RS

HOUF
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A
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PAGE 28

Welcome to Aree We
the Coldest Natural Born
Place on Earth Raccists?
PAGE 90 PAG
GE 54

13 Things Airliines
Won’t Tell Y
You
PAGE 86

Feeding Our The Po

ower of
Olympians Forgiveness
PAGE 61 PAG
GE 79

Smart Animals ................................................... 10

5 Facts About Iron Deficiency ............................. 15

Grandparents’ Guide to Babysitting ................... 70
Explore, Interact, Inspire

Available now, everywhere

 Contents JULY 2016

Cover Story
28 IT’S A COBRA!
The five year old screamed out. On her hand
were two bites, and on the floor, a deadly
Mozambique spitting cobra. G LY N I S H O R N I N G P. | 40
Up Close
36 A CURATOR’S JOURNEY
A creative family, a history of politics and a
passion for silk saris all combined in Divia
Patel’s career. AS TO L D TO KAT H Y B U C H A N A N

Profile
40 ONE STEP AT A TIME
The man who wants footsteps to power our
future cities. DAV I D T H O M AS

Who Knew?
48 CELEBRITIES WHO SPIED
A magician, a chef and a children’s author
all hid a secret. L I N DA R O D R I G U E Z M C R O B B I E

54
F R O M M E N TA L F LO S S
P. |
Look Twice
50 SEE THE WORLD ... DIFFERENTLY
Travelling by boat on dry land.

Science
54 ARE WE NATURAL-BORN RACISTS?
You may think of yourself as being
without prejudice, but studies suggest
otherwise. C H R I S M O O N E Y
F R O M M OT H E R J O N E S

Sport
61 FEEDING THE OLYMPICS
What’s on the menu for the 2016
Rio Olympics. DAV I D T H O M AS

Julyđ2016 | 1
 Contents
JULY 2016

Family
70 GRAND PLANS
P. | 61 Worried your grandparenting skills might be
rusty? Try these tips. A N D R E M AY E R

Health
72 YOUR HEALTH BY THE NUMBERS
Take better control of your health by knowing
these key numbers. J E S S COX

Instant Answers
76 IRAN
From a glittering Persian empire to a religious
state: Iran’s strategic importance. H A Z E L F LY N N

Art of Living
79 HEALING THROUGH FORGIVING
Holding grudges takes a toll. L I A GRAINGER

Who Made That?

84 FISHING LURE
How inventors imitate the movements of a fish’s
prey. PAG A N K E N N E DY F R O M T H E N E W YO R K T I M E S

Need to Know
86 13 THINGS AIRLINES WON’T TELL YOU
Disclosures from cabin crew. M I C H E L L E CROUCH

Photo Feature
90 THE COLDEST PLACE ON EARTH
Amos Chapple photographs daily life in harsh
conditions. N ATAS H A G E I L I N G F R O M S M I T H SO N I A N

Bonus Read
98 ELIN WAS BORN TWICE
The couple and their young son had a lot of love
P. | 98 to share. But was it enough for a foster baby with
an intellectual disability? L I S B E T H P I P P I N G

2 | Julyđ2016
 THE DIGEST
Health
P. | 26
15 Choosing foods low on the GL
scale, the latest medical news
Food
20 Spicy vegetables with eggs,
plus the perfect boiled eggs
Home
22 Curtain poles and tracks; plant
care while you’re on holiday
Travel
24 8 underrated cities in Europe
Pets
26 The best dogs for tiny homes
Out & About
112 All that’s best in books, movies
and unexpected news

REGULARS
4 Letters
P. | 88
7 Editor’s Note
8 Kindness of Strangers
10 Smart Animals
12 My Story
78 Quotable Quotes
109 That’s Outrageous SEE
PAGE 123
110 Unbelievable
118 Puzzles, Trivia & Word Power

HUMOUR
47 Laughter, the Best Medicine
68 Life’s Like That
88 All in a Day’s Work

CONTESTS
5 Caption and Letter Competition
6 Submit Your Jokes and Stories

Julyđ2016 | 3
 Letters
READERS’ COMMENTS AND OPINIONS

Royal Record Over the years, Her Majesty has

What a great life sketch of Queen won the hearts of millions of
Elizabeth II (‘Mighty Monarch’, people, including myself.
April) on the occasion of her 90th Today, as a regal ruler she
birthday. You exudes authority, kindness and
covered her life motherly love.
from a child to PROFESSOR MUHAMMAD SALEH MEMON

a teenager to Not everybody loves the idea

a graceful of a monarchy. However, I
young lady must commend the Queen
before she on her strong sense of duty
became a to her country and the
youthful, Commonwealth. I wish her
energetic health and happiness in the
monarch. years ahead. SUSAN HAMILTON

Surgery Guideline Surgeries may also start earlier than

Item 25 in ‘38 Secrets Hospitals Won’t planned due to cancellations or
Tell You’ suggests it’s not necessary to procedures going more quickly than
abstain from eating or drinking as of anticipated.
midnight the day before your surgery DAVID SCHWABACHER, n u r s e

(June). While this is correct, I suggest

that readers follow the guidelines set Daily Catch-up
by their own surgeon or anaesthetist. Thanks for the story about using
If one fails to follow regular morning emails to keep in
their guidelines, touch. My daughter
regardless of what LET US KNOW started university in the
current studies show, If you are moved – or early 1990s (‘The
the anaesthesia group provoked – by any item Morning Report’, June).
may elect to cancel or in the magazine, share At that time, I began
your thoughts. See
postpone your surgery. page 6 for how to join
writing a few sentences
the discussion.
4 | Julyđ2016
 to her each morning. That has
continued to this day. It is a daddy-
daughter bond. ROSS RICHARDSON

Beyond Prison Walls

When Ann Walmsley mustered the
courage to meet with a group of male
prisoners at Kingston, Ontario’s
‘I’m Hair-larious’
Collins Bay Institution, ‘I’d Like to We asked you to think up a funny
Help Find You Some Good Books’, caption for this photo.
(April) she could never have
imagined how such an experience My real dad is Groucho Marx.
BARRY STEWART
would not only enrich their lives,
but also her own. And for these They said I needed to ‘man up’
incarcerated book club members, SARAH MENEZES

whose lives have become defined If you are looking for the baby, he
and confined by their past criminal went that way. AMNA ARIF
behaviour, books and discussions
Congratulations! It’s a man!
with caring ‘outside’ book members MEHJABEEN SHAH
have opened doors and new worlds,
and given them a freedom to explore “I mustache you a question, is there
way beyond any prison walls. What something on my face?” YAYAT GEGEBU
a heartwarming story! JUDITH CAINE Congratulations to this month’s
winner, Amna Arif.

WIN A PILOT CAPLESS WIN!

FOUNTAIN PEN
The best letter published each
month will win a Pilot Capless
fountain pen, valued at over
$200. The Capless is the
perfect combination of luxury
and ingenious technology,
featuring a one-of-a-kind
retractable fountain pen nib, CAPTION CONTEST
durable metal body, beautiful
rhodium accents and a Come up with the funniest
PHOTOS: iSTOCK

14K gold nib. Congratulations caption for the above photo

to this month’s winner,
Professor Muhammad
and you could win $100. To
Saleh Memon. enter, see the details on page 6.

Julyđ2016 | 5
 Vol. 191
CONTRIBUTE
No. 1133 FOR DIGITAL EXTRAS AND
July 2016 SOCIAL MEDIA INFO, SEE PAGE 123.

Anecdotes and jokes

EDITORIAL Editorial Director Lynn Lewis Send in your real-life laugh for
Managing Editor Louise Waterson Chief Life’s Like That or All in a Day’s
Subeditor & Production Editor Donyale
Work. Got a joke? Send it in for
Harrison Deputy Chief Subeditor Melanie
Egan Designer Luke Temby Digital Editor Laughter is the Best Medicine!
& Humour Editor Greg Barton Editorial Smart Animals
Coordinator Victoria Polzot Senior Share antics of unique pets or
Editors Samantha Kent, Deborah Nixon wildlife in up to 300 words.
Contributing Editors Kathy Buchanan,
Hazel Flynn, Helen Signy Kindness of Strangers
Share your moments of
PRODUCTION & MARKETING
generosity in 100–500 words.
Production Manager Balaji Parthsarathy
Marketing Manager Gala Mechkauskayte My Story
Do you have an inspiring or
life-changing tale to tell?
ADVERTISING Group Advertising & Retail Submissions must be true,
Sales Director, Asia Pacific Sheron White unpublished, original and
Advertising Sales Manager Samantha Lowe 800–1000 words – see website
for more information.
REGIONAL ADVERTISING CONTACTS
Asia Sheron White, [email protected]
Australia Samantha Lowe, Letters to the editor, caption
[email protected]
competition and other
reader submissions
New Zealand Debbie Bishop,
[email protected] Online
Follow the “Contribute” link at the
RD website in your region, or via:
PUBLISHED BY READER’S DIGEST
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Email
AU: [email protected]
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Walter Beyleveldt NZ: [email protected]
Director Lance Christie Asia: [email protected]
We may edit submissions and use them
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READER’S DIGEST ASSOCIATION, INC (USA) and conditions.
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Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, TO SERVE YOU BETTER –
OUR PRIVACY STATEMENT
International Brian Kennedy Reader’s Digest collects your information to provide
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6 | Julyđ2016
 Editor’s Note
Brave Decisions
IT TAKES RESILIENCE to persist with a big decision – particularly
when the path seems littered with obstacles. Among the articles in
this month’s magazine, we bring you the stories of an inventor, a travel
photographer and a foster mother. Each of their stories illustrates how
often the greatest adventures start with a single brave decision.
Eco-entrepreneur Laurence Kemball-Cook (‘One Step at a Time’,
page 40) was a final-year student when he set out to turn footsteps
into electricity. Today, his Pavegen paving tile has become a
multimillion-dollar enterprise. In ‘The Coldest Place on Earth’
(page 90), New Zealand photographer Amos Chapple travels
to Oymyakon, in Russia’s Arctic Circle. Chapple both marvels
at the resilience of Oymyakon locals and fears the
unrelenting hardships of their environment. Then
there’s Marie, who foster-parents baby Elin,
thought to have a severe intellectual
disability (‘Elin Was Born Twice’, page 98).
The story will melt your heart as Marie
describes how she and her family learnt
to understand Elin’s greatest need.
Laurence, Amos and Marie all make
giant decisions that ultimately enrich
their lives. I’m sure you’ll enjoy reading
about their experiences!

LOUISE WATERSON
Managing Editor

Julyđ2016 | 7
KINDNESS OF STRANGERS

Serendipity
Hospitalised overseas, I made friends
with closer ties to me than I could gues
BY A DR I E N N E B ROW N

Adrienne FOR ME, 2012 was a milestone year. I was turning 70, and
Brown lives in just as I was deciding how to celebrate, a brochure arrived
Perth, Western from a seniors’ travel company about an escorted tour of
Australia. She the UK and Ireland. It was perfect, as they were visiting the
belongs to two
birthplaces of my grandparents, Yorkshire and Connemara,
writers’ groups,
enjoys keeping where I’d always yearned to go.
fit by walking On the day of departure, a friend from New Zealand,
with friends Don Martin, phoned to wish me well. I promised to call
and grows her and share my adventures as soon as I arrived home.
own organic The tour started off well in London with our
fruit and accommodation overlooking the Palace of Westminster
vegetables. and Big Ben, a sightseeing tour and a Thames boat trip.
However, the next morning I began to feel unwell during a
tour of Hampton Court Palace. The next day, I was admitted
to Warwick Hospital with pneumonia and placed on an
antibiotic drip and oxygen. On regaining consciousness two
days later I realised with horror that the tour had gone ahead,
leaving me alone and barely able to function, surrounded by
strangers thousands of kilometres from home in a country
where I knew of no one to contact for help.
As I gazed across the room, another patient and her
male visitor smiled. Introducing themselves as Sue and
Roger Bliss, they said they had been told of my plight, and
offered to contact my relatives in Australia. The relief that
washed over me as I gave Roger my son’s phone number was

8 | Julyđ2016
 Global connections: (from left) New Zealand;
statue of William Shakespeare; Elizabethan town
house in Stratford-upon-Avon

overwhelming. From that moment the advise and assist whenever needed,
retired British Merchant Navy captain and how much this meant to me.
and his artist wife were my guardian I explained he was a retired veterinary
angels, keeping in contact with my son surgeon living on a picturesque
and daughter-in-law and making sure property in Muriwai, west of Auckland,
I had everything I needed, including with his horses and other animals.
their spare mobile phone. Sue suddenly exclaimed “Don Martin!
Ten days later, I was discharged but And Hec and Anne?” (Don’s brother
was still too ill to travel. Sue and Roger and sister-in-law). Anne turned out to
suggested I stay at the Falcon Hotel in be Roger’s stepsister and the couple
Stratford-upon-Avon, their hometown, had visited Don in Muriwai. We sat
where Roger’s ancestors had lived for staring at each other in stunned
many generations (one, they assured silence before exclaiming in wonder
me, sold his glove-making business at how this miracle of synchronicity
to William Shakespeare’s father). with connections spanning thousands
Each morning at ten they came with of kilometres and three countries had
magazines, books and special treats. brought us together in a hospital when
When I was well enough, they took me I was so much in need.
to see places of historical interest. Ever since the bond between us has
At dinner on the night before my grown. We keep in contact and hope
flight home, I told Sue and Roger very much to meet again.
PHOTOS: iSTOC K

that words could never express my

Share your story about a small act of
gratitude for their kindness. I then kindness that made a huge impact.
spoke of a friend in New Zealand who Turn to page 6 for details on how to
over the years had been there to listen, contribute and earn cash.

Julyđ2016 | 9
 Smart Animals
Are quick to adapt to a variety of situations

Hedgehugs and Kisses quickly. He did not seem to be

LUZ KAWASHIMA frightened, nor did he resist being
In March 2013, on a rainy night, scooped up.
my partner Reece remembered Once inside, Reece called out to
that he had forgotten a box in his car me, saying that he had something that
and went out to get it. On his way would make my heart melt – he was
back inside he noticed a small right! We named the hedgehog Alf
shadow moving on the driveway in because, just like the TV show
ILLUSTRATED BY EDWINA KEENE

an area that was usually illuminated character of the ’80s, he came out of
by the streetlight. nowhere. And, like Alf the alien, this
As Reece moved towards the little hedgehog was amazingly
shadow he realised it was a young intelligent. Not only did he learn to
hedgehog, all wet in the grass, eating eat his dinner and drink water from
mud. He quickly removed his jacket his bowls, and to use a paper-covered
and picked it up. The hedgehog was mat for his ‘business’, but he also
very weak and unable to move about learnt to wait for us inside his little

10 | Julyđ2016
indoor cubby house and also hop through my recovery. I cannot
into his pet carrier whenever we took describe the feeling when I arrived
him out with us. home and saw his little face again.
Alf knows us very well and
recognises both our voices; he does Hard to Swallow
not roll into a ball or put his spines TRUDY ELZE
up. Every day he allows us to pat him, We usually feed our wild birds
just like you would a dog or cat. He with oats and bits of chicken skin
loves playing with paper and towels at mealtime. Last spring, while
and will bite and tug on the bed lunching on our deck, one cheeky
sheets if given a chance. Like all pets, butcherbird stole a hard, crusty
Alf loves his treats, in particular small corner off my husband’s lunchtime
pieces of sugar-coated biscuits. pie. The bird couldn’t break it up
Unfortunately, in April 2014 I was so tried to swallow it whole. The
in a car accident and had to spend crust got stuck on the way
two months in Auckland City down and we could see it
hospital. And boy, did I miss Alf. protruding from the poor
Reece told me that Alf would bird’s mouth.
search around the house for No matter how many
me, checking in places times the bird shook and
where I’d normally be, banged his beak on the table, it
such as my desk, my would not dislodge from his
favourite seat in beak. Perhaps sensing our
front of the TV concern for him, the bird
and even my side flew off the deck, landed
of the bed. on the nearby birdbath
One evening, Reece and dipped his beak in the
set up a video call for me water several times.
from my hospital bed and A few gulps and the dry
my heart rejoiced when I saw the pastry went straight down.
little guy appear on my mobile With this, the bird shook his head,
phone. When I told Alf that I would took another drink then came back
be home soon, he opened up from looking for more! My throat was sore
being in a semi-ball position. just thinking about it, but it didn’t
He started moving his head and faze this smart little cookie.
stretching out his arms as if trying to
reach me through the screen. You could earn cash by telling us about the
The fact that Alf acknowledged that antics of unique pets or wildlife. Turn to
it was me gave me the strength to get page 6 for details on how to contribute.

Julyđ2016 | 11
MY STORY

Amidst the trauma and violence of the Partition of India

in 1948 were acts of incredible bravery and humanity

Lasting Friendship
BY A BBAS A L I

Abbas Ali lives IT WAS A COLD winter’s day in January 1948. The city of Karachi
in Karachi, was beset with sectarian violence in the wake of the Partition of
Pakistan, with India and the creation of Pakistan. A mob mentality had set in
his wife and and the mob’s members operated with impunity and complete
two children. disregard for life and property. Absolute chaos prevailed.
A small
The madness was justified in the name of religion, hatred and
business
owner, the
vengeance and was directed towards the Hindus of Karachi.
47 year old A similar situation was occurring at the time in Bombay except
enjoys playing there the Hindus were the aggressors towards Muslims.
sport, reading Around then, my widowed maternal grandmother, Marium,
and spending lived in a house on Main Jamshed Road, in a quiet area of
time with his Karachi, along with her large family of 12 children. She would
family. have been around 44 years old at that time. The house was
known as Lakshmi Bhuvan, which means ‘home where there is
fortune and prosperity’. It was a rented place and the landlord
was a Sindhi Hindu, a kind man who lived on the ground floor
with his family. The first floor was leased to my grandmother
who occupied every square metre of the space available. As
was the architectural norm in those days, the two levels were
not internally connected. A separate stonewall staircase on the
outside of the house led to the upstairs area.
As the riots reached their zenith, the mob lay siege to the

12 | Julyđ2016
 Hindu homes in the surrounding herself and her children’s lives and
Jamshed Quarters. Terrifying news gave them asylum inside her small
of a Hindu massacre at the hands of home. Around mid-afternoon, a mob
Muslims spread like wildfire. Another of about 30 people, armed with clubs,
Hindu neighbour, Dr Popatlal, who sticks and machetes, barricaded the
lived directly opposite my main gate of the house, preventing
grandmother, was involved with anyone from entering or leaving the
Indian politics and this link drew the house. They knew my grandmother
Muslim mob to Main Jamshed Road. was sheltering two Hindu families
The situation was out of control and all inside, and demanded she hand
exit points out of the road quickly them over. Their intentions were
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

became sealed by the rampaging mob, dangerously clear.

trapping the Hindus. Dr Popatlal and My grandmother reacted with calm.
my grandmother’s landlord, along She was undeterred by the situation;
with both their families, turned to my her faith in God was pure and sincere
grandmother for help. She welcomed and her courage and conviction to
them with open arms, endangering oppose tyranny and oppression was

Julyđ2016 | 13
M Y STO RY

exemplary. When the mo ob Marium Ahmed, the writer’s

grandmother, left behind
entered the front yard myy
a moral legacy
mother reassured her
daughters. One was my
mother who was aged te S e felt that anyone in
at the time. She then h r position would have
asked four of her sons to do
d one the same thing. For
follow her down the heer, it was just the right
h
stone staircase outside. hing
th
h to do at the time.
The other three sons were The Hindu families
away at work. After showed
h their gratitude
descending halfway to her every time their
down the staircase, she paths crossed and she
made her children sit remained in touch with
on the landing, while she her landlord until he
stood in front of them, My grandmother migrated to India in 1960.
courageously protecting stood in front of My grandmother has
and shielding them from her children, left behind a moral
the mob. Modestly legacy that her
covered from head to toe
courageously descendants now
by a full-length chadar, protecting and maintain. Today, we have
she addressed the crowd: shielding them friends, colleagues and
“I am a Muslim woman from the mob acquaintances who are
and this is my family. Yes, Hindus. My grandmother
I have given protection in was a humanitarian and
my home to a Hindu family. If you devoted her life to the poor and
want to massacre them, go through us, needy until she passed away in 1968.
kill me and my children first.” Lakshmi Bhuvan still exists today,
The message somehow got through intact and preserved. The separate
and the mob decided to leave them stonewall staircase is still there. If the
alone. Eventually they dispersed and walls of the house could talk, they
P HOTO: COURTESY ABBAS ALI

the Hindu families were saved. would tell the story of a brave Muslim
It is said that if you save one life, family that defied an angry mob for
you have saved all of humanity. the sake of justice 68 years ago.
Immediately following the riots,
a curfew was imposed to bring the Do you have a tale to tell?
situation under control. My We’ll pay cash for any original and
grandmother was completely unpublished story we print. See page
nonchalant about her actions that day. 6 for details on how to contribute.

14 | Julyđ2016
 THE DIGEST
HEALTH

Foods Low in the

Glycaemic Index
Scientists have discovered that some types of carbs,
once in the body, convert faster to glucose than others
Back in 1981, Dr David Jenkins, grams of carbs per serve and so
a nutritional scientist, tested a range corrects this problem.
of foods, each containing 50 grams High-GL foods cause blood glucose
of carbohydrate, on people. He levels to rise sharply, prompting the
measured the blood sugar reactions pancreas to secrete insulin to bring it
and used them to rate the foods on back down. Low-GL foods create a
a scale he called the glycaemic index smaller, more sustained rise in blood
(GI). He discovered that certain glucose and require less insulin.
starchy foods, such as potatoes and
cornflakes, raised blood sugar nearly Why is Low-GL Better?
as much as pure glucose. Thesee Studies have found that people who
earned high GI scores. eat high-GL diets have higher rates of
One thing the GI doesn’t takke obesity, diabetes, heart disease
into account, though, is how and cancer. Several long-term
much carbohydrate a serving studies have shown that
of a food contains. You’d people who ate more high-GL
have to eat a lot of carrots foods had a substantially
PHOTO: iSTOCK

to get 50 grams of carbs. A

better measure, then, is the A glucose meter (glucometer)
glycaemic load (GL), which measures the approximate level
includes both the GI and of glucose in the blood

Julyđ2016 | 15
higher chance of developing type 2 having few or no carbs. Choose
diabetes. However, multiple studies breakfast cereals with at least 5 grams
have shown that dietary changes – of fibre per serving and they will likely
even minor ones – to low-GL options be low GL. And opt for whole grains
cut those risks. Eating low-GL can also (such as brown rice, barley, bulgur,
help if you already have diabetes. oatmeal and coarse whole-wheat
bread) over refined grains like white
How to Choose Low-GL rice, bread and white flour products.
First and foremost, reach for
more fresh, non-starchy fruits and What Should I Avoid?
vegetables, nearly all of which fall very No foods are banned completely from
low on the GL scale. (Go easier on a healthy diet, but see the chart below
starchy vegetables such as potatoes, for foods to cut back on, eat in smaller
parsnips, corn and peas.) Dairy and portion sizes or swap for choices that
protein foods are often very low, don’t raise blood sugar
g as much.

INSTE AD TRY
White pota or French fries Sweet potatoes
otatoes or fries made
from sweet potatoes

White rice Brown or converted rice, quinoa, bulgur,

pearled barley or pasta cooked al dente

White bread Coarse wholegrain bread, genuine

sourdough bread or dense rye bread

Cornflakes or rice cereal Bran cereal or oatmeal

Corn Beans and lentils

Chips, pretzels or jelly beans Nuts, frozen grapes or vegie sticks

Sugary beverages or juices Milk, water or tomato juice

16 | Julyđ2016
 HEALTH

NEWS FROM THE

World of Medicine
Pneumonia in Smokers Antibiotic Resistance is
is a Cancer Clue a Growing Threat
A study in the American Journal of The effects of medicine-resistant
Medicine tracked 381 heavy smokers infections may soon pose a larger risk
hospitalised with pneumonia. Nearly than cancer. Annual deaths caused
10% were diagnosed with lung cancer by drug resistance are estimated
within a year. Less than 1% of smokers to increase from 700,000 in 2015 to
without pneumonia have a chance of about ten million in 2050, according
being diagnosed with lung cancer in to the UK’s Review on Antimicrobial
a given year. Researchers say smokers Resistance. The world’s population is
hospitalised with pneumonia should taking more antibiotics, rendering the
be screened for lung cancer. drugs less effective, and companies
are producing fewer new antibiotics.
Two-Minute Cure for
Arachnophobia Mixed Junk Food Messages
Spiders give you the creeps? Negative messages about unhealthy
Dutch researchers exposed 45 food may make you crave
arachnophobes to a tarantula for it more. In an Arizona State
two minutes, then administered University study, researchers
a dose of either the beta-blocker gave dieters either positive or
propranolol or a placebo. Related negative messages about sugary
research shows that a fearful memory snacks. Participants then watched
may be eased if propranolol is a video while eating cookies.
given during that memory’s Those who received the
activation. Those given negative message ate 39%
the drug were far less more cookies than the
PHOTO: ADAM VOORHES

likely to avoid spiders positive-message group.

over the next year. Study If you’re trying to diet,
authors suggest the think about the pros of
technique could be used healthy food rather than
on people suffering from the cons of junk food.
anxiety disorders.

Julyđ2016 | 17
Common Causes
of Iron Deficiency
BY BONNIE SCHIEDEL

Iron is a workhorse nutrient. It helps dietitian Alex Paton,

cells work properly, sharpens memory who specialises in
and concentration, drives energy sport nutrition. Running
supplies, helps form oxygen-carrying can also cause minor GI
haemoglobin in red blood cells and bleeds, because the body is
may even ward off depression. But being jostled and shaken, she adds.
you may not have enough. Here’s why. Another factor is foot strike – red
blood cells bursting in the feet when
POOR IRON ABSORPTION This they hit the ground. Firm insoles in
could be due to not eating enough running shoes protect against this.
iron-rich food, or eating food that
hinders the way your body absorbs it. GIVING BLOOD Blood donation
“Because iron is absorbed in the gut, causes a brief drop in haemoglobin,
faulty absorption could also be due but your body recovers quickly. It’s
to a digestive issue such as untreated a good idea to eat iron-rich foods for
coeliac disease or colitis,” says Dr a few days after donation, and space
William Ehman, from the University out donations if your iron levels are
of British Columbia. A 2010 study in the low-normal range.
published in the International Journal
for Vitamin and Nutrition Research SIGNS OF IRON DEFICIENCY
suggested that people who are obese
Symptoms of iron deficiency can
may not be able to absorb iron well. be vague, says Ehman. Possible
And absorption can be blocked for symptoms are a sore, inflamed
those taking large amounts of antacids tongue; dizziness; restless leg;
or a proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) headache; diiculty maintaining
medication to treat acid reflux. body temperature; shortness of
breath; brittle nails; irritability; and
PHOTO: i STOCK

TOO-VIGOROUS WORKOUTS If rapid or irregular heartbeat. In mild

cases, you might not notice any
you are training extra-hard “you can
symptoms at all. Your doctor can
lose small amounts of iron through order tests to check your iron levels.
sweat and urine,” explains registered

18 | Julyđ2016
 HEALTH

What to Know About

Prostate Cancer Screening
… and why some doctors don’t think it’s always useful
FALSE POSITIVES Tests are based on
prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood
levels. About 80% of positive results
are false positives, which causes a lot
of unnecessary anxiety.
OVER-DIAGNOSIS An abnormal
PSA typically requires further testing
– either a biopsy or ultrasound. Both
are uncomfortable and can cause people of African descent compared
problems such as infection. to Caucasians, lower for Asians,
OVER-TREATMENT About 75% of Indigenous Australians and Pacific
prostate cancer cases are not fatal Islanders); and family history – your
even if left untreated, while 25% are risk is significantly higher if you’ve
aggressive killers. But we can’t yet had two or more relatives diagnosed,
reliably distinguish between them. especially a father or brother
Surgery, radiation and hormone diagnosed when younger than 65.
therapy have significant side effects GET THE DIGITAL RECTAL EXAM
such as incontinence, infection and It’s an annual check for over-50s, but
permanent impotence. Knowing the start earlier if you have risk factors.
risks, many doctors opt for a strategy BALANCE THE RISKS Talk to your
called ‘watchful waiting’, in which doctor about the implications of false
an elevated PSA level is tracked every positives, over-diagnosis and over-
three to six months and treatment is treatment and have a plan of action
recommended only if there is a rapid in place before you test.
or large rise (suggesting the cancer REDUCE FALSE POSITIVES Certain
may be an aggressive one). things increase PSA levels, including
KNOW YOUR RISK FACTORS low-grade trauma to the prostate
These include age (most prostate (such as a recent rectal exam or long
cancers are diagnosed over age bike ride) and ejaculation. Avoid all
65); ethnicity (risks are higher for for at least 48 hours before the test.

Julyđ2016 | 19
FO

EGGS

with
You will need: Preparation 15 minutes
1 tablespoon olive oil Cooking 15 minutes
Serves 4
1 small brown onio finely chopped
1 red capsicum (bel epper),
chopped
1 Heat oil in a large PER SERVING
1 long red chilli, thinly ed frying pan over
615 kJ, 147 kcal,
1 clove garlic, crushed medium–high heat. 8 g protein, 10 g fat
Add onion and (2 g saturated fat),
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
capsicum and cook, 8 g carbohydrate
½ teaspoon ground coriander stirring, 3–4 minutes, (5 g sugars), 2 g fibre,
135 mg sodium
410 g can chopped tomatoes or until soft. Add
4 eggs chilli, garlic, cumin
and ground coriander and cook, stirring,
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh
1 minute, or until fragrant.
coriander (cilantro) leaves, to garnish
2 Add tomatoes and bring to the boil.
Wholemeal (whole-wheat) pitas,
Reduce heat to low and simmer,
warmed, to serve (optional)
uncovered, 5 minutes, or until
thickened slightly. With a large spoon,
ma e.
For over 100
Gently break 1 egg into each
recipes to keep
you fighting fit, indentation. Cover and cook
check out the 5-6 minutes, or until e
Anti-Ageing Diet wh tes are set and lks
Cookbook, ISBN
are till s .
978-1-921744-62-4,
available from le with fresh
Reader’s Digest. der and serve with
warmed pitas, if desired

20 | Julyđ2016
 SAVE TIME THE
PERFECT
When time is short, throw BOILED
D
together something healthy
EGG
A perfect s soft-
and sustaining ‘on toast’.
boiled egg has
a firm but tender
t
white and a runny
On Toast yolk, with no cracks in the
Here are some ideas for nutritious shell to allow the white to seep out.
toast toppings. Choose OUse fresh eggs at room
wholegrain bread or mixed grain temperature. If the eggs are too
types or rye or pumpernickel. cold, they may crack during
OPeanut butter and banana
cooking.
OTahini, ricotta, honey and OUse a tablespoon or slotted

sunflower seeds spoon to submerge the eggs

OAvocado and tomato
in a saucepan of cold water so
that they are about 2.5 cm below
OAvocado and fetta
the surface.
OTomato, labna and sumac
OPlace pan over medium–high
OCottage cheese, orange and heat. Bring to the boil, then reduce
poppy seeds the heat to a simmer.
OBaked beans, baby spinach and OUse a pan just large enough to fit
cheddar all the eggs, to prevent them from
ORicotta, figs and walnuts banging together while cooking.
OSet the timer once the eggs are
Tomato simmering.
and labna OSimmer for 3 min es for very
on toast boiled, 4 minutes a set white
6 minutes for a s but
not runny yolk,
and 10 minutes
hard boiled.
OServe with
wholegrain t
or lightly ste med
asparagus.
Tip: Plung ggs into
cold water fter taking
of heat. T s stops them
cooking, they don’t
become rubbe
HOME

DIY Curtain Poles vs Tracks

Curtain poles and tracks do the same job but couldn’t
be more diferent in style. Here’s why

CURTAIN POLES CURTAIN TRACKS

Q COMMONLY MADE OF WOOD, Q DESIGNED TO BLEND into the
metal or plastic, curtain poles are wall colour or be concealed behind
usually exposed to view and are a curtain, pelmet or valance, curtain
often seen as decorative features tracks are meant to be discreet. They
in their own right. Ornamental end- are commonly available in PVC
stops, called finials, stop the curtain and metal and can be hand-drawn,
from sliding off the poles. corded or electrically operated.
Q CURTAIN POLES ARE MOST Q CHECK THE LOAD. The track must
EFFECTIVE across a short distance be strong enough to hold the weight
such as a single window. Longer of the curtain fabric. Refer to the
poles require more supporting load rating printed on the packaging,
brackets which can interfere with or ask your supplier for advice.
the running of the curtain. Q EXPANDABLE TRACKS are a
Q MATCH THE WEIGHT. For helpful product if you’re planning to
lightweight curtains or curtains do your own installation work. As the
P HOTOS: iSTOCK

across short distances, use slim name suggests, expandable tracks

poles measuring less than 25 mm have moving parts that slide to make
in diameter. Heavyweight curtains the track longer or shorter, so it’s
should be hung on thicker poles. easy to match the size you require.

22 | Julyđ2016
 Keep Plants
Alive While
You’re Away
1 When you’re headed off on a
trip, move your indoor plants
out of direct sunlight – near windows
with sheer curtains will give enough
light without burning foliage.

2 Use a potting mix with moisture-

retaining polymer gels, crystals
or chemicals (or add polymers to the
mix). These compounds retain water
for later use by thirsty plants.

3 If your house is in a very hot

area, take your pot plants to the
coolest room in the house – this will
or plastic covers or cloches. In
warm weather, use ‘tents’ made
of shadecloth and stakes. Make
probably be the bathroom. Cooler sure you allow reasonable air
temperatures will prevent your circulation to prevent fungal
plants from drying out as quickly, problems developing.
but be careful not to starve them of
light for too long.
6 To conserve water in outdoor
pots, add saucers, then move

4 Move outdoor pots close together,

so the plants will provide each
them to a location sheltered from
the wind and cluster them together.
P HOTO: iSTOCK

other with shade and humidity.

5 Delicate outdoor plants need

protection. In winter, use glass
7 Temporarily bury potted plants
to their rims in a protected
garden bed and mulch well.

Julyđ2016 | 23
TRAVEL

10
Wildly Underrated
Cities in Europe
Sometimes it’s the less popular locales that prove the
most spectacular holiday spots of them all
BY M ARIA BARILLARO

1 SPLIT, CROATIA Known for fine its vineyards, and the famous Basilica
dining, excellent shopping and of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine. Built on
loads of bars to choose from, Split a hilltop, the town is nothing short of
is also home to Diocletian’s Palace, picturesque, with fine wine, inspiring
a UNESCO World Heritage Site and architecture and beautiful landscapes.
formerly a retirement palace built for
the Emperor Diocletian around the 3 GIBRALTAR The imposing
year 300 CE. If that weren’t enough landscape will inspire awe in even
reason to book your trip to Split right the most jaded traveller. Historically,
now, then the captivating view of the Phoenicians were thought to be the
Adriatic from this coastal town will first inhabitants of Gibraltar (around
surely do the trick. 950 BCE), but new evidence suggests
that Neanderthals were here as far
2 VÉZELAY, FRANCE Before you
P HOTOS: iSTOC K
back as 28,000 BCE. The Rock of
book your ticket to Paris, consider Gibraltar, off Spain’s south coast, is
Vézelay. Built in the 11th century, this its only official landmark, but the
ancient city in Burgundy is known for densely populated city is so rich in

1 SPLIT, CROATIA 2 VÉZELAY, FRANCE 3 GIBRALTAR

24 | Julyđ2016
its own unique culture and history and other monumental buildings from
that it never disappoints. the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque
eras dot the city, and the locals are
4 PORTO, PORTUGAL If the name friendly and welcoming.
of this city reminds you of wine,
your head is in the right place: this 7 DRESDEN, GERMANY The city of
is indeed the place where port wine Dresden was largely destroyed during
originated. Built during Roman times, World War II. Since then, the elegant
this beautiful port city’s architecture, baroque city has been faithfully
landscapes and history will certainly rebuilt. Home to some of Germany’s
impress. Soak in the beauty with a largest universities, 50 museums and
glass of the finest wine and you’ve got 60 galleries, with a 700-year tradition
the recipe for a perfect vacation. of fine music, the city is picture-
perfect. In warm weather, enjoy
5 BRUGES, BELGIUM This city the food and camaraderie in the
deserves a spot on your travel bucket biergartens – you don’t need to be a
list. Bruges still has most of its drinker as they are family friendly.
historic architecture intact, preserved
better than any other mediaeval city 8 FERRARA, ITALY Located in
in the world. With its living history, Northern Italy, Ferrara has nearly
breathtaking landscapes, canals, nine kilometres of Renaissance
Flemish art treasures and, of course, walls surrounding a city filled with
world-renowned chocolate, a trip to immense cathedrals and castles
Bruges is one you won’t regret. that date back to the 15th and 16th
centuries. Home to the powerful Este
6 PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC family, its artists and court, much
The historical capital of Bohemia, of the city’s original planning and
Prague is rich in culture, history structure is brilliantly preserved,
and magnificent architecture, both garnering it a UNESCO World
modern and old. Churches, cathedrals Heritage Site designation.

4 PORTO, PORTUGAL 5 RUGES, BELGIUM 6 PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC

Julyđ2016 | 25
 PETS

Dogs for Small Spaces

6
Whether you’re in a high-rise apartment or a tiny
house, these breeds will fit right in
BY SIMONE CASTELLO

P
PUG Even-tempered C
CHIHUAHUA Looking
and loyal companions, for a dog that’s small,
pugs’ compact size sweet and more than
and
a adaptable nature a little sassy? Look
ma ake them perfect for no further than the
smallll space living.
li i These four-legged Chihuahua!
hih h h
hey are considered
jesters are curious by nature, so they perfect apartment dogs because of
require a lot of time to explore their their tiny stature and the fact that
surroundingsg on walks. they don’t require a lot of exercise.

YORKSHIRE
Y TERRIER C
CAVALIER KING
If you’re looking for an CHARLES SPANIEL
afectionate dog that’s This breed suits
small
s in size yet big in apartment living well,
a
pe
ersonality, then a Yorkie, being mild-mannered
as they’re
h ’ commonly known, might be and
d afectionate
f i t with humans and
the perfect match. Their energy can be other animals. Daily exercise is
quelled with daily walks, and they shed important, however, so be prepared
far less hair than other dogs. for regular visits
vis to the park.

ENGLISH BULLDOG D
DACHSHUND This
These dogs are short, energetic breed
renowned for being is considered very
calm, courageous and
c intelligent, which
P HOTOS : iSTOCK

very protective of their meeans they become

human friends. The best part? English b
boredd eas If you plan on leaving
bulldogs don’t require much exercise them at home on their own for long
outside of regular walks and the periods of time, make sure there’s
occasional vigorous playdate. plenty to keep them entertained.

26 | Julyđ2016
 Hours of great
reading!
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COB PAGE 28
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You
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Feeding Our ower of
The Po
Olympians
PAGE 61
Forgiveness
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DRAMA IN REAL LIFE

Struck twice by a Mozambique spitting cobra, five-year-old

Mikayla Robbertse was set to lose her arm – or her life
BY GLYNIS HORNING

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

IT’S A COBRA!

C
harmaine Robbertse was tired but content. It was a week
before Christmas, and the 46-year-old former insurance
broker had inally settled her large family in the home
they had always dreamt about – a rambling farmstead
on 60 hectares of rugged bushveld near Lephalale (Ellisras),
far north of Pretoria, in South Africa.
Charmaine was devoted to her family. Her husband, Bertus,
was a supervisor at a nearby chemical company, and together
the couple had seven children from previous marriages, three
grandchildren, and a changing array of foster children – children
the pair tried to put back together with patience and love.

ut one foster child was particu- Mikayla in. The couple smiled down at

B larly special. Mikayla, an elfin

five year old with lively brown
eyes, was the daughter of Bertus’s
the child for a moment, then crept out.

WAKE-UP CALL
25-year-old son, Lampie. The little It was 11.30pm when the bushveld
girl’s mother separated from Lampie stillness was broken by Mikayla’s
before she gave birth, but when piercing screams. “Snake! Kayla’s been
Mikayla was born with foetal alcohol bitten by a snake!” exclaimed Lampie,
syndrome, the young mother strug- shocked into being fully awake when
gled to cope. Lampie was often away he discovered a puncture wound on
for work, so Charmaine and Bertus his daughter’s left middle finger and
became Mikayla’s full-time carers and another on her elbow.
officially fostered her soon after. Bertus left his son to find and iden-
By nine o’clock that Monday night tify the snake, and quickly bundled
in 2011, Mikayla’s excited chatter Mikayla into the cab of his Nissan van.
about their new home “with the wild Charmaine cradled the child on her
animals” had stopped, and she dozed lap while Bertus drove as fast as he
happily on a sofa near Lampie and her dared down the dirt road to the Ellisras
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

pet Pekingese, Jimmy. Bertus scooped Hospital, about 40 minutes away.

Mikayla into his arms, and Charmaine As they pulled in, the call came
led the way to her bedroom. She from Lampie: he had found a metre-
lifted the cheerful, stripy cerise and long Mozambique spitting cobra
lime duvet in a routine bush check behind a bedroom cupboard. The
for creepy crawlies, then Bertus slid snake – one of the most dangerous in

30 | Julyđ2016
 READER’S DIGEST

Africa – is capable of spitting venom NIGHTMARE RIDE

and blinding victims with deadly With Bertus called away for work,
accuracy. Lampie would have re- Lampie arranged to have a friend
turned most snakes to the wild, but drive his stepmother and daugh-
he fiercely dispatched this one with a ter. In readiness for the journey, the
spade, his thoughts on his daughter. Marapong doctors taught Charmaine
At Ellisras, doctors placed a mask how to perform CPR and urged her,
over Mikayla’s pale face and gave her “Stay calm, the child’s life depends
oxygen before injecting two vials of on it.” This became her mantra as she
polyvalent antivenom into her slender nursed Mikayla in the back seat of
arm. “Is that enough?” asked Char- Lampie’s friend’s car.
maine anxiously. She was assured Three times the child stopped
it was for a child so small and that breathing; three times a terrified
Mikayla should be fine by morning. Charmaine managed to revive her. But
But by dawn Mikayla was struggling by the time they reached Warmbaths,
to breathe. Charmaine was told that Mikayla was unconscious, and they
the child needed to be transferred to were still 100 km from Pretoria.
nearby Marapong Private Hospital. A rapid response vehicle had been
After an examination at Marapong, the alerted and raced to meet their car.
doctors advised that Mikayla needed Soon its flashing red lights were in
more specialist care at the Steve Biko view, bringing Charmaine unspeaka-
Academic Hospital in Pretoria. But ble relief. The paramedics managed to
that was 300 km away and there was stabilise Mikayla, but she was so weak
no ambulance available. they sped her not to the Steve Biko

THE SPITTING COBRA

The Mozambique spitting cobra (Naja mossambica) is most common in the
northeastern parts of Southern Africa, parts of Mozambique and East Africa.
“This species appear to be very aware of what is going on around them,”
comments Professor Graham Alexander, a herpetologist from the University
of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. “They are likely to see you before you
see them.”
Spitting cobras frequently enter dwellings at night and often bite victims
while asleep. They release a cytotoxic venom, which destroys tissue cells
around the bite, but there may be additional neurotoxic efects. They can also
eject venom up to 2 metres away and often aim for the eyes. If left untreated,
the venom can cause blindness. The head of a dead snake can still transfer
venom, even if the snake has been decapitated. Ashleigh Austen

Julyđ2016 | 31
IT’S A COBRA!

Academic Hospital but to the closer the foetal alcohol syndrome, was too
private Netcare Montana Hospital. seriously affected by the venom for her
Although the Robbertses could not to undergo surgery.
afford the fees, Mikayla spent three Two days before Christmas, Mikay-
days in the clinic’s ICU. Her kidneys la’s little face and body had become
and lungs were failing, doctors in-
formed them gravely. Mozambique
spitting cobra venom is cytotoxic,
Doctors told Charmaine
with digestive enzymes that eat flesh and Bertus she was
as they spread, and as these reached
her liver, they were affecting it, too.
unlikely to survive the
At the same time, Mikayla’s small night and advised
hand was swelling obscenely and them to summon the
slowly turning black. The doctors
were terribly sorry, especially as she rest of the family
was left-handed, but her finger and
probably her arm would need to be distended and her skin had turned
amputated to save her. yellow. Doctors told Charmaine and
Bertus she was unlikely to survive the
THE SNAKE MAN night and advised them to summon
With mounting private hospital ex- the rest of the family.
penses, it was decided to transfer Arno joined the family during
Mikayla to the Steve Biko Academic their tearful bedside vigil. He told
Hospital, a government hospital, for Charmaine that Mikayla should
the operation. On the way, a des- have been given at least eight vials of
perate Charmaine called a mobile antivenom – four times the dose she
number slipped to her by a paramedic received. He explained that smaller
P HOTOS: COURTESY CHARMA INE ROBBERTSE
at Montana. It was for Arno Naudé, an patients need just as much antivenom
expert in snake identification and bite as adults. Now, he said, there was
treatment, who lectures to medical nothing to do but wait and pray.
students at the University of Pretoria.
When she told Arno that Mikayla CHRISTMAS GIFT
would likely have her arm amputated, Charmaine and Bertus did both,
he had one word: “Whoa!” Doctors can fervently, and by morning Mikayla
be too quick to amputate, he said, and had stabilised. By Christmas Day
advised that they wait for the venom she was conscious, smiling through
to run its course. In the end, however, nausea at the gifts her family brought,
the decision was made for them – and asking after Jimmy, her little
Mikayla’s liver, underdeveloped from Pekingese dog.

32 | Julyđ2016
 READER’S DIGEST

that the wound would need to

be cleaned of every bit of in-
fected tissue. Following that, he
was confident that he could save
Mikayla’s arm with a surgical
procedure that temporarily at-
tached her hand to a flap of skin
on her groin.
On January 13 the wound was
leaned a final time, and exposed
Mikayla’s swollen left hand (top) where
the snake venom had damaged tissue; to the bone. Mikayla’s hand was
the hand (below) was temporarily stitched into place and remained
attached to her groin to promote blood there for the next two weeks
flow and tissue regeneration while the flesh attached itself,
slowly rebuilding her hand.
There was surprisingly little
pain from the wound itself, but
cleaning it was an ordeal, and
Mikayla’s liver struggled to cope
with the powerful medications
she required. However, the
feisty child never complained
and on January 27 Mikayla’s
hand was separated from
her groin and the remaining
wounds on her forearm were
patched with skin harvested
from her thigh.
Mikayla continued to rally, and On January 31, six weeks after
on December 28 was wheeled into she was bitten, Mikayla returned to
theatre – not for an amputation but Lephalale. Residents turned out to
for doctors to open the massive blister welcome her with banners and bal-
that covered her hand and inspect the loons tied to the trees, but all Mi-
damage below. This was more exten- kayla wanted was to play with Jimmy
sive than imagined – the venom had and her toys, which included a large
tunnelled under the skin, eating away candy-striped knitted snake.
tissue to halfway up her forearm. “Some snakes are naughty,” Mi-
A plastic surgeon, Dr Anton Brewis, kayla observed simply, “but some
assessed the damage. He explained snakes are nice.”

Julyđ2016 | 33
IT’S A COBRA!

SURVIVING A SNAKE BITE

TO KEEP SAFE
QSnakes are not generally aggressive and will tend to attack only when they
feel threatened or are disturbed. They are commonly found in warm places
(near water heaters) and on or under surfaces where they can absorb solar
heat (rocks, paving, corrugated iron).
QUse mosquito nets tucked under mattresses when staying in the bush
or camping.Always turn on lights or use a torch if you get up at night, and
wear closed shoes. Check inside your shoes before putting them on.
QDon’t have rubbish, compost heaps or long grass near your home or tent;
they attract rats and other creatures that snakes prey on.

IF SOMEONE IS BITTEN
QDon’t waste time or take risks catching or killing the snake, says South
African snakebite expert Arno Naudé. Just try to note its size, colour and main
characteristics, such as diamond markings or a hood.
QDon’t cut, suck or tie a tourniquet around the bite; leave it alone or apply
a firm bandage to the whole limb. Keep as still as possible – use a splint for
limbs – to prevent the spread of venom into the circulatory system.
QRinse venom from eyes with clean water (milk will also work), keeping the
eye open and rolling the eyeball under a stream of fluid.
QDon’t administer antivenom yourself; the patient may have an allergic
reaction that requires medical assistance.
Q Keep the patient calm but quickly get them to the nearest hospital with a
trauma unit
unit. Phone ahead to check they have polyvalent antivenom, which is
efective against most lethal snake venom.
Q The hospital should treat the patient’s symptoms and administer antivenom
only if necessary – in most casses it won’t be. P HOTOS : (SNAKE) iSTOCK; COURTESY OF

HOW LIKELY IS IT?

Reporting of snakeb bite is not reliable.
Nonetheless, the G Global Snakebite
Initiative estimates that, worldwide,
snakebite cla aims some 125,000
CHARM AINE ROBBERTSE

lives a year – mainly in

tropical developing
countries where
c
Another highly access to o medical resources
dangerous snake is the Developed countries
is poor. D
African puff adder have muc ch lower injury and
very low m mortality rates.
 READER’S DIGEST

Pictured here in hospital, Mikayla

quickly reverted to her usual bouncy
self after the series of operations

coming top of her class last year.

Far from being self-conscious,
Mikayla, now ten, proudly displays
her ‘funny hand’ for educational
talks about snakes with a local
snake handler in primary schools,
demonstrating that apart from
writing, she can do most things
with it, even holding a glass of juice.
In November 2012, Mikayla had the And instead of being afraid of the
swelling on her hand reduced by lipo- snakes the handler uses, “she loves
suction to help her bitten finger grow them!” says Charmaine.
straight. Her surgeon also transferred In fact, Jimmy has had a rival for
tendons from her left forearm to her Mikayla’s affections: Fudge, a ball
hand to improve finger extension. Steel python, a gift from the snake catcher
rods were inserted in her finger, but that he offered to care for at his home.
failed to work and had to be removed. “We don’t feel comfortable with
Focus shifted to helping Mikayla use snakes in the house,” Charmaine con-
her right hand for writing and draw- fides. But, says Mikayla, happily,
ing, overcoming her natural lefthand- “Fudge is sweet, he doesn’t bite.
edness. She was moved to a special People must just know which snakes
school, where she has surged ahead, do. And take care!”

YOUR CUTE WEDDING HASHTAGS 20 YEARS LATER

#DoYouHaveAnyCashOnYou
#CanYouPickUpMilkAndWineOnTheWayHome
#AndIceCream
#ThatDressLooksFineLetsGo
#WouldItKillYouToMakeTheBed
#StopTellingMeHowIFeel
#IDidntSayAnything KIMBERLY HARRINGTON, WWW.MCSWEENEYS.NET

Julyđ2016 | 35
UP CLOSE

A
Curator’s
Journey For museum curator
Divia Patel, preserving
the rich story of Indian
saris is a personal
mission
AS TOLD TO KATHY BUCHANAN

I
am an expert on modern and contem-
porary art and design from India and am
based at London’s Victoria and Albert
Divia Patel; the Victoria Museum, where I have worked for over 15
and Albert Museum years. The museum has the most important
(right) is the world’s collection of South Asian art and textiles out-
largest decorative arts
side of India.
and design museum –
over 4.5 million objects
As curators, we need to leave our own
legacy of new research and scholarship and
over the years my research has covered pho-
tography, art, design and textiles.

Early Inspirations
I was born in Kenya, in East Africa, to Indian
parents, who were also born in Africa. We all
moved to England when I was about five.

36 | Julyđ2016
 My grandfather learnt how
to do basic tailoring at a young
age and quickly became a well-
respected men’s tailor. I loved
watching his incredible work
with fabric, he made exquisite
men’s three-piece suits and
would make my sister and me
skirts and blouses. I would occa-
sionally ask him to create pieces
for me from magazine pictures.
I still have strong memories
from my time growing up in
Kenya. I remember the intense
colour of the incredible dark red
earth, the stunning, flat spectac-
ular landscape and being sur-
rounded by nature and animals
like giraffes.
My mother treasured her silk
saris and she has told me sto-
ries of how she would wait for
months for friends to travel to
India by boat to bring new saris
back for her. I have inherited
some of these including a very
regal, bright purple silk, woven
with silver design, which was in
the family for well over 50 years
and is a favourite of mine. It is a
very light silk so is a pleasure to
wear. This sari has a sense of his-
tory and my mother only wore it
on special occasions. She knows
which party each stain came
from on each of these saris. They
have that ‘wear’ to them.
My mother was an artist and,
like many Asian women, was

Julyđ2016 | 37
A C U R AT O R ’ S J O U R N E Y

taught embroidery at home at a young around 30 saris of different quality

age. In her spare time she would em- collected over many years. There was
broider. I still have the beautiful bed silk for special occasions and some
covers she made. nylon work saris for day-to-day. The
My father was a good amateur pho- tradition is to wear a silk sari through
tographer. In 1950s Africa, it was rare your life and then pass it on. Some
to have a top-end Rolleiflex camera; he women have hundreds of saris.
took composing images seriously and
developed his own photos. I see a lot of First Visit to the V&A
my aesthetic and desire to be creative I grew up in outer London and went
as coming from my mother and her to the V&A for the first time as a teen-
love for textiles, from my grandfather ager. I was in awe of the architecture,
with his tailoring and my father with the sense of space and the immensity
his photography. of it all. My father died a couple of

“A hundred years from now people will

see how we lived today because we
continue to acquire modern collections”
My First Sari years after we arrived in England, so
Lots of young Asian women my mother was a single parent for a

PHOTOS: GETTYI MAGES; COURTESY OF DIVIA PATEL; iSTOCK

don’t know how to wear a sari and lot of the time and visiting museums
rely on their mothers to help. I really was done through schools.
wanted to learn how to put a sari on It is difficult when you are 16 to know
myself when I was ten. It takes a bit of what you want to be in life. My first uni-
practise learning how different fabric versity degree was in economics and
drapes. I find them very comfortable politics. I then became an assistant in
and it gave my mother great pleasure the Registrar’s department at the V&A
knowing that one of her daughters to gain experience and get an insight
was wearing her saris. into how the museum works. After
My sister gave me my first sari at 18. that I knew that I wanted to be a cura-
It was a plain silk sari and cost around tor in the Indian Department and so I
£30 at the time. I remember wearing undertook a Master’s degree in South
my mother’s dark red sari with gold Asian history and anthropology at the
thread and embroidery, with tie- School of Oriental and African Studies
dyed dots to family weddings. Saris in London. My Indian background and
were relatively expensive and she had knowledge of the Gujarati language has

38 | Julyđ2016
 READER’S DIGEST

helped my curatorial career and I love earliest piece in the exhibition was
being able to research, write articles from the third century, borrowed from
and books about the V&A collections the British Museum, and the latest was
and generally immerse myself in as- made in 2015 and acquired specially
pects of my heritage. for the V&A. Included in the show
My first trip to India was after I fin- was a particularly special sari made of
ished university and I had already khadi (handwoven fabric made from
begun working at the V&A. The experi- handspun thread) in 2013. This sari
ence was overwhelming. The colours, references the fabric used and made
smells and noise were very powerful popular by Gandhi during the Inde-
and exciting. We went as a family with pendence movement.
my grandfather to his village in Gujarat From the 1900s European fabric
to understand the rural India in which was flooding India’s markets and
he grew up. We also visited cities such Indian weavers were suffering. From
as Mumbai, Delhi and Agra and saw the 1920s Gandhi asked Indian spin-
many of the famous monuments of In- ners and weavers to boycott European
dia’s past. It was a powerful experience products and spin their own material.
because of the sense of history and Those famous images of Gandhi and
connection to culture that I got from it. his followers wearing the white cap
My grandfather also took us to and loincloth were taken during the
Dandi where Mohandas Gandhi led Salt March. Gandhi promoted them as
the Salt March in 1930. [An act of civil a symbol of the independence move-
disobedience against British salt taxes ment. The spinning wheel was used on
and laws.] It was an important event the independence flag at the time and
in the Indian independence move- khadi is still used today by contempo-
ment. My grandfather returned from rary designers because of the connec-
Africa to join the march, as he felt very tion to Indian independence. Even if
strongly about Indian independence. you don’t know the history, these saris
The march went past my grandfather’s are beautiful and the fabric is entirely
old house en route to the sea. He took handmade, handspun and handwoven.
us to where the Salt March ended on Even growing up in different coun-
that visit, which was very special to see. tries, I was always aware of my Indian
Now I go to India once a year to heritage and learning about it was
conduct research on aspects of the very important to me. A lot of South
collection. For The Fabric of India ex- Asians are known for their interest in
hibition (V&A October 3, 2015 to Janu- the law or accountancy. I feel very
ary 10, 2016) I visited more often to passionately about the cultural side
speak to textile makers and designers and want to be able to convey it to a
and to acquire pieces for display. Our much wider audience.

Julyđ2016 | 39
PROFILE

ONE
STEP
AT A
TIME
Could turning our footsteps
into electricity help meet our
energy needs? One young
eco-entrepreneur thinks so
BY DAVID TH O M AS

PHOTOGRAPHED BY JAMES CLARKE

 30-year-old
Laurence
Kemball-Cook,
the founder
of Pavegen
O N E S T E P AT A T I M E

LAURENCE KEMBALL-COOK seems like the kind of young man

any mother would want her daughter to bring home. He has a
neat, healthy, clean-cut appearance and a polite, even charming
manner. His office near London’s King’s Cross Station is relaxed,
a little scruffy, filled with informally dressed staff who all radiate
the same air of youthful enthusiasm as their boss.

Yet this 30-year-old engineer, inventor to work at the energy company E.ON.
and entrepreneur is, by his own admis- “They said, ‘Laurence, can you de-
sion, an obsessive workaholic. “Some sign a street light that’s powered by
people would probably say that I’m a solar or by wind?’” he recalls. “But
perfectionist, to a point that can be when the sun’s not shining there’s no
quite frustrating,” he says. power and when the wind’s not blow-
He’s also the creator of ‘Pavegen’, ing there’s no power. So I tried for a
a paving tile for which he now holds a year and I failed.
patent, that turns the force of people’s “I was really upset. Then one day I
footsteps into clean, renewable energy. was walking through Victoria Station
“My vision is for Pavegen to be in London and I thought about all the
to cities what ‘Intel inside’ is for PCs,” people there. I’d read that 38,000 peo-
he says. “I want to cover every single ple an hour walked through the sta-
city in the world with our tiles. I want tion. What if we could harness that
energy as a power source?”
Laurence admits, “The idea of gen-
erating energy from footsteps isn’t new
“I want to cover every and other people have tried it. They’re
city in the world with using things such as the piezoelectric
our tiles, and to turn crystals you find in cigarette lighters to
every bridge, road and create a charge. But the power is so low
building into a kinetic- that you can never do anything mean-
energy device” ingful with that energy.”
Laurence took a different route. The
weight of a footstep on his tile makes a
to turn every bridge, road and build- horizontal flywheel inside it rotate.
ing into a kinetic-energy device.” “The more people walk, the more
The idea first came to him while he this flywheel spins,” he explains.
was studying industrial design and “Then we withdraw the power from
technology at Loughborough Univer- the flywheel as we need it. We can
sity. As part of his course he was sent suck it out bit by bit.”

42 | Julyđ2016
 READER’S DIGEST

Laurence Kemball-Cook puts his tile

technology through its paces; (below)
each time a pedestrian walks over a
tile, it produces seven watts of energy

TODAY Laurence manufactures the

tiles at a factory in Romania. “I love the
people in Eastern Europe,” he says.
Every pedestrian that passes over “My engineers there speak very emo-
a tile generates around seven watts in tionally about the Communist days.
energy. These tiles generate electric- They couldn’t buy anything from out-
ity with a hybrid solution of mecha- side Romania, so they had to make
nisms that include the piezoelectric everything themselves. It’s amazing,
effect (an electric charge produced that can-do attitude.”
when pressure is exerted on crystals He’s already exporting his tiles from
such as quartz) and induction, which Romania via London to the world.
DIAGRAM BY ACUTE GRAPHICS

uses copper coils and magnets. “We’ve done more than 135 projects in
At the 2013 Paris Marathon, where over 30 countries. We’ve been con-
PHOTOS: JAMES CLARKE;

Pavegen installed tiles at the finish, tracted by the mayor of Washington

the runners crossed 176 tiles, leaving DC to install Pavegen just outside the
401,756 footsteps t hat generated White House. We covered the Champs-
3,141,926 joules – enough to recharge Elysées in Paris with our tiles for the
1880 mobile phones or power an Paris Marathon. At the Milan Expo we
electric Nissan Leaf car for 24 km. made a system for Coca-Cola so that as

Julyđ2016 | 43
O N E S T E P AT A T I M E

people danced on the floor it powered

the music and made it go louder.”
But his ambitions are as much
moral as commercial. Once the tiles
are manufactured, the system re-
quires no fossil fuels, generates no
CO 2 and produces no pollutants,
which is why he says, “Some people
might define their aims as wealth or
success, but for me it’s just, Let’s get it
out there and do good.”
But could this really make a differ-
ence to energy use? Julie Hirigoyen, da Mineira favela, one of the poorest
chief executive of Britain’s branch of areas of Rio de Janeiro. Two hundred
the non-profit World Green Building tiles were placed under the surface of
Council, thinks so. It is a “hugely in- a local football pitch, so now the play-
novative technology”, she says. ers help power the floodlights.
She likes the way that it “engages This was clearly a project that meant
users and makes them aware that a huge amount to Laurence: “It’s a
they’re helping to solve a problem. We crazy environment, where the kids run
certainly need every clever form of around with machine guns, but it was
renewable solution.” an honour to work with those guys.”
Hirigoyen sees Pavegen as one of
those possible solutions, but cautions IT’S ALL A LONG WAY from the quiet
that the manufacturing cost – which cathedral city of Canterbury, Kent,
Laurence estimates as £230–£310 per where Laurence grew up. At school,
square metre of tile – remains a prob- he says, “I was really into taking things
lem except in places with very sub- apart and putting them back together.
stantial footfall, such as shopping I just loved it.
centres, railway stations and airports. “I’ve always had an engineering
He is well aware that price is an issue heritage. My grandfather helped de-
but claims, “In the next 24 months velop early radar technology and
we’ll make our tiles the same price as worked on the first computers for dis-
normal flooring. And when you install abled people. My uncle has also spent
them, they’ll give you energy for free.” his whole life inventing things.”
There’s no doubting Laurence’s To that family background he added
good intentions for his technology. In the determination that’s required by
a project funded by Shell in 2014, Lau- anyone who wants to turn small ideas
rence brought Pavegen to the Morro into big businesses. “Nothing will stop

44 | Julyđ2016
 READER’S DIGEST

Pavegen tiles being After graduation, he accepted the

installed at the 2012 offer of an internship with a design
Olympics (left); runners company in New York, but then
bound over them at the
changed his mind. “I owed it to myself
Paris Marathon (below)
to keep going with Pavegen.” There
were plenty of low points, he admits.
“I survived on bread and water, and
sat in my flat for days and weeks on
end, working all night, focused on the
challenge. I often felt like giving up.”
Laurence wasn’t just searching for a
way to generate power. He also had to
make a tile strong enough to survive
out on the streets. “You’ve got weath-
ering, you’ve got vandalism,” he points
out. You have to withstand 15 million,
20 million steps. And you also have to
take excessive point-loads, whether
they are women in stilettos or fire
engines going 50 miles per hour.”
Slowly, things started coming to-
me,” he says, not as a boast, but simply gether. He displayed his work at a de-
as a statement of intent. “I’ve always sign show in London with 1000 other
said that if I have an idea I’ll do it. I be- young designers and “suddenly it
lieve as an entrepreneur that you went viral”. The media picked up on
should jump off a cliff and learn how to the idea of paving stones that could
swim on the way down.” generate power and that, in turn, at-
Laurence says that as a student he tracted Laurence’s first clients.
“industrialised” the world of univer- The developers of a huge shopping
sity. He had six desks in his bedroom, mall in London contacted him because
P HOTOS: COURTESY OF PAVEGEN

each with a specific function – one for their planning permission depended
electronic engineering, one for draw- on the use of sustainable energy, which
ing and another served as a mechani- Pavegen could provide. Transport for
cal workshop. “There were rigs full of London, which was planning for the
springs and generators on my bed.” 2012 Olympics, asked if it could put
His Pavegen idea became his final Pavegen tiles into an underground sta-
year project. “When I submitted it, my tion close to the Olympic Stadium.
lecturer swore at me because I had During the course of the games, a mil-
four suitcases of work.” lion people walked over them.

Julyđ2016 | 45
O N E S T E P AT A T I M E

By his mid-20s, Laurence had be- company and I’m happy there. I have
come a feted young entrepreneur and a faster bicycle than I did back then,
was invited to accompany UK Prime but that’s it. There’s no point in taking
Minister David Cameron on a trade money out of the business at this
mission to China. stage. If I focus on the business, good
But he didn’t get everything right. times will come.”
Early Pavegen tiles had large, round Laurence’s dedication has come at
lights that lit up whenever anyone a personal price. As he puts it: “Total
stepped on them. They looked great, girlfriends lost: three.” He adds, “A lot
but, says Laurence, “when we started of my friends have got families and
installing them we saw that women all kids at this stage of their lives, but I’ve
walked around the lights. They were chosen not to because this is my chal-
worried there were cameras in there, lenge – and until I’ve done it I don’t
looking up their skirts.” want to worry about that.”
So when he’s not working, Laurence
THERE’S ALSO ANOTHER SIDE to the likes to compete in cycle races and
tiles: they can be used to gather data Ironman triathlons. “I’ve cycled [from
about footfall. Shopping-centre com- London] to Amsterdam in a day, cycled
panies could see exactly how many to Paris in a day. At the weekend I’ll
people go where, and when, and de- run a half-marathon or go swimming
termine precisely which are the most in the Serpentine in London. I learn a
valuable spots in their developments. lot about myself when I’m training. It’s
like a meditative state.”
On the walls of his office, alongside
the mass of framed awards that Pave-
“I still live in the same gen has won for technology, environ-
bedroom that I did when mentalism and entrepreneurship, are
I started the company. printed inspirational statements from
If I focus on the business, thinkers and businessmen from Albert
good times will come” Einstein to Sir Richard Branson.
One day, if he really does manage to
power the world’s cities with his tiles,
Managers of stations, airports or stadi- Laurence Kemball-Cook may be as
ums could detect and prevent danger- celebrated as Einstein and as rich as
ous levels of overcrowding building up. Branson. And perhaps young entre-
To date, Pavegen has earned around preneurs of the future will look at
£3m and is valued at £20m. But, says their own office walls and his exhorta-
Laurence, “I still live in the same bed- tion: “Jump off a cliff and learn how to
room that I did when I started the swim on the way down.”

46 | Julyđ2016
 Laughter
THE BEST MEDICINE

WEIGHT FOR IT…

A woman noticed her Instagram is just Twitter for
husband standing on people who go outside.
a bathroom scale, @JOSHGONDELMAN
sucking in his stomach.
“Ha! That’s not going to
help,” she said. COURTROOM CLASH
“Sure it does,” he shot A defendant isn’t happy with how
back. “It’s the only way things are going in court, so he
I can see the numbers.” gives the judge a hard time.
Seen online Judge: “Where do you work?”
Defendant: “Here and there.”
ADVANCED SNOOZING Judge: “What do you do for a living?”
My brother was trying to awaken his Defendant: “This and that.”
son for school one day, but the boy Judge: “Take him away.”
wouldn’t budge. “Gimme a minute,” Defendant: “Wait, when will I get out?”
he said. “I’m watching previews for Judge: “Sooner or later.”
tomorrow’s dream.” SUBMITTED BY PAT FERRY

SUBMITTED BY KIMBERLEE WOODWARD

PARKING
ANGRY ACTIVIST PROBLEMS NO
Sue went to university and joined Caught up running PARKING
an animal-rights group. When she errands, my mum’s
returned home, she was shocked friend forgot where
to find her mother wearing a pricey she’d parked.
fur coat. A police officer,
“Don’t you realise some poor, noticing her agitation,
defenceless animal had to suffer for asked, “Is something wrong?”
you to get that coat?” Sue asked her “I can’t find my car,” she explained.
PHOTO: iSTOCK

mother, impassioned. “What kind is it?”

“Don’t talk about your father like She gave the helpful police officer
that again!” came the reply. a quizzical look. “Name some.”
SUBMITTED BY CATHERINE HISCOX SUBMITTED BY JACKSON HALL

Julyđ2016 | 47
WHO KNEW?

Julia
Harry Child
Houdini

Roald
Dahl

Celebrities Who
3Harry Houdini
Spied On the Side
THE MAGICIAN WHO SPIED
HIS WAY TO STARDOM
BY LINDA RO D RIGUEZ M C RO BBIE FRO M MEN TA L FLOSS

agencies. According to a 2006 biogra-

phy, both Scotland Yard and the Secret
Service used him to gather sensitive
ILLUSTRATI ON: SEAN M CCA BE; SOURCE PHOTOS: GETTY I M AGES

At the start of his career in the late information for them during his tours
19th century, Harry Houdini gained across Europe and Russia.
notoriety by waltzing into police In return for his services, the book
stations and demanding officers lock says, Houdini asked for publicity. Scot-
him up. It was a great publicity stunt, land Yard superintendent William Mel-
making headlines and catching the eye ville helped him organise escape stunts
of American and British intelligence in front of London theatre managers.

48 | Julyđ2016
Julia Child who had quit her job, took up cooking
THE CHEF WITH A TASTE FOR to occupy her time. The rest, as they
DANGER AND ADVENTURE say, is culinary history.
Julia Child wasn’t always into French
cooking. As she famously recounted Roald Dahl
in her autobiography, My Life in THE LADIES’ MAN WHO FELL
France, it wasn’t until she lived in IN LOVE WITH WRITING
Paris in her mid-30s that she learned Long before he wrote Charlie and the
what good food tasted like. Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl was
How did Child keep busy before a fighter pilot for the Royal Air Force
that? By performing equally inventive during World War II. But after sustain-
work for the Office of Strategic Services ing injuries in a 1940 crash, he was
(OSS), precursor to the CIA. Child transferred to a desk job at the British
joined the spy outfit in 1942 after dis- embassy in Washington. He charmed
covering that the Women’s Army Corps his way into high society and became
had a height limit; at 1.8 m, she was too so popular among DC ladies that
tall to serve. One of Child’s first assign- British intelligence decided he should
ments was to help cook up a shark seduce powerful women and use them
repellent to prevent underwater explo- to promote Britain’s interests in the US.
sives used to target German U-boats It wasn’t all fun and games. Clare
from being set off by curious creatures. Boothe Luce, a member of the US
By all accounts, she excelled at her House of Representatives married to
work. Child then went to Time magazine founder
Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) Henry Luce, was so frisky
and then China, where She was so in the bedroom that Dahl
she worked as chief of the frisky in the begged to be let off the
OSS Registry, enjoying top case. In the end, however,
security clearance and
bedroom his work with the ladies
even a little danger. (The that Dahl paid off. Dahl not only ral-
CIA remains mum about begged to be lied support for Britain at a
exactly what she did.) let off the time when many Ameri-
Working at the OSS cans didn’t want the coun-
also turned out to be a
case try to enter the war, he also
recipe for love, with Julia managed to pass valuable
falling for fellow officer Paul Child and stolen documents to the British govern-
marrying in 1946. Within two years, ment. While penning propaganda in
Paul was transferred to the US Infor- US papers, Dahl discovered something
mation Agency in France, where Julia, else: his own talent for writing.
MENTAL FLOSS (DECEMBER 20, 2013) © 2013 BY MENTAL FLOSS, MENTALFLOSS.COM

Julyđ2016 | 49
 SEE
THE WORLD ...
Turn the page
... DIFFERENTLY
Boat lovers – and railway buffs –
will be fascinated by this unique
monument to the art of hydro-
engineering. To travel the 80.5 km
from Elbląg to Ostróda in Poland by
canal, boats would have had to
overcome a difference in height of
almost 100 metres over a section of
the route. This would have required
more than 30 locks. However, an
ingenious system of inclined planes
and rail-mounted trolleys designed
by German architect Georg
Steenke, and first opened in 1860,
masters this difficult task. With the
help of counterbalances and water
power, boats are pulled across the
dry, hilly sections of the canal –
on railroad tracks. PHOTOS: ALAMY
SCIENCE

ARE WE
NATURAL-BORN
RACISTS?
BY C H R IS M O O N E Y
F ROM M OTHER J O N ES

54 | Julyđ2016
 A simple test revealed the writer’s ingrained
prejudice. Equally simple psychology can
help all of us to remove it

I
’ M S I T T I N G in the soft-spoken where people score on the Implicit
cognitive neuroscientist’s spotless Association Test (IAT). The test meas-
office, nestled within New York ures racial prejudices that we cannot
University’s psychology department, consciously control. I’ve taken it three
but it feels like I’m at the doctor’s times now. This time, my uncontrolled
office getting a dreaded diagnosis. prejudice, while clearly present, has
On his giant monitor, David Amodio come in significantly below the aver-
shows me a big blob of data depicting age for white people like me.

Julyđ2016 | 55
A R E W E N AT U R A L - B O R N R A C I S T S ?

That certainly beats the first time are more easily linked in your mind.
I took the IAT. That time, my results You think of yourself as a person
showed a ‘strong automatic prefer- who strives to be unprejudiced, but
ence’ for European Americans over you can’t control these split-second
African Americans. That was not a reactions. As the milliseconds are
good thing to hear, but it’s extremely being tallied up, you know the tale
common – 51% of online test takers they’ll tell: when negative words and
show moderate to strong bias. black faces are paired, you’re a better,
faster categoriser. Which
suggests that racially
biased messages from
“You’re not, like,, the culture around you
a total racist,” have shaped the very
David Amodio wiring of your brain.
We’re not born with
tells me racial prejudices. We
may never even have
been ‘taught’ them.
The test asks you to rapidly catego- Rather, explains University of Virginia
rise images of faces as either ‘African psychologist Brian Nosek, prejudice
American’ or ‘European American’ draws on “many of the same tools
while you also categorise words (such that help our minds figure out what’s
as evil, happy, awful and peace) as good and what’s bad.” In evolutionary
either ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Faces and words terms, it’s efficient to quickly classify
flash on the screen, and you tap a key, a grizzly bear as dangerous. However,
as fast as you can, to indicate which the trouble comes when the brain uses
category is appropriate. similar processes to form negative
Sometimes you’re asked to sort views about groups of people.
PHOTO (PREVIOUS SPREAD): EVAN KAFKA
African American faces and ‘good’ But here’s the good news: research
words to one side of the screen. Other suggests that once we understand
times, black faces are to be sorted the psychological pathways leading
with ‘bad’ words. As words and faces to our prejudices, we just might be
keep flashing by, you struggle not to able to train our brains to move in the
make too many sorting mistakes. opposite direction.
And then suddenly, you have a hor-
rible realisation. When black faces Brains are iling cabinets
and ‘bad’ words are paired, you feel Dog, cat. Hot, cold. Black, white. Male,
yourself becoming faster in your cat- female. We constantly categorise.
egorising – an indication that the two We have to. Sorting anything from

56 | Julyđ2016
 READER’S DIGEST

furniture to animals to concepts into differences has been roundly de-

different folders inside our brains is bunked by scientists.
something that happens automati- Eve n p e o p l e w h o k n ow t hat
cally, and it helps us function. In fact, essentialising race is wrong can’t
categorisation has an evolutionary help absorbing the stereotypes that
purpose: assuming that all mushrooms are pervasive in US culture. In polls,
are poisonous and that all lions want to for example, few Americans admit
eat you is a very effective way of coping holding racist views. But when told to
with your surroundings. Forget being rate the intelligence of various groups,
nuanced about nonpoisonous mush- more than half exhibited strong bias
rooms and occasionally nonhungry against African Americans. Even the
lions – certitude keeps you safe. labels used seem to affect the level of
But a particular way of categoris- prejudice: another study found that
ing can be inaccurate, and those false test subjects associated the term black
categories can lead to prejudice and with more negative attributes – such
stereotyping. Much psychological as low socioeconomic status – than
research into bias has focused on how African American.
people ‘essentialise’ certain catego-
ries, which boils down to assuming We’re herd animals
that these categories have an underly- Humans are tribal creatures, showing
ing nature that is tied to inherent and strong bias against those we perceive
immutable qualities. as different from us and favouritism
Like other human attributes (gender, towards those we perceive as similar.
age and sexual orientation are some In fact, we humans will frequently
examples), race tends to be strongly divide ourselves into in-groups and
– and inaccurately – essentialised. out-groups even when the perceived
This means that when you think of differences between the specific
people in that category, you rapidly groups are completely arbitrary.
or even automatically come up with In one study, subjects are asked
assumptions about their character- to rate how much they like a large
istics. Common stereotypes with the series of paintings, some of which
category ‘African Americans’, for ex- are described as belonging to the
ample, include ‘loud’, ‘good danc- ‘Red’ artistic school and others to
ers’ and ‘good at sports’. Essentialism the ‘Green’ school. Then participants
about any group of people is dubious are randomly sorted into two groups,
– aged people are not inherently fee- red or green. In subsequent tasks,
bleminded, women are not innately people consistently show favouritism
gentle – and when it comes to race, towards the arbitrary colour group to
the idea of deep and fundamental which they are assigned.

Julyđ2016 | 57
A R E W E N AT U R A L - B O R N R A C I S T S ?

In other words, if you give people individuals were asked to list possi-
the slightest push towards behaving ble uses for a brick. People who could
tribally, they’ll happily comply. So if think outside traditional categories
race is the basis on which tribes are – aside from being used in building,
identified, expect serious problems. bricks make good paperweights, for
One simple evolutionary explana- example – score better. This study
tion for our tendency towards tribalism showed that people who essentialised
is safety in numbers. You’re more likely racial categories tended to have fewer
to survive an attack from a marauding innovative ideas about a brick.
tribe if you join forces with your bud- But that was just the beginning.
dies. And primal fear of those not in Next, a new set of research subjects
the in-group also seems closely tied to read essays that described race either
racial bias. as a fundamental difference between
Amodio’s research suggests that one people (an essentialist position) or as
key area associated with prejudice is a construct, not reflecting anything
the amygdala, a small and evolution- more than skin-deep differences (a
arily ancient region in the middle of nonessentialist position). After read-
the brain that is responsible for trig- ing the essays, the subjects moved
gering the notorious fight-or-flight on to a difficult creativity test that
response. In interracial situations, required them to identify the one key
Amodio explains, amygdala firing word that united three seemingly un-
can translate into anything from associated words. Thus, for instance,
“less direct eye gaze and more social if a subject was given the words call,
distance” to literal fear and vigilance pay and line, the correct answer was
towards those of other races. phone. Remarkably, subjects who’d
read the nonessentialist essay about
Racism’s efect race fared considerably better on the
on racists creativity test. Their mean score was
Prejudice often has an unintended 32% higher than the mean score of
consequence – it can interfere with those who read the essentialist essay.
how our brains function and make “Essentialism appears to exert
us less innovative. We’re not talking its negative effects on creativity not
about artistic creativity here but seeing through what people think but how
beyond the constraints of traditional t hey t h i n k,” concludes Tad mor.
categories, or thinking outside the box. That’s because “stereot yping and
Carmit Tadmor, a psychologist creative stagnation are rooted in a
at the Recanati School of Business similar tendency to overrely on exist-
at Tel Aviv University, and her col- ing category attributes.” Those quick-
leagues used a simple test in which judgement skills that allowed us to

58 | Julyđ2016
 READER’S DIGEST

survive on the savanna? Not always (who proceed to cheat). It appears

helpful in modern life. that our tribal instincts can actually be
co-opted to decrease racial prejudice,
A solution to prejudice if we are made to see those of other
The upshot of all this research is that races as part of our team.
in order to rid the world of prejudice, When it comes to weakening racial
we can’t simply snuff out overt racism. essentialism, Tadmor undertook an-
Nor can we fundamentally remake the other tack. Subjects were exposed to
human brain, with its rapid-fire asso- one of three 20-minute multimedia
ciations and its groupish tendencies. presentations: one exclusively about
Instead, the key lies in shifting people’s American culture; one exclusively
behaviour. And that just
might be possible. In a
massive study, Brian Nosek
of the University of Virginia
and his colleagues tested
To rid the world of
17 different proposed ways prejudice, we can’t simply
of reducing people’s un-
conscious bias on the IAT.
snuff out overt racism or
The single best inter- remake the human brain
vention involved putting
people into scenarios in
which a black person became their about Chinese cu lt ure; and one
ally while white people were depicted comparing American and Chinese
as the bad guys. In this intervention, cultures, which presumably led to a
participants read an evocative story more nuanced perspective on their
told in second-person narrative similarities and differences.
in which a white man assaults the Tadmor found that white research
participant and a black man rescues subjects who had heard the multi-
him. Then the participants took the cultural presentation (but not the
IAT – and showed 48% less bias than A mer ica n-on ly or Ch i nese-on ly
a control group. (Note: the groups presentation) were less likely than
in these various studies were mostly members of the other study groups
white; no participants were black.) to endorse stereotypes about African
Another successful variation had A mer ica ns. T hat was t r ue even
nonblacks think about black role though the research subjects had
models or imagine themselves playing learned about Chinese and Ameri-
on a dodgeball team with black team- can cultures, not African American
mates against a team of white people culture specifically.

Julyđ2016 | 59
A R E W E N AT U R A L - B O R N R A C I S T S ?

In a variation, the same 20-minute culture picked a white candidate 86%

lecture also produced fewer discrimi- of the time. But subjects who had
natory hiring decisions. After hear- heard the culture-comparing lecture
ing one of the three kinds of lectures, selected the white candidate only
white study subjects were shown a 56% of the time.
series of résumés for the position of These studies suggest that, at least
sales manager at a company. Some for the short time span of a psychol-
applicants had white-sounding names, ogy experiment, there are cognitive
ways to make people
less prejudiced.
To be sure, it will take
There are more than conscious-
cognitive ways ness raising to erase the
deep tracks of prejudice
to make people that America in particu-
less prejudiced lar has carved through
the generations. But it’s
a start. Taking the IAT
and some had black-sounding names. has made me realise that we can’t just
White subjects who had heard draw some arbitrary line between
the lecture exclusively about Ameri- prejudiced people and unprejudiced
can culture (with topics like Disney, people and declare ourselves to be on
Coca-Cola and the White House) the side of the angels. Biases have
picked a white candidate over an slipped into all our brains. And that
equally qualified black candidate 81% means we all have a responsibility to
of the time. Subjects who had heard recognise those biases – and to work
the lecture exclusively about Chinese to change them.
MOTHER JONES (NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014), © 2014 BY MOTHER JONES
AND THE FOUNDATION FOR NATIONAL PROGRESS, MOTHERJONES.COM.

CATS RULE, OK
Cats are notorious for making humans follow their wishes.
And here’s one reason why we are so swift to obey. Cats
soliciting food will make an urgent cry in the 220 to 520-hertz
frequency range while purring at a lower frequency. Babies also
cry in this frequency range (usually between 300 and 600 hertz),
and humans find it difficult to ignore. MENTAL FLOSS

60 | Julyđ2016
 SPORT

Feeding the
Olympics
Keeping everyone fed at this year’s Rio Games
P HOTO: iSTOCK

will be a culinary challenge of epic proportions.

We look at what the athletes will be eating
BY DAVID TH O M AS

Julyđ2016 | 61
F E E D I N G T H E O LY M P I C S

NAPOLEON ONCE SAID THAT ARMIES march on their stomachs –

and exactly the same is true of athletes. To countless millions, next
month’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, from August 5 to 21,
will be the planet’s greatest festival of sport. But as Professor David
Russell, whose company was hired to oversee the creation and
delivery of food at London 2012, points out, the Olympics is also
“the world’s greatest food event”.
At Rio, there will be 10,500 athletes grand affair, with ten serving islands
from more than 200 countries, some separated by themes. As at the last
7000 team officials and 8 million spec- Olympics, nutritionists will be on hand
tators. The restaurant at the athletes’ to give advice. “A lot of athletes know
village expects to serve some 60,000 exactly what food they need,” says
meals a day, getting through a daily Russell. “But others, who are coming
total of 250 tonnes of food. to major games for the first time, spend
The eight key principles that under- hours talking to those guys.”
pin the Rio food and drink operation
start with a commitment to safety. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN competi-
The 2500-strong catering team will tors’ eating habits was perfectly illus-
work round the clock to ensure that trated at the Beijing Olympics of 2008,
everything consumed will be healthy, where US swimming superstar Michael
safe and uncontaminated by natural Phelps, whose body did not appear to
food poisons or illicit chemicals. possess a single gram of excess weight,
“Food purity is the number one pri- said that he consumed between 33,000
ority,” Russell says. “How to look after kilojoules (kJ) and 42,000 kJ a day.
the welfare of the athletes consumes He described sitting down to a typi-
hours and hours of our time.” cal breakfast of three sandwiches filled
The next challenge is the complex with fried eggs, cheese, fried onions,
matter of meeting the nutritional tomatoes and lettuce; a bowl of grits
needs of every conceivable size and (thick maize porridge); three slices of
shape of competitor. “Each trains their French toast with powdered sugar and
body to be at peak performance. They three chocolate-chip pancakes.
all have their own nutritional needs By contrast, US gymnast Nastia
and every individual’s diet is different Liukin, who won the Beijing women’s
during their event, before it or after it,” all-round gold medal, had a daily
says Russell. intake of just 5000 kJ.
With a floor space of 24,700 m2, the The 18-year-old Liukin revealed
athletes’ restaurant in Rio will be a that she might have a breakfast of

62 | Julyđ2016
 READER’S DIGEST

A monster diet
for the Olympic
champion included a
McDonald’s meal
in Beijing

Michael Phelps

42,000
kilojoules a day

eggs, or yoghurt, or oatmeal, but Now factor i

certainly not all three. “Then for lunch very different
I’ll have a salad with chicken or fish or of food habitua y eaten y competi-
some sort of protein and then for din- tors from, say, Belgium and Brazil, or
ner I keep it really light with probably Jamaica and Japan. Add to that the
just a piece of fish and vegetables.” personal principles, medical condi-
So you have one gold medallist tions or religious dietary laws that
eating far more at a single breakfast affect the food they are allowed, or
sitting than another does in an entire allow, themselves to eat.
day. Likewise a male marathon run-
ner, who wants to combine maximum FLÁVIA ALBUQUERQUE IS THE FOOD
endurance with minimum weight, and beverages manager at Rio 2016.
P HOTOS: GETTY IM AGES;

might eat around 13,000-15,000 kJ She is well aware of the challenge she
AF P/GETTY IMAGES

a day, while a triathlete, who needs faces in meeting the different nutri-
upper body strength as well as endur- tional needs of the athletes. “The food
ance, gets through 25,000 kJ (women will have information that explains
would consume roughly 75-80% as how many kilojoules, how much pro-
much as their male equivalents). tein, carbohydrate, fat and salt they

Julyđ2016 | 63
F E E D I N G T H E O LY M P I C S

Gold medal-winning
gymnast Nastia
Liukin kept her
meals light

Nastia Liukin

5000
kilojoules a
day

have,” she says. The pre etes should also get

ence of gluten and lact ance to try the likes
will also be flagged, with e quijo (baked bread
free of these substances serve or a s i e wit cheese), brigadeiro (a
those with an intolerance. classic Brazilian sweet) and the more
Although Albuquerque points out obviously healthy açaí, the Amazo-
that “we will not put chilli in foods, nian fruit popular with athletes for its
P HOTOS: REX/SHUTTERSTOCK; AP P HOTO
we will offer it separately”, an event high-energy value.
of this nature is a chance for the host Whatever the specific dishes on
nation to showcase its own vibrant offer at Rio, they will not be there by
cuisine. “We’re going to offer a good chance. Olympics organisers talk to
variety of the best tastes of Brazil. We the federations that govern the various
hope that the foreign athletes try these sports to discuss their specific needs.
and enjoy them,” she says. Competitors can come to the Games
Alongside options such as Ital- reassured that if quinoa or feta cheese
ian, Asian, ‘tastes of the world’, halal is important to them, it will be there.
and kosher, there will be a traditional Mike Naylor, a top nutritionist who
Brazilian churrasco (barbecue). The is advising the British Olympic squad,

64 | Julyđ2016
 READER’S DIGEST

describes this as “performance- admits, “There are little ways we can

focused eating”. He explains: “Every play with the environment to give
meal and every piece of food has athletes a nudge and encourage them
a purpose, whether it’s to improve to eat the food they need.
recovery, or prepare the athlete for the “So, if you want someone to increase
next session, or just maintain general their vegetable intake, but decrease
wellness and reduce the number of carbohydrates, you’d put the vegetables
missed training sessions.” before the carbs and meat in the serv-
Most competitors eat more when ing line so there’s less room on the plate
they train than when they compete. for a lot of high-kilojoule food.”
“You get the main fuel in days before Megan Pugh, who was a groom for
the event, topping up the muscles’ the German showjumping team that
stores of glycogen [a form of glucose won gold at Sydney 2000, before work-
that acts as the body’s energy re- ing on the equestrian events at Athens
serve],” Naylor says. “Then on the 2004 and Beijing 2008, had a similar
competition day you eat to feel neither approach to the horses she cared for.
too hungry nor too full.” “There are so many tricks you play
Even so, he adds, “Food can have on them, just like with humans,”
a direct competitive effect on the she says. For example, it’s very im-
day of an event. Marathon runners, portant that horses, like humans,
for example, can only store so much drink enough water to keep properly
carbohydrate in their muscles, so they hydrated during competition. “I shove
need top-ups during the race.” heaven knows how many carrots into a
bucket of water,” she says. “I know that
FOR THE NUTRITIONISTS, THE REAL the horse is so greedy that he’ll never
work is done before the competitors take his mouth out of it. He’ll just
even set foot inside the dining hall drink as he’s playing with the carrots.
at the Olympic Village. The British “In showjumping you’ve got an
Olympic squad will be based at a athlete on the top and an athlete on
preparation camp in Belo Horizonte, the bottom,” adds Pugh. “A top horse
350 km from Rio. is a highly demanding animal with
Competitors will arrive there in its own personality – just like the
mid-July and not be flown to Rio until rider. So feeding is horse specific. You
three or four days before their event wouldn’t give the same diet to a big,
takes place. That way, their environ- old laid-back stallion as you would to
ment, their training and their diets can a nervous, highly strung mare.”
be controlled with absolute precision. Like its rider, a horse wants to eat
“We’re not policing or babysit- the food it’s used to, in the way it’s
ting athletes,” Naylor insists, but he used to. Teams therefore fly in their

Julyđ2016 | 65
F E E D I N G T H E O LY M P I C S

Showjumping horse Olympic steeds

consume up to

80,000
kilojoules a day
80,000 kilojoules
a day when
competing

own supplies, under strict supervi- g i v e n re g

sion by the International Olympic lar snacks
Committee, to ensure that all the feed haylage to
is free of banned substances. its energy.
Top European teams such as
P HOTOS: GETTY IM AGES;SHUTTERSTOCK
Germany and France use ‘haylage’, a FOR ALL THE SIMILARITIES between
grass-based foodstuff that is nutritious two- and four-legged Olympians, there
and free from dust, which can affect is one big difference: horses don’t
the horses’ respiratory systems. consider eating to be a social activity.
A typical showjumper’s day, Pugh But for the human athletes at Rio, the
says, involves 30 to 40 minutes training dining halls at the Olympic village and
and a food intake of around 62,000 kJ. at other Games sites are the places
This rises to 67,000-80,000 kJ during where they mingle with other young
competition, when the physical and people from all over the world.
mental stress can cause the horse to Whatever the differences in achieve-
lose weight and strength unless it is ment and ability, this communal

66 | Julyđ2016
 READER’S DIGEST

eating space is a great leveller, with during the day. “You can sense the
golden girls and also-rans standing level of tension prior to really big
side by side in the line for food, or events,” he says. “When you walk into
sharing spaces at the same tables. the canteen at breakfast, the room is
“It’s a unique environment,” says quiet, suppressed. People are eating
British hockey player Anne Panter. “It as individuals, isolated on their own,
doesn’t matter if you’re a superstar, in their own space, taking time out
you’re just like any other athlete pre- to think and prepare. But by late
paring for an event.” afternoon, the place is filled by the
There are, of course, some stars sound of people’s voices.
who are even more super than others. “There’ll be big tables of 20 people,
Usain Bolt will surely cause the same real multicultural groups, where all
commotion at Rio as he did at the the athletes who’ve been competing
2012 Games. Four years ago, Bolt’s against each other are telling their
first appearance in the dining hall, stories of the day, tweeting and taking
flanked by a Jamaican shot-putter selfies. You can see lifelong friend-
and discus-thrower as bodyguards, ships being formed. I just thought,
brought the place to a standstill as he This feels like a church in the morning
strolled to the rotisserie section, where and a party in the afternoon.”
Caribbean-style chicken was served. And that atmosphere of fun and cel-
Similar excitement hit the McDon- ebration is exactly what he foresees for
ald’s restaurant at the Beijing Olympics Rio. The beach volleyball, for instance,
when Michael Phelps popped in for a will be held at Copacabana, where
bite. McDonald’s, one of the Games’ agua de coco (coconut water) will be
major sponsors, will provide 8-10% of served in fresh coconuts.
the food athletes consume: a Big Mac “We planned London like a military
has become the traditional treat the operation. We were trying to achieve
competitors allow themselves when perfection,” says Russell. “At Rio they
competition is over and they can – for will create something very different.
a while at least – eat whatever they like. It will be a relaxed environment, more
What Russell recalls most clearly like a party.
from the last Olympics is the way that “And if there’s one thing Rio knows,
the mood of the dining hall changed it’s how to hold a great party.”

UPON IMPACT
Standing in the park, I was wondering why a Frisbee looks larger
the closer it gets ... then it hit me. STEWART FRANCIS

Julyđ2016 | 67
 Life’s Like That
SEEING THE FUNNY SIDE

JULY
1955
From the Archives
On the face of it, a charming 61-year-old story. Had it occurred today,
we may have seen an arrest.
At a bus stop, a beautiful young girl was leaving amid the fond farewells
of a group of boys and girls. Since she was embracing and kissing them
all around, our departure was considerably
held up.
Finally our handsome young bus
driver heaved himself out of his seat
and got in line with the affectionate
youngsters. When it came to his turn,
he gave the girl an enthusiastic kiss
and hug, then picked her up and put
her aboard the bus – and we were off.
SUBMITTED BY MRS A.M. STEVENS

MAN OR MACHINE? FLIGHT CONTROL

My grandson, aged four, My wife and I and our two kids were
was sitting on his catching a flight recently. High winds
grandfather’s lap when during the landing made for an extra
he felt his pacemaker rough approach. Not being a good
through his shirt. flyer, I was scared. I turned to my
“Grandpa, what’s that?” eight-year-old son and asked if he
he asked. would hold my hand.
“That’s my battery.” Shaking his head he said, “Get
Aghast, the boy said, “Grandpa, a grip, Dad. You’re, like, 48 years old.”
are you a robot?” I was good after that.
SUBMITTED BY SYLVIA SWENSON SUBMITTED BY MURRAY SWANSTON

68 | Julyđ2016
 BETTER THAN MILK
I walked into our family
room just in time to The Great Tweet-off:
see our kitten standing
on a side table, sniffing
Child-rearing edition
my husband’s wineglass. These amusing Twitter posts give
“Get down!” I yelled. us an insight into the frustrations
As she jumped away, of parenthood.
I turned to my husband
*Looks up from phone* “Kids!
and son: “I’ve never seen
We’re leaving the playground in
her do that.”
22 per cent.”
My son shrugged.
@ABHORRENT_WIFE
“Really? We watch her
drink out of your glass all the My 11yo wrote me an apology for
time.” SUBMITTED BY REBECCA PERVERE misbehaving in the car that
included “I love you so much but
sometimes forget to care about
WHAT A SCOOP! your existence.” @MANDA_LIKE_WINE
My collection of vintage kitchen 50% of parenting is looking for
utensils includes one whose intended things with your kids that you’ve
purpose was always a mystery. already thrown away.
It looks like a cross between a metal @FATHERWITHTWINS
slotted spoon and a spatula, so I use
[Bedtime] Me: Your mum told you
it as both. The mystery was recently to stay in bed. 3-year-old: There’s
solved when I found one in its a scary monster in my closet.
original packaging at a rummage sale. Me: Scarier than Mum? 3-year-old:
It’s a pooper-scooper. *goes to bed* @XPLODINGUNICORN
PHOTOS: (BUS, CAT) GETTY I MAGES; (GI RL) iSTOC K

SUBMITTED BY PATTY BROZO

Funny how our kids can be so
different in a million tiny, precious
WORST POSSIBLE RESPONSE ways, yet are all exactly the same in
We were in a restaurant, perusing the a hundred huge, maddening ones.
menu, when I let my husband know @DADANDBURIED
that he rarely paid attention to me
when I spoke. Well, of course he A paren nt’s job
disagreed, so we went back to reading is basicaally
our menus in chilly silence. After a daily
a few uncomfortable minutes, I said,
strugglee to
“I think I’m getting a headache.”
He responded: “Go ahead, help a crazy
sweetheart; get whatever you want.” person stay
s
SUBMITTED BY ANGEL SALAMANCA alive. @ILIKE
@
FAMILY

Grand
Plans
A can’t-miss babysitting
guide for grandparents
BY A N DR E M AY E R

THE FIRST TWO DECADES of parent- to do, but [some particulars] may have
hood are both tough and rewarding. changed,” says author and family
By doing everything from toilet train- psychologist Sara Dimerman. “And
ing to hosting birthday parties to each child is different.”
ILLUSTRATI ON BY COURTN EY WOTHERSPOON
puzzling through maths problems, Here’s the good news: you’ve still got
you learn to be a drill sergeant, social it. You might just need to brush up on
convenor and crisis manager. some techniques, whether you’re
But once your kids grow up and watching a young baby or a world-
move out, you might not have much weary adolescent.
use for those traits any more – until
the fateful day your offspring ask you Respect routine
to look after their offspring. You While your grandchildren aren’t
might then worry your babysitting strangers, you may not live with them
skills have slipped. on a daily basis. You and the parents
“Taking care of a child is not should go over their routines – such as
typically something one forgets how appropriate times for naps, dinner and

70 | Julyđ2016
bed – as well as the kids’ idiosyncra- he longer haul
sies, from food sensitivities to their If your grandkids are staying for a
favourite stuffed toys. longer spell, it can be helpful to
“Sometimes problems arise when establish a daily routine, as though they
grandparents assume they know better were actually living with you. That
and do things their own way rather might include stricter bedtimes and
than following through with the par- even some chores, suggests Patricia
ents’ requests,” points out Dimerman. Adair, who has nine grandchildren and
“This can create conflict and may not one great-grandchild.
always be in the child’s Adair often gets them
best interests.” t o h e l p a ro u n d t h e
Once the parents feel If they are house or garden. Asking
confident you won’t scar the younger set to lend a
their progeny, feel free to staying, it can hand by mowing the
trust your instincts. be helpful to lawn or to peel carrots
You’ve got experience. establish a daily for dinner helps them
You also have licence, as routine appreciate what goes
a grandparent, to bend into maintaining a
the rules a bit if they household, she says,
don’t work for you or your routine. and it can open up opportunities to
have casual yet meaningful discus-
Keeping them amused sions about family and school.
Given the ubiquity of smartphones and
other video-playing devices, some Back to reality
grandparents may think children can’t For many kids, a trip to their grand-
entertain themselves any other way. parents’ house means a few more
That’s simply not true, says Charlotte sweets, a few more stories and
Livingston, a grandmother to three more freedom in general.
young boys. Still, you should ensure your
With her ten-year-old grandson in charges understand that the party
particular, she says, “I feel that at home, ends when they return home, says
there’s a heck of a lot of screen time. I Kathy Buckworth, author of I Am So
actually like to limit that.” the Boss of You.
Rather than simply switching on the Being at Grandma and Grandad’s
TV or a tablet, Livingston keeps her can be like a mini-holiday, Buckworth
grandsons absorbed in reading, crafts says, but after the fact, “it is normal to
and outdoor activities, such as biking. have a ‘re-entry’ period where the
She also brings along board games child is reintroduced to real life with
when she’s on babysitting duty. Mum and Dad.”

Julyđ2016 | 71
 HEALTH

YOUR HEALTH BY THE

BY JESS COX

The human body is a well-designed machine – and

staying healthy is a numbers game. Learn these vital
statistics to give you a healthy edge

20
48
Globally, if you
were born in
MINUTES
1950, your life
3 expectancy was only 48.
Fast-forward to 2013, and
TIMES A WEEK
newborns’ life expectancy,
That’s how much
intense aerobic averaged across the world,
exercise you should is 71. Girls will now live
do to help protect to 73 and boys to 68.
yourself against WHO statistics show
heart attacks and
that life expectancy
strokes. This means
exercise that has improved in
increases your heart nearly every country.
and breathing rates, Heart disease remains
such as running the leading cause of
or cycling.
death worldwide.

72 | Julyđ2016
 1470 kJ
(351 kcal)
A 70 kg person will
burn this much energy
just by digging in
120/80
Blood pressure
readings consist
the garden for
of two numbers
an hour.
(120/80 for
example). The upper
number is your
systolic blood

7.5
pressure or the highest
pressure when your heart
beats and pushes blood.
The second number is your diastolic
blood pressure or the lowest pressure
If you’re trying to
when your heart relaxes between beats.
lose weight, aim for Both numbers are expressed as mmHg
no more than 600 kJ (millimetres of mercury).
(140 kcal) of added LOW BLOOD PRESSURE/
HYPOTENSION
sugar a day – about Anything lower than 120/80
37 g or 7.5 teaspoons. NORMAL BLOOD PRESSURE
120/80 to 129/85
Scarily, that’s the HIGH–NORMAL BLOOD PRESSURE
same amount in just 130/85 to 139/89
one can (375 ml) of HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
140/90 or higher
sweet fizzy drink. VERY HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
180/110 or higher

100g
Nutrition information panels on food labels are
often presented in standard formats which show the
average amount per serve and per 100 g (or 100 ml
if liquid). You can use this to compare products.

INGREDIENT HIGH LOW

100
Total fat More than 20 g 3 g or less g
PHOTOS: iSTOCK

Saturated fat More than 5 g 1.5 g or less

Total sugars More than 15 g 5 g or less
Sodium More than 600 mg 120 mg or less

Julyđ2016 | 73
Y O U R H E A LT H B Y T H E N U M B E R S

250 & 251

These are the codes for the food additives sodium
nitrite (250) and sodium nitrate (251), commonly
added to processed cured meats such as ham, salami,
sausages and bacon. Last year, the World Health
Organization (WHO) found processed
meats to be ‘probably carcinogenic’. Try
to avoid them, or limit consumption.

OTHER FOOD ADDITIVE NUMBERS

TO BE AWARE OF
SULPHUR DIOXIDE (220)
SODIUM METABISULPHITE (223) the preservative
These preservatives, often found in sodium benzoate – were
wine and dried fruit such as apricots, linked in a landmark 2007 University of
can trigger asthma attacks in children. Southampton study to hyperactivity
and behavioural problems in children.
‘THE SOUTHAMPTON 6’
TARTRAZINE (102), PONCEAU SODIUM BENZOATE (211)
4R (124), SUNSET YELLOW (110), POTASSIUM BENZOATE (212)
CAMOISINE (122), QUINOLINE ASCORBIC ACID (300)
YELLOW (104) AND ALLURA Often found in non-cola fizzy drinks,
RED (129) juices and cordials, these substances
These artificial colours, often found in can combine to form benzene, which
children’s favourite foods – along with is a known carcinogen.

1 SERVING For pasta and

fibre-rich types
of cereal and rice
For serves of For white bread, CRICKET BALL
chicken, beef, white rice and about 1 cup
pork and salmon potatoes For milk,
DECK OF CARDS TENNIS BALL yoghurt and
about 85–110 g about 2/3 cup soups
TAKEAWAY
COFFEE CUP
about 250 ml

74 | Julyđ2016
 READER’S DIGEST

10,000
The magic number of
steps you should aim
to take in a day. This
equates to about
7-8 km, or just over
1.5 hours walking. A
pedometer is a great
motivational tool to
increase your steps.
Buy a good-quality
pedometer for accuracy.

5 MMOL/L
Do you know your cholesterol WAIST
numbers? You should have a
cholesterol test every five years, =
or every two years if there is a
family history of high cholesterol,
HEIGHT ÷ 2
Half your height or less is your ideal
or yearly if you have a high risk of
waist measurement. Scientists have
cardiovascular disease or known
found that this simple calculation is just
high cholesterol.
as reliable as the body mass index
(BMI) to waist ratio for predicting
TOTAL CHOLESTEROL Anything
future health risk. Ideally, your waist
below 5 mmol/l is desirable.
measurement should be less than
LDL A healthy reading is anything 95 cm for men (90 cm for Asian men)
less than 3.5 mmol/l. If you have and 80 cm for all women.
heart risks such as diabetes or high
blood pressure, your doctor may
prescribe medications to try to
BMI
To calculate your BMI, divid
de
lower your LDL cholesterol to your weight in kilograms byy
below 1.8 mmol/l. your height in metres squared.
HDL 1–2.2 mmol/l for women For example, if you weigh 60
6 kg
PHOTOS: iSTOCKP HOTO

and 0.9–2 mmol/l for men. and are 1.65 m tall:

TRIGLYCERIDES A reading of 2
BMI = 60 ÷ (165 x 165) = 22
less than 1.7 mmol/l is normal. Normal weight = 18–24
Above 2 mmol/l is high; above Overweight = 25–29
4.5 mmol/l is very high. Obese = 30+
Morbidly obese = 40+
INSTANT ANSWERS
The magnificent Sheikh
Lotfollah Mosque
in Esfahan was built in
the 17th century

START AT THE BEGINNING Iran stands

apart from most other Middle Eastern countries
thanks to its Persian heritage. In ancient times it was
the heart of the Persian Empire – the largest empire
the world had seen, stretching from Egypt across to
Turkey and down into India in the 5th century BCE.
It lasted just 200 years before falling to the
Macedonian warrior-king Alexander the Great.

BY HA Z E L F LYNN

TELL ME MORE In the 600

0s Muslim Arabs
became the new conquering force, bringing
with them Islam, which displac ced Zoroastrianism
(a monotheistic religion founded by prophet
Zoroaster) as the main religion n. However, the
people did not adopt the Arab bic language, sticking
with their traditional Persian (a
also called Farsi),
and favouring the minority Shi’a branch of Islam.

“… en
ngaging directly
d with
the Iranian government
g Hassan
STOO

Rouhani,
on a sustaineed basis, for
R ) i ST

current
the first time in decades, President
of Iran
has created a unique
ES E

opportunity – a wind dow – to try

E

to resolve importan nt issues.”

US President BARACK OBAM
MA, JJanuary 2016

76 | Julyđ2016
 AND AFTER THAT? The country’s strategic
position and plentiful natural resources had both
Russia and Britain eyeing it from the 1800s.
By 1913 the British government owned all the
country’s oil and controlled its banks and
Russia ran much of what was left. Britain
decided to secure its interests and back a
1925 coup by military oicer Reza Khan, who
crowned himself Reza Shah Pahlavi. But in 1941,
Britain and the Soviet Union forced him out and
installed his son Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi
in his place. A democratic movement gained ground
but was squashed by vested international interests Mohammad Reza
with help from the CIA. On the surface, Iran advanced Shah Pahlavi and
under the Shah’s reformist programmes, but fearsome his wife, Empress
secret police kept the population in check. Farah Pahlavi

WHAT HA
W APPENED NEXT? The unhappy populace rioted and in 1979 the
S
Shah fled and religious leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini took control. That
November Khomeini
K supporters seized the US embassy in Tehran and held more
than 50 hosttages for 444 days. In 1989 the Ayatollah called on Muslims around
the world to kill author Salman Rushdie for supposed blasphemy. Moderate forces
within Iran were
w brutally repressed. In recent years Iran was designated a ‘state
sponsor of teerrorism’, and major economic powers imposed trade sanctions.
There was grrowing fear that Iran would develop its own nuclear weapons.

HAVE RELATIONS IMPROVED? Yes. After

a decade of on-of diplomatic negotiations, a deal
PHOTOS: (MOSQUE, ROUHANI, SHAH) GETTY

was reached last year between Iran and China,

Russia, France, the US, the UK and Germany. Iran
agreed to make changes so its nuclear facilities
IMAGES; (F LAG, REACTOR) iSTOCK

would be used for energy, not

BY THE NUMBERS weapons, in return for the lifting
of sanctions. Not everyone is
79 million happy: both Saudi Arabia and
populatio
on of Iran Israel mistrust the deal, but if
it works it will have increased
US$6
6752 global security and given the
Iranian people a chance to
annual average
a
make economic progress.
householdd income in
Iranian
n cities

Julyđ2016 | 77
 Quotable Quotes
TH E D I F F E R E N C E We are all heroes
B E T WE E N A H E RO
A N D A COWA R D I S in our own movies.
O N E STE P S I D E WAYS . NG CHIN HAN,
G E N E H AC K M A N , a c t o r Singaporean actor

Not sure which is harder on a relationship: AT EVERY MOMENT,

sharing a dresser for three years or
sharing an iPhone charger for one day. WE ARE VOLUNTEERS.
R H E A B U TC H E R , c o m e d i a n S TE P H E N CO LB E R T, T V p e r s o n a l i t y

Instant gratification
takes too long.
CARRIE FISHER, a ct re s s an d w r it er

Tupac was one of LIFE IS ALWAYS

the biggest thugs GOING TO BE
STRANGER THAN
I know, and he FICTION, BECAUSE
always wore his FICTION HAS TO BE
seat belt. CONVINCING, AND
I C E CU B E , r a p p e r LIFE DOESN’T.
and producer N E I L GAI M A N , a u t h o r
PHOTOS: GETTY I MAGES

What I learned was that these athletes were not

disabled, they were superabled. The Olympics
is where heroes are made. The Paralympics is
where heroes come.
J O E Y R E I M A N , a u t h o r, o n t h e A t l a n t a 19 9 6 P a r a l y m p i c G a m e s

78 | Julyđ2016
 ART OF LIVING

H E A L I NG
T H ROUG H
FORG I V I NG
New research is revealing it can heal you
emotionally – and physically
BY LIA GRAINGER

FOR WEEKS, KARSTEN MATHIASEN had been

consumed by rage. Several months earlier, the Danish
P HOTO: GETTY I MAGES

circus director’s wife had left him to live with another

man. Overwhelmed with hatred for his wife’s new lover,
the 40 year old lay awake at night, a knot of pain growing
in his stomach, angry thoughts swirling. He began
drinking in the evenings to get to sleep. ➸

Julyđ2016 | 79
HEALING THROUGH FORGIVING

Eventually, it was the concern of his They found that those subjects who
two young children that persuaded had engaged in forgiveness experi-
Karsten he should meet this man enced significantly improved cardiac
towards whom he felt so much anger. blood flow, even four months after the
When the two met at a Copenhagen forgiving had taken place.
coffee shop, Karsten knew he would In another study, Charlotte vanOyen
forgive his wife’s new partner. Instead Witvliet, a psychology professor at
of one cup of coffee, the two men had Hope University, examined the emo-
many, talking for hours. tional and physiological effects that
As Karsten headed home, he was occur when people rehearsed hurtful
amazed to discover that his anger and memories and nursed grudges. When
sadness were gone. But more than participants recalled a grudge, their
that, he felt physically good – for the physical arousal soared. Their blood
first time in months. He slept like a pressure and heart rate increased,
baby that night and awoke with a clear and they sweated more. They also
mind and a relaxed body. found ruminating about their grudges
“Forgiveness was a great gift I gave stressful and unpleasant.
myself,” says Karsten. However, when Witvliet asked the
participants to try to empathise with
W E O F T E N T H I N K of forgiveness their offenders or imagine forgiving
as something we do for the sake of them, they experienced greater per-
someone else, but new research shows ceived control and lower physiological
that’s not the whole story. stress responses. Her results were simi-
“When people engage in forgive- lar to other studies that suggest chronic
ness, it changes their physiology,” says unforgiving responses may erode
Dr Robert Enright. As the founder of health whereas forgiving responses
the International Forgiveness Institute may enhance it.
and the author of The Forgiving Life A 2011 study presented to the US So-
and 8 Keys to Forgiveness, Enright has ciety of Behavioral Medicine showed
been pioneering the study of the power that forgiveness can help relieve sleep-
of forgiveness for three decades. lessness, and a study conducted at
“Forgiveness helps you get rid of the Duke University Medical Center
what we call toxic anger,” he says. “The in North Carolina, US, found that for-
type that can literally kill a person.” giveness can strengthen the immune
In a 2009 study published in the systems of patients with HIV. With
journal Psychology and Health, Enright every passing year, new research is re-
and a team of researchers examined vealing that forgiveness can help heal
the effects of forgiveness on cardiac everything from insomnia to diseases
patients with coronary heart disease. that have their bases in stress.

80 | Julyđ2016
 READER’S DIGEST

R O S A LY N B O Y C E ’ S L I F E unrav- “Afterwards, I was euphoric,” she

elled in 1999 after a man broke into says of the meeting. “I don’t think
her London home and raped her as about the rape anymore. It disap-
her two-year-old daughter slept in the peared in a puff of smoke.”
next room. The perpetrator, a serial
rapist, was captured three weeks later FEW PEOPLE HAVE a better under-
and given three life sentences. standing of what forgiveness is than
But for Rosalyn the nightmare was Marina Cantacuzino. A former jour-
far from over. The memory of the attack nalist, Marina is the founder and direc-
filled her mind constantly, and she tor of The Forgiveness Project, a web
was forced to move out of her family site and exhibition series which uses
house to escape it. Eating became personal stories from around the world
impossible. Doctors diagnosed her – including Rosalyn’s – to explore the
with post-traumatic stress disorder and limits and possibilities of forgiveness.
reactive depression and prescribed “Forgiveness is not about condon-
Prozac and tranquillisers. She began ing or excusing,” Cantacuzino says,

Forgiveness is a reframing – viewing an incident

through a more compassionate lens

drinking a bottle of wine every night dispelling the myth that to forgive
to block things out. means to say what happened was
As her mental and physical health acceptable. Another common miscon-
deteriorated, Rosalyn realised she ception is that forgiveness demands
would have to heal herself. Through reconciliation with the perpetrator – it
therapy, she discovered that the only does not. You can forgive and choose
way was to forgive her attacker. not to resume the relationship. Instead,
“To me, forgiveness meant that I no forgiveness demands a reframing of
longer had to feel any attachment to the past – viewing the incident and
my rapist and I could free myself from perpetrator through a wider and more
the crime,” writes Rosalyn. “Once I compassionate lens.
chose to perceive forgiveness in these She also explains that offering
terms, a massive burden was lifted.” forgiveness does not mean giving up
In 2014, Rosalyn was able to meet the right to justice. You can forgive
her attacker and forgive him through someone, but they may still have to go
a restorative justice programme. to prison or pay a price for what they

Julyđ2016 | 81
HEALING THROUGH FORGIVING

have done. One of her favourite defi- although she acknowledges that a
nitions actually comes from a prison correlation between anger and can-
inmate: “Forgiveness is letting go of cer has not yet been scientifically
all hope for a better past.” demonstrated.
That may not be the case for long.
A F T E R M O V I N G F R O M England Enright has teamed up with Slovakian
to Lebanon in 1966 and watching oncologist Pavel Kotouček to study
as the country was torn apart for 15 whether forgiveness can even help
years by civil war, Alexandra Asseily in the battle against cancer. Kotouček
was consumed by her incredulity at says he’s had many cases in Slovakia
humanity’s capacity for violence. and England in which a patient’s bit-
“I needed to forgive the people terness appeared to be suppressing

It can take many forms, but at its most basic, forgiveness

is the offer of goodness to the one who has hurt you

who brought Lebanon from being the immune system. “There is strong
a lovely place to destroying it,” says evidence that if you can improve the
the psychotherapist. She decided immune profile of a cancer patient,
to spend time with men who’d been you can control their cancer.”
brutal combatants in the conflict. The study will occur across Europe
“When I could see them as human through the umbrella organisation
beings instead of monsters, I realised Myeloma Patients Europe, and will
I had passed my own test.” provide cancer patients with guided
In 1984 she helped found the Cen- forgiveness therapy alongside conven-
tre for Lebanese Studies at Oxford tional treatments such as marrow and
University, England, where she strives stem cell transplants, radiation and
to promote forgiveness as a tool for chemotherapy.
healing. In her work, Asseily says she
often encounters people who have FOR AZARIA BOTTA, a 33-year-old
become ill. She describes one woman teaching assistant from Vancouver,
living in Rome who has remained Canada, it was a falling out with one of
with her unfaithful husband for many her best friends that opened her eyes
years, and who is now dying of cancer. to the healing powers of forgiveness.
“She is bitter, and I think she has It was the summer of 2004, and
eaten herself up inside,” says Asseily, Azaria was off on a backpacking

82 | Julyđ2016
 READER’S DIGEST

trip in Europe with one of her oldest “I felt lighter,” says Azaria. “Letting
friends. The two young women set off go of that anger was the first step.”
excitedly, travelling through the UK be-
fore arriving in Paris. It was there that EXPERTS ARE ADAMANT that there
Azaria’s friend announced she would is no one specific path to forgiveness.
be taking a week-long romantic trip “It’s different for ever ybody,”
with a young Colombian backpacker. cautions Cantacuzino. Over the years,
Azaria was shocked and infuriated. some people [who] become worn
She passed the week alone in Paris, down by hatred consciously decide to
filled with anger and disappointment. make a change. Others, she says, might
She also developed strange headaches meet someone like the offender or see
along with an upset stomach. Azaria a TV programme that triggers them to
continued to stew even after her think differently about the situation.
friend returned to Paris, showering Enright agrees that forgiveness can
her with apologies. take many forms, but at its most basic,
Back in Vancouver, Azaria’s anger it is the offer of goodness to the one
stayed with her – and so did her who has hurt you.
headaches and stomach pain. It was “This can take the form of respect,
only after a pleading apology from or a returned phone call, or a kind
her friend and a tearful reconciliation word about them to someone else,” he
that Azaria’s head finally cleared and says. “The paradox is that as you have
her appetite returned. It was then she mercy on those who have not had
made the connection: her anger had mercy on you, you heal emotionally
been making her sick. and – sometimes – physically.”

FLIP THIS MAGAZINE

You all know palindromes (words/phrases that read the same
forwards and backwards), but what about ambigrams – words
that read the same upside down or when viewed from different
perspectives? Try flipping these phrases.
pod
NOON
SOHOS
WOW MOM
NOW NO SWIMS ON MON

Julyđ2016 | 83
WHO MADE THAT?

Clockwise from top:

Rapala’s Original Floating
minnow; Rattlin’ Rapalas
wiggle and rattle; and Deep
Tail Dancers, with enlarged
lips to dive deep down

Anglers were desperate

for ‘a lure fish can’t pass up’

Fishing Lure
BY PAG A N K E N N E DY F R O M T H E NE W YO R K T I ME S

IN THE EARLY 1960s, word spread of a with no luck. Imports were few, and
fishing lure with seemingly mystical bait shops often required a $20 deposit
powers. In the lake country of Finland, (about $160 in today’s dollars) to rent a
an artisan named Lauri Rapala had Rapala lure for the day.
handcrafted artificial minnows out of Inspired by the craze, George Perrin
balsa wood that zipped around with decided to create his own version out
realistic movements. A US magazine of plastic. Perrin, who owned Pradco, a
described the product to its readers as company in Arkansas that manufac-
‘a lure fish can’t pass up’. Desperate to tured crisper drawers for refrigerators,
obtain the lures, US anglers soon discovered that it took a lot of re-
hunted for a way to search and development to make plas-
buy them, usually tic behave like a fish. To test prototypes,
Perrin stood on the diving board of a
friend’s swimming pool and cast his
rod, adding or subtracting metal balls
– called ‘rattles’ – inside the minnow so
that it would float just under the sur-
face of the water. And when the angler demand, and its lure became widely
twitched the line, the lure would dart available in the US by the late 1960s.)
around in a flash of silver. Lawrence Taylor, a spokesman for Re-
People searching for the Finnish lure bel Lures, saidd an old
old-timer
timer at the
soon discovered Perrin’s invention, company joked that at the height of the
called the Rebel F10 Minnow. In 1963, minnow boom m, “we made
the year after Perrin had started pro- enough lures to outfit
duction, his company, Rebel Lures, every man, w oman
sold half a million of them. (Rapala, and child in the
meanwhile, built a factory to meet the country.’’

REELING THEM IN
ate University,
John Caprio, a biology professor at Louisiana Sta
studies fish perception.

Q Many lures contain little metal electrical current. If you ever look
rattles. Does that sound actually at the underside of the mouth of
attract fish? a shark – hopefully not too close –
A: These products are often you’ll see these tiny pores that are
designed by people who don’t electroreceptors.
know enough about what fish
hear. If you analyse the sound Q Are there any lures that use
frequencies these steel balls give electricity to attract fish?
of, they’re far too high for the fish A There are some on the market
to perceive. But of course, fish that have little batteries in them.
don’t buy lures. Humans do. Unfortunately, they don’t create
the right kind of current.
Q Fish can sense electricity in a
way that we can’t, isn’t that right? Q So what is the best way to
A Yes. Ever watch on TV where attract a fish?
they show sharks hitting a metal A Sound. But the appropriate
cage with a diver in it? Well, why sounds. You don’t want to warn
is the shark doing that? To get the the fish away. You need to know
diver? Most likely not. That metal the frequency that will attract the
and seawater are creating an particular fish that you’re after.

THE NEW YORK TIMES (MARCH 10, 2013) ©2013 BY THE NEW YORK TIMES CO., NEW YORK

Julyđ2016 | 85
NEED TO KNOW

Things

1BY

1
CH
Airlines
Won’t Tell You
Here’s what a safety demo doesn’t
say: we dim cabin lights at night so
your eyes are adjusted to the dark in
case there’s a crash and you need to
we’re tired and working long hours.
That’s why the little things like a
simple ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ go
a long way, as do good manners, into
find a way out. We put up tray tables making everyone’s flight more
at takeoff and landing so passengers pleasant. “It meant the most to me
next to you can escape if needed. And when people would say ‘good
you should open your window shade morning’ in return as I greeted them
so firefighters can see inside. when they got on the plane,”
comments a former flight attendant.

2 We’re extremely stingy about

fuel. It’s expensive to carry
because it’s heavy, so keeping levels 4 If you book a group trip, search
for only one ticket at a time.
low saves us a lot of money. But it Why? Because if you search for,
also means if there’s rough weather say, four tickets, and we have only
or an unexpected delay, we’re more three at the lowest fare, all four are
likely to make an emergency landing bumped to a higher price bracket.
because we’re running out of fuel.

3 It’s no secret that flight

attendants are sometimes
5 Some airlines don’t allow two
pilots flying together to eat food
from the same source within an hour
cranky. But that’s partly because of each other. Either they have to eat

86 | Julyđ2016
 9 If your flight is cancelled, get in
line at the ticket desk or the gate
counter – but also get on the phone.
You’ll probably reach an airline
phone agent before you get to the
frazzled agent behind the desk.

10 We pay a fee every time you

book through price-comparison
online sites like TripAdvisor and
Orbitz, so we’re making it harder for
you to use them. Some airlines don’t
release fares at all to certain third-
party sites.

at different restaurants, or one waits

at least an hour to make sure the
11 Check the seat map about four
days (100 hours) before your
flight. That’s when we start upgrading
other doesn’t get poisoned or sick. elite frequent fliers from economy to
business class and some of the best

6 Lost your luggage? Don’t delay

reporting it – even if the lines to
seats open up.

do so are long. Most of us require you

to file a report within a very short
time period. If you miss the deadline,
12 We are totally disgusted when
we see you walking around
barefoot on the plane. That patterned
your claim may be denied. carpet? Everything you can imagine
has been spilled on it: vomit, milk,

7 You’re not imagining it: our seats

really are getting tinier. In the
baby pee, and blood, to name a few.

Boeing 777s now used for long-haul,

we recently shrank the seats by
2.54 cm so we could fit an extra
13 If we cancel your flight, we
will offer to put you on another
one. But you should also know that
seat in each row. even if you have a ‘nonrefundable’
fare, we will give you your money

8 You don’t want that pretzel you back if you ask.

PHOTO: iSTOCK

dropped on the tray table. Most

airlines don’t clean trays between Sources: Charlie Leocha, Travelers United; Melisse Hinkle,
flights. Before you touch anything, cheapflights.com; Chris Lopinto, expertflyer.com; Rick
Ingersoll, author of Frugal Travel Guy Handbook; George
clean it with sanitising wipes. Hobica, airfarewatchdog.com; airline captain, attendant

Julyđ2016 | 87
 All in a Day’s Work
HUMOUR ON THE JOB

TALES FROM EMERGENCY

Stories doing the rounds in hospital casualty departments

Q “A patient came into the emergency department at 0400

with no complaints. He said: ‘I have been having chest pains
for four months but I am not having chest pains now. The
reason I’m here now is because I heard that 4am is the best
time to come because there are not that many people.’”
Q “Had a woman call an ambulance because she had
déjà vu in the shower and got nervous.”
Q “Got a frantic call from a woman who claimed
she had overdosed and needed help immediately.
We arrived on the scene, and she handed us an empty
mints container, saying she took them all. That night
she learned that you cannot overdose on mints.”
Source: Overheard in the ER

NOT HIRED said, “Are you going to eat all those

My boss and I took a job tomatoes?”
applicant to lunch, where SUBMITTED BY JOHN RICHMAN
we tried, with little
success, to get him to EASY DIAGNOSIS
open up about his After my mother suffered
experience and a bout of serious
qualifications. headaches, we persuaded
Frustrated, my boss set his her to visit her doctor. While
salad aside and proposed we were in his office, the doctor
a specific and complex situation asked, “Have you been seeing any
to the young man, then asked, flashes of lights or auras?”
“What would you do?” “I don’t know,” Mum said, “I didn’t
The applicant hesitated, then, have my glasses on.”
looking my boss straight in the eye, SUBMITTED BY JUDY KELLEY

88 | Julyđ2016
 ABSTRACT MATHS Since my father had served
I was doing maths with my during the war, I chose him.
class. I wrote “10.8” on the After a few basic questions
whiteboard and then rubbed about his training,
out the decimal point to I gingerly asked, “Did you
show the effect of multiplying ever kill anyone?”
this number by ten. I then asked Dad got very quiet. Then,
one seven year old if he knew where in a soft voice, he said, “Probably.
the decimal point was. I was the cook.”
“Yes,” he replied. “On your eraser.” SUBMITTED BY MARIAN BABULA
SUBMITTED BY DANIELLA ROBERTS

HONEST … BUT STILL FIRED OVERHEARD AT OUR

Winding his way through the office LOCAL TAKEAWAY
cubicles, my son Mike spotted one GIRL: Yuck! Why does this sandwich
of his employees playing a video have bacon on it?
game on the computer. FRIEND: You ordered a BLT.
“Why aren’t you working?” Mike GIRL: Whaaaaat? I thought the B
asked him. stood for bread.
The employee had an excellent SUBMITTED BY ALYSSA HOOVER

excuse: “I didn’t see you coming.”

SUBMITTED BY ROSEMARY SIEVE
PAPER TIGER
FOOD FOR THOUGHT Our office manager is
My high school assignment was to a tyrant when it
ask a veteran about World War II. comes to keeping the
P HOTO: (ER) iSTOCK; CARTOON: BOB EC KSTEIN

printer area clean.

Recently, a colleague
printed something, but
when he went to pick up
the document, it was gone.
“You know I throw out everything
that’s more than 24 hours old,” the
manager told him.
“But I just printed it,” my friend
insisted.
“Sorry,” she replied, “but I’m not
in tomorrow.”
SUBMITTED BY NOEL ROWLAND

Julyđ2016 | 89
PHOTO FEATURE

NG

COLDEST
Place on Welcome to the
village in Russia’s

Earth Sakha Republic with

an undisputed place
in the record books
BY N ATAS H A G E I L I N G FR O M S MI T H SO N I AN
PHOTOGRAPHS BY AMOS CHAPPLE
FOR MOST PEOPLE, THE VILLAGE OF Driving to Oymyakon
OYMYAKON wouldn’t be a top-of-the-list along the Kolyma
Highway, or ‘Road
travel destination. It is the world’s coldest of Bones’, built by
permanently settled area, located a few Gulag prisoners
hundred kilometres from the Arctic Circle during the Soviet era
in the Russian tundra. But for New Zealand
photographer Amos Chapple, it offered an
opportunity he couldn’t refuse.
Working as an English teacher in Russia
to support his travel photography, Chapple
viewed a trip to Oymyakon, which has set
records as one of the coldest places
people live on Earth, as a chance to
embark on a unique photography project.
 A temperature of -67.8°C was recorded in 1933 at

PHOTOS BY AMOS CHAPPLE/REX FEATURES EXCEPT WHERE NOTED

Oymyakon’s weather station, while a temperature of
-71.2°C was noted in 1924. But Chapple first had to get
himself to Yakutsk in northeastern Russia, the region’s
capital city, six time zones away from Moscow.
Temperatures drop to around -40°C during
January in Yakutsk, but despite its harsh conditions,
it is an economically vibrant place, settled in large
part due to an abundance of natural resources
At a latitude of around it – diamonds, oil and gas are all plentiful.
63.28°N, Oymyakon Oymyakon, on the other hand, boasts just one
is part of the Sakha major road leading in and out of it. Known as the
Republic. Day length ‘Road of Bones’, it was built by Gulag inmates under
varies from three Stalin’s regime. The skeletons of the prisoners
hours in December who died during its construction were used in its
to 21 hours in June
foundations. Oymyakon is some 1000 km from
Yakutsk and, in order to reach it, Chapple had to
travel for two days, via a combination of shared vans
and hitchhiking.

92 | Julyđ2016
 At one point, he found himself stranded at a petrol Far left A 24-hour
station. “I was eating reindeer meat for two days,” petrol station en
route to Oymyakon.
Chapple says, recalling the small café and teahouse,
In these extreme
ironically named Café Cuba, that served as his sole conditions, petrol
option for food during that time. “Reindeer was the will turn solid if
staple meat of the tundra.” a car’s engine is
Reindeer isn’t the only thing that inhabitants turned off
of this ice-covered region eat, but their diet is meat- Above Alexander
heavy. Chapple also ate a dish of macaroni pasta and Platonov, a retired
frozen chunks of horse blood, as well as a Yakutian teacher, dressed for
a quick dash to the
speciality of thinly shaved frozen fish.
outdoor lavatory
“It’s basically like frozen sashimi, and it’s divine,” he
says. “Somehow the texture of the frozen fish, with the
warm bits at the end, is very distinctive and delicious.”

WHEN HE ARRIVED IN OYMYAKON, WHERE

the population hangs at around 500 permanent
inhabitants, Chapple was struck by the emptiness of the
place. “The streets were just empty. I had expected that

Julyđ2016 | 93
 READER’S DIGEST

Above Topped by a hammer and sickle, a Soviet-era

monument announces Oymyakon as “the Pole of Cold”

they would be accustomed to the cold and there would

be everyday life happening in the streets, but instead
people were very wary of the cold,” he says. “It felt
Above A man visits extremely desolate. It wasn’t, but everything was
Oymyakon’s only happening indoors, and I wasn’t welcome indoors.”
shop as paper waste In the hours Chapple spent wandering the village
is burnt in a streets, his main companions were street dogs or
40-gallon drum village drunks (alcoholism is rampant in Oymyakon).
Left The nearest Still, life in the village goes on. Schools don’t close
proper market is unless the temperature falls below -40°C. Farmers
1000 km away
bring their cows to the village’s watering hole –
in Yakutsk, where
Arctic hare and a ‘thermal’ spring that stays a little above freezing –
frozen fish are on sale then lead them back to their insulated stables.
The thermal spring is the village’s lifeblood, its
entire reason for existence: reindeer herders would
visit the spring in order to hydrate their animals,
returning again and again until the village became a
permanent settlement (in the Even language spoken
in Siberia, Oymyakon means ‘unfrozen water’.)

Julyđ2016 | 95
 Left Nikolai
Petrovich closes the
door to his cows’
heavily insulated
stable after putting
the herd to bed for
the night
Below The village at
dawn. The heating
plant, at left,
produces a constant
plume of coal smoke

96 | Julyđ2016
 Right
A truck
driver
thaws the
drive shaft
of his truck

LIVING IN THE COLDEST PERMANENTLY INHABITED

place on Earth does have some distinct drawbacks,
however. It’s dark – completely, utterly dark – for up
to 21 hours a day during the winter. Bathrooms are
mostly outdoors, because indoor plumbing presents
a challenge due to frozen pipes. Residents have cars,
but must leave them running outside, sometimes
overnight, so the mechanics don’t freeze up. Despite
this, sometimes more extreme measures are necessary.
“A guy I was staying with left his car running all
night, but even so, in the morning, the drive shaft
was completely frozen. Without any ceremony, he
pulled out a little flamethrower, went under the truck
and started fanning the bottom of his truck with
a flamethrower,” Chapple says. “It’s part of the toolkit
[for living in Oymyakon], a little flamethrower.”
SMITHSONIAN (JANUARY 2015) © BY SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. WWW.SMITHSONIAN.COM

Julyđ2016 | 97
BONUS READ

It was thought
that the baby girl
was severely

Elin
handicapped. But
the love of her
foster parents
changed all that

ice
BY L IS B E T H P I P P I N G
E L I N WA S B O R N T W I C E

E MET AT A HOTEL IN THE TOWN PITEÅ, in the north

of Sweden, where I am participating in a weekend
gathering for foster parents and their children. It’s
an opportunity for such families to meet one
e experiences and listen to talks given by experts. On
, family members from about 100 foster homes have
gathered at a lovely centre on the northern shores of the Baltic.
As a behavioural scientist specialising in research on children
with parents with intellectual disabilities, I am scheduled to give a
speech about my own childhood, a childhood spent with a mother
who was intellectually challenged. I am looking forward to meeting
people who have the courage to get involved with children as
emotionally scarred as I once was; people who give children a
second chance at life. I have a son and a daughter of my own, but
I have never had the courage to become a foster parent. It requires
a very big heart and the strength to handle the pain and suffering
that these children have experienced.

In the hotel lobby on the first day of They are pink with lots of lovely flow-
the conference, a girl who looks about ers and other curious details on them.
eight years old is happily bouncing “Hi lady! I love your shoes! I’d love a
about, her long, blonde curly hair pair just like them!” the girl says, and

ALL ILLUSTRATIONS BY PEN ELOP E DULLAGHAN

whirling around her happy face. She is approaches me, not shy at all. “What’s
holding hands with a woman, and in your name? I’m Elin. I’m off to the hot
her other hand, she is carrying a large tub with my mum.” The words trip on
bath towel. It is plain to see that they her tongue and convey her energy.
are mother and daughter – they have I barely have a chance to say “Hi”
the same curly hair and similar body back, before they are off. Elin’s bright
language, and a strong bond between blue eyes and happy voice remain
them is very apparent. I assume they with me as I take the lift up to my
are staying at the hotel as a part of room. I start to think about Elin and
a family holiday and not for the foster her mum. Where are they from? And
family gathering. what are they doing at this spa hotel?
The girl stops dead in her tracks While tying my same shoes later
to look at me, or rather at my shoes. in the day, before heading down to

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 READER’S DIGEST

dinner, I suddenly remember Elin’s the adults around the dinner table.
cheerful voice. Will I get the chance But Elin wants to stay up a bit longer
to see her again? I can’t stop thinking and talk to the “lady”.
about the little blonde girl. “Elin, her name’s Lisbeth,” Marie
As the lift doors open onto the res- tells her.
taurant, Elin spots me straight away. “All right, then. I’d like to stay and
“Hi, lady with the nice shoes! Would chat some more with lady Lisbeth.”
you like to sit with us?” she shouts. She I manage to get a word in. “Hey,
immediately finds a chair at a nearby Elin. I’ll see you tomorrow, because
table and drags it over to hers. I’ll be here all weekend.”
This is how I get to know Elin and Elin falls silent. Then she looks at
her family: her mother, Marie, father, me. “Promise me you’ll join us for din-
Jonas, and brother, 12-year-old Oscar. ner tomorrow night, and I want you to
Elin chats away all through dinner. join us for breakfast, too. Promise!”

I AM EXCITED TO HEAR MARIE

TELL ME WHAT IT WAS LIKE WHEN
ELIN FIRST JOINED HER FAMILY

“Where did you buy those shoes? I start to laugh and promise her that
Were they very expensive?” The ques- I will join them, adding that she had
tions and information are endless. She better hop into bed, so that she won’t
informs me that she is about to turn be too tired the next day.
nine, that she loves horses, dogs and Elin’s voice trails off as she walks
cats, and that she plays the clarinet, towards the lifts with her dad, and it
and that she knows how to dance. suddenly gets eerily quiet around the
She wants to know if I have any table. Marie and I look at each other.
children. I tell her that my daughter “Hi, great to meet you,” we say in
Jonna also loves horses, which makes unison and start to laugh. Marie offers
her excited. Marie occasionally inter- me a glass of wine, and I accept. We
jects that Elin needs to eat her dinner, leave the table, go and sit down in the
too, or it will get cold. lounge and start to talk about what it’s
When the clock is nearing nine, like to be a foster parent.
Jonas tells Elin that it is time to go to “Do you want to hear about when
bed. Her brother says goodnight to Elin came to us?” Marie asks.

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E L I N WA S B O R N T W I C E

“Elin?” I say surprised. “I thought born her mother couldn’t cope with
Oscar was the one who was placed.” yet another child, let alone five, so
To me, it had seemed obvious that when Elin was seven months old, all
it was Oscar, the quiet older brother, of the kids were removed by the social
who had been placed with them. welfare office,” Marie informs me. All
That’s the only logical conclusion I the children were placed, but finding
could draw after my short time with a foster home for Elin was difficult.
the family. It’s not that I think placed “One day in the spring of 1997 I got a
children should behave a certain call from social services. We had previ-
way. It’s just that Elin has such a con- ously had a foster child who had been
fident way about her, in the certain given protected identity status due to
assurance that she is deeply loved, death threats from the child’s father,”
besides the fact that she and Marie Marie says by way of explanation. She
look so much alike with their blonde stares into her glass of wine: I can
curls, blue jeans and similar gestures. tell that telling this story brings back
And their closeness is very obvious. I strong memories.
had just assumed that Elin is Marie’s “I guess that social services had you
biological daughter. registered as competent foster parents
Marie bursts into laughter. Then after something like that?” I said.
she looks me deep in the eyes and “Yes, they probably had,” she said.
asks me why I would think that. “Now they told me they had a seven-
“Because I get the feeling that month-old little girl who needed a
you’ve carried Elin in your stomach,” new home. I remember Jonas and
I say honestly. I sitting there with these two social
“Well, not in my stomach,” says workers in their office, thinking how
Marie, “but I carried her around on wonderful it would be to take care of
my stomach.” a little baby again.
“But there was something about
Enough Love to Share their body language when they spoke
I ask Marie to tell me her story. I am to us about Elin. It was if they were
excited to hear what it was like when hiding something from us. I started to
Elin came to live with Marie and Jo- get uneasy. I couldn’t focus on what
nas and Oscar. I don’t know what to they said. My mind was wandering,
expect. I settle in my chair with my and I remember thinking that things
glass of wine, and prepare to listen. might turn out the way they did the
“Her mother, who lives in the last time we had been foster parents,
north of Sweden, is mentally handi- when we’d had to protect our address,
capped and had five children. Elin so that the aggressive and dangerous
is the youngest one. When she was father couldn’t find his child or us. It

102 | Julyđ2016
 READER’S DIGEST

had been a tough period, and I wasn’t spending all my time with the new
sure I’d be able to do that again. baby? He had just turned five.
“My husband nudged me, and I “But when I gazed into Jonas’s eyes,
came back from my thoughts and to I knew that we didn’t have a choice.
what the social workers were saying. I We both knew that we had a lot of love
apologised, and asked, ‘There’s some- to share. So I said, ‘Of course we’ll
thing I need to know. I get the feeling manage!’ Jonas nodded in agreement,
you’re hiding something from us.’ and in that moment I felt that we
“The room fell quiet, but eventually, could manage anything.”
they began telling us about how they We each take a sip of wine. And
believed Elin had a severe intellectual somehow I can understand what
disability and that she could neither she means, why she would feel so
see nor hear. ‘She doesn’t babble, she confident that they would be able to
doesn’t follow your gaze, she can’t sit manage. After spending the evening
up, and she’s basically a vegetable,’ in the company of this family I can
they said. ‘We don’t know if it’s con- tell that their relationship is unusu-
genital or acquired,’ they told me. ally strong and harmonious. They
“No-one in the room said a word. obviously love each other very much,
I was afraid to look at Jonas. My without restricting one other.
first thought was, would we be able I nod encouragingly at Marie,
to care for a severely handicapped prompting her to go on.
baby? Would I be able to cope? And “Elin was staying at an emergency
how would our son Oscar react to my foster home, and we were allowed to

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E L I N WA S B O R N T W I C E

see her that same week. I was so nerv- “Right then, I felt a bit insecure, but
ous before we left, unsure of how I’d just a tiny bit. We would manage this.
react. I didn’t even know if you could If only she could feel safe with us,
see that she was mentally disabled. everything would work out just fine.”
“I remember that first time we met, Marie looks determined as she says
what it was like to hold her thin, stiff this, and I can detect a will of iron
body. It was like she had no joints in behind her smile.
her body. She was like a log. And her “Oscar had been waiting eagerly
eyes were dead. There was no life left for the new baby. He had told every-
in them. Emptiness was all I could one at the nursery that he would be
see. It scared me to see that there getting a baby sister. The other kids
could be such emptiness inside such had accused him of lying, because his
a little baby. mummy didn’t have a big belly. Oscar

ELIN STARTED TO SCREAM – LOUDLY

AND DEMANDINGLY – BUT I
COULDN’T TELL WHAT WAS WRONG

“The day arrived when she would informed them that it was possible to
come and live with us. By this time, have a baby sister even without a big
she was nine months old. I recall it belly. He had a picture of her, and her
being one of those wonderfully warm name was Elin.
days a week before Midsummer’s “When we got home, he came
Eve, in the third week of June. The rushing to meet us. He studied Elin for
wind was a bit chilly, but the sun was a long time. Then he said, ‘She’s really
warm. I lifted Elin up from the stroller, cute’, and kissed her forehead. They
I patted her fine hair gently and talked immediately found each other. Well,
to her. I told her that she would be it wasn’t like Elin acknowledged him
living with us, and that we had done or showed that she could see him,
up one of the rooms on the top floor but Oscar’s immediate love warmed
for her, and that we’d painted it in pale all our hearts.
colours. I told her that we’d bought a “Those first few weeks were like a
new bed. No reaction. She just kept honeymoon. Elin ate and slept nor-
staring into space,” Marie frowns as mally, she never cried – she didn’t
she recalls that day. utter a sound. She was just there. I

104 | Julyđ2016
 READER’S DIGEST

felt that this would work out, that we down either. Elin’s crying kept us
would manage just fine. We’ve faced awake all night. The next morning,
tougher challenges than this. I called the child health centre and
“But the minute I had that thought, asked for an appointment. ‘Was she
everything was suddenly turned in pain?’ they asked. ‘Was her life in
upside down. Elin had been living danger?’ The way she was screaming,
with us for close to a month when it could be just about anything.”
something happened. Jonas had left Marie takes a deep breath. I nod
for work and dropped Oscar off at encouragingly while I try to compare
his nursery school. I’d just put on a Marie’s memories with the image of
pot of coffee and was about to go out the vibrant Elin that I’ve just met.
on the terrace and sit in the sun with “My childcare nurse visited the next
the paper. That’s when Elin started to day but she couldn’t find anything
scream – not cry – but scream, loudly wrong with little Elin, either, so we
and demandingly. changed the formula she was on and
I ran to her room and picked her up, bought some new dummies. But that
but I couldn’t tell what was wrong. didn’t help either, so after another
three days of constant crying and
Carry Her Close screaming, I called the children’s
“I tried to console her in every possi- clinic and told them that we needed
ble way, but to no avail. The screaming help, because our baby was crying
just got louder and louder; it was ear- herself to death.”
splitting. She cried non-stop for four Marie gets a grim look. “The switch-
hours before she finally fell asleep, board operator informed me that
exhausted, on my chest. But she soon babies cry. Like I didn’t know that!
woke up again and her heart-rending But I didn’t give in, and I insisted on
scream echoed between the walls. She speaking to a doctor. I brought the
screamed until she vomited. I tried to phone with me to Elin’s room so that
feed her, to lull her to sleep, to sing to the doctor could hear the screams
her, to sleep next to her, to push her in that were enough to wake the dead.
the buggy up and down the street, but The female paediatrician told us to
nothing worked. come in straight away.
“Eventually, it was impossible to “She said to us, ‘ Babies won’t scream
be outdoors, because our neighbours like that unless they’re in pain.’ We
looked at me as if I’d slapped her. So, went back and forth to the hospital for
I locked us in the house. When Jonas two weeks, but they couldn’t find any-
and Oscar got home in the afternoon, thing wrong with her. I was a wreck.”
I was on the verge of tears, so Oscar All I can do is nod. My own children
took over. But he couldn’t calm her didn’t cry that much, but if they did, I

Julyđ2016 | 105
E L I N WA S B O R N T W I C E

would feel terrible if I was unable to darling Elin, but I don’t know what to
immediately comfort them. Trying to do. Please help me understand.’
console a baby for days on end must “And something happened. It was
have been incredibly hard to bear. like she was talking straight into my
“Eventually I couldn’t take it any brain. I looked at her and said out
more,” Marie tells me. “I felt useless as loud, ‘Are you sure? Do you really
a mother. I called my husband at work mean it? Is that what you want?’
and told him, ‘I give up. I don’t think “I looked around the empty room,
we’re cut out to take care of a severely afraid that someone might have seen
handicapped baby, Jonas. We’ll have to me. They would most definitely think
hand her back. She’s been screaming that I’d completely lost my marbles.
non-stop for over three weeks now.’ There I was, talking away to a deaf,
“And that’s when my solid, loving blind and severely handicapped infant!
husband said, ‘Marie, calm down a bit.’ “And that’s when I did it – as she
“If he hadn’t been at work, I would had told me, or so I thought. I stripped
have killed him there and then. Me? to the waist, and I stripped Elin down
Calm down! I had no strength left. to the nappy. I gently lifted her up and
I was a shadow of my former self. held her against my naked breasts. It
‘Something has got to give,’ I said, was like she was docking, like a tiny
‘or I give up. I don’t think Elin is spaceship, and she became silent.
comfortable with us, Jonas.’ ‘Why She was still stiff as a rod, but she was
don’t you just ask her,’ he said. ‘Ask quiet. I started to walk.
her? You know as well as I do that she “I walked around with her, skin
can’t see or hear anything. How am I to skin, every day, day after day, my
supposed to talk to her?’ blouse hanging loosely and unbut-
“Jonas was quiet for a while, and toned. When I put Elin down to
then he continued. ‘Just do as I say. change her nappy she immediately
Go and sit down with Elin on your lap. started crying again, but as soon as
Explain to her that you want to help I put her back against my chest she
her, but that she has to tell you what’s calmed down again. At night she’d lie
wrong. She knows. Just trust that.’” across my chest in bed.
Now a little smile is playing on “Let me tell you. I developed quite
Marie’s lips. strong arm muscles and abs. She was
“You know, I did what Jonas told like a whole new baby, after all those
me to do. I sat down in my favourite weeks of inconsolable crying. But I
armchair in the sitting room with Elin had to keep carrying her.
in my arms. I looked into her empty “Eventually, after about a month,
eyes and said, ‘Elin, you need to tell Elin’s body loosened up a bit, but
me what’s wrong. I want to help you, her eyes were still vacant and dead.

106 | Julyđ2016
 READER’S DIGEST

The days went by, and Elin was still down on the changing table and, as al-
snuggled against my breast like a baby ways, I larked about with her and made
kangaroo. She was small for her age farting noises on her tummy with my
and looked more like a six-month- mouth. I’d done it hundreds of times
old baby than a nine-month-old. before. This time, though, she gave
Her head would stick up between my me a smile – her first – and then she
breasts, firmly turned to the right at laughed from her toes. I almost died,
all times. The reason for this would because my heart was ready to break.
become obvious when we heard her “I lifted up her soft little body and
full background. ran to call Jonas. When he picked up
“Then one day, some three months the phone, I said, ‘She’s come back
later, she started to move her little to life, Jonas. Elin has found her way
head and have a look around. Her back to life.’ And then I just cried.”

SHE GAVE ME HER FIRST SMILE AND

MY HEART WAS READY TO BREAK.
SHE’S COME BACK TO LIFE

gaze was not as empty. We were start- A Love of Life

ing to hope – and believe – that Elin There’s a sparkle in Marie’s eyes now
could find her way back to life.” as she continues Elin’s story.
As soon as Jonas and Marie had “Everything changed from that day.
understood Elin’s need for closeness, She no longer needed to be close to me
they agreed that she, Marie, would day and night. She had filled up her
be the one to carry and nurse Elin all tank. She was ready for life, and she
the time. Elin needed that security, of was in a hurry. You’ve met her yourself.
attaching to one person only. “She’s an energetic, happy and
“I was alone with Elin a lot during chatty little lady who will turn nine
these months. It was a little bit like in about a month. This little girl who
nursing a premature baby. As I carried we thought was a lost case, with no
her inside my open blouse I didn’t go chance of living her own life.”
outside a lot either. I’m sitting there in my comfortable
“One day, when I’d been holding chair, fighting back the tears. Then
Elin against my body for four months, Marie says that she would like to tell
I went to change her nappy. I put her me what Elin had gone through before

Julyđ2016 | 107
E L I N WA S B O R N T W I C E

she came to live with them. It had help. But it only worked out for short
been important for her to find out. periods of time. There was no doubt
“I needed to know so that I can tell that the children had been treated
Elin one day, if she wants to know. I poorly, but the social services had no
believe our story is important,” Marie right to coerce the parents.
says. “And, in order for Elin to have “Elin would be lying in a soiled
a good life as an adult, to become a nappy for days without anyone chang-
whole person. ing it. She had big sores on her bottom
“The early months of a child’s life when she got to the emergency home.
are incredibly important,” Marie We also learnt that the mother would
continues. “Elin is the fifth child by prepare four, five bottles of formula
parents who both suffer from a mental and just leave them there in Elin’s cot,
disability. She survived thanks to her and Elin would have to feed herself.
inner strength, and she didn’t quit, She basically never left her cot during
even though her life was hanging by the first seven months of her life.”
a thread many times.” Marie’s serious face breaks into a
At this point in Marie’s story, I’m smile.
not sure if I want to know or if I can “But she loved life. It was like she
cope with the knowledge of what Elin was lying there waiting for us.”
had been subjected to. But then I Marie’s smile grows bigger.
consider that if Elin was able to expe- “So, no, Lisbeth. I never carried
rience it and survive, I should be able Elin in my stomach, but I held her as
to listen to the story. Marie continues. close as possible until she had filled
“The social worker started by telling up her needs of love, closeness and
us that they didn’t know the mother warmth. That’s when she was born a
was expecting her fifth child. They second time.”
weren’t even sure Elin’s mother was
aware of it. Then one day, she was just Elin continues to do well. She has
completed senior high school in
there; a baby that they named Elin. For Sweden and is planning to attend
many years, the social services had university with the goal of becoming
tried to make the family accept their a social worker – to help children.

ZERO STARS
Some negative reviews are valid. Others are questionable...

“The animals at the zoo looked very sad and made our children cry.
Can’t they train them to look happy?” TELEGRAPH.CO.UK

108 | Julyđ2016
 That’s Outrageous!
HELP WANTED

NEEDED: SOMEONE WHO Nevertheless, he failed

WILL ANSWER THE PHONE the test. He found out
LIKE A NORMAL PERSON when his boss handed
New York’s Department of him the results and
Health may have a job reportedly said,
opening soon if one of its “Congratulations,
employees doesn’t stop my friend, you’re
messing around. pregnant!”
It seems that Source: BBC News

management does
not care for the LOOKING FOR
fact that the twice- A HOUSE SITTER,
suspended PREFER YOU NOT
helpline operator keeps answering BE A FLEDGLING ENTREPRENEUR
IT calls by talking like a robot. A San Francisco couple got quite the
Source: New York surprise when they returned home
from a break last September – the
CAN YOU PASS A SIMPLE TEST? house sitter they’d hired had rented
An Egyptian bus driver had an out their apartment on Airbnb for a
ingenious plan to beat a mandatory price of $2000 for five days.
drug test: he used his wife’s urine. Source: seattlepi.com

Puzzles See page 118

I LLUSTRATION: N ICK DAUP HIN

HIGH POINT PATH PUZZLE CUBISM

4. The number at the apex (top) of each 4 24
triangle, multiplied by the sum of the
two numbers on either side of the base, 3
produces the number in the triangle’s
1 HIDDEN MEANING
centre. For example, 2 x (8 + 3) = 22. A. Worry over nothing
(Or, if you prefer, 2 x 8 + 2 x 3 = 22.)
B. Good intentions
C. Search high and low
3 D. Mixed emotions

Julyđ2016 | 109
 Unbelievable
TRUE TALES TOLD TALL

Boys Living Dangerously

Nury Vittachi’s inner brat is finally vindicated
POLICE OFFICERS are OK, so her prediction was on target,
using catapults to fire but I should STILL get royalties, right?
balls of chilli powder as a I was feeling stung by that when
crowd-control technique, a reader sent in a news item that
the Indian media have pressed the same button. A guy in
ILLUSTRATI ON: iSTOCK

reported recently. France is suing his boss for boring

Well that’s funny, because I did him. The plaintiff claims that the four
the same thing when I was a kid years he spent working for the guy’s
and my teacher denounced me as perfume company were so mind-
a troublesome brat who would numbingly dull that they caused him
achieve nothing in life. physical harm.

110 | Julyđ2016
 My mind raced back to my high used pepper spray to subdue an out-
school history teacher, Mr Mohan, of-control kid aged eight. His mother
who was so boring that you could said they should have just reasoned
actually feel your brain fossilising with him, but that only makes sense
into limestone as he spoke. Once he to people who’ve never had to deal
scheduled a history double period with eight year olds. Pepper spray
and not even the brainy kids turned is the MINIMUM force necessary.
up for it. Death would almost A preferable option would be to run
certainly have been inevitable, but to a safe distance and then approach
any miraculous survivors the kid with a bomb
would not have been disposal robot fitted with
allowed to sue, oh no. a speaker.
Now, FINALLY, this So calling up a “Put down the axe and
generation’s adults are she-devil is fine, we will send an adult in
seeing childhood but marrying an a hazmat suit to read a
episodes as things to take actual woman – Winnie-the-Pooh book
seriously. Following the with you.”
success of the Anger
whoa, guys, this It seems to be boys
Room in Texas, several might be who grow up with the
countries offer ‘tantrum dangerous trickiest challenges these
spaces’ where you can days. A Chinese folk
scream and shout and tradition called Fu-Ji
smash up stuff. They quote requires children to use a Chinese
psychologists saying that destroying Ouija board to summon an evil
property is a vital outlet for emotional female spirit. But Chinese law says
release blah blah blah. Well thank you males have to wait until they are at
very much for realising this DECADES least 22 to get married.
after I spent my childhood standing in So calling up a she-devil is fine, but
the corner. At last modern kids have marrying an actual woman – whoa,
the terminology to argue their case. guys, this might be dangerous, let’s
TEACHER: You just burned down wait ten years. (Not sure if that is
the school. bizarre or actually very smart.)
KID: Destruction is a vital outlet for Whatever. Now excuse me while
emotional release blah blah blah. I go dig up my catapult. My kids are
TEACHER: Good point: here, running amok and I need to do
have this gold merit star. some crowd control.
Bottling it up is dangerous. I refer
to a news item from the US about an Nury Vittachi is a Hong Kong-based
incident in Colorado when police author. Read his blog at Mrjam.org

Julyđ2016 | 111
 NEWS
out about BOOKS FILMS DVDS

POMPOMANIA
How to make over 20 cute and
characterful pompoms
Christine Leech
Quadrille
Publishing
Are you tired of
the colouring-in
book craze, and
looking for a
diferent hobby
to help you zone
out and relax? Here’s a cheerful
solution. With a keen eye for all
things fun and quirky, crafter
Christine Leech has gone overboard
on … pompoms. Remember how you
used to cut out circles of cardboard
and wind remnants of wool into
plump, shaggy pompoms when you
were a child? It’s time to reawaken
that child! Check out the bright, bold
extravaganzas in this book, such as
cacti, liquorice allsorts, ice-cream
cones, love hearts and macapoms
(aka macarons), every one a woolly
masterpiece. The cares of the day
and all things digital (though there
are emoji pompoms, too) are sure
to take a back seat.
“Some of the weirder and more
wonderful yarns with sequins
and flufy bits make incredible
pompoms, so do have fun and try
lots of types.”

112 | Julyđ2016
 READER’S DIGEST

Safe Sleeps
Modern cities can leave the homeless
vulnerable and unprotected. Australian
entrepreneur Simon Rowe’s chance encounter with
a homeless man who was just trying to get a good
sleep led him to design Sleepbus: a repurposed
bus providing sleep pods for individuals and
families, even pets. Each Sleepbus is designed to
have 18-22 sleeping pods and eight kennels, plus
HORSES WHO HEAL recharging stations for phones, climate control and
Sue Spence a television that will provide information on local
Pan Macmillan services as well as normal programmes. Sheets will
Australia be washed daily, the pods will be lockable and
families will have intercoms between their pods.
Plagued by bullying at
As we went to print, the first Sleepbus was under
school, Sue Spence took
construction and Rowe’s GoFundMe page had
comfort in horse riding.
nearly reached its $100,000 target.
Her empathy with horses
resulted in her setting up
Horses Helping Humans.
Using the natural
horsemanship principles
of trust, respect and
patience, she helps
people in need to gain in
confidence and face
their problems. In this JASON BOURNE Action/Thriller
engaging book, Spence Matt Damon returns as Jason Bourne in the
describes how her next chapter of the Bourne franchise. Written,
relationship with horses directed and produced by Paul Greengrass (The
has transformed lives. Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum),
“When you are around the story picks up several years after Bourne
horses, a part of you disappeared in The Bourne Ultimatum. This time,
connects with an energy the world faces unprecedented instability following
that is almost mystical. the collapse of financial markets, a global recession
There is a stillness within and outbreak of international
their majestic energy cyberwarfare. It’s a lot for
that seems to project Bourne to manage when, as
wisdom and dignity. the CIA’s most lethal former
They have such strength, operative, he unexpectedly
but within that strength resurfaces and once again
is softness … playfulness tries to uncover the mysteries
… and peace.” of his past.

Julyđ2016 | 113
 OUR LITTLE SISTER Drama/World Cinema
This touching drama is set in the beautiful seaside city of Kamakura and
follows a theme for which Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda (Like
Father, Like Son) is renowned: how being abandoned by a parent afects children.
The Koda sisters, Sachi, Yoshino and Chika, have not seen their father since he
walked out 15 years earlier. Then, they receive news that he has died. Out of duty,
they travel to the north of the country to a small town to attend his funeral. There,
they meet Suzu, their shy teenage half-sister, who until then they knew nothing
about. The four siblings form a close bond and since her mother is not fit to care
for her, the sisters invite Suzu to live with them in Kamakura in the rambling house
that once belonged to their grandmother. While highlighting family life in
contemporary Japan, the film focuses on their new lives, their relationships with
one another and the way each adapts to their new situation.

mostly matching –
Brigit the Burglar “One will be at the front
Sarah Nathan knew her six- door and one will be at the
year-old Tonkinese cat was back – so she’s obviously
a bit of a kleptomaniac. gone back to get it,” Nathan
Over the years sundry said. The items seem to be
items had turned up stolen from washing lines.
unexpectedly, but when Nathan has letterboxed
the New Zealander moved her area in a bid to find the
with kitty Brigit to a new owners. “I feel so bad about
home in Hamilton, things it,” she said. “Someone is
quickly deteriorated. spending a fortune on
Over ten weeks, Brigit underwear.”
brought home 11 pairs of She and Brigit are now
men’s underpants and moving – to the country,
more than 50 socks – far from temptation.

114 | Julyđ2016
 READER’S DIGEST

LA LA LAND
Comedy/Drama/
Musical
Set in modern-day
Los Angeles but with
a ‘Golden Age of
Hollywood’ feel, this
contemporary musical
sees the romantic pairing
of Emma Stone and Ryan
Gosling for a third time
(Crazy, Stupid Love,
Gangster Squad). Stone
plays Mia, an aspiring
actress to Gosling’s
Sebastian, a struggling
OUR VIETNAM NURSES jazz pianist. Mia and
Compelling Australian stories of heroism, Sebastian fall in love,
friendship and lives changed forever but as their professional
Annabelle Brayley success grows, they
discover that their
Penguin/Michael Joseph
greatest challenge is
If there were a job balancing their passion
description for the for their arts with their
Australian nurses and medics love for each other.
involved in the Vietnam War, it Filled with song and
would include words such as dance, La La Land hits all
courage, compassion, resilience, the right notes.
commitment, resourcefulness
P HOTOS: (BRIGIT): COURTESY OF SARA H N ATHA N

and good humour … and the

ability to keep them under fire.
With her characteristic sensitivity and economy of
words, Brayley, bestselling author of Nurses of the
Outback and Outback Vets, conveys the chaos and
pain of war through stories told to her by those
who risked their lives to care for thousands of
military personnel and South Vietnamese people.
It is a remarkable tribute – confronting, touching
and gently amusing in equal measure.
“They know that no-one else can truly
understand what it was really like, just as none of
them really understands the war that took them Ryan Gosling tickles the
to Vietnam in the first place. And yet, if they had ivories as a jazz star
their time over, all of them would go again …”

Julyđ2016 | 115
OUT & ABOUT

BURNT
Drama
After earning two
Michelin stars as a chef
in Paris, Adam Jones
(Bradley Cooper) lost
everything thanks to
drugs, alcohol and
a bad attitude. After a
self-imposed penance
of shucking one million
oysters in a bar in New
Orleans, Adam returns LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP
to London to try and Drama/Romance/Comedy
resurrect his reputation Based on Jane Austen’s novella Lady Susan, Love
and gain the elusive and Friendship is a comedy drama set in 18th-
third star. He recruits a century England. It focuses on Lady Susan
team of chefs, including Vernon (Kate Beckinsale), who is beautiful,
the nervous but highly intelligent, manipulative and recently widowed.
talented David (Sam While waiting for gossip surrounding a personal
Keeley), Helene (Sienna indiscretion to pass, she takes residence at her in-
Miller), a strong-willed laws’ estate and plots to find wealthy husbands
chef de partie, and for herself and her daughter Frederica, aided and
ex-con Max (Ricardo abetted by her friend Alicia (Chloë Sevigny).
Scamarcio), whose Written and directed by Whit Stillman (The
angry, over-the-top Last Days of Disco), this comedy of manners
perfectionism rivals finds fresh humour amid the corsets and
Adam’s own. However, carriages. Austen fans won’t be disappointed.
Adam’s quest isn’t as
straightforward as he’d
hoped. That’s the Spirit!
When 12-year-old LeeAdianez (Lee)
Rodriguez turned up for her 5 km
race in New York State, she saw
a group of runners setting of and
joined in. Some 10 km later, Lee asked
a fellow runner what was happening. It was then
she learned she’d joined the half-marathon
(26 km) course instead. Her mother, Brendalee
Espada, told reporters, “She decided to keep
running and not give up.” Lee finished in under
three hours, taking home a finisher’s medal.
 SPOTLESS PETS
Green solutions to stains and smells and
cleaning up after your pets
Shannon Lush and Jennifer Fleming
ABC Books
Much as we love them, pets
can make almighty messes,
be it fur balls on the carpet,
poo on the lawn, algae in the
fish tank or saliva on the
couch. Then there are all
those little nasties that
congregate on their It’s Kosher
accessories and bedding.
The first Jewish tartan
And let’s not forget smells.
has been designed by
But, thanks to the low-toxic solutions the
Mendel Jacobs, a
queens of clean, Shannon Lush and Jennifer
Scottish-born rabbi
Fleming, have devised, tried and tested, you’ll
from Glasgow. The
have things sparkling and smelling sweet in no
main colours are blue
time. This handy little book includes cleaning
and white, which
remedies for dogs, cats, birds, fish, horses and
appear on both the
‘other pets’ such as guinea pigs and rabbits
Scottish and Israeli
and creatures who are of no fixed abode but
flags, and he has
rather fancy ours (possums and flying foxes).
registered the design
Dishwashing liquid, pantyhose,
P HOTOS: (DOG): ISTOCKPHOTO; (TARTAN) JEWISH TARTAN

with the Scottish

glycerine, soap, vinegar and
Tartans Authority.
a host of other inexpensive
Jacobs has said that
materials are the ‘weapons’
a kosher tartan is a
needed to right the wrongs.
natural fit. “The Jewish
And remember – pets really
people have been an
do help lower our blood
integral part of Scottish
pressure, despite their
culture for more than
occasional lapses in
300 years. In Scotland,
good manners.
the Jews were never
persecuted and there
were no pogroms, no
Holocaust, no national
or state-sponsored
anti-Semitic laws …
Scotland provided
a safe haven.”

Julyđ2016 | 117
BRAIN POWER
TEST YOUR MENTAL PROWESS

Puzzles
Challenge yourself by solving these puzzles and mind stretchers,
then check your answers on page 109.
BY MARCEL DANESI

HIGH POINT
What’s the missing number?
2 3 ?

22 54 68

8 3 7 11 8 9
5 6

25 54

4 1 5 4

PATH PUZZLE 4
Draw a path that goes from the opening
3
at the top of the grid to the opening at
the bottom. As the path winds from one
cell to the next, it can move up, down, left 1
or right, but not diagonally. It cannot pass
through any cell more than once.
The numbers around the grid tell how
many cells the path must pass through
in the corresponding row or column. If a
row or column has no number, then the 3
path may pass through as many or as few
cells as you like. 2

118 | Julyđ2016
 HIDDEN MEANING
Identify the common words or phrases below.

shun
shun shun
shun shun
WORRY
GOOD
shun shun
shun shun
A B
shun

Search
omtonie
eointmo
tominoe
ietmono
C and C

CUBISM
How many
cubes are
represented in
this image?

Julyđ2016 | 119
BRAIN POWER

TEST YOUR GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

Trivia
1. Which planet in our solar 10. Five of the world’s
system is not named for oldest dog breeds are
an ancient Greek or native to one country.
Roman god? 1 point Which country?
2. Which nation 2 points
shares the island of 11. What company,
Hispaniola with named after a river,
Haiti? 1 point made its first profit
3. Who interpreted of one cent per share
the writing on the wall in its seventh year of
that appeared at trading? 1 point
Belshazzar’s feast? 12. Which European city
9. Which of the
1 point stunned the fashion
following countries
4. What is the zodiac did Elvis never tour:
world in 2006 by banning
symbol for Sagittarius? Australia, Britain, from its runways models
1 point France, Japan? 2 points with a BMI of less than
5. On what day of the
18? 1 point
week is the Jewish 13. What make of car
Sabbath? 1 point uses a trident as its logo? 1 point
6. Who was the highest-paid male 14. What is the Swedish word for
actor in 2015? 1 point a table laden with festive food? 1 point
7. The full name for the piano, the 15. The largest flower in the world
‘pianoforte’, means what in Italian? smells of rotting flesh. What is its
2 points name? 2 points
8. What blood-thinning medication 16. Which country celebrates its
is chemically related to rat poison? New Year with a pounded rice cake
P HOTO: ISTOC KPHOTO

1 point called mochi? 1 point

16-20 Gold medal 11-15 Silver medal 6-10 Bronze medal 0-5 Wooden spoon
15. Rafflesia arnoldii. 16. Japan
Chow Chow, Shar Pei and Chongqing Dog). 11. Amazon.com. 12. Madrid. 13. Maserati. 14. Smorgasbord.
6. Robert Downey Jr. 7. Soft and loud. 8. Warfarin. 9. All of them. 10. China (the Shih Tzu, Pekingese,
ANSWERS: 1. Earth. 2. Dominican Republic. 3. Daniel. 4. The archer; a bow and arrow. 5. Saturday.

120 | Julyđ2016
 BRAIN POWER

IT PAYS TO INCREASE YOUR

Word Power
Nice Weather We Are Having
You can’t change the weather – but you can at least talk about it sensibly
and intelligently. Here’s a flurry of useful terms you can try sprinkling into
your everyday chitchat. Turn the page for a flood of answers.
BY E M ILY COX & H E NRY RATH VON

1. inclement adj. – A: comfortably movement. B: hot air rising.

warm. B: unpleasantly cold or wet. C: meeting of weather experts.
C: ever-changing.
9. striated adj. – A: jagged, as hail.
2. temperate adj. – A: moderate of B: banded, as clouds. C: patchy, as fog.
temperature. B: steamy. C: frigid.
10. hoary adj. – A: hazy. B: white
3. aridity n. – A: harshness. B: blazing with frost or age. C: lightly sprinkling.
sunshine. C: dry, parched conditions.
11. leeward adj. – A: by the shore.
4. nimbus n. – A: frostbite. B: rain B: unbalanced. C: not facing the
cloud. C: weather vane. wind.

5. doldrums n. – A: sounds of 12. graupel n. – A: soft hail. B: warm-

booming thunder. B: stagnation, water current. C: mudslide.
inactivity. C: weather map lines.
13. insolation n. – A: Exposure to
6. inundate v. – A: overheat or melt. solar radiation. B: shade. C: winter
B: form icicles. C: flood. clothing.

7. abate v. – A: reduce in amount, 14. permafrost n. – A: powdery snow.

intensity, as rain. B: increase, as wind. B: stalled front. C: frozen subsoil.
C: pile up, as snow.
15. prognosticate v. – A: forecast.
8. convection n. – A: cyclonic B: chill. C: take shelter.

Julyđ2016 | 121
WORD POWER

Answers
1. inclement – [B] unpleasantly cold 9. striated – [B] banded, as clouds.
or wet. Today’s kite festival has been You could almost climb the ladder
cancelled due to inclement weather. suggested by those striated cirrus
2. temperate – [A] moderate clouds.
in respect of temperature. After that 10. hoary – [B] white with frost or
cold snap, we could really use some age. Professor Parker’s beard was
temperate conditions. almost as hoary as the windshield
3. aridity – [C] dry, parched he was scraping.
conditions. If this aridity continues, 11. leeward – [C] not facing the wind.
I swear I’ll do my rain dance. We huddled together on the leeward
4. nimbus – [B] rain cloud. The side of the island, well out of the stiff
school group took one glance at breeze.
the looming nimbus and headed 12. graupel – [A] soft hail. Touching
straight for shelter. graupel can cause it to melt and fall
5. doldrums – [B] stagnation, apart, unlike hail that is more solid.
inactivity. Life in the busy little 13. insolation – [A] Exposure to
sawmill town had again sagged into solar radiation. Insolation or
the doldrums. sunstroke can occur in sweltering
6. inundate – [C] heat.
flood. After the storm, 14. permafrost –
our tiny shop was [C] frozen subsoil.
inundated with WEATHER-WISE Excavating the
water and debris. Meteorology is the permafrost in Siberia
study of weather – often requires a
7. abate – [A] reduce so what’s that meteor
in amount, intensity, jackhammer.
doing in there? Meteor
as rain. “I do believe,” comes from the Greek 15. prognosticate –
announced Noah, meta, meaning ‘over, [A] forecast. Heavy
“that the downpour is beyond’, plus aoros, clouds may
about to abate.” for ‘lifted’. And the prognosticate a rain
suix -ology means
8. convection – [B] shower.
‘branch of knowledge,
hot air rising. Cooling science’. Meteorology
VOCABULARY RATINGS
sea breezes blowing is literally the science
4 & below: Light drizzle.
towards shore are a of what’s above us (ie,
6-9: Normal rain.
common weather the weather). 10–14: Thunderstorm.
effect of convection. 15: Word Power Wizard.

122 | Julyđ2016
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