks, and I
DEALING WITH IT felt like a new person,” she says.
IS MURDER.” As with eczema, psoriasis can make
people feel shunned because of their
skin’s appearance, even though the
with salicylic acid, retinoids, and vi- condition is not contagious. “There’s
tamin D. Phototherapy treatment can a huge social impact for psoriasis
help by exposing the skin to an artifi- patients,” says Mark Lebwohl, MD,
cial source of UVB, a type of ultraviolet a dermatologist with Mount Sinai in
light. Moderate to severe psoriasis usu- New York. “I’ve heard of hairdressers
ally requires systemic treatment with turning patients away, as well as
oral medication (such as methotrexate blood banks not allowing people to
and systemic retinoids) or biologics. donate. Sometimes it even results in
It was treatment with biologics that job losses and absenteeism. Someone
finally helped Jennifer Kerner, 37, a once said, ‘Psoriasis is not fatal, but
scientist and consultant with Booz Al- dealing with it is murder,’ and that’s a
len Hamilton in Washington, DC, con- great description of it. It’s a truly dev-
trol her psoriasis. Diagnosed in high astating disease.”
58 November 2021
The Healthy
have had eye surgeries such as LASIK

are also at a higher risk.
Some lifestyle changes can mini-
mize the discomfort. First, take fre-
quent breaks from staring at computer
and phone screens, which cause
tears to work overtime, according to
Coping with Dry Eye Aditya Kanesa-thasan, MD, an oph-
thalmologist at the Wills Eye Hospital
in Philadelphia.
By Beth Weinhouse Turn off fans or other direct air to
your face, as this can increase the
D
ry eye—a condition that evaporative loss of tears as well, he
occurs when your eyes don’t says. The American Optometric Asso-
produce enough tears, the ciation (AOA) suggests using a humid-
tears don’t work correctly, or they ifier to keep the air moist, and making
evaporate too quickly—is much more sure to get a good night’s sleep. Hy-
than a nuisance. “The burning can dration can also play a role in keeping
feel like sand is in your eyes, and this your eyes lubricated. The AOA guide-
can cause eye fatigue, light sensitivity, lines suggest aiming for eight to ten
and blurry vision,” says Angela Bevels, glasses of water every day.
an optometrist in Tucson, Arizona. Over-the-counter lubricant eye
Nearly 16 million Americans may drops can help ease symptoms. But
have dry eye, according to the Na- when these remedies don’t provide
tional Eye Institute. Anyone can relief or you find you’re using drops
develop the problem, but it’s more more than six times a day, it’s time to
common in women and in people see an eye doctor for treatments that
older than age 50. are available only by prescription or
Sometimes dry eye is a temporary when administered in a medical of-
condition caused by a variety of irri- fice. “These include heat and com-
tants. But it can be chronic, too, when pression treatments of the eyelids to
caused by immune system diseases improve the tear film [the fluid layer
such as lupus and rheumatoid arthri- that covers the eye], prescription anti-
tis. Skin issues on or around the eye- inflammatory eye drops, and tempo-
lids and diseases of the glands in the rary plugs that can be placed in the
eyelids are also common contributors. eyelids to keep the tears around lon-
People who wear contact lenses or ger,” Dr. Kanesa-thasan says. RD
Rd.com 59
Is Work Shortening
News From the Your Life?
WORLD OF When the COVID-19
MEDICINE pandemic sent U.S.

office workers home
to get their jobs done,
many say they previ-
ously didn’t have that
option. Now, 71 percent
of employees who say
they can do their jobs
from home are actually
teleworking—but there
is a downside. Working
from home can lead to
overworking, as it blurs
the line between profes-
STROKE RECOVERY: NERVE sional life and home
STIMULATION CAN HELP life. The World Health
Organization cautions
Stroke survivors have a 50 to 60 percent that regularly working
chance of losing arm function. In addition more than 55 hours per
to physical therapy, some patients with this week is associated with
a 35 percent higher risk
symptom are benefiting from a treatment of stroke and a 17 per-
called vagus nerve stimulation. The proce- cent higher risk of dying
dure requires implanting a small box-type from heart disease.
device under the skin on the chest. When This is compared to
maintaining boundaries
activated using a wireless transmitter, around work and clock-
the device stimulates the left vagus nerve, ing 35 to 40 weekly
which runs from the abdomen to the brain hours. So establish start
stem. Scientists think this type of artificial and stop times for work-
from-home days, and
the voorhes
stimulation helps to strengthen certain share them with col-

neural circuits, making it easier for the leagues to help keep
brain to relearn lost movements. your hours in check.
60 November 2021
The Healthy Reader ’s Digest
Keep Smartphones Eating Out

Away from Frequently Is
Cardiac Implants a Health Hazard
A NEW WAY
Some smartphones, In a new study led by
including the iPhone 12,
TO SLOW the University of Iowa,
contain strong magnets. PROSTATE people who ate restau-
Unfortunately, these
magnets can temporar-
CANCER rant food twice a day
had a 49 percent higher
ily suspend the normal Healthy eating habits risk of mortality at any
operations of many may slow the progres- point in time, compared
pacemakers and cardiac sion of prostate cancer, to people who dined
defibrillators. While preliminary evidence out less than once a
these lifesaving suggests. This news week. Previous studies
implants continue is especially good for might help to explain
working normally once patients who choose why: One of them, a
they’re back outside of to monitor their disease 2015 analysis published
the magnetic field, in rather than opt for in the European Journal
the meantime they immediate tumor- of Clinical Nutrition,
SURIYO HMUN KAEW/GETTYIMAGES (PHONE). LESTER120/GETTYIMAGES (FOOD)
won’t necessarily send removal surgery, an reports that even

the electrical pulses invasive procedure though some establish-
or shocks needed if a that can cause sexual ments provide healthy
heart starts to beat too dysfunction and loss food, restaurant fare is
quickly, slowly, or irreg- of bladder control. In a usually less balanced
ularly. The U.S. Food Texan study of patients than home-cooked
and Drug Administra- with tumors that meals. It tends to con-
tion advises people to weren’t yet large or tain more calories,
keep electronics with aggressive enough to saturated fat, choles-
strong magnets at least make surgery a strict terol, and sodium—
6 inches away from necessity, those whose even when it’s not fast
medical implants and meals resembled the food. And while it’s
suggests carrying them Mediterranean diet hard to know exactly
in a hip pocket instead (high in fruit, vegeta- what cooks are putting
of a breast pocket. bles, legumes, grains, into your food at a
and fish, and low in red restaurant, at home
and processed meat) you’re aware of your
had a lower risk of meals’ ingredients and
cancer progression. their proportions. RD
Rd.com 61
Reader ’s Digest
QUOTABLE QUOTES
When you focus on the past, that’s your ego. When I focus on the
future, it’s my pride. I try to focus in the present. That’s humility.
—Giannis Antetokounmpo, athlete
I like to refer to my social circle as “boutique.” My friends are all unique

and high-quality and serve good food. But more than that, they teach me
things about the world and myself that I couldn’t learn anywhere else.
from left: Steven ryan/Getty imaGeS. Bettmann/Getty imaGeS. Gp imaGeS/Getty imaGeS

—Dan Levy, actor
Love and a cough cannot be concealed.

Even a small cough. Even a small love.
—Anne Sexton, poet
Compassion is the breakdown of all barriers between us. A heart-to-heart

bonding. Your pain is my pain. It’s mingled and shared between us.
—Bob Wells, Writer
There are no “guilty pleasures” when it comes to reading.

—Will Self, Writer
antetokounmpo Sexton Levy

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ZYPITAMAG is not right for everyone. Do not take ZYPITAMAG if: What
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talk to my doctor about?
• You have a known allergy to ZYPITAMAG or any of
• Call your healthcare provider or get help right away if you
its ingredients. experience any symptoms of an allergic reaction, such as
• You have active liver problems, including some abnormal
rash, itching, or hives.
liver test results.
• Muscle problems may be an early sign of rare, serious
• You are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant, as it conditions. Tell your doctor right away if you have any
may harm the baby.
• You are currently taking cyclosporine or gemfibrozil. unexplained muscle pain, weakness, or tenderness,
particularly if accompanied by malaise or fever, or if
What are the most common side effects of ZYPITAMAG? these muscle signs or symptoms persist after
The most common side effects of ZYPITAMAG in clinical discontinuing ZYPITAMAG.
studies were: • Serious liver problems have been reported rarely in patients
• Back pain • Muscle pain taking statins, including pitavastatin. Your doctor should
• Constipation • Pain in the legs or arms do liver tests before you start, and if you have symptoms
• Diarrhea of liver problems while you are taking ZYPITAMAG. Tell your
healthcare provider right away if you feel more tired than
This is not a complete list of side effects. Talk to your usual, have a loss of appetite, upper belly pain, dark-colored
healthcare provider for more information. urine, or yellowing of the skin or eyes.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects • Tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and
of all drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch medications you take including nonprescription medicines,
or call 1-800-FDA-1088. vitamins, or herbal supplements.
How should I store and take ZYPITAMAG? • Increases in blood sugar levels have been reported with
• Store ZYPITAMAG tablets at room temperature, in a dry statins, including pitavastatin.
place, and out of the reach of children. • Tell your doctor about your alcohol use.
• ZYPITAMAG can be taken at any time of day, with Other important information I should
or without food. know about ZYPITAMAG.
• Swallow the tablet whole. Do not split, crush, dissolve, • ZYPITAMAG has not been studied to evaluate its effect on
or chew. reducing heart-related disease or death.
• ZYPITAMAG is available by prescription only.
For additional information please see the ZYPITAMAG
Brief Summary located on the following page. Princeton, NJ, 08540 © 2021
Medicure Pharma Inc. All rights
reserved. Printed in the USA.
PA-ZYP-AJ-01 Version September 2021.
Important Facts ZYPITAMAG® (pitavastatin) tablets ZI-PITA-MAG
Information for Patients about ZYPITAMAG Who should NOT take ZYPITAMAG?
(pitavastatin tablets): • ZYPITAMAG is not recommended for those with active
Please read the following information completely before liver disease, including certain abnormal liver test results
you or a family member begin taking ZYPITAMAG and when and women that are pregnant or nursing.
refilling your prescription in case the information has been • People taking cyclosporine or gemfibrozil should also not
updated since your last refill. The information presented take ZYPITAMAG.
here is meant as a brief summary of information that may • Anyone allergic to any of the components of ZYPITAMAG
be discussed with your doctor if ZYPITAMAG is suggested should not take ZYPITAMAG.
as an option to assist with your cholesterol control. If you
would like more information, please consult your doctor or Can other medications affect your treatment with
pharmacist about ZYPITAMAG. Be sure to always follow your ZYPITAMAG? Yes, other medications may affect
doctor’s instructions when taking statins, ZYPITAMAG, you should consult with your doctor if you
including ZYPITAMAG. take any of the following:
• Erythromycin
What is ZYPITAMAG? • Rifampin
• ZYPITAMAG (an FDA approved prescription medicine for • Niacin, gemfibrozil, fibrates or colchicine
adults 18 years and older) when combined with heart-
healthy diet and exercise helps to reduce LDL-C (“Bad What should I talk to my doctor about when taking
Cholesterol”) and triglycerides. It can also raise HDL-C ZYPITAMAG?
(“Good Cholesterol”). • Call your healthcare provider if you experience any
• ZYPITAMAG is in a class of drugs called statins. symptoms of an allergic reaction, such as a rash,
• The effect of ZYPITAMAG on reducing heart-related disease itching, or hives.
or death has not been determined. • Muscle problems may be an early sign of a rare, serious
condition. Tell your doctor right away if you have
What important information should I know about unexplained muscle pain, weakness, or tenderness,
ZYPITAMAG? particularly if accompanied by malaise or fever, or
• ZYPITAMAG can cause muscle problems in some people if these muscle signs or symptoms persist after
called myopathy and rhabdomyolysis which can occur at discontinuing ZYPITAMAG.
anytime during treatment. Muscle problems can increase • Serious liver problems have been reported rarely in
with high doses, as you get older, with kidney or some patients taking statins, including pitavastatin. Tell your
thyroid problems, and when used with healthcare provider if you feel more tired than usual, have
certain medications. a loss of appetite, upper belly pain, dark-colored urine, or
• Liver test results may become abnormal while taking yellowing of the skin or eyes.
ZYPITAMAG. It is recommended that liver testing be • Tell your doctor if you consume alcoholic beverages.
conducted before and during treatment with ZYPITAMAG. • Tell your doctor about all medications you take.
• Increases in blood sugars have been reported with
statins, including pitavastatin. How should I store and take ZYPITAMAG?
• Store ZYPITAMAG at room temperature, in a dry place,
What are the possible side effects of ZYPITAMAG? protected from light and keep out of the reach of children.
Serious side effects may include: • ZYPITAMAG is taken as one tablet per day and should be
• Muscle problems may be an early sign of a rare problem taken at the same time each day. ZYPITAMAG can be taken
that could lead to kidney problems. Call your doctor with or without food.
right away if you experience unexplained muscle pain, • Swallow the tablet whole. Do not split, crush, dissolve,
tenderness, or weakness, particularly if accompanied by or chew.
fever or a general feeling of discomfort. • If you or someone else take too much ZYPITAMAG and are
• Liver problems may occur. Your doctor should do a liver concerned about an overdose, call your doctor and/or local
test before you start and while you are taking ZYPITAMAG. Poison Control Center.
When on ZYPITAMAG some common side effects include:
Need more information?
• Back Pain
• Constipation The risk information provided here is not comprehensive.
To learn more, talk about ZYPITAMAG with your
• Diarrhea
doctor or pharmacist.
• Muscle pain
The FDA approved labelling can be found at
• Pain in the legs or arms www.zypitamag.com or call 1-833-ZYP4YOU
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of all
drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch Princeton, NJ, 08540 © 2021
or call 1-800-FDA-1088. Medicure Pharma Inc. All rights
reserved. Printed in the USA.
ZYPITAMAG is a Medicure product and is available only by prescription. PA-ZYP-AJ-01
Version September 2021.
SPECIAL REPORT
The
NICEST PLACES
AMERICA
in
HOPE HELP HEART
Take a trip with us around the

country, to places where good people are
making good things happen

Reader ’s Digest
The AND THE TOP HONOR GOES TO ...

NICEST
PLACES in
AMERICA QUALITY INN in
By Emma Taubenfeld and Bill Hangley Jr.

Special Report
KODAK, TENNESSEE
Photographs by Jessica Tezak
The green
Quality Inn sign
was a beacon for
those seeking
shelter from a
rare Tennessee
snowstorm.
F or Michelle and James
Hundley, it was a moment of truth.
Ahead of them lay a snowy, icy road.
Behind them, their cold, unheated
house. In the valley below, a warm,
welcoming room at the Quality Inn in
Kodak, Tennessee. All the Hundleys
had to do was get there, and Sean Pa-
“We will take
care of you,”
Sean Patel posted
on Facebook.
44,000 Tennesseans would wake to

find themselves celebrating Christmas
without electricity.
The Hundleys were among them.
The couple live on 35 acres on the
edge of the Great Smoky Mountains.
The storm had quickly left their
house freezing and dark, and for two
nights they slept in their truck. But
after 58 hours without power, they’d
tel, the hotel owner, would do the rest. had enough. It was time to move to
In the freezing days to come, the warmer quarters. The only problem:
Hundleys would become part of Pa- There was no room at the neighboring
tel’s extended family, and his modest hotels. At least, not for local residents
hotel would become their temporary like the Hundleys.
home. They’d be warm, they’d be That’s a familiar story around Ko-
fed, and they wouldn’t be asked to dak, where tourists are the lifeblood
pay anything they couldn’t afford. So of the economy and where hotel signs
would dozens of others just like them. reading “no locals” are not unheard of.
But first there was the little mat- Kodak is a tiny town in Sevier
ter of getting past the snow. Winter County, nestled in a narrow valley
storms aren’t unheard of in eastern southeast of Knoxville. Once known
Tennessee, but the one that hit Kodak mainly for logging and farming,
in December 2020 proved historic. the rural area now relies on visitors
People across the region fell asleep who come to the area, drawn to the
on Christmas Eve dreaming of a white nearby Great Smoky Mountains
Christmas, but the holiday brought National Park or the Dollywood
dark clouds and plunging tempera- amusement park.
tures. As the wind picked up, trees Dozens of hotels line the highways.
fell, taking down utility lines. Snow Most aren’t cheap, and rates climb
blew, pipes froze, and power and during the holidays. But many ho-
phone service went out. More than tels also had a policy against renting
68 November 2021
Special Report Reader ’s Digest
rooms to local residents, concerned Patel wrote on the hotel’s page. “We
they might use the rooms for things are not charging the usual holiday
they didn’t want to do in their homes, or weekend rates. We had a few can
even for criminal activity. Even in the cellations and have allocated those
face of a massive storm that knocked rooms to help out.”
out power in the region, those hotels Not only would the hotel not lock
refused to lift their “no locals” rule. out locals or use the emergency
Facing the double whammy of high as an excuse to price gouge, Patel
prices and discrimination, their truck promised to keep rates down, even
was looking like the Hundleys’ only tually locking them in as low as
option. That is, until Michelle stum corporate regulations would allow:
bled upon a Facebook post from the $25 per night.
nearby Quality Inn. It was the lifeline the Hundleys
“Hello neighbors! If you are af needed. They called the Quality Inn
fected by the power outages, please and were promised a room if they
call us at Quality Inn in Kodak, right could get there safely. James pointed
off Exit 407. We will take care of you,” their truck down the mountain road
Rd.com 69
Reader ’s Digest
The “amazing” Quality Inn

staff; Patel and his son Rudy
(opposite) with groceries
they’d bought to share.
and navigated the icy roads, and,

45 treacherous minutes later, the
Hundleys spotted the green Quality
Inn sign rising from West Dumplin
Valley Road, across from the Boot
Barn and Mountain Motorsports. people helped each other in the
The couple unloaded their over- South, and it got to me,” he explains.
night bag and stepped through the “It’s not always about money.”
doors into the hotel lobby, where they An aunt taught him the ins and outs
experienced the first real warmth— of his new country while piling food
physical and emotional—they had on his plate at mealtimes and giving
felt in days. him a bed to sleep in each night. Soon
“They greeted us and asked how Patel was on his own two feet, earning
they can help, even after we checked a degree from the University of Ten-
in,” says Michelle. “We didn’t have nessee, running hotels to support his
anything. We couldn’t afford anything. wife and son, and riding his motor-
Sean didn’t have to do what he did.” cycle along the roads in and around
But if you ask Patel, 37, he’ll likely Knoxville for fun.
say that he did have to. An immi- Along the way, he never forgot how
grant from India, Patel, who was born he’d started. “I had a family who took
a Hindu but attended a Christian me in,” Patel says.
school, believes in the concept of So as the snow flew that Christ-
karma, a spiritual principle held by mas, Patel knew his neighbors would
Hindus and Buddhists that those who need someone to take them in. As the
do good to others will receive good in freeze set in, he turned to Facebook.
return. It’s an idea that aligns nicely “We will take care of you,” Patel wrote.
with the traditional values of his new
home in the American South. It was Christmas Day, when the Hund-
leys were still sleeping in their truck,
Patel came to America in 2004 and when Carole and Paul Williams for-
settled in Tennessee, drawn by its tuitously saw Patel’s post. The couple
friendly reputation. “I saw how much had started their Christmas by driving
70 November 2021
Special Report
into Kodak but soon found them- Patel texted to make sure they were
selves cold, stranded, and worried. OK. Carole wasn’t sure what they’d
“It was like a blizzard,” says Carole. “I find when they arrived. “I was a little
called my neighbor and she said not bit wary,” she recalls. After all, $25 a
to come home.” They tried getting night is pretty cheap for a hotel room.
back but saw car after car stuck in the But she needn’t have worried. “We
snow. Utility workers urged them to felt safe the minute we walked in,”
turn around. So the Williamses started Carole says. “They rolled out the red
looking for a place to stay. carpet.” Their room was clean and
Like the Hundleys, at first they had warm. They could stay for as long as
no luck with area hotels: either no they needed, staff told them. When
rooms or none for them, thanks to the couple went downstairs for break-
those “no locals” restrictions. A friend fast the next morning, they found a
of the Williamses’ spotted Patel’s smiling, bespectacled man offering
Facebook post, and soon the couple them hot coffee. It was Patel.
were hauling down the highway while “Sean was standing there in the
Rd.com 71
Reader ’s Digest
dining area and was like, ‘You guys stopped by to chat and sip hot coffee.
going to stay for breakfast?’ ” Wil- By night, strands of lights twinkled
liams says. quietly among the lobby’s hand-
From that day on, Patel’s Quality made Nativity displays. Patel and
Inn was packed. Between Christmas his guests called it their Christmas
and New Year’s Eve, all 60 rooms were Village, complete with tiny houses,
booked, with as many as eight or nine a chugging train, and Santa’s sleigh
family members sharing a room. The hidden among the little trees that Pa-
weather may have made a mess of the tel’s seven-year-old son, Rudra—aka
holidays for many in the area, but in- Rudy—helped him set up.
side the inn, the Christmas spirit was And as the new year approached,
alive and well—with Patel playing with hundreds of area homes still
Santa, giving the gifts of electricity, without power, Patel let everyone
water, warmth, and friendship. know they had a friend out by the
By day, the halls filled with locals, highway. Looking for a room? He’ll try
tourists, and utility workers who to supply one. In need of a shower?
72 November 2021
Special Report
When Patel takes time

off, it’s often to ride his
motorcycle in the nearby
mountains with friends.
“Bring your towels,” he wrote on Face- his own money and energy to help
book. “And guess what, it’s free!” others,” says Patel’s friend Steve
As residents made their way to Smith, who nominated the Quality
Dumplin Valley Road, the Facebook Inn as the Nicest Place in America.
testimonials poured in: “But he has such a big heart, I know
“It is a blessing to know that in the he will only give more.”
midst of the darkness, there are still And he has. Patel owns a second
caring, thoughtful people that help in hotel, the Segovia Lodge in Junction,
time of need!” wrote Chelle Renee. Texas, near San Antonio. When a simi-
“We spent last night there,” posted lar freeze hit there in February 2021,
Bryan Holloway. “First time since Patel let his guests stay and eat free
early Christmas Eve we had power all week. And when the Segovia prop-
and running water. Thank you so erty lost power too, stranded truck-
much!” ers kept the fire in the lobby fireplace
“Sean and staff are amazing!!” going all night while guests slept on
wrote April Fetzer Smith. “They have the lobby floor.
personally helped my family when “It wasn’t about who was Black,
we were stranded in the Smoky white, Democrat, Republican. COVID,
Mountains!” or no COVID. Everyone was a family,”
No one who knows Patel was sur- says Shelly Shirley, a manager at the
prised by his generosity. Harold Hines Segovia. “I’ve never witnessed some-
lives in an extended-stay residence one like Sean.”
Patel owns, just behind the Quality Today, things there and in Kodak are
Inn. Hines landed there four years ago back to (mostly) normal. But the next
after losing his business. When he was time there’s trouble, the residents of
down and out, says Hines, Patel wel- Sevier County know where they’ll find
comed his family with open arms. a safe haven.
“You will never go hungry even “He helped a whole lot of people
if you don’t have food,” says Hines. who didn’t have anything,” Michelle
“Sean has made this a home.” Hundley says of Sean Patel. “He was
“I frequently ask him to dial it back the only one who stepped up to help
a bit because he spends so much of the locals.” RD
Rd.com 73
Reader ’s Digest Special Report
The
NICEST SUN AND MOON RANCH in Lexington, North Carolina
PLACES in
AMERICA Sharing the Sun and Moon
By Caroline Fanning
hannan Hearne’s oldest dream country spiraled into COVID-19 lock-
S was to own a ranch. From the

moment she was first placed
down. Soon Hearne’s vision began to
grow into something bigger.
courtesy shannan hearne
in the saddle at age two, she had al- With eight acres of pastures and an
ways felt most comfortable on horse- abundance of sunshine and fresh air,
back. In February 2020, her dream there was no safer way for frightened
finally came true, when she and neighbors to get out of the house. The
her “partner-in-farm,” Cory Conley, ranch, Hearne realized, should be
opened the gates of Sun and Moon for everybody. “It didn’t feel right to
Ranch. Then, just a month later, the suddenly become protective of what
74 November 2021
Shannan Hearne
(oppposite) wants
everyone who loves
horses and ranch life
to have easy access.
I thought I was being a good steward One of those people, now 15, was
of,” she says. born without fingers on one hand. His
Sun and Moon Ranch is nestled grandmother brought him to Sun and
between the Appalachian Mountains Moon for riding lessons. Learning to
and the Atlantic coast, in Lexington, control a horse with one hand helped
North Carolina. Sure, you can sign up him better manage his disability, and
for riding lessons or board your horse. he grew closer to his grandmother
But you can also drop by to play with over their shared love of horses. Plus,
the chickens, goats, and dogs. Wan- a special bond with two of Hearne’s
der through the vegetable garden. 18 rescued horses, Annie and Honey,
Break bread—and crab legs—during was a real leg up confidence-wise.
the farm’s low-country boils, when “There is something empowering
pots of shrimp, scallops, sausage, and about controlling a thousand-pound
corn cover the length of a newspaper- animal, and I believe this is espe-
covered picnic table. Or join the cially true for children or anyone who
younger ranchers playing on the big struggles with any sort of self-esteem
pile of freshly dug dirt. issues,” Hearne says.
Hearne, a digital marketer by day, Another boy became selectively
now saw the ranch as something more mute after being bullied because of
than a business—it would be a place his autism. Lesson by lesson, Hearne
the community could call home. watched him slowly come out of his
As the pandemic deepened, lo- shell. Taking the reins, literally, helped
cals began to gather there, not just him do so in his daily life too.
for the free cookouts and bonfires, “I could see how the empowerment
but for the chance to put up a ham- of riding was helping him feel once
courtesy shannan hearne
mock when they wanted some again in control of the world around
peace. RVs and campers were wel- him,” says Hearne. “He went from not
come to pull in for a quiet night after answering questions to literally talk-
a day on the road. “I had a vision ing our ears off.” And there’s no nicer
for the space being therapeutic for sound, especially when answered by
whoever the universe sent our way— an affectionate whinny from a four-
horses or people,” says Hearne. legged best friend. RD
Rd.com 75
The
NICEST MANTON, MICHIGAN
PLACES in
AMERICA A Winter Wonderland
By Emma Taubenfeld
n Christmas Eve 2020, fire pandemic, and Scott Chittle knew
O trucks rushed to the Chittle

home in the sleepy little town
of Manton, Michigan. But it wasn’t
something had to be done to bring
some cheer to the 1,555 people who
call Manton home.
because of a Christmas nightmare. Chittle, 51, lives in a big yellow
Far from it. house with his mother and two chil-
Winters can be long and tough dren. When he was three, his father
this far north. Add the COVID-19 built an ice-skating rink in their
76 November 2021
Special Report Reader ’s Digest
The ice rink

brightened up
one of the darkest
winters in memory.
a tutorial, he was smoothing out a

3,000-square-foot section of his yard,
ordering a massive tarp large enough
to cover it, and buying lumber to cre-
ate the walls. Now he needed the ice.
That’s where those fire trucks came
in. It took 12 of them to spray enough
water to fill the plot. Then he waited
for Mother Nature to do the rest.
It wasn’t long before Chittle’s back-
yard became a Manton hot spot. The
smell of grilled hot dogs and burning
firewood filled the air. Lights strung
over the ice added sparkle. And the
laughter and shrieks of children play-
ing hockey or performing figure
eights made their parents smile.
But the kindness didn’t stop with
Chittle. When word got out that he’d
spent $1,400 out of his own pocket to
build his rink of dreams, neighbors,
strangers, and businesses pitched in
$3,000 to cover the costs and more.
For Chittle, the ice rink was always
backyard, where Chittle and his bud- about more than kids blowing off
dies would spend endless hours over some steam. It was about surviving
Ryan GaRza/USa TODay
the coming years playing hockey. even the darkest times. “I want
That, thought Chittle, is what the to show the rest of the world,” says
children in this community need. Chittle, “what a little effort, the best
One problem: Chittle had no clue intentions, and community can do,
nETWORK
how to build an ice rink. Luckily, not only for others but for the souls
there’s YouTube. Soon after watching of all.” RD
Rd.com 77
Reader ’s Digest Special Report
The
NICEST
PLACES in Our Finalists
AMERICA These are this year’s Nicest Places in America.
Read nominations and full stories at rd.com/nicest.
1 Quality Inn in 6 Lake City,

9 Kodak, Tennessee South Carolina
3 7 2 Sun & Moon 7 Littleton,
Ranch in New Hampshire
Lexington, 8 Austin Hills,
126 North Carolina Texas
5 3 Manton, 9 Renton,
8 4 Michigan Washington
4 Houston, Texas 10 Sugar Land,
5 Brooks, Georgia Texas
The Road to the Nicest Places

Back in March, Reader’s Digest set out on a search for
Nice Places. We picked up nominations from our readers
around the country, publishing the nicest of the nice on RD.com.
You readers voted for your favorites, and after a thorough
vetting process and some tough decisions, our editors and
judges (below) named the Nicest Places in America.
MITCH ALBOM AMI L. McREYNOLDS DEEJRA LEE
Philanthropist and Chief equity and Community leader
author of Tuesdays programs officer, in Buchanan, Michigan,
with Morrie and The Feeding America 2020’s Nicest Place
Stranger in the Lifeboat in America
KELLI HARDING, MD
BRUCE KELLEY Author of The Rabbit GERI WEIS-CORBLEY
Editor-at-large, Effect: Live Longer, Editor-in-chief,
Reader’s Digest Happier, and Good News Network RD
map by john yun
Healthier with the

BONNIE KINTZER Groundbreaking
President and CEO, Science of Kindness
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Reader ’s Digest
80 November 2021
COVER STORY
With spies lurking everywhere, how can you

keep yourself safe? Here are 25 smart steps,
from the editor of HowtoGeek.com.
By Chris Hoffman
photo illustrations by Justin Metz
Rd.com 81
Reader ’s Digest
s the saying goes: The Inter- With these sorts of slip-ups, the
A net is forever. Once you’ve put

something online—a credit
card number, a silly photo, a heat-of-
stakes can be high. But you’re not
powerless. You can stand up for your
privacy and begin to take control,
the-moment comment on social me- starting right now. Here’s how:
dia—it can come back to haunt you.
But what are the risks, really?
“There are two worst-case scenarios,” 1
says Thorin Klosowski, privacy and se- Mix Up Your Passwords
curity editor at Wirecutter, a product- If you always use the same password,
recommendation service owned by no matter how carefully crafted it may
the New York Times. “The most obvi- be, it’s probably already out there.
ous one is a security issue. Everyone’s The 2017 Equifax breach that re-
e-mail address and basic details are sulted in the loss of 147 million Amer-
leaked somewhere online, and if you icans’ public records was big news,
reuse passwords, that means a nefari- but we don’t always hear about the
ous person will have an easier time smaller-scale breaches, which are
getting into your accounts.” frequent. They occur when criminals
The problem is getting worse: Iden- purchase leaked databases of user-
tity theft cases more than doubled in names (usually e-mail addresses) and
2020, according to the Federal Trade passwords on dark web marketplaces.
Commission, with reported monetary Then the crooks try these combina-
losses from fraud overall climbing to tions, hoping to access people’s other
$3.3 billion from $1.8 billion in 2019. accounts. So use a strong, unique
“The second worst-case scenario is password for every account.
more primal: embarrassment,” says
Microvone/Getty iMaGes (vector circuit board)

Klosowski. And sometimes the pricks
to our pride are far more personal 2
Use a Password Manager
than blushing over an unflattering
photo. “Many of us store our most in- How can you possibly remember all
timate thoughts in a digital notes app, your passwords? You can’t. But if you
draft e-mails we never send, or pour enlist the help of a password manager,
out our private feelings into a direct you need to remember just one pass-
message to a friend. This is the type of word—for it. The manager will do the
thing that can get leaked online, either rest, creating strong passwords and
through a provider being negligent or automatically filling them in for you.
through your own misunderstanding The service 1Password offers an
of the often-confusing privacy settings excellent manager for a few dollars
in the software and services.” a month ($3/month for one person,
82 November 2021
Cover Story
nu m b e r, o r p a s s -
words are included in
any leaked databases
available to criminals.
Spoiler: Your infor-
mation has probably
been involved in mul-
tiple leaks. (The leaks
on HaveIBeenPwned
are just the tip of the
iceberg of what crimi-
nals have access to.)
4
Delete Old
Accounts
You probably have a
lot of online accounts
you no longer use,
and they might con-
tain personal infor-
mation. Delete them.
Don’t leave whatever
details you may have
shared sitting around
so they can be discov-
ered by criminals—or
or $5/month for a family of up to five misused if an unscrupulous company
people). Bitwarden is a good free op- one day buys and abuses your data.
tion. Or use the free manager built To learn how to delete an account,
into your browser. perform a web search such as “delete
old e-mail account.” You can also visit
justdelete.me, which has instructions
3 for deleting many different types of
Find Out Whether Criminals accounts. Or go right to the company;
Have Your Information check its online support pages or con-
Visit haveibeenpwned.com to see tact customer support and ask for ac-
whether your e-mail address, phone count deletion.
Rd.com 83
Reader ’s Digest
5 through the list to find accounts you

no longer use.
Download Your Data
Deleting an account doesn’t mean you
lose everything you had on that
particular site. For example, you can
7
Delete Old E-Mails Too
easily download all the data associated
Do you really need to keep old
with a Facebook or Google account
e-mails forever? They contain a lot of
and do whatever you want with it. Just
personal details that could be useful
be sure to keep backup copies of
to identity thieves.
everything you consider important.
Also, under the Electronic Com-
munications Privacy Act of 1986, e-
mails stored on a web server—such as
6 Gmail—are considered “abandoned”
Find Old Accounts to Delete after 180 days, and the government
Yo u p r o b a b l y
don’t remember
every online ac-
count you’ve ever
created. To find
old accounts you
might want to de-
lete, search your e-
mails for terms like
“welcome,” “ver-
ify,” “your account,”
and “free trial.”
The e-mails that
pop up will remind
you of accounts
you’ve signed up
for so you can then
choose which ones
to get rid of.
It’s even easier if
you already track
your passwords in
a password man-
ager. Just scroll
84 November 2021
Cover Story
can access them without a warrant. remove comments you’ve posted, de-
Despite bipartisan agreement and a lete accounts, or ask websites to take
unanimous vote in the House to ap- down your personal information.
prove the Email Privacy Act in 2016,
which would close this loophole, the
bill has not passed the Senate. 10
Consider deleting old e-mails, pos- Control Social Media
sibly after downloading a copy. This Privacy Settings
protects your correspondence from You may also want to restrict who can
both hackers and warrantless govern- see what you post on social media
ment surveillance. sites. For example, on Facebook you
can limit who can find you, who can
see what you post, and what Face-
8 book shares about you with other
Search Your Usernames Online companies. To get started, go to the
Head to a search engine and search Facebook home page and click the
for your name, as well as any user- down arrow in the top right corner,
names you’ve gone by online. The then select Settings & Privacy. A good
results show you where your name guide to Facebook privacy settings
appears on the public Web. In all like- can be found at consumerreports.org/
lihood, your social media profiles will privacy/facebook-privacy-settings/.
pop up in the results. That means they
will also show up for other people
who search for you. 11
Delete Old Social Media Posts
Facebook was created back in 2004.
9 By now, the college students who
Hide Social Media Profiles shared their party photos on the so-
from Search Engines cial media service in its infancy are in
Want to wipe these personal details their mid-30s. Fortunately, Facebook
from the Internet? You can make your has a Manage Activity tool that lets
social media accounts vanish from you delete or archive posts older than
search results by visiting each site that a certain date. Instagram allows you
came up in your initial search and to delete or archive individual posts.
changing the privacy settings. Each Only you can see the things you’ve
site works a bit differently; for guid- archived on either platform.
ance, search for “privacy settings” and Twitter has no built-in way to de-
the name of each site. While you’re lete old tweets, but third-party tools
cleaning things up, you can also such as TweetDelete can delete them,
Rd.com 85
Reader ’s Digest Cover Story
either automatically or based on the right to know what data a com-

specific criteria that you set. The tool pany is collecting, tell it to stop selling
can even remove your likes on other yours, and request that it be deleted.
users’ tweets. California’s Office of the Attor-
ney General offers a guide to your
rights under the CCPA, at oag.ca.gov/
12
Opt Out of People Finder
privacy/ccpa.
Even if you aren’t in California,
Websites the CCPA may still benefit you. In
Beyond social media, countless “peo- complying with the law, many com-
ple finder” websites (Spokeo is one ex- panies now offer increased transpar-
ample) host databases full of personal ency to all. For example, Microsoft
information. This includes names, announced it will “honor California’s
addresses, ages, phone numbers, and new privacy rights throughout the
even court records. These services— United States.”
the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse lists
hundreds of them—often gather this
information through public records, 14
and they’re not always accurate. Search with DuckDuckGo
You can opt out, but you’ll have to To limit the data gathered on you
do it from each service separately. Be in the future, use the more private
warned that companies may opt you search engine DuckDuckGo. Make it
back in, so you may have to opt out your default search engine on all your
more than once. devices by going to duckduckgo.com
Services such as PrivacyDuck and and clicking the “add” button. Unlike
DeleteMe promise to do the work for Google and other big-name search
you, but they cost hundreds of dollars engines, DuckDuckGo doesn’t track
a year and don’t cover every one of your searches and link them to you,
the people finders, so they may not be so it won’t show you targeted ads or
worth it unless you are a public figure personalized search results, either.
or are actively being harassed.
15
13 Tell Google to Stop
Tracking You
Know How California’s New
Privacy Act Affects You Even if you want to keep using Google,
The California Consumer Privacy Act you can activate more privacy settings
took effect on January 1, 2020. If you to keep the Internet giant from track-
are a California resident, it gives you ing all your web searches—which it
86 November 2021
does automatically if you’re logged Then, under History Settings, click My
in to Google (while using Gmail, for Activity and turn off any activity you
example). Even YouTube, which is don’t want to save.
owned by Google, tracks a history of
the videos you watch.
But this tracking is optional. You 16
can tell Google to stop collecting your Limit Who Has Your
data in the future and to delete what- Location History
ever it has already collected. To pause Something else Google may track
collection and delete previously col- about you, unless you tell it not to, is
lected data, visit the My Google Ac- your location history. Depending on
tivity page. To get there, click on your your settings, Google may store this
Google profile photo, go to Manage information forever, building a data-
Your Google Account, and, in the left base of your movements.
navigation panel, click Data & Privacy. Google can gather this information
Rd.com 87
Reader ’s Digest
v ia s ma r tp ho nes
w ith its Android
operating system
or if you install the
Google Maps app on
an iPhone and give
it location access.
Here’s how to stop
it: On the My Google
Activity page, select
the option to pause
collection of your
location and de-
lete your collected
location data or tell
Google to automati-
cally delete it.
17
Configure Your
Browser for
Privacy
Browser cookies are small pieces online. (Every device on your home
of information that websites can network likely shares the same IP ad-
store in your browser to track you. dress.) One way to conceal your IP
Chrome is moving away from cook- address is with a VPN.
ies and toward a technology called
“FLoC,” which will essentially make
the browser track your search history 18
and report your general interests to Use a VPN
websites so they can feed you ads A VPN , or virtual private network,
based on your perceived interests. creates a secure tunnel to the In-
There are ways to limit this track- ternet, acting as a middleman be-
ing, with ad blockers and browser ex- tween you and your Internet service
tensions that protect privacy. But you provider by encrypting your con-
can be tracked in other ways, includ- nection. With a VPN , your Inter-
ing by your IP address, a number that net service provider can’t see what
identifies your Internet connection websites you’re accessing, and the
88 November 2021
Cover Story
websites you’re accessing can see go incognito on Chrome, click on the

only the VPN’s IP address, not your File menu in the upper left corner and
IP address. select New Incognito Window. On
If you’ve ever worked remotely, Firefox, choose New Private Window.
you’ve likely used your company’s
VPN. The privacy that VPNs provide
is attractive not just to businesses but 20
Switch to Privacy-Friendly
also to dissidents in repressive coun-
tries such as China to get around In- Apps
ternet censorship and shield their Just like websites, the apps on our
online activity. phones collect data about us. Until
When choosing a VPN, do some re- recently, finding out how various app
search, look up independent reviews, companies use that data meant read-
and be sure to pick a trustworthy ing long and tedious privacy policies.
one. Wirecutter recommends Mull- But now it’s getting a bit easier thanks
vad, and also suggests the service to new features such as privacy la-
IVPN for those who use multiple de- bels in Apple’s App Store, which tell
vices at once. Operating a VPN costs you what type of data an app collects
money, so many free VPNs are un- before you install it. There are usually
trustworthy and may even sell your multiple apps for the same purposes,
data to make a profit. A good VPN so choose those that collect less data.
generally charges a subscription fee,
often just a few dollars a month.
21
Seek Out End-to-End
19 Encryption
Go Incognito For improved privacy online, seek out
A VPN isn’t a magic bullet. It’s just services that use end-to-end encryp-
one piece of the puzzle. Let’s say you tion. With this type of security, your
connect to a VPN, visit Google’s web- data can be seen only by you and
site, and sign in to your Google ac- the people you communicate with.
count. Now Google knows who you Apple’s iMessages use it, for example
are. Even if you don’t sign in, web- (iMessages are text messages between
sites can check your browser cook- two Apple users, indicated by blue
ies to link your VPN activity to your chat bubbles—as opposed to green
previous browsing. text messages, which indicate a non-
Use your browser ’s pr ivate- Apple user). Sites that employ end-to-
browsing mode to better protect end encryption often say so in order
your privacy while using a VPN. To to advertise their enhanced security.
Rd.com 89
Reader ’s Digest
One communication app that uses VPN : It routes your Safari browsing
end-to-end encryption is Signal. traffic through an anonymous server.
Owned by a nonprofit and popular Websites will know the general region
with activists worldwide, it works on you’re in but won’t see your unique IP
both Apple and Android products. address as you browse.
When signing up for accounts or
newsletters online, the Hide My Email
22 feature in iCloud+ lets you create ran-
Take Advantage of Apple’s domized unique e-mail addresses that
New Privacy Features forward e-mails to your real e-mail ac-
Apple has been a leader in introduc- count. Senders can’t see your real e-
ing privacy features, and recently the mail address, and you can deactivate
company added even more with the a randomized e-mail address at any
newest operating systems, namely time—perfect for avoiding spam.
iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Mon-
terey. Most of these features require
iCloud+, an additional paid iCloud 23
Protect Your Mail
storage plan (starting at 99 cents/
month). The included iCloud Private Even if you don’t pay for iCloud+,
Relay service functions similarly to a be sure to look for the Mail Privacy
90 November 2021
Cover Story
Protection feature that pops up the the time, sharing a tidbit may seem
first time you open Apple’s Mail app. It inconsequential, but remember, per-
will block tracking pixels, preventing sonal details such as your birthday or
people (and advertisers) from seeing the city you were born in are just the
when you opened their e-mails. When sorts of facts you should guard care-
you load images in e-mails, Apple will fully, as they are often the answers to
hide your address from trackers. your security questions.
Worse yet, should a criminal get
hold of your birthdate and the city you
24
Remove Saved Payment
were born in, suddenly it becomes
easier to guess your Social Security
Details number. In 2011, the Social Security
Don’t save your payment details Administration began randomizing
on online shopping sites. True, this newly assigned Social Security num-
makes it easier for you to buy the bers. But before that, people’s Social
things you want, but it also makes it Security numbers were determined
easier for criminals to gain access to by the place and time they were born,
your accounts and buy things as you. so those are important clues to keep
As a compromise, you may want to from identity thieves.
keep a credit card stored on sites you
shop often but not on sites you use Concerns about online privacy
only occasionally. aren’t just concerns about privacy on
the Internet, they’re about privacy in
every facet of our lives.
25 All of this is a lot to fully compre-
Be Careful About Sharing Info hend. But knowing the scale of the
Think twice before sharing any per- problem and taking these very doable
sonal details anywhere online. At steps is a good start. RD
A Bug’s Life (and Death)

The white marble tomb of Giuliano de’Medici in Florence, Italy, had gotten pro-
gressively darker and dirtier over the last 600 years, in part because cleaning
it was a tricky business. After all, inside lies the body of a duke. On top sits a
major sculpture by Michelangelo called Night and Day. But a team of biologists
and art historians have discovered a surprising cleaning agent: bacteria. It turns
out that a bacterium named Serratia ficaria SH7 loves to eat the soot and other
material (including the remains that have seeped out of Giuliano’s tomb).
Rd.com 91
Reader ’s Digest
92 November 2021 illustrations by Alex Green

TRAVEL
My Most
Unforgettable
Road Trip
There’s lots to remember

while driving cross-country:
Buckle up, use your blinker, check
your mirrors. But the No. 1 rule of
the road? As our readers will tell you,
have some fun along the way!
EditEd By CarolinE Fanning
Rd.com 93
Reader ’s Digest
Rear Window Shopping Cashing in a Rain Check

Every spring, my wife, Leah, and I The heat was withering as we drove
make the three-day pilgrimage to San- back to Iowa from camping in Mon-
ibel Island, Florida, from Grand Rap- tana. The temperature hit 97 degrees,
ids, Michigan. My favorite parts of the so we rolled into the Spearfish camp-
drive are the farms, the blue sky, and ground in South Dakota at around
the trees just as they’re coming into 5:30 a.m. to shower. The office was
bloom. For Leah, it’s the antique shops. locked, but we figured we could find
Year after year, if we’re within 100 yards someone to pay after we used the fa-
of an antique shop, a flea market, or a cilities. But the camp slumbered on.
garage sale, her radar pings, her eyes Back on the farm, our crops suffered
pop wide, and I hear those dreaded from 100-degree temperatures and
words: “Let’s stop for just a minute.” lack of rain. It seemed every town but
On our last trip, she was asleep when ours was getting soaked. But some-
I noticed a sign for a flea market, so I thing else weighed on my husband’s
sped up, hoping to sneak past. I nearly mind. One morning, I found him writ-
got away with it. Then a voice from the ing a check. “I’ve been feeling guilty
passenger seat said, “Thought I didn’t about not paying that campground,”
see that one, didn’t you?” Larry said. Four dry days crawled
—Paul Brinks by, until a glorious sound shook us
Grand Rapids, Michigan awake. It was raining buckets! I said,
Travel
“Honey, I think your check just got to have a little fun. Any time a car passed
Spearfish campground.” us, Al, lying in the back where the
—Patricia Olson coffin should be, would slowly rise,
Port Charlotte, Florida like Dracula come to life. Driving
across country can be tedious, but
Snap Judgment the hours flew by as we enjoyed the
We were nearing the end of our shocked stares and double takes of
40-day Route 66 road trip when my our fellow travelers.
wife and I arrived at Cool Springs, a —Russell Kaspar
historic gas station/museum/gift shop Frankfort, Indiana
in western Arizona. Numbed by hav-
ing stopped at every attraction along A Monumental Request Met
the way, and having already snapped Our family took a road trip from Flor-
1,500 photos, we asked ourselves, ida to Wyoming. My fondest mem-
“Do we really want another stop?” ory was Mount Rushmore, though it
We decided to pause long enough for wasn’t the monument that clutched at
one more picture. Ginny rolled down my heart, magnificent as it is. It was a
her window and stuck out her cam- family pushing a gurney with a man
era. Just as she was about to press the on it, searching for the perfect view-
shutter, the proprietor sitting on the ing spot. Seeing the monument, I later
porch piped up and said, “The pic- learned, would tick off the last item on
ture doesn’t count unless you get out his bucket list. It was a moving sight,
of the car.” and I’ll never forget the family who
—Jon Oshel didn’t feel it was too much to honor
Hillsboro, Oregon their loved one’s last request.
—Calvin Snyder
A Ride to Die For Maitland, Florida
Here was the challenge: Get myself
and my groomsmen from Indiana, Just Outside of Somewhere, USA
where we went to school, to Califor- Driving through South Dakota, I was
nia, where I was getting married, and awestruck by just how much farmland
do it on the cheap. We heard about there was—acres upon acres of fields,
a company that recruited drivers to hay bales, and cows as far as the eye
transport vehicles across the country, could see. My five-year-old son, Adam,
so we signed up. It was a great deal— had a slightly different perspective.
we wouldn’t pay a cent—and our “Wow,” he said, “there sure is a lot of
vehicle was as stately as they come: middle-of-nowhere out here.”
a big black hearse. It was spooky at —Mark Dequaine
first, but by Nebraska, we decided to De Pere, Wisconsin

Reader ’s Digest Travel
Thanksgiving on the House I followed him to his house, where

My son and I drove from Pennsyl- I met his lovely wife. As he wrestled
vania to Seattle in late November. with my tire outside, she poured some
Approaching Rawlins, Wyoming, on lemonade and we sat in the kitchen
Thanksgiving Day, we pulled off to chatting and laughing.
eat. Only one place was still open. We Their kindness didn’t end there.
were greeted and seated promptly, Since my spare was good only for
and the waitress told us “Your food short hauls, the man had me follow
will be out shortly.” Without ever see- him to a local mechanic. Ignoring the
ing a menu, we were soon served a heat, the two quickly put on a new
full Thanksgiving dinner with all the tire, and, after paying a reasonable
trimmings. When we asked for the price, I was back on the road.
check, the owner said that every year Sadly, I never learned any of their
the restaurant provides a complimen- names or even what town I was in. But
tary Thanksgiving dinner to give back U.S. Route 23 in north central Ken-
to the community. He wouldn’t ac- tucky has a special place in my heart.
cept money even from travelers like Not just for its beauty, but because of
us just passing through. We left in the people who live along it.
14-degree weather with snow blowing —Marilyn Weiler
sideways, full of gratitude. Mount Gilead, Ohio
—David Todd
West Pittston, Pennsylvania Up and Atom
I was nine years old in the summer of
Bluegrass Blessings 1945, and my father had been trans-
Heading home to Ohio via Kentucky, ferred from Los Angeles to New York.
I was enjoying the beauty of the As we drove across the country in
Appalachian Mountains when a Dad’s 1941 Oldsmobile, we’d wake up
chunk of coal flew from a dump truck early each day to beat the heat. One
into my lane. There was a thump and morning, on Route 66 somewhere be-
a pop, and soon I was on the side of tween Gallup and Albuquerque, New
the road with a flat. I’d changed tires Mexico, at 5:29 a.m., the sky was lit up
before, but I was no match for the by a huge bright glow. We were awed
small jack and “doughnut” in my car. and confused. What on earth was that?
As I stood there on the shoulder curs- We later learned that strange light em-
ing my luck, an older gentleman in a anated from the explosion of the first
pickup pulled up and motioned for atom bomb tested at the Trinity Bomb
me to follow him. Now, some might Site near Alamogordo, New Mexico. RD
be leery of a stranger in that situa- — Charles Chambers
tion, but I didn’t have much choice. Shelton, Washington
96 November 2021 | rD.Com

Reader ’s Digest
Gerald Herbert/SHutterStock
98 November 2021
DRAMA IN REAL LIFE
In the middle of the night, as most of the tenants

slept, much of a 12-story Florida condominium
collapsed, killing scores and sending survivors
fleeing for their lives. But amid the rubble and dust,
heroes appeared as neighbor reached out to neighbor.
mint images/getty images
By Kelli Kennedy
From AssociAted Press
Rd.com 99
Reader ’s Digest Drama in Real Life
lfredo Lopez and his wife, Marian, were asleep when

the first thundering blast jolted them awake at 1:14
a.m. on Thursday, June 24. Moments later, a second
boom, much louder than the first, shook the bed on
the sixth floor of their Surfside, Florida, apartment.
Alfredo rushed to wake his 24-year- apartments in the 12-story, 136-unit
old son, Michael, urging him to get complex had collapsed, pancaking
dressed, before running to the bal- one residence on top of another.
cony window. “All I could see was just Anyone looking at the building
white dust, very thick. I could barely from the vantage point of the beach
see the balcony railing,” he says. would see entire rooms exposed, as
The lights cut out and the emer- the Washington Post described it, “like
gency alarm came on, warning the stage sets before an audience—bunk
residents of the Champlain Towers beds here, a couch there, a washing
South to evacuate. Alfredo thought machine hanging from a ledge, mat-
about putting on sneakers, but his tresses stacked against a wall.”
hands were shaking so badly he knew Alfredo, 61, stood in his apartment’s
he couldn’t tie the laces. So he settled threshold frozen in terror, unable to
on sandals with straps. move. “I was petrified. I really thought,
Marian was disoriented. The This is it. We are going to die.”
67-year-old fumbled for shoes as her
husband pressed her impatiently. She Sometimes, the line between life and
put on a handy pair of slippers instead. death is as seemingly random as an
The Lopez family had lived for ocean or street view, an odd or even
two decades on the street side of the unit. While 98 residents died, most of
condo building. Alfredo used to joke the casualties lived in the units fac-
to his wife that she’d have to bury him ing the ocean. Those facing the street
there. That prediction almost came to managed to escape, albeit barely.
pass. When he opened the front door With the elevator collapsed, the sur-
to the hallway that night, half the vivors descended the cracked stair-
building was gone. A jagged five-foot well that had separated from the wall.
chunk of flooring barely left enough Along the way they helped neighbors
room to escape. they met for the first time and others
“There was no hallway, no ceiling, they’d known for years, all “joined
no apartments, no walls—nothing,” through this tragedy for forever now,”
he says. In fact, he was staring at the says Albert Aguero, who helped an
moonlit ocean. Roughly half of the 88-year-old stranger to safety.
100 November 2021

At the time the collapse occurred, the Champlain Towers condo board had put out a call
for bids to address structural issues revealed in an engineer’s report.
While their escape felt agonizingly normally be asleep, but his 15-year-
long, it all unfolded in mere minutes. old sister, Chani, had returned from
In those perilous seconds, before the babysitting only minutes earlier and
world knew of the carnage, they were was in the shower, his dad was out
fighting to survive. of town, and his mom had just come
“When I opened the staircase door home from an event.
and half the staircase was missing— They all heard the first thunderous
at that point I knew we were racing rumble. They knew the building was
against time to all get out as a family,” undergoing construction and had
Albert says. been irritated by the incessant noise,
Joe Raedle/Getty ImaGes
but this felt different.

Down on the first floor, in unit 111, a Sara Nir, their mother, ran to the
two-bedroom oceanfront apartment, lobby, asking the security guard what
recent college graduate Gabriel Nir had happened. The guard was as clue-
had just finished a late-night work- less as she was. Neither of them knew
out and was in the kitchen cooking that the pool deck had collapsed into
salmon. The rest of the family would the garage below.
Rd.com 101
Reader ’s Digest
Back in the Nirs’ kitchen, thick wrapped around her hair—fled their
concrete dust came rushing into apartment and ran to the lobby.
their apartment from the patio win- Through the lobby’s windows and
dows near the pool. The ground was glass doors, the Nirs could see the
shaking as 25-year-old Gabriel ran to damage outside. The car deck had
the bathroom. caved into the parking garage. Car
“We have to go now!” he screamed alarms were blaring, emergency lights
to his sister. He grabbed his phone, were flashing, and water was rapidly
then he and Chani—wearing only filling the garage where pipes had
a bathrobe, flip-flops, and a towel burst. Residents from upstairs were
A DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN?

The Champlain Towers structural damage’ to the have changed since
South had many desir- concrete slab below the then. While the sinking
able features: It was on pool deck and ‘abundant’ land may have contrib-
the ocean, it had a pool cracking and crumbling uted to the building’s
and a gym, and it was of the columns, beams collapse, FIU Institute of
just north of trendy Mi- and walls of the parking Environment professor
ami Beach. “I was telling garage,” which was lo- Shimon Wdowinski
my mom how this place is cated beneath the pool doubts it alone would
great, the house is great, area. It was the pool area have brought down
everything is great,” that collapsed into the the building.
Gabriel Nir, who lived on garage, possibly adding If the Champlain Towers
the first floor, told the to or setting off the seems to have been a
Washington Post. “But collapse. The Times also disaster waiting to
when you live there, you reports that “damaged happen, here is a silver
start to notice the small columns at the building’s lining: It could have been
creaks and the small base may have had less worse. Tourists and snow-
issues the building had.” steel reinforcement than birds tend to avoid Flori-
While no definitive was originally planned.” da’s hot, humid summers,
cause had been deter- Additionally, a 2020 and many of the apart-
mined for the 40-year-old Florida International Uni- ments had been shut-
tower’s collapse when we versity study found that tered until winter. Had
went to press, there were the land on which the the collapse occurred a
warning signs. The New building stood had been few months earlier, there
York Times reported that sinking about 2 millime- likely would have been
in 2018, “a consultant ters a year in the 1990s, more casualties.
found evidence of ‘major although the rate may —the editors
102 November 2021

Drama in Real Life
running out the door screaming, 42-year-old former college athlete was
many still in pajamas, one man push- vacationing from New Jersey with his
ing a baby stroller. wife, Janette; 14-year-old daughter,
As the rumbling intensified, Gabriel Athena; and 22-year-old son, Justin
pushed his mom and sister safely into Willis, a college baseball player.
the street. “Run! Run!” he ordered. Justin thought a plane had crashed
Tiny rocks and bits of debris pelted into the building, but there was little
his head as he turned back to face an time to talk as they rushed into the
image that still haunts him. stairwell, wondering if they could
“I saw the building turning into a manage to painstakingly descend
white dust,” he says, describing the 11 floors before more of the building
complex as part of it crumbled, much collapsed. No one panicked or cried.
of it atop his family’s apartment. “I “There was no time to react. Just make
heard people screaming.” your move,” Albert says.
“I have to go back. I have to make Each time they descended another
sure everyone’s OK,” he yelled to his level, they yelled out the floor num-
mother and sister. But he knew it was ber, a small victory of survival, one
Lynne SLadky/ShutterStock
too late. floor closer to freedom. The swirling

dust and ash made it difficult to see
Up on the 11th floor, Albert Aguero a few feet in any direction. To make
stared in disbelief at the gaping holes sure they hadn’t lost anyone, they fre-
in the elevator shaft. Half of the neigh- quently called out each other’s names.
boring apartment was sheared off. “Justin, are you still there?” “Babe,
The power was out. He wondered are you OK?”
whether lightning had struck. The fit At the sixth-floor landing, they
ran into the Lo-
pezes, and the two
families proceeded
d o w n t o g e t h e r.
When they reached
t h e f i f t h f l o o r,
Janette heard bang-
ing coming from
the other side of the
stairwell door. The
Some residents
carried neighbors
down the stairs.
Rd.com 103
Reader ’s Digest
Only one survivor was

pulled from the rubble: a
15-year-old boy who had
called out to a passerby.
rocking of the building

had warped the door
frame, which in turn
jammed the door shut.
Using all her strength,
Ja n e t t e w re n c h e d i t
open, and a few more
refugees joined them on
the stairs. Included in
the group was 62-year-
old Susana Alvarez, who
was clutching Esther Gorfinkel, one of Maltese puppy. They knew the other
the building’s original tenants. half of the building was gone and as-
Alvarez asked Albert and his son to sumed the stairwells were too.
help Gorfinkel as they continued their Rodriguez thought their only
descent. There were some cracks and chance of escape was to wait on a
gaps down the stairwell, but nothing balcony until fire trucks arrived. In
impassable. Still, the pace was too the chaos, her brother Fred called.
much for the elderly woman. He had rushed to the building and
“Don’t worry about me. I’m 88. I’ve was standing outside. He kept repeat-
had a good life,” Gorfinkel said, trying ing the same urgent warning: “Get
to wave them on without her. out of there! Get out!” She argued,
But Albert was determined they saying there was no way out—the
were all going to make it out alive. stairs were gone.
They moved carefully and quickly— A firefighter grabbed Fred’s phone
no pushing or trampling. “You’re and uttered a chilling command: “You
Wilfredo lee/ShutterStock
going to be fine,” he reassured her. need to find a way out.”

“We’re going to make sure you make They decided to try the stairwell
it to 89.” again. When they reached the eighth
floor, they found 84-year-old Ada
On the ninth floor, Raysa Rodri- Lopez waiting with her walker. San-
guez and her neighbor Yadira Santos tos had called to warn her. Rodriguez
huddled in the hallway, along with rushed ahead to see if there was a way
Santos’ 10-year-old son, Kai, and their out as the others helped Ada down the
104 November 2021

Drama in Real Life
stairwell, bumping into the Aguero gone. “So I kept going,” she says.
and Lopez clans along the way. Meanwhile, Esther Gorfinkel was
But when Rodriguez reached the flagging. They were moving too
flooded parking garage, she turned fast, she complained. Her knee was
around. “I knew being electrocuted in terrible pain. Without thinking,
was a real possibility,” she says. Alfredo threw her over his shoulder
Rodriguez rushed back upstairs and pressed on.
to her party. While the Aguero and “We became like a caravan,” he says.
Lopez group continued down to the But the caravan was in for a
garage, Rodriguez chose a different surprise when they reached the
path, leading her friends out of the flooded garage. Though they weren’t
stairwell at the second floor. There, worried about being electrocuted,
they discovered that someone had left as Rodriguez had feared, their way
their apartment door open. They ran out was obstructed by mangled cars
to the balcony, which faced the street and a giant slab of concrete that had
side, and called down to a rescue fallen from the pool deck above. They
team outside. Soon, first responders would have to wade through the
maneuvered a cherry picker toward water and scramble over the vehicles
them. One by one they stepped in and and concrete to the pool deck.
were brought down to the street and Alvarez panicked. She was wear-
to safety. ing slippers, just like Alfredo’s wife,
Marian. It was too high to climb the
Back in the stairwell, the Aguero and rubble. She watched as the athletic
Lopez families were still making their Aguero family ascended the broken
way toward the garage. Alfredo Lopez cars and concrete to the pool deck,
was panicked ... and miffed. Why was with father and son hoisting Gorfinkel
his wife wearing slippers to navigate up the wreckage.
their doomsday nightmare? “What I can’t make it, Alvarez thought.
were you thinking?” he yelled. Her hands were covered with blood,
As they descended, Susana Alvarez but she had no scratches, and no idea
paused as she remembered Hilda where it came from. But the Lopezes
Noriega on the sixth floor. She was weren’t about to leave her behind.
like family; they’d spent many holi- “Thanks to Alfredo and his son,” she
days together. Noriega and Alvarez’s says, “we were able to climb up and
mother had been best friends since get out.”
their days in Cuba. Can I rescue
her? Can I go get her? she thought The Aguero, Nir, and Lopez families
frantically. But she knew the wing and their little ragtag team all came
of the building Noriega lived in was out alive and safe. They now find
Rd.com 105
Reader ’s Digest Drama in Real Life
Gabriel Nir, left, and his family escaped, but their first-floor apartment was squashed
under debris. At right, loved ones set up a tribute wall to the victims.
themselves embracing their children away the what-ifs. “It’s like a virus. It
and siblings tighter, knowing that just never goes away,” he says regret-
many of their neighbors will never fully. “I wish I could have done more
return, never hug loved ones again. ... these people who are missing, they
They lost their homes. It’s all aren’t coming back.”
gone. Clothes, computers, cars, even Susana Alvarez is also filled with
prescriptions. The part of the building grief. Hilda Noriega, her mother’s best
that continued to stand was deemed friend, is among the dead. And then
structurally unsound and unsafe for there are her other neighbors. “Those
tenants to return. It was demolished are people I say hello to,” she told NPR.
on July 4. It’s inconvenient, the sur- “The lady who was in the elevator
vivors say, but it doesn’t really mat- with me that night before when I went
ter. They are alive. At night, it’s much home for the evening—we were talk-
harder. They still hear the screams ing. She did yoga with me. They were
Gerald Herbert/SHutterStock (2)
in their heads, and it all comes the nicest couple. They always wanted
rushing back. “I had horrible survi- me to go out, ride bikes with them.”
vor’s guilt,” says Alfredo. And then there were the people
Days after the collapse of the she heard crying from the rubble
Champlain Towers South, the Nir as she escaped. “Some were yelling
family found themselves crammed ‘Help,’” she says. “That will haunt
into a nearby donated hotel room. me forever.” RD
But Gabriel Nir found it difficult to
aSSociated PreSS (July 3, 2021), coPyriGHt © 2021 by
sleep. He tried to stay busy, to push tHe aSSociated PreSS
106 November 2021

Reader ’s Digest
Humor in
UNIFORM
My buddy and I—two chocolates. Instead, walked side by side

freshly minted second he’d bought his for a few feet, the
lieutenants—were in- personal favorite. prisoner, who had
vited to dine with the “Reese’s Peanut a few years on me,
base commander and Butter Cups!” he said, pointed to my weapon
his wife at their home. beaming. “You owe and said, “You know,
We agreed that before me 88 cents.” you should really walk
dinner my friend —JR Pawlowski behind me and have
would stop by the PX Stevens Point, your rifle ready to fire
to pick up a nice box Wisconsin in case I try to escape.”
of candy for our host- —Howard Hein
ess and that we’d split A month into my stint Briarcliff Manor,
Ralph hagen/CaRtoonstoCk.Com
the cost. in the Army, I was New York

The next day, as assigned to guard
we walked to the prisoners. The fact
colonel’s home in that I was very raw
our Army dress uni- was made abundantly your funny military
forms, I asked what clear to me the first story could be worth
he’d bought. I was time I accompanied $$$. For details, see
anticipating a box of an inmate to the mili- page 2 or go to
truffles or assorted tary prison. After we rd.com/submit.
Rd.com 107
INSPIRATION
How I Learned to
Make
Friends Again
It used to be so easy. Then life got in the way.
By Billy Baker
from the book We Need to HaNg out
Reader ’s Digest
et’s start with the moment I all the time and we hung out all the ...
L realized I was already a loser.

I had been summoned to an
editor’s office at the Boston Globe.
Wait, how often did we actually
hang out? Maybe four or five times a
year? Maybe less?
“We want you to write about how Then there was my other best friend
middle-aged men have no friends,” from high school, Rory ... I genuinely
he said. There was a crisis in modern could not remember the last time
friendship, he went on to say, and it I’d seen Rory. Had it been a year? En-
was having a catastrophic effect on tirely possible.
mental and physical health. I had a wife and two young boys,
I have plenty of friends, buddy. Are and we had recently purchased a
you calling me a loser? You are. home in a small coastal town about
A l s o, d i d y o u j u s t c a l l m e an hour north of the city. Aside from
middle-aged? work, most ever ything revolved
As I slunk back to my desk, I ran a around my children. When you added
quick mental roll call just to confirm it all up, there was no real “friend
that I was not, in fact, perfect for this time” left.
loneliness story. First off, there was My story was very typical. And
my buddy Mark. We went to high very dangerous. That’s what I heard
school together and we still talked from Richard Schwartz, a psychiatrist
Kevin erdvig/Unsplash

Reader ’s Digest
and local Boston guy who, with friendships. So I typed out my com-
his wife, Jacqueline Olds, MD, had plaints, threw in some research, and
written a book called The Lonely completed my assignment.
American: Drifting Apart in the Twenty- As soon as my article was pub-
first Century. lished, the first thing I did was send
Name a health condition you don’t it to Mark and Rory, my buddies from
want and there’s a study linking it to high school.
loneliness. Diabetes. Obesity. Alz- Mark replied right away. “Who is
heimer’s. Heart disease. Cancer. this?” That’s classic Mark.
Now consider that a 2019 survey Rory’s reply was not funny. “Awe-
found that 61 percent of Americans— some story,” he wrote. And then he
men and women—are measurably apologized, because he had failed to
lonely, based on how they scored on mention something kind of impor-
the UCLA Loneliness scale, the gold tant. He had moved.
standard for decades. The percent- To Vienna.
age had jumped seven points from One of my two best friends had
just the previous year. And accord- moved to Austria and did not bother
ing to a large study conducted by the to tell me.
AARP, more than 42 million Ameri- It was clear I needed to get my
cans over the age of 45 suffer from friend life back on track. And I wasn’t
chronic loneliness. the only one. I was getting e-mails,
“Psychiatry has worked hard to de- hundreds and hundreds of e-mails,
stigmatize things like depression, and all saying “This is me,” or some ver-
to a large part it has been successful,” sion of it.
Dr. Schwartz said. “People are com- Good thing I had spoken to some
fortable saying they’re depressed. But experts about all this.
they’re not comfortable saying they’re Dr. Schwartz had suggested finding
lonely, because you’re the kid sitting activities with built-in regularity, and
alone in the cafeteria.” I did not need a PhD to understand
I’ve never been that kid. I’m gre- why this is the favored advice of the
garious and outgoing. I’ve never had experts who work in this field. Sched-
trouble making friends. I’m fairly uling takes initiative, and if you have
Sidney Pearce/UnSPlaSh
good about keeping in touch. Or at to take initiative every time you see
least I comment on their Facebook a friend, it’s easy for the effort to feel
posts, and they comment on mine. like yet another aggravation you don’t
But I could no longer deny how need. Anyone who has ever been on
well my symptoms fit the diagnosis an e-mail chain trying to plan a group
that had been handed to me. I had get-together knows how quickly the
to admit that I had no truly active aggravation can kill the concept.
110 November 2021

Inspiration
So the expert recommendation is very guy thing to do. Also ... Wednes-
rather grandfatherly: Join a bowling days. Ain’t nothing great about
league. Essentially. That gave me an Wednesdays.
idea. More accurately, I was going to I needed my own Wednesday
steal an idea. Nights. And I knew that other guys
Shortly after we’d moved from the did too.
city, I took a kayaking class run out of So I invited a dozen guys to get to-
a small shop owned by a guy named gether on Wednesday night, in the loft
Ozzie and his wife, Sandy. At some of a barn a guy in town had agreed to
point I heard Ozzie decline an invi- let us use. The barn wasn’t much. It
tation because he had Wednesday had a couple of old couches, some
Night. I didn’t totally follow, as I was beat-up chairs, a strand of Christmas
under the impression that we all had lights on the wall. It was perfect.
Wednesday night, but Ozzie explained Ten guys showed up. I told them the
that “Wednesday Night” was a pact barn was ours on the odd-numbered
that he and some buddies had made Wednesdays, and if anyone wanted
years before, a standing order that on to join me, I’d be there. When the
Wednesday nights they would get to- next Odd Wednesday rolled around,
gether and do something. Anything. the Boston Bruins were playing in
Everything about the idea sounded the Stanley Cup, so the guys who
perfect to me, a blend of quaint and were free that night got together and
profound, right down to its name, watched the game. Friendship is com-
which is a lack of a name, which is a plicated unless it’s painfully simple.
As the weather warmed, we moved
outside, where we set up a firepit on
a spot overlooking a river that runs
through a salt marsh. There was a
primitive pleasure in sitting around
a fire at the end of a day, cold drink
in hand. We had some good laughs,
but what I remember most about that
night was that near the end, when it
had finally become pitch-black, there
was a good long stretch where we all
just stood around the flames, watch-
ing them dance, and saying nothing.
As the year rolled on, we got to-
gether some Odd Wednesdays and
skipped others.
Rd.com 111
Reader ’s Digest Inspiration
Then the coronavirus arrived. minutes—is turn back the clock on

When the world was quickly forced 10,000 years of social evolution,” Se-
into isolation, it came with forced bastian Junger wrote in his wonderful
loneliness. What was special about book Tribe. “There is no survival out-
it was that we were all going through side group survival, and that creates a
it together, acutely aware of it, and social bond that people sorely miss.”
willing to talk about it because that’s I’ve come to subscribe to the in-
really all there was to talk about. In- creasingly popular belief that much
stead of the philosophical question of our modern angst, anxiety, and
of “Why aren’t we hanging out?” we disconnect can be traced to our aban-
were all faced with the concrete ques- donment of the tribal living we were
tion of “When can we hang out?” built for. And in the strangest way—
digitally, in physical isolation—we
were demonstrating, more clearly
SUDDENLY I WAS IN than ever, the desire for a return.
A TEXT CHAIN WITH As the lockdown gradually lifted
EVERY SQUAD I’D EVER and life inched back toward some
sense of normalcy, we held our first
BEEN A MEMBER OF. new Wednesday Night. This time I
didn’t try to gather the whole group.
I limited it to three of the guys: Kevin,
As much of the world went into Jon, and Andy. We had been in con-
lockdown, two health crises arrived tact nearly every day, even as the
simultaneously: the virus and the larger Wednesday Night group went
loneliness born of the isolation it on a COVID hold. Kevin had been kind
forced upon everyone as we fought enough to buy us a boat, so we made
to stop the spread. But from that dark that our thing.
void, an unmistakable trend emerged. Going forward, I’m not sure what
Suddenly, I found myself in a group will become of the Odd Wednesdays.
text chain with every squad I’d ever I still love all those guys, and I sin-
been a member of. High school cerely hope we will be able to pull
friends. College buddies. My crew off a gathering here and there for all
from journalism school. My brother eternity. But even if my grand experi-
kEviN Erdvig/uNsplash
and cousins. My friends from the gym. ment didn’t work out, I still made out:
A crew I’d played bar trivia with a de- I wound up with three best friends to
cade before. Organically and instinc- hang out with on Wednesday nights. RD
tively, the squads were assembling. ExcErptEd from thE book WE NEEd to haNg out by
“What catastrophes seem to do— billy bakEr, copyright © 2021 by billy bakEr.
rEpriNtEd With pErmissioN of avid rEadEr prEss,
sometimes in the span of a few a divisioN of simoN & schustEr, iNc.
112 November 2021

Reader ’s Digest
BRAIN GAMES
7 Pages to sharpen Your Mind
Fact or Fiction?
MEDIUM Determine whether each statement is fact or fiction. To reveal the solution
to the bonus question at the bottom, write the letters indicated by your responses
in the corresponding numbered blanks. Turn the page upside down for the answers.
1. The Spanish 2. The Great Wall 3. Voltaire reportedly

national anthem of China is visible drank 40 to
has no lyrics. from space. 50 cups of
coffee a day.
FACT: I FICTION: D FACT: O FICTION: P FACT: A FICTION: M
4. Adding salt to water 5. Veterans Day 6. A turkey’s gender

makes it boil faster. has always been can be determined
in November. by its droppings.
FACT: A FICTION: D FACT: I FICTION: D FACT: R FICTION: N

emily goodman (fact or fiction). noun project ( 4 )
7. More people tuned 8. The Islets of 9. Saffron is the most

in to the Super Bowl Langerhans are found expensive spice.
than the Oscars in the South Pacific.
this year.
FACT: E FICTION: U FACT: R FICTION: S FACT: S FICTION: L
BONUs QUEsTION What is the number that identifies your Internet connection called?
(Need help? Turn to “Delete Your Internet Footprint” on page 80.)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
many viewers. 8. Fiction; they are cells in the pancreas. 9. Fact. Bonus Question. IP address.
6. Fact; the males’ droppings are spiral and the females’ are J-shaped. 7. Fact; the Super Bowl had nearly ten times as
water a higher boiling point. 5. Fiction; for a few years in the 1970s, it was celebrated on the fourth Monday in October.
Answers: 1. Fact. 2. Fiction; even in low Earth orbit, it isn’t visible to the naked eye. 3. Fact. 4. Fiction; adding salt gives
Rd.com 113
Reader ’s Digest
Quick Crossword
easy In the spirit of giving 1
thanks, fill the grid with
these words, all of which 2
mean “thank you” in 3
various languages.
4
HVALA (Croatian) 5
MERCI (French)
WADO (Cherokee)
ASANTE (Swahili) 6 7 8
TODA (Hebrew) 9
GRACIAS (Spanish)
KIITOS (Finnish)
ARIGATO (Japanese) 10
DANKE (German)
emily goodman (quick crossword). marcel danesi (missing middle, pyramid scheme)
MAHALO (Hawaiian)
Missing Middle Pyramid Scheme

difficult Using the rule that these grids MediuM In total, how many
all follow, what number should go in the distinct triangles are in the
center square of the fourth grid? figure below? Note: Some of
the triangles are made up of
two or more smaller ones.
2 5 8 9
21 72
4 1 7 3
12 2 9 21
94 ?
1 34 14 7
114 November 2021

Brain Games
One Too Many Cooks

easy You’re about to share a Friendsgiving meal with five of your nearest and
dearest. Each friend made a different side. The problem? Larry is a terrible cook,
so you don’t want to sample his dish. Based on the following clues, can you figure
out who made what—and which item to leave off your own plate?
Friends
AIDEN
CEDRIC
JILL
BARB
LARRY
dishes
MASHED POTATOES
CORNBREAD
MAC AND CHEESE
GRAVY
GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE
emily goodman (double Trouble, one Too many Cooks). sakke overlund ( 5 )
Clues
✦✦ Aiden did not make a dish with a vegetable in its name.
✦✦ Cedric made a side with only one word in its name.
✦✦ Jill made the mac and cheese.
✦✦ Barb did not make the green bean casserole.
Double Trouble
medium Rephrase each item below as a pair of rhyming words. Hint: Each item’s
number is also the number of syllables in each word in the answer.
1. Rosé wine, for one

2. A rowdy group of political allies
3. The cost of cosmetology school
4. A jockey crossing the street
5. A respect for acronyms and other shortenings
For more Brain Games, go to rd.com/crosswords.
For answers, turn to page 119.
Rd.com 115
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Brain Games Reader ’s Digest
9. inert adj.
WORD POWER (ih-'nert)
A explosive
B inactive
C poisonous
Grab your safety goggles and fire up your
Bunsen burner—we’re heading to science 10. velocity n.
class with terms related to chemistry, biol- (vuh-'lah-sih-tee)
A speed
ogy, and physics. If you feel out of your ele- B friction
ment, don’t worry; the words are also used C pressure
outside the lab. After your pop quiz, take a
quantum leap to the next page for answers. 11. vertebra n.
('ver-tuh-bruh)
A green metal
By Sarah Chassé B back bone
C reptile family
1. hypothesis n. 5. crucible n. 12. pathogen n.

(hi-'pah-thuh-sis) ('kroo-sih-bull) ('path-uh-jen)
A published study A pot for heating A invasive species
B unproven theory B simple machine B disease’s cause
C law of motion C volcanic rock C plant spore
2. combust v. 6. evolve v. 13. inquiry n.

(kum-'bust) (ih-'volv) (in-'kwy-ree)
A burn A die out A reaction
B fuse B change gradually B thesis
C shatter C pass down C investigation
3. vacuum n. 7. nucleus n. 14. symbiotic adj.

('vak-yoom) ('noo-klee-iss) (sim-bee-'ah-tik)
A air pump A bodily fluid A oxygen-rich
B unit of measure B observation B interdependent
C empty space C cell part C evidence-based
4. dilute v. 8. hybrid n. 15. variable n.

(di'-loot) ('hi-brid) ('vair-ee-uh-bull)
A split in half A clone A math equation
B water down B hatchling B colorless gas
C apply force C crossbreed C changeable factor

Reader ’s Digest
Weird Science
Science has countless branches, many with names ending in -logy
or -ology, meaning “study,” from the Greek logos (“word”). Among
the lesser-known specialties: oology (the study of birds’ eggs), koniology (dust),
dendrochronology (tree rings), and ichnology (fossil footprints). And for those who
really want to get down and dirty, there’s scatology, the study of ... well, excrement.
Word Power 6. evolve 12. pathogen

(B) change gradually (B) disease’s cause
ANSWERS Experts believe that some Bacteria, fungi, and
dinosaur species evolved viruses are all types
1. hypothesis into birds. of pathogens.
(B) unproven theory
The professor designed 7. nucleus (C) cell part 13. inquiry
an experiment to test A cell’s nucleus contains (C) investigation
her hypothesis. its genetic information, “My conclusions are
or DNA. based on scientific in
2. combust (A) burn quiry, not on personal
“Oh no,” Raheem cried 8. hybrid (C) crossbreed opinion,” said Dr. Lee.
on Thanksgiving. “Our The clementine is a hy
turkey combusted in brid between the manda 14. symbiotic
the oven!” rin and the sweet orange. (B) interdependent
Today’s teenagers have
3. vacuum 9. inert (B) inactive a symbiotic relationship
(C) empty space Medications often in with social media.
Adopting a rescue dog clude inert ingredients,
has filled the vacuum such as dyes. 15. variable
in Geena’s life. (C) changeable factor
10. velocity (A) speed Meteorologists consider
4. dilute (B) water down As the league’s top wide a lot of variables when
You should dilute bleach receiver, Carl is known predicting the weather.
before using it to dis for his velocity and
infect surfaces. ball handling.
5. crucible 11. vertebra

A-S-L/Getty ImAGeS
(A) pot for heating (B) back bone

“For this experiment, I will never go ice skating Vocabulary Ratings
we’ll melt aluminum in a again—the last time I 9 & Below: lab assistant
crucible,” Ms. Ferris told went, I fell and cracked 10–12: researcher
her students. a vertebra! 13–15: rocket scientist
118 November 2021

Brain Games
Make
ANSWERS us !
L ugh
a
WHERE, OH WHERE?
(page 44)
C. Boone County, Iowa
BRAIN GAMES
(pages 114-115)
Quick Crossword
ACROSS DOWN
3. WADO 1. HVALA
5. GRACIAS 2. MAHALO
6. TODA 4. ARIGATO
9. ASANTE 7. DANKE
10. KIITOS 8. MERCI
One Too Many Cooks

Aiden made the gravy.
Cedric made the corn-
bread. Jill made the mac
and cheese. Barb made the
mashed potatoes. Larry Caption Contest
made the green bean
casserole, so that is the
What’s your clever description for this
dish you’ll want to avoid. picture? Submit your funniest line at
Krisztina scheeff/comedy Wildlife Photo aWards 2020
rd.com /captioncontest. Winners will

Pyramid Scheme
9
appear in a future Photo Finish (page 120).
Missing Middle Reader’s Digest (ISSN 0034-0375) (USPS 865-820), (CPM Agreement# 40031457), Vol. 198,
15. The number in the No. 1175, November 2021. © 2021. Published monthly, except bimonthly in March/April, July/
August, and December/January (subject to change without notice), by Trusted Media Brands,
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Rd.com 119
Reader ’s Digest Brain Games
PHOTO FINISH
Your Funniest captions
Winner
First year at clown-car college.
—Bruce Merecki Silver City, New Mexico
Runners-Up
The Sardine family packs for its next vacation.
—Robert Carr Toms River, New Jersey
Jodie GriGGs/Getty imaGes
“My boyfriend warned me he had a lot of baggage

from his last relationship, but I wasn’t expecting this!”
—susan Yanguas Ellicott City, Maryland
To enter an upcoming caption contest, see the photo on page 119.
120 november 2021 | rd.com

Reader's Digest USA - November 2021

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NOVEMBER 2021

scan the code

road? Have some fun

cover Photo illustration by Justin Metz Rd.com | NovembeR 2021 1

2 November 2021 | rd.com * Story referenced on cover

WORLD’S 1 SELLING NERVE CARE †

W just about the biggest com-

from top: James KirKiKis/shutterstocK. matthew cohen

4 November 2021 | rd.com

a bunch of baseball at Age 46 daughter to tell her if

her daughter assures Where, Oh Where PRIME MOVERS

name as Smith is in the Management confirms that there was no num-

The Power of Memory

ene Compean was no stranger My phone is going to die. I’m lost,”

R to Angeles National Forest. He’d

8 November 2021 Photograph by Jose Mandojana

“I bet I can find

10 November 2021 | rd.com

that’s going to stretch my faith, my

12 November 2021 | rd.com

Corrective Fit Orthotic

PATENTED VERSOSHOCK® SOLE

Clinically Shown to Enjoy the beneﬁts of exercise

MIGHTY WALK $135

I was eating breakfast

and TV personality Mi- stand on the other.” — beryl eckert

14 November 2021 | rd.com

the results of their Just overheard my 54-year-old dad tell

In clinical trials, those taking

Myrbetriq® is a registered trademark of Astellas Pharma Inc.

Serious Side Effects

Tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions, including:

Keep Myrbetriq and all medicines out of the reach of children.

Myrbetriq® and VESIcare® are registered

Keeping the Change

Mind the Gaps I see some areas built up,

20 November 2021 | rd.com Illustration by Melanie Lambrick

Work Out Your

A to the hospital with gastro­

Photographs by Joleen Zubek Rd.com 23

HOW TO PRACTICE EXPRESSIVE WRITING:

When I tell people I

their fettuccini alfredo. find it, thanks.

Atlas and Poot Poot were both

Kid Being Kids

T Nigerian Dwarf goat that sur-

at 1.4 pounds. quick boost, an old trick we’d learned

30 November 2021 | rd.com

out so we could submerge him in the kitchen sink

outside the door,

Have a Pet Pals tale?

n early 2017, a special unit of the

Beware of slather me all over their bodies and

Imposters and blade called a strigil. I was used

the sweaty, dirty scrapings from the

artichoke-y, green tomato-ish, and If you’ve read much about oils

Fair Weather Friend

36 november 2021 | rd.com

“You don’t get an office. You get cargo pants.”

A to the hospital with gastro

shift, he came home up- —Veronica Barnard — @whoopiepie10