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 Contents MARCH 2018

Heart
26 THE BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT
With her mother’s 90th birthday coming
up, Emily Sims wanted to surprise her.
C H R I ST I N A P F E N N I N G C R A I G

Animal Kingdom
30 ESTHER THE PIG
They thought they’d adopted a cute mini-
pig. ST E V E J E N K I N S A N D D E R E K WA LT E R
F R O M T H E B O O K E ST H E R T H E W O N D E R P I G

Cover Story
40 THE HEALING POWER OF YOU
Surprising ways expectations and beliefs
shape our body’s response to ill health.
E R I K VA N C E F R O M N AT I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C

Drama in Real Life

48 41 HOURS ALONE IN THE SNOW
The young snowboarder had to rely on his
resourcefulness to survive. DA N I E L J. S C H Ü Z
F R O M SO N N TAG S Z E I T U N G

Health
P. | 56
56 GUT BACTERIA
– THE NEW FRONTIER OF SCIENCE
The fascinating role that the gut microbiome
plays in our lives. H E L E N S I G N Y

Fun Facts
66 10 MIND-BLOWING
STAR WARS FACTS
Intriguing details about a galaxy far,
far away. B R A N D O N S P E C K TO R
COVER: iSTOCK

Psychology
70 MY EXTREMELY POWERFUL MEMORY
Can you remember what you were doing on
any given date ten years ago? C L A I R E N OWA K P. | 66
March •2018 | 1
 Contents
MARCH 2018

Photo Feature
74 WILD BEAUTY OF THE DESERT
The Gobi desert is brimming with life.
B A R B A R A D O M B R OWS K I
A N D CO R N E L I A KU M F E R T

Investigation
80 HOUSE OF CARDS
The whistle-blower who exposed cheating in
pro bridge. J O H N CO L A P I N TO F R O M VA N I T Y FA I R

Culture
90 WALL STREET OF FLOWERS
The largest flower shop in the world.
S H E L L I E KA R A B E L L F R O M FO R B E S .CO M

Who Knew?
96 HERE’S WHY SEVEN IS MOST
LIKELY YOUR FAVOURITE NUMBER
And why it’s significant. B R A N D O N S P E C K TO R

P. | 80 98
Did You Know?
FEATURED FEATHERS
A little bird told us about movies featuring
our winged friends. KA I T L I N STA I N B R O O K

Environment
104 ECO-HABITS WE LOVE
Planet-friendly suggestions. J I L L BUCHNER

Travel
108 HONG KONG REVISITED
A former resident returns – and falls in love
with the city all over again. B O N N I E M U N DAY

Bonus Read
P H OTOS: iS TO C K

116 WAITING FOR ALZHEIMER’S

The first stage of Alzheimer’s can
sometimes last years. Geri Taylor tells her
story without rancour or self-pity.
P. | 90 N . R . K L E I N F I E L D F R O M T H E N E W YO R K T I M E S
 THE DIGEST
Health
16 Causes of fatigue, undetected
high blood pressure, medical
news update
Travel
22 Engineering marvels every
traveller should visit
Money
24 Best buys at garage sales
Pets
25 Dogs hanging out car windows –
and why it could be bad for them
RD Recommends
129 All that’s best in books, films,
podcasts and DVDs
P. | 22
REGULARS
4 Letters
8 My Story
12 Kindness of Strangers
14 Smart Animals
69 That’s Outrageous
100 Look Twice
136 Puzzles, Trivia & Word Power

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

HUMOUR P. | 25
38 Life’s Like That
SEE
64 Laughter, the Best Medicine
PAGE 11
88 All in a Day’s Work

March •2018 | 3
 Editor’s Note
Compelling Reads
EVERY MONTH, WE SEARCH for the best talkable and informative
stories to share with you. For me, the most interesting article for March
is about the seemingly sedate game of bridge. Played by millions around
the world, bridge is one of the most popular – and polite – of card games,
and seems an unlikely target for cheaters at the international level. But,
ever had that feeling – call it a sixth sense – that something just isn’t
right? That’s precisely what led Norwegian bridge player Boye Brogeland
to uncover a major scandal. ‘House of Cards’ by John Colapinto (page
80) follows Brogeland’s ordeal after he turned whistle-blower on two
top-ranking players. If you have only a passing interest in bridge – or any
card game – you’re bound to find this absorbing reading.
On quite a different note, our cover feature, ‘The
Healing Power of You’ (page 40) by Erik Vance,
examines the power of positive thinking to
outsmart medical science. Citing examples of
people who have been cured despite taking
placebos during treatment trials, Vance
presents strong evidence to support the idea
that the brain can force healing if a person
genuinely believes they will get better.
Be sure to look at the ‘Shetland Island’s
Fire Festival’ (page 100) – the
photos are truly breathtaking. 

LOUISE WATERSON
Group Editor

4 | March •2018
 Vol. 194
No. 1154
March 2018
EDITORIAL Group Editor Louise Waterson
Chief Subeditor Melanie Egan Art Director
Hugh Hanson Digital Content Manager
Greg Barton Digital Editor Michael
Crawford Content Editor Marc McEvoy
Associate Editor Victoria Polzot Senior
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Margaret McPhee Contributing Editor
Helen Signy
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& Retail Sales Director Sheron White
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 Letters
READERS’ COMMENTS AND OPINIONS

The Past Is with Us

Your 2018 Classic Reads has been most
enjoyable! It is amazing to think that some
of these stories, old as they may be, could
be describing current events. Wonderful
people like Aunt Batty still change the
lives of many; we are forever reading
about online scams (‘Crime by Computer’)
and, sadly, murders (‘The Case of the
Murdered Mother-in-Law’) and disasters
(‘The Sinking of the Comet’) are still part
of life. We should look to the past to learn
from our mistakes just as we should look
to the past for inspiration. EVE PUNN

On a Roll them all, but I’ve come close many

I might have helped punster
Peter Rubin (February) in
his challenge on disease-related
puns. I have a gluten allergy.
It’s inbred. P. S., v i a e - m a i l
times. It gives me so much pleasure
to have to use my wits!
I also rely on the useful health tips
and the many interesting facts. In all,
I find the Digest worth every dollar.
K. CROSBIE

The Power of Words

I am an avid reader and my favourite We Are Not Alone
magazine is Reader’s ‘In the True Spirit
Digest. As soon as it LET US KNOW of Giving’ (Kindness
arrives, I turn to the If you are moved – or of Strangers,
Word Power page. I provoked – by any item December) shows
never cheat but you in the magazine, share that there are
certainly keep me on your thoughts. See beautiful people
page 5 for how to join
my toes! Only once in the discussion. around us willing
20 odd years have I got to help in our

6 | March •2018
hour of need. These people remind
us that we are not alone and they
act to suture the unhealed wounds
in our hearts caused by the
pain and losses we endure in life.
Kath’s story has motivated me to
help, in any way I can, those in need.
S. H. HASSAN Sizing It Up
We asked you to think up a funny
Nature Is the Best caption for this photo.
Prescription “I know I have a good memory, but
‘The Nature Cure’ (December) is a what is it we’re waiting for again?”
gem. Thank you very much for this WILVIC ELMER HUANG

informative eye-opener based on the Are you waiting for a trunk

latest research findings about the call too? WARREN GROOM

healing power of the great outdoors. Tell me everything, I’m all ears.
This information is invaluable and if NAHEED KAUKAB

not for Reader’s Digest, it would not
reach as many in the community.
I am a teacher in community
medicine and your articles have
helped me in teaching both medical
I am sick of always feeling like
the elephant in the room. IAN PENN
The differences between man
and beast are irrelephant.
CARMELLE CUANAN

students and the general public. Congratulations to this month’s

DR D.B. NUGEGODA winner, Carmelle Cuanan.

WIN A PILOT CAPLESS

BALLPOINT PEN WIN!
The best letter published each
month will win a Pilot Capless
ballpoint pen bearing the
Reader’s Digest logo and an
animal-print inspired barrel.
From the Pilot MR Metropolitan
collection crafted in Japan, this
timeless ballpoint pen features
CAPTION CONTEST
stylish silver and bronze accents Come up with the funniest
and is a joy to write with.
caption for the above photo
Congratulations to
this month’s winner,
and you could win $100. To
K. Crosbie. enter, see the details on page 5.

March •2018 | 7
MY STORY

Many
Hands Make
Light Work
Escaping the mayhem is as
close as your own backyard

BY W E N DY MY GARDEN IS MY REFUGE; I find reflective solitude

C H I A P PA R O
in it. I have seven children, so our house is a scene of
FROM COU NTRY lively chaos. I spend my days cajoling, encouraging
WOMAN and attempting to keep mayhem at bay. Sometimes
I succeed. Other times I fail. But my garden always
helps me relax and recharge.
It’s a rejuvenating place. Early morning sunlight
glistens on dewdrops that dangle from a spider’s web
in a tomato plant in my garden. The squash lifts its
yellow trumpets to celebrate the morning, and busy
bees work deep in their recesses. Here and there I
P H OTO : iS TO C K

spot a watermelon above the vines. For a long time,

I guarded this place of peace and quiet. When the
children followed me into the garden, I would hand
out chores.

8 | March •2018
 “Here: you weed the beans, you
water the onions and you mulch
the capsicums.” Soon they would be
hot or their backs would hurt from
bending over, and they would leave
me to myself.
But during a recent spring, while
thumbing through seed catalogues,
I noticed my nine-year-old daughter,
Hope, cutting pictures from one of
my copies and pasting the images on
a piece of paper. She had a whole list
going. We put our lists together and
ordered twice as many seeds as we
usually needed.  participate. Each time, I would
A few days later I was trying to
prepare the soil, and I honestly
wasn’t enjoying my time of peace
and solitude. My 13-year-old son,
Josiah, picked up a spare spade
and began helping. Working as a
team, we had the pea patch dug up
and composted in no time at all. I
thanked Josiah, realising that I’d
enjoyed his company.
The same thing happened with
picking up rocks and planting the
seeds – one or two of the children
would appear to watch and then
March •2018 | 9
MY STORY

feel surprised to find the work was Abby’s big blue eyes sparkled as I
lighter for their help, and their showed her how to pull the strings off
laughter made time pass faster. So I and pop the peas into her mouth. She
stopped resenting their intrusions just loved how tasty they were. Then
and instead I began to share my my sweet seven-year-old girl put me
gardening secrets. to shame. “Mama, I’ve got to pick a
“Beetroot and bunch. Won’t the others
spinach are hardy,” I love them? I can’t wait
told them. “They don’t to share.”
need babying. When I realised how I realised how selfish
a frost is coming, we selfish I’d been. I had been. I’d tried
have to cover up the I’d tried to to keep the joys of
beans. Ladybirds are the keep the joys gardening to myself,
good guys.” As spring and here was a child
became summer and
of gardening who couldn’t wait to
the real work began, I to myself share with her brothers
expected the children to and sisters. I blinked
disappear, but no, there back tears and said,
they were, watering, pulling weeds “Sure, honey, let’s pick some and I’ll
and checking for insects. show you how to prepare them. We’ll
One day I snuck out by myself to make the most wonderful supper.”
the garden, feeling a little bit guilty. Now I share all of the garden’s
I had a suspicion the sugar snap peas beauties with the children. We bring
were ripe, and I wanted a taste. As I the fruits of our labour back home,
grazed along the row, a little voice preparing and cooking the produce
piped up behind me. “Whatcha together, because we know that
eatin’, Mama?” everything is better when shared.

ALL DRESSED UP

Seven Roman Catholic priests were refused service in a Welsh

pub after staff mistook them for a stag party in fancy dress. After
realising a mistake had been made, Cardiff’s City Arms offered
the clergymen a round of free drinks to apologise. Arriving at
the pub to celebrate the ordination of Father Peter McLaren, the
priests were told by a bartender that the City Arms did not serve
large groups in fancy dress. REUTERS

10 | March •2018
 0NLINE

FIND THESE UNIQUE READS AT

Your local RD website

SCI EN CE

The Pros and

Cons of Playing
Video Games
Are computer games bad for
your health? We present the
evidence for and against.

PE TS

5 Easy Ways to
Make Your Garden
a Great Home for
Your Pets

7 WAYSYOU’RE
MEN TA L HEA LTH

TO FEEL LIKE
ALWAYS
ON HOLIDAY
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PLUS Sign up to our FREE newsletter for more hot offers, top stories and prizes!

March •2018 | 11
KINDNESS OF STRANGERS
S

Batman Meets
the Fisherman
How a chance encounter brightened
a difficult day for a single parent

BY N O E L E E N IT WAS THE YEAR 2000 AND I WAS A SINGLE PARENT,

P H OTOS: (LU R E ) I S TO C K ; (DA N I E L) CO U RT E SY O F T H E W R IT E R

GINNANE raising my four-year-old son Daniel in Perth with all my
A Reader’s Digest family based on the other side of the country. Without
Field Editor, the support of my siblings, aunties, uncles or grand-
Noeleen Ginnane parents, being on my own was terribly hard. Because
lives in Melbourne my son’s father lived in Perth, I couldn’t relocate to be
in the same with my family. Although Daniel’s father didn’t see him
suburb as her son
often, it was important for him to be geographically
Daniel. She has
close to his dad. Money was tight, and with almost
recently started her
memoir, finding no support network, I often felt depressed.
that her passion for One night, after a busy, long day at work, I raced to
writing has begun Daniel’s childcare centre to collect him on time. After
to fire again. arriving home, I made dinner for the two of us, before
heading outside so Daniel could ride his tricycle.
Wearing his Batman costume, he was full of energy
as he rode proudly through Claremont towards the
river, his cape flying behind him. Meanwhile I walked
alongside feeling weighed down. I tried to keep a
cheerful facade so I didn’t upset Daniel, but inside

12 | March •2018
 Young Daniel
in his superhero
costume

I was broken, exhausted more wrong. The kind

and lonely. When we man engaged with my
got to the river we
The man son – or should I say,
walked down the pier. turned, smiled Batman – and watching
There was an older man and asked, their exchanges
fishing at the end and “How’s Batman brought a tear to my
I was anxious Daniel
would disturb his peace
this evening?” eye. This lovely old
gentleman was so kind,
and quiet by making friendly and genuinely
noise, so told him to interested in Batman,
hush. As we approached, the man my little boy, that I just wanted to cry.
turned, smiled and asked, “How’s It was just unforgettable how this
Batman this evening?” man gave my son the time of day.
Daniel proudly informed the man I will always be grateful for that.
that Batman was good, thanks,
before casually asking about the
Share your story about a small act of
fish. I value good manners, and had kindness that made a huge impact.
been afraid we might be bothering Turn to page 5 for details on how to
the man. Yet I couldn’t have been contribute and earn cash.

March •2018 | 13
 Smart Animals
Animals endear themselves to us with their charming behaviour
Passing the Time
SUMAIYA NAWSHIN
In the summer holidays of May 2016,
Dad and I visited his home town of
Mirpur, Bangladesh. Beautiful star
moss, honeysuckle and other
wildflowers lined both sides of the
dirt road leading to my grandparents’
home, where we spent just over three
weeks. In this part of the country,
there are hundreds of farms, mostly
lentil farms, and we spent our
afternoons lounging on the thatched
rooftop of a small wooden house
belonging to a neighbouring farmer
named Jamal. His 11-year-old son,
Joy, would often tell us of his pet
mongoose, which lived under a nearby
banyan tree. We dismissed this as a
little boy’s fantasy – after all, how can
anyone have a mongoose for a pet?
Well, that was until I caught a
glimpse of Joy’s mongoose, chasing
after a crab. She looked golden in
14 | March •2018
the afternoon sunlight, and if she
were mine, I would have named
her Goldie.
Our first meeting was unexpected.
She rubbed each cheek on Dad’s
hand, just like a little cat, as he
patted her from head to tail, and she
loved playing with his hand. Every
afternoon Dad, Joy and I would
spend hours playing with her. The
mongoose was intrigued by Dad’s
watch – focusing on it so intently it
seemed she was conscious of the
passing time. Dad often took off his
watch and let her play with it.
One day, we forgot to take the watch
back from her and as we were leaving,
I noticed that she was unusually
agitated. Then we realised she was
You could earn cash by telling us
about the antics of unique pets or
wildlife. Turn to page 5 for details
on how to contribute.
 trying to tell us that she still had the at our side gate and Sunny kept watch
watch and wanted to return it. over it, checking on it each day before
Now, whenever we visit our home going for a walk. I think it was his
town, we make sure we visit the pet security blanket. Then, a few months
mongoose as well. later, when the car was finally sold,
poor Sunny had to adjust to losing yet
A Ray of Sunshine another part of his family.
N. MITCHELL With the car gone, Sunny
My daughter, Fiona, and her family discovered that cats visit the area and
had a beautiful nine-year-old golden this has held his interest (though not
retriever, Sunny. Fiona’s in-laws lived as much as the car!). We’ve had a few
in New Zealand and every time the hiccups, behaviour-wise, but Sunny
family went over to visit them, we got has now settled in very well and is
to mind the dog. Fiona would also far better trained than any of our
leave her bronze Landcruiser at our previous dogs.
place, parked right where Sunny could Sunny is lovely company and
see it, for as long as the dog could has been a beautiful addition to
check that the car was still there, our family.
which he did regularly, he was happy.
Sunny knew from past experience
that if the car was there, the family
would come back. Each time they
did, I jokingly told them not to bother
picking up Sunny because he was a
joy to have around.
He was beautiful with the family,
and when an unexpected baby came
along – 17 years after her older sister –
Sunny was lovely and gentle with her.
In April 2017 we learnt that the
family was relocating to New
Zealand, and knowing the bond
that existed between them and B R O U G H T TO YO U BY
Sunny I knew they would want to
I M AG E S: iS TO C K

take him. But with limited finances

they found it too expensive to take
their much-loved dog.
So we adopted him. houseofpets.innovations.com.au
Their car, yet to be sold, was parked

March •2018 | 15
 THE DIGEST
Feel Tired All the Time?
The cause could be a medical condition, such as …
BY D I A N A K E L LY
… YOU’RE ANAEMIC When you visit
your doctor and complain of feeling
tired all the time, one of the first
things they’ll check for is anaemia or
thyroid disorder, says Dr Amy Shah.
“If someone says ‘I’m tired and feeling
a little more short of breath,’ or ‘I’m
having trouble exercising’, that tends
to be anaemia.” Anaemia is when your
blood doesn’t carry enough oxygen to
the rest of your body and the most
common cause of anaemia is
iron deficiency. People with
anaemia may also experience
feeling cold, dizzy or irritable,
or have headaches in
addition to feeling tired.
… YOU HAVE A
THYROID PROBLEM
If you have a thyroid
issue, such as an
underactive thyroid
(hypothyroidism),
in addition to feeling
16 | March •2018
tired, you might also feel like
your skin is really dry and you’re
constipated a lot, says Shah.
Hypothyroidism is a condition that
occurs when your thyroid gland
doesn’t produce enough of certain
important hormones. Women
are more likely to suffer from
hypothyroidism. A thyroid function
test can diagnose hypothyroidism
easily and if you have an issue,
your doctor may prescribe a
synthetic thyroid hormone.
… YOU MAY HAVE
PREDIABETES OR DIABETES
When you have high blood-
glucose, your blood circulation
may be impaired so cells
can’t get the oxygen
and nutrients they
PHOTO: iSTOCK
need and you feel
tired, according to
registered nurse
David Spero. Low
 HEALTH

blood-glucose levels our bloodstream,

also result in feeling which creates an
fatigued, because inflammatory
there is not enough esponse,” says Shah.
fuel for the cells to e inflammatory
work well, he says. If onse can manifest
your high blood-glucos loating, fatigue,
is causing blood vessels moodiness, headaches
Diabetes can
to get inflamed, that or weight gain. If you
chronic inflammation directly cause have food sensitivities
can also make you feel fatigue with high (to foods such as wheat
fatigued, according or low blood- and dairy) you can feel
to research. fatigued, get rashes and
glucose levels
experience bloating or
… YOU’RE DEPRESSED brain fog. Following
If you feel like you’re tired all the an elimination diet of possible food
time, don’t want to get out of bed in culprits and then slowly introducing
the morning, and/or have trouble them back in may help you identify
sleeping, you could be suffering from what you’re sensitive to.
depression. Your doctor can use a
screening tool to determine if you’re … YOU HAVE SLEEP APNOEA
experiencing an ongoing depressive If you have sleep apnoea, your
disorder, or whether a life stressor throat starts to close when you’re
or alcohol affects your emotional asleep, which is why people with the
state. “Depression, alcohol abuse condition tend to snore. Not getting
and fatigue are very tightly knit,” enough oxygen sounds scary, but
says Shah. your brain won’t let you suffocate.
“The brain notices you’re not
… YOU HAVE A LEAKY GUT OR getting rid of your carbon dioxide,
FOOD SENSITIVITY “If you’re and it wakes up really briefly in an
eating poorly, especially a lot of alarmed state,” says sleep expert
processed foods, the gut cells can Dr Lisa Shives. Even though you
PHOTO: iSTOC K

become a looser, net-like structure keep waking up, those wakeful

instead of a tight structure, and moments are too short for you to
proteins that aren’t supposed to notice, so you won’t understand why
be in our bloodstream leak into you’re so exhausted the next day.

March •2018 | 17
HEALTH

Unmasking
Masked Hypertension
You could still have high blood pressure even if
your readings are ‘normal’ at the doctor’s surgery
BY A L E X A E R I C K S O N

DOCTORS ARE shedding light on A new study published in the

what’s called ‘masked hypertension’
– when a patient’s blood pressure
readings are normal at the doctor’s
surgery but increase at other times
of the day. It’s the reverse of ‘white-
coat hypertension’, which is when
patients experience a spike in their
blood pressure when they’re nervous
at the doctor’s.
American Heart Association’s journal
Circulation found alarming rates of
masked, or undetected, high blood
pressure in healthy adults who had
normal readings at the surgery. The
researchers monitored the blood
pressure of 888 participants around
the clock during daily activity.
When monitored, patients wore

PHOTO: iSTOCK
 a cuff on their arm hypertension during
attached to a small well-patient visits.”
device that recorded Masked hypertension
their blood pressure. can be difficult to
Participants had three catch, and it’s not
blood pressure readings completely clear what
taken during three clinic Around-the- causes the condition,
visits, and finished with but it is known to be
one 24-hour ambulatory
clock monitoring more common in men,
blood pressure revealed tobacco users, those who
recording, where undetected high drink alcohol excessively
readings are taken every blood pressure and people with
30 minutes. None of the diabetes. It may also
participants – more than
among be stress-induced, and
half of them women, otherwise because people have so
aged 45 on average, were healthy adults much stress at work, or
taking blood pressure even at home, they find
medication to lower their numbers. a bit of solace in their doctor’s office,
The study revealed that 15.7 per causing them to chill out and provide
cent of participants with normal false blood pressure results.
clinic blood pressure had masked High blood pressure can contribute
hypertension, and younger, normal to stroke, heart failure, vision loss and
weight participants had higher kidney failure, heightening concerns
ambulatory blood pressure readings over the condition.
than older, overweight participants. Dr Gerald Fletcher, a spokesman for
“These findings debunk the the American Heart Association, isn’t
widely held belief that ambulatory surprised by the findings. “It’s a major
blood pressure is usually lower problem in our population,” he told
than clinic blood pressure,” Reader’s Digest. “People aren’t doing
said lead investigator Dr Joseph enough to keep their numbers low.”
Schwartz. “It is important for And it’s simply not possible to monitor
health-care providers to know that everyone around the clock. Fletcher
PHOTO: i STOCK

there is a systematic tendency for suggested starting with preventative

ambulatory blood pressure to exceed measures such as reducing sodium
clinic blood pressure in healthy, intake, exercising more and getting
untreated individuals evaluated for regular medical checks.

March •2018 | 19
HEALTH
Lip Balm
BY L AU R E N E P S T E I N
HERE’S HOW the least expensive
product in your beauty bag could
be the biggest lifesaver, going way
beyond just healing chapped lips.
Most lip balms have ingredients –
such as petroleum jelly, beeswax,
cocoa butter, coconut oil, shea
butter or lanolin – designed to lock
in moisture and form a protective
barrier over the skin.
CUTICLE SOFTENER Try massaging
a bit of lip balm onto dry cuticles to
soften them.
TAME FLYAWAY HAIR On days when
your hair is frizzy, has flyaways or if
stray strands are sticking out, rub lip
balm between your fingers and gently
brush back the wayward hairs to
create a smoother look.
HEAL AN IRRITATED NOSE Once
winter comes along, that means colds,
dry indoor air and tons of tissues. All
that nose-blowing will inevitably leave
20 | March •2018
e skin in around r nose
red, dry and sore. You can apply lip
balm inside and outside your nasal
passages to soothe irritation. Just
make sure it doesn’t contain menthol
or camphor because it could sting.
KEEP MAKE-UP IN PLACE Next
time you’re applying eye shadow, try
using a bit of lip balm as a base. The
substance will act as a primer, so
your shadow will go on smoother
and stay on longer.
GROOM EYEBROWS Lightly apply
the lip moisturiser to your brows, then
use a brow brush to shape them.
PREVENT BLISTERS You can help
avoid painful blisters if you rub lip
moisturiser onto the heels and sides
of your feet before putting on high
PHOTO: iSTOCK
heels. The slick texture will help
provide a barrier between your skin
and the shoes, preventing rubbing
and chafing.
 NEWS FROM THE
World of Medicine
Zinc Can Cut Colds Short
Zinc isn’t the cure for the common
cold, but mounting evidence indicates
it can be a big help. An analysis of
three randomised controlled trials
found that 70 per cent of patients who
had taken zinc acetate lozenges (80
to 92 mg per day) within 24 hours
of noticing cold symptoms had
recovered on the fifth day, compared
with 27 per cent of patients who had
received a placebo. While that dosage
is higher than the daily recommended
amount, no serious side effects were
observed. Be sure your zinc lozenge
doesn’t also contain citric acid, which
can make it less effective.
Dairy Helps Fight
Early Menopause
Calcium and vitamin D have
long been known to work
together to build strong
bones. Now scientists
PHOTO: CLAIRE BENOI ST
have discovered that
they may also play a
role in preventing early
menopause, which is
associated with an increased
risk of osteoporosis,
heart disease and other
health issues. In a study of 116,430
premenopausal women, those who
got the most calcium and vitamin D
from food – especially dairy – had
the lowest risk of early menopause.
Supplements did not have any
beneficial effect, perhaps because
they lack the other vitamins, fats and
hormones (such as progesterone and
oestrogen) found in dairy.
Driving Can Lower Your IQ
In a recent study of approximately
500,000 people between ages 37 and
73, researchers found a noticeable
drop-off in brainpower, as measured
by intelligence and memory
tests, among those who
drove for more than two
hours each day. The study
also found that the more
time participants spent
watching TV, which, like
driving, fails to exercise
either the body or the brain
– the worse their test scores.
If you must drive long distances
to work, consider adding a
mentally stimulating activity
to your commute, such as
listening to language lessons.
March •2018 | 21
TRAVEL
See the World’s Greatest
Engineering Marvels
THE COLOSSEUM Rome’s Colosseum
was commissioned by the Emperor
Vespasian in AD 72 on the marshy
site of a lake. Here deadly gladiatorial
combats and wild animal fights
were staged free of charge for public
viewing. While practical in design,
with 80 arched entrances to allow
easy access for an estimated 55,000
spectators, the Colosseum is also a
building of great classical beauty.
HAGIA SOPHIA The ‘Church of the
Holy Wisdom’, Hagia Sophia is among
22 | March •2018
Despite damage
over the years, the
Colosseum remains
a majestic sight
the world’s greatest architectural
achievements. More than 1400
years old, it stands as a testament
to the sophistication of 6th-century
Constantinople, and had a huge
influence on architecture in later
centuries. In the 15th century, the
Ottomans converted it into a mosque:
the minarets, tombs and fountains
date from this period.
P H OTO : I S TO C K
THE GREAT PYRAMID Pharaoh
Khufu’s pyramid, commonly called
the Great Pyramid of Giza, was
 built using only simple
surveying tools but with
such remarkable precision
that the greatest difference
in length between its four
230-metre-high sides is
just five centimetres. The
pyramid is estimated to
contain more than two
million stone blocks
weighing on average 2.5 tonnes,
with some weighing up to 15
tonnes. Although the construction
methods and the purpose of some
of its chambers are unknown, the
architectural achievement is clear.
GREAT WALL OF CHINA The Great
Wall once snaked across the Chinese
landscape, over deserts, hills and
plains, for more than 8851 kilometres.
Yet, despite its seemingly impregnable a rocky crag, this magnificent castle
battlements, the wall was ultimately
an ineffective barricade. In the
13th century it was breached by the
ferocious onslaught of the Mongols
and then in the 17th century by
the Manchu. Today, its dilapidated
remains crumble across the rugged
terrain of northern China and only
select stations have been restored.
P H OTO : I S TO C K
MACHU PICCHU The ‘Lost City of the
Inca’ is one of the most spectacular
archaeological sites in the world.
Perched high on a saddle between two B Y D K P U B L I S H I N G ( 2 0 1 1 )
The Great Pyramid was the tallest building
in the world for thousands of years
peaks and often shrouded in cloud,
it is almost invisible from below.
A site of just 20 square kilometres, it
was built in 1460 by the Incan ruler
Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui as a royal
retreat. About 1000 people inhabited
the area and they were self-sufficient,
being surrounded by agricultural
terraces and watered by springs.
STIRLING CASTLE Rising high on
was prominent in Scottish history
for centuries and remains one of
the finest examples of Renaissance
architecture in Britain. Legend has
it that King Arthur wrestled the
original castle from the Saxons.
The present building dates from
the 15th to 16th centuries and was
last defended in 1746 against the
Jacobites, who were mainly Catholic
Highlanders wishing to restore the
Stuart monarchy to the throne.
F R O M T H E W O R L D ’ S M U S T- S E E P L A C E S
March •2018 | 23
MONEY
Second-Hand Finds
It’s hard to know what is worth buying at a garage
sale. These can be great value BY A L I S O N C A P O R I M O
LARGE FURNITURE The key to
buying big items is to wait until the
end of the day. By then, the sellers are
wondering how they are going to get
that huge sofa back into the house.
Be careful with upholstered items
(bed bug alert!), but once you’re
confident it’s clean, look past garishly
coloured fabric; you can always
reupholster a piece of furniture to
better suit your sense of style.
BICYCLES AND SCOOTERS Bikes
can be a great find, but it’s important
to take them for a test drive before
you buy. Ask the seller the right
questions: Do you store it outside?
When were the tubes last replaced?
What’s the status of the brake pads?
With scooters, if the frame is
solid you can
often replace
missing or worn
parts (handlebar
covers, brakes,
wheels) for much
less than the
cost of new ones.
Check the maker’s
website for prices.
24 | March •2018
PLASTIC AND WOODEN TOYS
Wooden blocks and toy cars are
cheap garage sales finds, and many
vintage wood toys are solid enough
to be passed from generation to
generation. Clean wooden and
plastic toys with a mixture of bleach
or vinegar and hot water. But stay
clear of stuffed animals, which can
be hard to clean.
BABY GEAR New parents want to
get rid of out-grown baby swings,
high chairs and strollers as soon as
possible, making them a garage-sale
staple. In case of future recalls, make
sure the model number is still visible.
Don’t buy: second-hand car seats
(the structure could have suffered
from damage) and
drop-side cribs.
FRAMES If you
like one, snap it
up. Frames don’t
go through much
P H OTO : I S TO C K
wear and tear and
often look as new
as the day they
were bought.

Why Do
Dogs Stick
Their Heads
Out of Cars?
Even when it’s a bad habit
OF COURSE, NOBODY has been able
to interview canines on the subject,
but the consensus is that dogs like to
put their heads out of car windows
because they are visually curious.
Many dogs are not tall enough to have
an unobstructed view of the outside
world from the front seat, and most
dogs are too short to have any forward
or rear view from the back seat.
Poking their head out of the window
is a good way to check out their
surroundings and enjoy a nice, cool
breeze at the same time.
Dogs also have a very keen
olfactory system that is far more
sophisticated than our own. When a
dog sticks his head out of a moving
vehicle, it picks up on a multitude of
P H OTO : iS TO C K
scents with all sorts of information
about the passing environment,
resulting in a highly stimulating
experience all round.
PETS
As much as dogs enjoy leaning
out of cars, it’s actually not a good
idea. Obviously, if your dog becomes
overstimulated and falls or jumps
from your moving car, it could injure
itself. Wind-borne dust and pollen
can irritate dogs that have allergies,
and high-speed wind gusts can
damage a dog’s eardrum. Plus, dogs
are vulnerable to flying debris such
as small stones or sticks. According
to veterinarian Ben Klein, sticking
their heads out of car windows is one
of the major causes of ear infections
in dogs.
Blowing inside a dog’s ear, even
gently, can hurt it. While we may
associate blowing into the ear of a
dog as playfulness, the frequency of
the sound drives them nuts. Although
different dog breeds have varying
sensitivities to ear-blowing, all are
bothered by it.
March •2018 | 25
HEART

The Best
Birthday
Present
One family found a novel
way of giving their great-
grandmother her birthday wish
– her childhood home
BY CH R I STI NA PF E N N I N G CR AIG

A LL K ATHER INE BATES JONES wanted for

her 90th birthday was to own her childhood
home. Her daughter, Emily Sims, wasn’t so
keen on the idea; it seemed unwise for a nona-
genarian to enter the real estate market. And,
as the old saying goes, you can never really
go home again. But the mother and daughter
often drove from their current town in South
 Memories and
craftmanship: Katherine
Bates Jones and family
T H E B E S T B I R T H D AY P R E S E N T

Carolina, US, to cruise past Kath- little door to a nook beneath the pan-
erine’s beloved old home in nearby try window in which Nettie stored
Gaffney. While admiring the charm- her canned green beans, tomatoes
ing one-storey dwelling she was born and jars of apple jam. On the replica
in, Katherine would say, “I’d like to home, that door conceals three C
have that house back.” batteries that power tiny, twinkling
One day, as Emily strolled down interior lights. Small stones line the
the doll house aisle of base of the miniature
her local craf t store, house, echoing the large
inspiration struck: her river rocks that Kather-
mother could have her Batteries power ine’s uncle once hauled
house back – in replica tiny, twinkling up from his farm to un-
for m. Em i ly ’s f r iend interior lights. derpin the foundation
Thomas McAbee put of t he or ig i na l. A nd
her in touch with Ray Small stones there’s a teeny flute on
Meyers, a local retired line the base an itsy-bitsy table in the
dentist with a talent for replica’s hallway.
woodworking. Ray paid That flute s et the
multiple visits to the original home, soundtrack for Katherine’s life. She
taking precise measurements and was proudly playing it in her high
compiling details with the help of the school marching band when she met
house’s current owners. Malcolm ‘Mack’ Jones. The two mu-
There’s the inviting front verandah sicians got together after a Christmas
where Katherine and her mother, parade in 1942. Mack, a horn and
Nettie, spent hot summer nights trumpet player, proved to be the per-
cooling off before bed. There’s the fect accompaniment for Katherine;

28 | March •2018
 Emily Sims wanted to surprise her mother with much more than a party
P H O T O S (O P E N E R , H O U S E ) D AV I D S I M S ; ( PA I R A N D I N T E R I O R ) B OZ W E L L P H O T O G R A P H Y
the two were married on January 1,
1946. Emily was born soon after.
The replica home and the amazing
story behind it deserved an impres-
sive unveiling. Emily arranged a sur-
prise party at which the miniature and
Katherine would be honoured. But
keeping the big secret about the little
house was a tough task.
“Ray would ask me questions about
the house”, Emily says of the plan-
ning process. “The last time I was in-
side was when I was a teenager, so I
couldn’t remember everything. When
visiting Mother I would start a con-
versation where I would say, ‘Oh, by
the way, do you remember …’ and ask
her something about the house. She
would give details from her memory
about the colour and the layout. She
would tell me exactly what something
looked like or where it was in the
house.”
On August 28, 2016, Emily gathered
40 friends and family members at her
house. The partygoers waited while
Emily’s daughter-in-law, Christie, took
Katherine out to lunch.
After the special birthday meal,
Christie brought Katherine to Emily’s
house.
“When we went inside, there was a
house full of people singing ‘Happy
Birthday’ to me,” Katherine says. “I
was just shocked.”
Katherine’s many friends, siblings,
grandsons and great-grandchildren
packed the party. Emily and Thomas
presented Katherine with the carefully
wrapped replica home. It was the per-
fect gift.
“I just couldn’t believe it,” Kather-
ine says. “Now, the replica sits in the
middle of my dining room table. I
have fond memories of that house. I
have had several family dinners where
we eat around it. I can turn on the tiny
lights within it. It’s so pretty.”
For Katherine, it turns out that it is
possible to go home again.
March •2018 | 29
ANIMAL KINGDOM

ESTHER
THE

Pig THE STORY OF HOW A PIG TURNED

OUR LIVES – AND HEARTS – UPSIDE DOWN

BY ST E V E JE NK I NS A ND D E R E K WALTE R , W I TH CAPRICE CRANE

FROM THE BOOK E STH E R TH E WO N D E R P I G

30 | March•2018
 Could you
resist a face
like that?
One family of
animal lovers
couldn’t
ESTHER THE PIG

O
ne night about five years ago, I was on my laptop
in the living room when I received a Facebook
message from a woman I knew from school,
someone I hadn’t spoken to in 15 years: “Hey
Steve,” she said. “I know you’ve always been a huge animal
lover. I have a mini pig that is not getting along with my dogs.
I’ve just had a baby and I can’t keep the pig.”

It’s true that I’ve always loved ani-
mals. My very first best friend was my
childhood dog, Brandy, a shepherd
mix, brown and black with floppy
ears and a long, straight tail. So I was
intrigued. A mini pig sounded adora-
ble. In hindsight, of course, the whole
situation was bizarre, but I’ve always
been a trusting person.
I replied with a casual, “Let me do
some research and I’ll get back to
you,” but I knew I wanted the pig. I
just had to figure out how to make it
happen.
I lived in a three-bedroom single-
level house in Ontario, Canada. It’s
tricky enough bringing a pig back to
the house you share with two dogs,
two cats, your longtime partner, your
two businesses, plus a roommate. But
on top of that, only nine months ear-
lier, I’d brought our cat Delores home
without talking to Derek about it. He
didn’t react well.
So I had to plan this right, to make it
look as if I wasn’t doing something be-
hind Derek’s back, even though I was
doing something behind Derek’s back.
A few hours later, I got another
message from the friend:
“Someone else is interested, so if
you want her, great. If not, this other
person will take her.”
You’re probably smart enough to
recognise this as a manipulative tac-
tic, and normally I’m smart enough
too. But I was not letting that pig go.
So I told my former classmate that
I’d take the animal. I gave her my ad-
dress, and we agreed to meet in the
morning.
I knew nothing about mini pigs. I
didn’t know what they ate; I had no
idea how big they got. Once I started

She was maybe 20 centimetres from tip to tail,

with chipped pink polish on her little hooves

32 | March •2018
 Always eager to help, Esther checks on what Steve’s got cooking. (No, it isn’t bacon)
doing some internet research, I found
A L L P H O T O S : C O U R T E S Y S T E V E J E N K I N S A N D D E R E K WA LT E R
a few people claiming that “there’s no
such thing as a mini pig” but I was
blinded by my sudden obsession
and my faith in my one-time friend.
She had said the pig was six months
old and spayed and that she’d had
her for a week, having got her from
a breeder. It seemed this mini pig
would grow to be about 30 kilograms,
maximum. That was pretty close to
the size of Shelby, one of our dogs.
That seemed reasonable.
WHEN WE MET the next day, I watched
the woman handle the pig, and I could
tell there was zero attachment.
The pig was tiny, maybe 20 centi-
metres from tip to tail. The poor
thing had chipped pink nail polish
on her little hooves and a tattered se-
quinned cat collar around her neck.
She looked pathetic yet lovable. I’d
met the pig 12 minutes ago, and I al-
ready knew she needed me. Ready to
drive home with the newest member
of our family, I had only a few hours
to figure out what to tell Derek.
The pig sat in the front passen-
ger seat, skittish and disoriented. I
talked to her and petted her while
we took back roads to our house and
I planned my ‘please forgive me for
getting a pig’ dinner for Derek. (The
likely menu: bacon cheeseburgers
and homemade garlic fries.)
When we got home, the cats were
their typical curious but uninterested
March •2018 | 33
ESTHER THE PIG
selves when faced with the pig. The
dogs are excitable around baby an-
imals and children, so they whined
and jumped. I held on to the pig se-
curely and let them sniff her a little be-
fore I hid her in the office. I thought I’d
better get Derek in a good mood be-
fore springing the new arrival on him.
WHEN I LED HIM to the office and
revealed my surprise, Derek stood in
the doorway like a statue. Every emo-
tion other than happiness flashed
across his face. It didn’t take more
He was furious. The only positive thing I could
say was, “She’s a mini pig! She’ll stay small!”
than half a second for him to know
what I had done and what I wished
to do next.
He was furious. He ranted about
how irresponsible I was. He insisted
there was no more room in the
house. The only positive thing I could
say was, “She’s a mini pig! She’ll stay
small!”
I knew that what I’d done was
wrong, but I hoped I could smooth
things over. Soon enough, the lova-
bly adorable pig did the smoothing
for me. One night we were having
dinner, and Derek started talking
about where the pig’s litter and pen
would go. You don’t “build a pen” for
someone you’re getting rid of. Within
34 | March •2018
two weeks, we christened her. We
wanted to evoke a wise old soul. The
name Esther felt right.
AS SOON AS THE veterinarian saw
Esther, he shot me a bemused look.
“What do you know about this pig?”
he asked. I gave him the story, or at
least the one I’d been told.
“I already see a problem. Look at
her tail. It’s been docked,” he said.
“Is that why it’s a little nub?” I
asked.
“Exactly,” he said. “When you have
a commercial pig – a full‐size pig –
the owners will generally have the
pig’s tail cut back. This minimises
tail biting, which occurs when pigs
are kept deprived in factory farm
environments. If Esther really is six
months old, she could be a runt. If
that’s the case, when fully grown, she
could be about 30 kilograms.”
“OK,” I said. No news there.
“But if she’s a commercial pig and
not a runt – well, I guess we’ll cross
that bridge when we get to it.”
The vet explained that the only way
to know anything for sure would be to
weigh and measure Esther and start
a chart. Pigs have a very specific rate
of growth.
(Clockwise from top) Esther and a few of her favourite things: best friend Shelby,
bath time, and snuggles with ‘dad’ Derek Walter
 Steve (left), Derek and their menagerie try to pose for a family photo
On our next vet visit, a few months
after we’d adopted Esther, I had to ad-
mit that she’d been growing quickly.
Over that short time, she’d started
closing in on 36 kg. It was becom-
ing clear that I’d probably adopted a
commercial pig – and she was going
to be enormous.
I HADN’T KNOWN I’d wanted a pig,
but the joy I felt once I knew I would
always be going home to her made me
smile. Everything about Esther was
precious: the way she shuffled around,
the way her little hooves slid along
the floor when she ran, the funny lit-
tle clicking noise she made when she
pranced. She’d also nuzzle our hands
to soothe herself, licking our palms
and rubbing her snout up and down
on us as she fell asleep. And she stayed
36 | March •2018
precious, even as she approached her
full-grown weight of 300 kg.
Now, I admit there’s nothing all
that peaceful about being startled
awake at 3am by a 300-kg pig bar-
relling down a hallway towards your
bedroom. It’s something you feel first:
a vibration that rumbles through the
mattress into your consciousness. You
have only moments to realise what’s
happening as you hear the sound of
hooves racing across the hardwood,
getting louder by the second.
Within moments, our darling pig,
Esther, comes crashing into the room,
most likely spooked by a noise. She
launches onto our bed much the
same way she launched into our lives.
And while it might be a mad scram-
ble to make space for her – there are
usually two humans, two dogs and
 READER’S DIGEST

two cats asleep there – it’s worth it
for the excitement she has added to
our world.
One thing I hadn’t expected was
just how many behaviours Esther
would share with the dogs. She’d
play with a Kong toy as they would,
shaking it back and forth. She’d want
to chase the cats and cuddle when
she was tired, climbing into our laps
to nuzzle – even as she outgrew the
dogs by 5, 10, 15 kg and more.
And just like the dogs, she often
wanted our attention. She started
playing and doing hilarious and
clever things on her own. (She can
open the fridge!) So we treated her
like one of the dogs. And that struck
us to our cores.
What made pigs different? Why
were they bred for food and held in
captivity while dogs and cats were
welcomed into our homes and treated
like family? Why were pigs the unlucky
ones? Why hadn’t we realised they
FROM THE BOOK ESTHER THE WONDER PIG BY STEVE JENKINS AND DEREK WALTER, WITH CAPRICE CRANE © 2016
BY ETWP, INC. REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF GRAND CENTRAL PUBLISHING, NEW YORK
had such engaging personalities and
such intelligence? And where would
Esther be now if she hadn’t joined us?
AND SO A FEW WEEKS after getting
Esther, we realised we had to stop
eating bacon. Shortly after that, with
some difficulty, we cut out meat en-
tirely. And a few months after that,
dairy and eggs followed. We were
officially vegan – or ‘Esther-approved’,
as we like to call it.
In 2014, we moved half an hour’s
drive from town, where we founded
a farm where we care for abandoned
or abused farmed animals – so far, six
rabbits, six goats, two sheep, ten pigs
(not including Esther), one horse, one
donkey, three cows, three chickens
and a peacock.
Esther has changed our lives – that’s
obvious. And now it’s our turn to try to
change the world for other animals.
The name of our farm? The Happily
Ever Esther Sanctuary.

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS

A Republican candidate for the US Congress says she stands

by her claims she was abducted by tall, blonde aliens and taken
aboard a spaceship at age seven but that the incident shouldn’t
detract from what she’s done here on Earth. Bettina Rodriguez
Aguilera claims since then the aliens have communicated
telepathically with her – although it is not clear whether they
told her to enter politics. Her son-in-law, Jarrod Agen, is US Vice
President Mike Pence’s deputy chief of staff. 4 NEW YORK

March •2018 | 37
 Life’s Like That
SEEING THE FUNNY SIDE

MAR
1958
From the Archives
Would that we were all as tenacious as the
enterprising fellow in this 60-year-old letter
from March 1958.
My husband, a vacuum cleaner salesman, haad
just had a major operation and of course wass not
permitted to get out of bed in the hospital. Tw
wo days
later, the telephone rang at home. I was bowled over
when I heard his voice because I knew there was no
telephone in the hospital room.
“I sneaked down the hall to call because itt’s
important,” he explained. “Please bring my order
o
book with you – I’ve just sold a vacuum to the
man in the next bed.”
SUBMITTED BY THELMA B. ANDERSON

FACE VALUE
During my 55th high school class
reunion, I spotted an old friend.
“Bill!” I shouted. “You look exactly
the same as you did in high school.”
He nodded. “Now I know why I
never got a date in high school.”
SUBMITTED BY PATTY CHANDLEE
TECHNOPHOBE
My six year old’s school assignment
was to draw a challenge she thought
she could overcome. So she drew a
picture of herself teaching me how
to use the TV remote.
@MAUGHAMMOM ON TWITTER
LIES WE TELL OUR KIDS
„ We got our daughter to eat fish by
calling it Argentinian chicken.
„ Our parents used to tell my only
brother and me that we used to
have another brother who turned
into a mushroom from not taking a

38 | March •2018
 bath. Even added him to the family
photo albums.
„ My dad said if I looked after a
The Great Tweet off:
special growing rock and watered it Animal Edition
each day until it stopped growing, Our relationship with the animals
then I could get a dog. I’d water we share the planet with is
it, and every week, while I was at complex. We love them. We fear
school, he’d replace it with a slightly them. And we are not above
mocking them on Twitter.
bigger rock.
„ When I was little, my dad told me SCIENCE TIP: You can distinguish
that toys grew under the weeds in an alligator from a crocodile by
the garden and that if I pulled them, paying attention to whether the
eventually a toy would pop out. animal sees you later or in a while.
@GOOOOATS
And I believed it!
Sources: Boredpanda.com and Reddit.com
The fact that
SHRINKAGE we know
While at the shops, I passed two chameleons s
women, neither of whom looked exist means
particularly happy. Especially the they are
one who said, “Nothing in my size worthless id
diot
fits me anymore.”
failures. @PEEACHCOFFIN
SUBMITTED BY MARY WATERS

Giraffes were invented in 1780

when three horses accidentally
swallowed a ladder. @KIMMYMONTE

DOGS: So cute, many colours

& sizes, happy butts, cold noses,
some know where the ball is,
breath could be better.
A++ WOULD PET AGAIN
I L L U S T R AT I O N S : i S T O C K

@NICCAGEMATCH

The fact that earthworms are

called earthworms suggests the
existence of sea worms and, more
distressingly, air and fire worms.
@MICHAEL_RAPHONE

March •2018 | 39
40
0 | Ma
a h 01 8
01
 COVER STORY

Science is showing that how

you feel isn’t just about what
you eat or do or think.
It’s about what you believe

THE
HEALING
POWER
OF

YOU
P H OTO : S H U T T E R S TO C K

BY E R I K VA N C E
FROM NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

Mar h 201 | 41
T H E H E A L I N G P OW E R O F YO U

R
ICHARD MÖDL HAD RECENTLY BROKEN HIS HEEL,
but in 2003 he was determined to complete his first
pilgrimage from Regensburg to Altötting, Germany.
It was agony to walk at all, let alone endure the
135 kilometres that thousands of believers trek each year to
behold the Black Madonna of Altötting.
But Mödl had a deep faith in the Virgin Mary’s ability to
deliver him. “When you are on your way to Altötting, you
almost don’t feel the pain,” he says.
Today, at 74, Mödl has a warm smile a not her ma n ex per ienced what
and a wir y frame. Since his foot seemed to be a medical miracle.
healed, he’s made the pilgrimage 12 At 42, Mike Pauletich was diag-
more times, and he’s a passionate nosed with early-onset Parkinson’s
believer in its transformative power. disease. For years he struggled with
Mödl is not alone in his belief. the disease and with depression, as
Whether it takes the form of a touch talking and writing became ever more
of the Holy Spirit at an evangelical difficult.
revival meeting or a dip in the water Then, in 2011, Pauletich turned to
of the Ganges, the healing power of Ceregene, an American company
belief is all around us. Studies suggest that was testing a new gene therapy.
that regular religious services may Parkinson’s is the result of a chronic
improve the immune system, de- loss of the neurotransmitter dopa-
crease blood pressure, add years to mine. Ceregene’s experimental treat-
our lives. ment was to cut two holes through a
Religious faith is hardly the only patient’s skull and inject neurturin, a
kind of belief that has the ability to protein that had been shown to halt
make us feel inexplicably better. Ten the progress of the disease in mon-
thousand kilometres from Altötting, keys, directly into the brain.

EXPENSIVE PLACEBOS WORK BETTER THAN

CHEAP ONES. BUT FAKE SURGERIES SEEM
TO BE THE MOST POWERFUL OF ALL

42 | March •2018
 READER’S DIGEST

A f ter t he surger y Paulet-

ich’s mobility improved, and
his speech became markedly
clearer. (Today you can hardly
tell he has the disease at all.)
His doctor on the study, Kath-
leen Poston, was astonished.
Strictly speaking, Parkinson’s
had never been reversed in
humans; the best one could
hope for was a slowdown in the
progression of the disease.
In April 2013, Ceregene an-
nounced that the neurturin
trial had failed. Patients who
had been treated with the drug
did not improve any more sig-
P H O T O S : ( H A N D & B O T T L E S ) G E T T Y I M A G E S ; (C L O U D B U R S T ) S H U T T E R S T O C K

nificantly than those who had

received a placebo treatment
– a sham surgery in which a doctor
drilled ‘divots’ into the patient’s skull
so that it would feel as if there had
been an operation.
Poston was crushed. But then she
looked at the data and noticed some-
thing that stopped her cold. Mike Pau-
letich had been given the placebo.
W hen Pau let ich ex per ienc ed
improvement in his symptoms, it
wasn’t just because of the divots he
could feel in his head or what the
doctors told him about the surgery.
It was the whole scene he’d expe-
rienced: the doctors in their white
coats, stethoscopes around their
necks; the nurses; the check-ups

I
N A SENSE  Pauletich and Mödl
participated in a performance.
And just as a good performance
in a theatre can draw us in until we
feel we’re watching something real,
the theatre of healing is designed
to draw us in by creating powerful
expectations in our brains. These
expectations drive the so-called
placebo effect, which can affect what
happens in our bodies as well.
and tests.
This stagecraft extends to many
aspects of treatment and can oper-
ate on a subconscious level. Expen-
sive placebos work better than cheap
ones. Placebo suppositories work
better in France, while the British
prefer to swallow their placebos. Of-
ten fake injections work better than
fake pills. But fake surgeries seem to
be the most powerful of all.

March •2018 | 43
T H E H E A L I N G P OW E R O F YO U

Most astonishingly, place-

bos can work even when the
person tak ing them k nows
they are placebos. This was
reported in a 2010 paper pub-
lished by Ted Kaptchuk, a re-
searcher at Harvard Medical
School, and his team. After
21 days of taking a placebo,
people with irritable bowel
syndrome felt markedly better
when compared with people
who received nothing, even
though those who reported
feeling relief were told that
they were receiving placebos.
A supportive patient-practi-
tioner relationship was key in
creating belief in a successful
outcome. Patients were told that the former colleagues who now runs her

placebo pills had been shown, in
rigorous clinical testing, to induce
meaningful self-healing.
“Dea l i ng w it h ex pec tat ion is
ver y trick y,” says Kaptchuk, who
has spent his life studying placebo
effects. “We’re dealing with ver y
imprecise measuring of a very im-
precise phenomenon. And a lot of it’s
nonconscious.”
Karin Jensen, one of Kaptchuk’s
P H O T O S : ( B R A I N ) G E T T Y I M A G E S ; (C L O U D B U R S T ) S H U T T E R S T O C K
own lab at the Karolinska Institute
in Stockholm, designed an experi-
ment to determine whether it was
possible to use subliminal cues to
condition subjects to experience a
placebo effect.
During the conditioning phase of
the experiment, subjects viewed al-
ternating faces on a screen. Half the
subjects received subliminal cues:
the faces appeared for just a fraction

“WITHOUT THE EXPECTATION OF PAIN

RELIEF, YOU CAN’T HAVE A PLACEBO
EFFECT,” SAYS PROFESSOR HOWARD FIELDS

44 | March •2018

of a second – not long enough to con-
sciously tell them apart. For the other
subjects, the faces appeared long
enough for them to be consciously
recognised.
During this first phase, varying
heat stimuli were delivered to the
subjects’ arms along with the facial
cues: more heat with the first face,
less heat with the second. In the
testing phase that followed, the sub-
jects, including those who saw only
the quick-f lash subliminal cues,
reported feeling more pain when
they saw the first face, although
the heat stimuli remained moder-
ate and identical for both faces. The
subjects had developed an uncon-
scious link between greater pain and
the first face.
The experiment showed that a pla-
cebo response can be conditioned
subliminally. Jensen points out that
tiny cues as you walk into a hospi-
tal – many of which are experienced
unconsciously – trigger responses
in our bodies in a similar way. “Part
of healing is nonconscious – some-
thing that happens instinctually,”
she says.
Hospitals are just one common
venue for the theatre of belief. There
are hundreds of alternative medical
treatments that harness our expec-
tations – homeopathy, acupunc-
ture, traditional Chinese medicines,
vitamin infusions, sound healing, to
name a few – all with varying levels
of proven efficacy.
READER’S DIGEST
S
O HOW DOES believ ing in
something actually heal?
One part of the puzzle in-
volves conditioning, as Jensen has
shown. Recall Pavlov’s dog, which
drooled every time it heard a bell.
That happened because Pavlov con-
ditioned the animal to connect food
with the sound.
The placebo effect’s conditioned
response in reaction to pain is to re-
lease brain chemicals – endorphins,
or opium-like painkillers. In 1978
two neuroscientists from the Univer-
sity of California, interested in how
those internal opioids control pain,
studied patients who had just had
their wisdom teeth pulled.
The researchers first compared a
placebo group to another group that
received naloxone, a drug that can-
cels out the ameliorating effect of opi-
oids. None of the subjects received or
expected to receive morphine – and
all of them felt miserable. Then the
scientists told the patients that some
of them would receive morphine,
some a placebo and some naloxone.
This time, some of the patients felt
better, even though they didn’t re-
ceive morphine. Their expectation of
potential relief triggered the release
of endorphins, which reduced the
pain. But as soon as they got nalox-
one, they were in pain again. The
drug wiped out the action of the en-
dorphins that the placebo response
had released.
“Without the expectation of pain
March •2018 | 45
T H E H E A L I N G P OW E R O F YO U
relief, you can’t have a placebo ef-
fect,” says Professor Howard Fields,
one of the authors of the study.
It wasn’t until the early 2000s that
scientists could watch how these ef-
fects play out in the brain. Tor Wager,
then a PhD student at the University
of Michigan, put subjects in a brain
scanner. He applied cream to each
subject’s wrists, then strapped on
electrodes that could deliver painful
shocks or heat. He told the subjects
that one of the creams could amelio-
rate pain, but, in fact, neither cream
had any pain-reducing qualities.
After several rounds of condition-
ing, the subjects learned to feel less
pain on the wrist coated with the
‘pain-relieving’ cream; on the last
run, strong shocks felt no worse than
a light pinch.
The brain scans showed that nor-
mal pain sensations begin at an in-
jury and travel in a split second up
the spine to a network of brain areas
that recognise the sensation as pain.
A placebo response travels in the op-
posite direction. An expectation of
healing in the prefrontal cortex sends
signals to the brain stem, which cre-
ates opioids and releases them down
to the spinal cord.
“The right belief and the right
experience work together,” says Wa-
ger. “And that’s the recipe.”
The recipe is finding its way into
clinical practice. Christopher Spe-
vak is a pain and addiction doctor
at the Walter Reed National Military
46 | March •2018
Medical Center in Bethesda, Mary-
land. Every day he sees active service
members and veterans with severe
injuries.
When Spevak asks patients about
themselves, he might learn that in
childhood a person had a favourite
eucalyptus tree outside his house
or loved peppermints. If Spevak
prescribes opioid painkillers, every
time the patient takes one, he also
has eucalyptus oil to smell or a pep-
permint to eat – whatever stimulus
will resonate. Patients start linking
the sensory experience to the drugs.
After a while, Spevak cuts down
on the drug and just provides the
sounds or smells. The patient’s brain
can go to an ‘internal pharmacy’ for
the needed medication.
“We have triple amputees, quad-
ruple amputees, who are on no opi-
oids,” Spevak says. “Yet we have older
Vietnam vets who’ve been on high
doses of morphine for low back pain
for the past 30 years.”
T
WO Y E A R S AG O L eon ie
Koba n, a member of Tor
Wager’s lab, tested the ef-
fect of other believers on a subject’s
experiences of pain. The research-
ers delivered a burning sensation
to their subjects’ arms and asked
t hem to rate how strong it was.
The volunteers also viewed a series of
hash marks representing how previ-
ous participants had rated their pain.
For the same stimulus, the subjects
 READER’S DIGEST

reported feeling higher or lower lev- pilgrimage to Altötting where I met

els of pain based on what they were
told previous participants had felt.
Tests of the subjects’ skin responses
showed that they were not just report-
ing what they thought the research-
ers wanted to hear; they were actually
responding less to pain. Koban goes
so far as to say that social informa-
tion might be more powerful in alter-
ing the experience of pain than both
conditioning and subconscious cues.
“Information we take from our so-
cial relationships has really profound
influences, not only on emotional ex-
periences but also on health-related
outcomes such as pain and healing,”
Koban says. “And we are only begin-
ning to understand these influences
and how we can harness them.”
Richard Mödl. The first documented
healing in Altötting was in 1489,
when a drowned boy was said to
have been miraculously brought back
to life. Today the Black Madonna at-
tracts about a million visitors a year.
The pilgrims I joined were chat-
ting happily on a cold Bavarian
morning. I had been nervous about
the trip because of ankle surgery I’d
had three months before. But in that
merry throng of believers, my pain
faded away.
When we arrived in the Chapel of
Grace, home of the Black Madonna,
we found it covered with pictures
representing miracles spanning hun-
dreds of years. Propped against the
walls were crutches and canes left
behind by parishioners and pilgrims

N
OWHERE IS THE POWER of
group belief more evident
than in religious pilgrim-
ages – whether the Catholic trek to
Lourdes, the hajj pilgrimage of Mus-
lims to Mecca or the Kumbh Mela,
which draws tens of millions of Hin-
dus to cities along the Ganges. Or the
FROM NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC (DECEMBER 2016). © NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE SERVICES, NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.COM
whose suffering was relieved by the
Black Madonna. The expectation of
healing continues unabated.
“There is a different way of think-
ing here,” said Thomas Zauner, a
psychotherapist and deacon who
moved to Altötting. “Prayer seems to
actually work.”

DOUBLE TAKE

In 2013, the New Zealand government released a list of the names it

had banned parents from bestowing on their children, and twins
Benson and Hedges were on it.

SABRINA ROGERS-ANDERSON, THE LITTLE BOOK OF BOGAN NAMES

March •2018 | 47
DRAMA IN REAL LIFE

High on a Swiss
mountain, a snowboarder
got separated from his friends.
Then a snowstorm blew in

41 HOURS
ALONE
IN THE
SNOW BY DA N I E L J . S C H Ü Z
FROM SONNTAGSZEITUNG

48 | March •2018
March •2018 | 49
41 H O U R S A LO N E I N T H E S N OW

“HELLOOO!” NICOLAS JUNGE-HÜLSING

shouts down into the valley at the top of his voice.
“Daaniii! Where are you?”
“Niiciiii!” Daniel Petek bellows up at the mountain until
he’s practically hoarse. “We’re over here!”
It may seem as if they are answering each other, but each
is completely oblivious to the other’s calls, thanks to a hefty
downdraft blowing violently through the Urseren valley and
whipping up snow on the flank of the Gemsstock mountain.
The sudden gale drowns out every sound, completely
hiding every shape behind an opaque white veil. The tracks
in the snow are first obscured by the winds, then completely
erased seconds later.
FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2016, had gotten sports are my life,” says the bio-
off to a good start, with beautiful chemistry student. “Both skiing and
spring sunshine and perfect, pow- snowboarding!”

der y snow. The winter sports en-
thusiasts from Radolfzell Ski Club
in Germany were making the most
of the glorious weather at the An-
dermatt ski resort in Switzerland.
At around four in the afternoon,
ski instructor Daniel Petek returned
to the summit with ten members of
the group so that they could ski the
popular Guspis freeride – ten kilo-
metres off-piste to Hospental – one
last time.
Nici is new to the group, and at
age 18 he is its youngest member.
He is also the only snowboarder
in the part y. But that isn’t to say
he’s inex perienced – his g rand-
father started taking him on trips
to the Valais Alps at age 11. “Winter
P H O T O ( P R E V I O U S S P R E A D) : C O U R T E S Y N I C O L A S J U N G E - H Ü L S I N G
During a lengthy traverse, he re-
alises that his board is long overdue
for a good waxing – it keeps stick-
ing, and in the end he has to get off
and trudge through the deep snow
while the sk iers glide across the
slope with ease.
But where are Dani and the oth-
ers now? They could have carried
on straight down, but then again
t hey might have turned off over
there on the left.
Nicolas’s father Bernhard Junge-
Hülsing – a doctor by profession –
should have been with the group,
too. But he was still suffering from
a stubborn bout of the f lu and had
told his son, “You go without me. I
don’t feel up to it.”

50 | March •2018
 ER’S DIGEST

Suddenly all alone in the moun-

tains at an altitude of nearly 2300
metres, Nicolas is miserable and
forlorn. His fingers numb with cold,
he f umbles his phone out of his
pocket to call his dad. His battery
is running low and there’s virtually
no signal. He gets cut off almost as
soon as he hits the call button.
Back at the resort, Junge-Hülsing’s
smartphone vibrates. It’s Dani Petek,
who tells him, “We’ve lost Nici.” Just
after 4.30pm Junge-Hülsing raises
the alarm.

SAFE, FOR NOW

Nicolas gazes across the featureless
expanse of white. He sees nothing
but snow, rocks and boulders – until
suddenly, the outline of something
dark and square catches his eye.
He makes his way to it and discov-
ers a tiny shelter, more wooden shack
than hunter’s cabin, a shepherd’s hut
Below: Map showing the location of
with a stable-style door. It’s locked,
the shepherd’s hut along the Guspis
but after Nici bashes it w ith his
freeride. Above: Nicolas Junge-
P H OTO G R A P H E D ( P O R T R A I T ) BY S I M O N KOY

snowboard, the lock gives way. Hülsing with his snowboard

There’s a bunk bed against the
wall. On top of the mattress lie a
blanket, a shirt and a fleece jacket.
There’s also a candle, a saucepan, a sp n l

camping stove, three dirty plastic s e

bottles, a large packet of spaghetti, n
a jar of tomato sauce, some stock
cubes, a cigarette lighter and a can r
rn
of blue spray paint.
Nicolas breathes a sigh of relief. I’m Shepherd’s
safe, for now; I can spend the night hut
here. In the morning, I’ll climb up to

March •2018 | 51
41 H O U R S A LO N E I N T H E S N OW
the cable car station on the summit. I
should be able to do it in seven hours
if the conditions are OK.
But he knows that snow is forecast
from Saturday to Wednesday.
SNOW IN THE FORECAST
Dusk is starting to fall over the moun-
tains as Markus Koch sets a course
for the base of the Swiss Air-Rescue
service known as ‘Rega’. The helicop-
ter pilot and his crew have just flown
NICOLAS HOLDS THE
LIGHTER TO THE WICK
OF THE CANDLE AND
REPEATEDLY SPARKS
IT WHILE SPRAYING
BLUE PAINT AT IT
an injured skier to the Spital Schwyz
hospital and are now looking forward
to an evening off.
Then the radio crackles. “Come
in Rega 8.” “Rega 8 here, what have
we got?” “We need you to search
for a missing snowboarder on the
Gemsstock, somewhere on the Gus-
pis route.”
The pilot alters his course to 195
degrees and climbs to 2740 me-
tres; he can’t fly any lower because
the downslope föhn wind is raging
through the Urseren valley at nearly
100 kilometres an hour.
52 | March •2018
SOMEW HER E BELOW, Nicolas is
growing increasingly desperate: the
lighter is empty and doesn’t work.
He picks up the can of spray paint
and turns it around in his hand. On
its side, he sees the words “Highly
f lammable, do not spray towards
naked flame.”
This g ives him an idea: Nico-
las holds the lighter to the wick of
the candle and repeatedly sparks
it while simultaneously spraying
blue paint at it. It works – the wick
catches fire. He uses the candle to
light the camping stove.
W hile snow melts in a pot on
the stove, Nicolas hears a muff led
t hu mp-t hu mp-t hu mp over t he
noise of the wind howling through
the cracks in the hut. A helicopter!
They’re searching for me!
He dashes outside. The chopper is
circling right above him, in exactly
the right place – but why is it flying
so high? And why is it veering away?
Nici g uesses t hat t he pi lot
couldn’t spot him in the storm.
CHRISTIAN VON DACH is the Gemss-
tock cable car technician leading the
search. The Rega operations centre
has called in Swiss Alpine Rescue
(ARS), a non-profit foundation run
by Rega and the Schweizer Alpen
Club. The race is on to save the young
snowboarder’s life.
Von Dach has set of f w it h 20
helpers to search the lower slopes
of the Gemsstock along the valley,

Pilot Stefan Bucheli, who, with Christian von Dach (inset), rescued the teenager
using searchlights and night-vision
equipment.
Meanwhile, Daniel Petek and the
rest of his group are still out there,
braving the snowstorm. They have
been standing in the same spot call-
ing out Nici’s name into the gloom for
two and a half hours.
At around seven o’clock, Dani’s
phone rings. It’s von Dach. He asks
the tourists to go back down into the
P H OTO : (L E F T ) R EG A
valley. “Once it’s dark, it gets a lot
more dangerous – and we don’t want
to have to start searching for more
than one person.”
In the meantime, police officers
from the canton of Uri are checking
D R
the local hostels in Hospental to make
sure the missing teenager isn’t sitting
in a nice, warm bar somewhere.
FEARING THE WORST
Up in his mountain shelter, Nicolas
has devoured his first portion of spa-
ghetti. Now, he goes out to collect
some snow to melt so he can fill up
the empty bottles with hot water to
help keep him warm. He strips down
to his underpants and lays his clothes
on top of the blanket to conserve his
body heat as efficiently as possible.
Suddenly, he hears the sound of
whirring rotor blades again – it’s
music to his ears. Has the Swiss
March •2018 | 53
41 H O U R S A LO N E I N T H E S N OW
After more than 40 hours, Bernhard
is finally able to hug his son again
Air-Rescue helicopter returned in the
middle of the night?
It’s a military helicopter. The lead-
ers of the search operation have
drafted in a Super Puma from the
Alpnach Air Base with a thermal im-
aging camera so that they can detect
any signs of life in the snow. But the
camera can’t ‘see’ through the walls
of Nici’s shelter.
At around midnight, they give up
the ground search for the night. The
search team return to headquarters
for a briefing, while back at the youth
54 | March •2018
hostel the ski club members and
Nici’s father are growing increasingly
fearful for him.
As the night wears on, the chances
of finding Nicolas alive recede by the
hour. More than a few people are
starting to think he must have fallen
into a gully or over a precipice.
While still hoping for a miracle,
Junge-Hülsing also fears the worst.
“It’s best if you stay home,” he tells his
wife, Katrin, on the phone. “There’s
nothing you can do to help here.”
Katrin stays put in Munich and
waits for more news. Eleven-year-old
Josefine, known to everyone as Fini,
sits beside her. “Nici’s alive, I know it,”
says the youngest of her three daugh-
ters. “I can feel his heart beating.”
A WHITE HELL OUTSIDE
THE DOOR
When hope fades and fear takes hold,
it’s all too easy to let loneliness get the
better of you.
Nici lies on the mattress and
P H OTO : CO U RT E SY N I CO L A S J U N G E- H Ü L S I N G
switches his phone on for a few sec-
onds so he can comfort himself by
looking at the picture of his mum, dad
and three sisters.
And then he does something he
would never normally do: he prays,
speaking the words out loud and
clear: Dear God, I can’t call the peo-
ple who are worried about me, but
please let them know that I’m alive and
well. And if anyone feels like they’re to
blame, tell them it’s nobody’s fault.
The sound of his own voice

convinces him that someone is listen-
ing. Every so often he drifts off to
sleep and all is well with the world.
He’s at home with friends and family,
and no longer alone. Then he wakes
up and the nightmare begins again.
On Saturday, the storm batters the
walls of the hut all day long, while
the snow is now several metres deep.
When Nicolas opens the door, a white
hell stretches out before him.
Climbing to the summit is no longer
an option, much less trying to make
his way down the mountain. If he
starts an avalanche, it could engulf the
people who are attempting to get up
the mountain to rescue him.
SUNDAY MORNING. Back at the Rega
base, Stefan Bucheli looks up at the
sky. Although the cloud is slowly
starting to break up, the Gemsstock
is still completely shrouded.
The helicopter pilot doesn’t want
to waste a single moment. He starts
up the turbine and takes off. He picks
up von Dach at the cable car halfway
station. The clouds force the pilot
to make a detour: Bucheli has to fly
around the Saint-Gotthard Massif
and approach the location where the
FROM SONNTAGSZEITUNG (MARCH 13, 2016), ©TAMEDIA AG, TAMEDIA.CH
A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO DISPLAY ADVERTISING
What should we call this giant advertising board?
PHIL: A philboard.
BILL: I have a better idea. @INTERNETHIPPO
READER’S DIGEST
snowboarder was last seen from the
Oberalp Pass.
“Down there,” shouts von Dach
and points through a gap in the
clouds.
“There’s someone there!” Now the
pilot, too, can see a figure waving
his arms around wildly outside a
wooden hut. Then they both see three
man-sized blue letters sprayed onto
the snow: SOS!
“It’s him!”
A SOBBING NICOLAS collapses into
the search party leader’s arms. “It’s
all OK now,” says von Dach, reassur-
ing the rescued teenager. “You did all
the right things!”
Some time later, father and son are
standing outside the door of farmer
Remo Christen’s home in Hospental.
“Your hut saved my life,” says Nico-
las. “I just wanted to say thank you
and sorry for breaking the lock.”
His father takes out his wallet. “We
will of course pay for the damage.”
The gruff sheep farmer says he’ll be
sure to send them the bill.
“W hat about the spaghetti and
tomato sauce?”
“That’s on the house!”
March •2018 | 55
HEALTH

Gut
Bacteria
– THE NEW
FRONTIER
OF SCIENCE
Could the key to a happy and
P H O T O S A N D I L L U S T R AT I O N : i S T O C K

healthy life be a simple case of

feeding our gut bacteria the right
diet? Helen Signy investigates
the fascinating world of the
human gut and the microbiome
that calls it home
GUT BACTERIA – THE NEW FRONTIER OF SCIENCE
Like many of us, Jim starts
his working day with a simple
breakfast of a slice of toast washed
down with a cup of coffee.
By mid-morning, he’s snacked on
a banana and a wholegrain muffin.
For lunch, he usually heads out to a
local café for a tuna salad sandwich
on brown bread and apple juice
(at 56, he’s always mindful of his
middle-age spread). The afternoon is
taken up with preparing reports and
meetings – and at least two trips to the
staff kitchen for more coffee plus a few
biscuits. By 5 o’clock, his thoughts are
turning to dinner – takeaway or make
a stir fry? he wonders. Deciding on the
healthy option, he cooks up some lean
chicken and a few vegetables, and fin-
ishes off with fruit and yoghurt.
By the time Jim climbs into bed and
drifts off to sleep, the activity in his gut
has reached fever pitch. Hundreds of
trillions of microscopic bacteria are
now busily breaking down the large
molecules in the food he’s eaten to-
day, converting it into fuel to power
him through the next day. Most active
of all is the Lactobacillus and Bifido-
bacterium bacteria contained in his
yoghurt dessert, which have powered
their way to Jim’s large intestine, and
are vigorously breaking down the fibre
from his dinner vegetables, fending
off invasion from pathogenic species
and communicating with his immune
58 | March •2018
cells. The result of all this activity? Jim’s
immune system receives a boost, his
digestion operates like clockwork and
he enjoys a restful sleep. Come morn-
ing, he wakes up happy and alert.
Your Internal War
Deep inside your belly, warring colo-
nies of micro-organisms are bracing
for battle. Every few days, entire pop-
ulations rise up or perish, supported
in their evolutionary struggle to sur-
vive by the food and chemicals you
feed them.
When you eat, you’re not just
feeding your body – you’re pro-
viding food for trillions of gut
bacteria. Weighing up to two kilo-
grams – a little more than the adul
human brain – these tiny creatures
breathe, feed and excrete, creating a
profound effect on the food you crave,
the state of your health and even how
you behave.
Some species thrive on certain types
of food, and others starve. This has im-
portant implications for your health.
For example, having more of certain
species of Prevotella bacteria in the
gut – bacteria that love to eat carbo-
hydrates, such as sugar – is linked to
poor glucose tolerance and a higher
 READER’S DIGEST

chance of developing type 2 diabetes. As humans have evolved so, too,

Other species of Prevotella prefer to
eat fibre, and these help the immune
system.
“We’re starting to realise that the
tiny bacteria in our guts play a much
more important role in our health
than we ever imagined,” says Dr Amy
Loughman, psychologist and micro-
biome researcher based at the Food
and Mood Centre at Deakin Univer-
sity in Melbourne. “The community
structure depends on the environment
that’s down there. We’re only just
starting to understand the relevance
of these tiny cells and how they are
connected to everything else. What we
know now is just the tip of the iceberg.”
have these communities of tiny or-
ganisms. Different species have de-
veloped specialised roles in keeping
us alive – so much so that some sci-
entists believe human beings are
more like symbiotic organisms made
up of the human, the microbiome
and the surrounding environment,
says Loughman.
High-throughput DNA sequencing
has allowed scientists to identify 3.3

DNA and the Microbiome

Ancient Greek physician Hippocrates
was the first to allude to the vital role
the gut plays in general health when
he declared, “Let food be thy medi-
cine”. But it’s only in the last ten years
or so that technology has enabled us
to properly study the bacteria that live
inside the human gut.
ANCIENT GREEK
Using high-throughput sequenc-
ing technology to examine the DNA
PHYSICIAN
of the micro-organisms that inhabit
HIPPOCRATES WAS
your body, scientists have found that THE FIRST TO ALLUDE
only 50 per cent of cells in the body TO THE VITAL ROLE
are human – the rest are bacteria, THE GUT PLAYS IN
fungi, viruses and even microscopic GENERAL HEALTH
insects, living and breeding in every WHEN HE DECLARED,
crevice of our skin, mouths and gut. “LET FOOD BE
Together, they are called the human THY MEDICINE”
microbiome.

March •2018 | 59
GUT BACTERIA – THE NEW FRONTIER OF SCIENCE
million genes in the microbes in the
gut, compared to just 23,000 that make
up the human genome. While there’s
only ever about 0.5 per cent difference
in the genes between humans, the ge-
netic make-up of the bacteria we all
carry in our belly can vary by as much
as 90 per cent.
It seems the effects of the small
molecules produced by bacteria in
our bodies may be as important as
our own DNA.
It’s All About Balance
On the weekend, when Jim’s away
from his routine, he’s able to enjoy
more glasses of wine, rich dinners
out and sugary desserts. When he
does, the colonies of good bacteria in
his gut are ravaged and the colonies
of harmful bacteria rise up, causing
Jim to bloat and become gassy. And
so, by Monday morning, more often
than not, he’s feeling lethargic and
depressed.
There are about 1000 different spe-
cies of bacteria living in the human
gut. Like the ecosystem of the Am-
azon rainforest, each bacteria’s sur-
vival depends on a complex pattern
of interdependent relationships. Most
of the time they live in harmony, but
a change in their environment caused
by us eating certain foods, falling ill
to an infection or taking a course of
medicine can kill off some species and
cause others to take over.
If you eat a diet full of biscuits and
soft drinks, you’ll feed the bacteria
60 | March •2018
that thrive on sugar, while those that
prefer protein will starve. As the bac-
teria help to digest food, they produce
small-molecule by-products (called
metabolites) that enter the blood-
stream and influence your health.
If you feast on protein and don’t eat
enough fibre, the bacteria that thrive
on this diet will produce hydrogen
sulphide and ammonia, making your
farts smelly.
Like the Amazon rainforest’s role
in the health of the planet, cultivating
a healthy gut is essential for health.
Disrupt the balance, and you’re more
likely to develop any number of dis-
eases ranging from cancer to obesity,
type 2 diabetes, heart disease, aller-
gies, autism or Alzheimer’s disease.
The good news is that it’s relatively
easy to change the composition of
bacteria in your gut. If Jim drinks a
little too much diet soft drink one
week, feeding colonies of Bacteroides
bugs, then replacing that artificial
sugar with high-fibre fruits can help
restore the balance.
“Everything you eat will in some
way affect your gut,” says Loughman.
“You can definitely change your gut
microbiome with your diet. The tricky
thing is that we still don’t fully un-
derstand in exactly which ways you
would want to change it.”
The Microbiome Today
For more than 100 years, medicine
has focused on killing off bacteria
with antibiotics and antibacterial

OUR OVERUSE OF
ANTIBIOTICS ISN’T
JUST KILLING THE
BACTERIA THAT
LEAD TO INFECTION
– IT’S KILLING
THE BACTERIA WE
NEED FOR GOOD
HEALTH, TOO
cleaning products and soaps. As a
result, we’re far less likely to die of
the infections and diseases that once
ravaged communities – but at the
same time, we’re seeing a rise in anti-
biotic resistance and a dramatically
altered gut microbiome.
Scientists think the key to good
health is having many diverse spe-
cies of bacteria in the gut, especially
in the colon and large intestine. Some
studies have looked at fossilised
human remains from the Neolithic
Age and from modern hunter-gath-
erer communities in Africa, neither
of whom suffered from diseases such
as diabetes or obesity that plague
modern society. They have found that
READER’S DIGEST
these peoples had a gut microbiome
dramatically different and far more
diverse than the microbiome most of
us have today.
Our overuse of antibiotics isn’t
just killing the bacteria that lead to
infection – it’s killing the bacteria
we need for good health, too. Even a
short course of antibiotics, especially
broad-spectrum antibiotics, can alter
the gut microbiome for up to a year.
This imbalance of the normal gut
microbiome is called dysbiosis and
is linked to obesity and other health
conditions including cardiovascular
disease and mental illness.
The impact antibiotics and hand
sanitisers have on gut bacteria might
also explain the ‘hygiene hypothesis’
– the theory that our modern, sterile
world is giving rise to an increase in
immune system problems such as
allergies and asthma.
Scientists still don’t fully under-
stand how changes to the micro-
biome cause disease. But studies that
have analysed the gut microbiome of
people with diseases such as type 2
diabetes find it’s very different to that
of healthy people. “You can look at
almost any disease – I haven’t found
a single negative study where the
m icrobiome is fou nd not to be
affected,” says Loughman.
It’s not just antibiotics that are al-
tering the composition of the mod-
ern gut. The food we eat also causes
dramatic changes to our gut micro-
biome: a diet low in fibre and high in
March •2018 | 61
GUT BACTERIA – THE NEW FRONTIER OF SCIENCE

GUT BACTERIA AND

the Brain
A nyone who has
had an anxious
knot in their stomach
gut bacteria enter
the blood and can
cause inflammation,
knows that the gut contributing to
and mood are related. brain diseases such
That’s partly due as Parkinson’s,
to the vagus nerve, Alzheimer’s and
a nerve that runs autism. People with
directly from the gut mental illnesses such
to the brain. Studies as depression, anxiety
suggest that the and schizophrenia
brain and gut are in have all been shown
constant dialogue, to have dramatically
communicating using different gut bacteria
the nervous system to those found in a
as well as the blood healthy gut.
stream and hormones. It appears the gut
There’s mounting microbiome can affect
evidence that the behaviour, too. A
composition of Canadian study using
bacteria species in the mice has shown that
gut is also linked to exposure to antibiotics
changes in the brain’s can affect the brain,
structure and how it causing changes to the
functions. Scientists blood–brain barrier
think the metabolites and other changes in
produced by the the frontal cortex. The
young mice became
more aggressive and
their social interaction
changed compared
to mice whose gut
bacteria had not been
exposed to antibiotics.
When they were given
probiotics as well as
antibiotics, there were
fewer changes to their
brains and behaviour.
It’s still not clear
why the gut affects
the brain in this
way, but we know
that serotonin, the
chemical associated
with mood, is mostly
produced in the gut.
It’s also thought
that the bacteria’s
metabolites can
affect the chemistry
of the brain, affecting
human mood and
behaviour.

62 | March •2018

highly processed foods, preservatives
and artificial sweeteners can kill off
species of bacteria that are believed
to be important for health, leading
to inflammation and metabolic syn-
drome – a collection of conditions
that include obesity, high blood pres-
sure and insulin resistance.
If you eat these foods regularly, over
time you’ll change the composition
of bacteria in your gut for good. And
worryingly, these changes caused by
your diet can be intergenerational.
Just as your children will inherit your
genes, they will also inherit the com-
position of bacteria in their gut. Some
mice studies have shown that pups
who inherited a gut microbiome de-
pleted from a poor diet in previous
generations could not recover some of
the bacterial strains they needed, even
if they were fed a healthy diet.
“We’re concerned that the modern
Western diet will irrevocably change
the gut microbiome and health of fu-
ture humans,” says Loughman.
Improving Your Gut Health
Like us all, Jim was born with a
unique gut microbiome. Bacteria
started to colonise his gut before
birth and their make-up was influ-
enced by his parents’ diet, where he
was born, what he was fed as a baby,
how many antibiotics he’s taken dur-
ing his life, and the chemicals he’s
been exposed to in his environment.
Much of this Jim can’t control. But
there are things he can do to nurture
READER’S DIGEST
a healthy gut microbiome and reduce
his risk of diseases such as irritable
bowel syndrome, obesity, type 2 dia-
betes and mental illness.
The best diet for gut bacteria is
thought to be high in fibre, mostly
plant based, and with lots of variety.
That means eating more fruit and veg-
etables and less processed food, arti-
ficial sweeteners, sugar or saturated
fat – foods that feed the ‘bad’ bacteria.
‘Good’ bacteria are especially fond
of onions, garlic, artichokes, wheat,
watermelon, legumes, beans, pulses
and some nuts and seeds.
But other things that affect health,
such as stress, exercise, sleep and en-
vironmental exposure to toxins and
medications, are also important fac-
tors for gut health.
“This really is a new frontier for
research,” says Dr Jane Muir, head
of Translational Nutrition Science in
the Department of Gastroenterology
at Monash University in Melbourne.
“We have the technology to identify
and name all the billions of different
species of bugs, and we know that
by changing our diet we can change
their composition. But what does it
all mean? We really don’t know. It’s
still early days.”
For Jim, the bloating and lethargy
he feels after a few days of unhealthy
eating might well be improved by
a good night’s sleep, eating some
yoghurt and laying off the sugar.
As the old saying goes – you really
are what you eat.
March •2018 | 63
 Laughter
THE BEST MEDICINE

STRAIGHT LINE
A police officer pulls over a motorist for speeding along a deserted
highway. “Do you know how fast you were going?” he asks.
“Sorry officer,” says the driver. “I was trying to keep up with
traffic.”
“There is no traffic,” says the officer.
“That’s how far behind I am.”
SEEN ON THE INTERNET

PLAYING THE NUMBERS GAME DEAD MAN’S HAND

A woman meant to call a record
store but dialled the wrong number
and got a private home instead.
“Do you have ‘Eyes of Blue’ and
‘A Love Supreme’?” she asked.
“Well, no,” answered the puzzled
homeowner. “But I have a wife and
11 children.”
“Is that a record?” the woman
inquired.
“I don’t think so,” the homeowner
replied, “but it’s as close as I
want to get.” Source: Reddit.com
The guys are playing poker when
Fred loses $1500 on a single hand,
clutches his chest and drops dead.
Realising Fred’s wife needs to
know, Bob agrees to tell her.
“Be discreet,” the guys tell Bob.
Bob goes to Fred’s home. When
Fred’s wife answers the door, he says,
“Fred lost $1500 playing poker and is
afraid to come home.”
“Tell him to drop dead!” she yells.
Bob nods. “OK. I’ll tell him.”
SUBMITTED BY DONALD DAWSON

64 | March •2018
 DIMINISHING RETURNS
I used to think I wanted three kids,
until I had two. Now I realise I
only want one. COMEDIAN LEE MACK

FEELING BLUE
I just got diagnosed as colour blind!
I didn’t expect that – it came straight
“It’s true – we do have 100 words
out of the purple!
for snow, but most of them are
@ANTARES_912 ON TWITTER
swear words.”

NEED A NEW HOBBY?

Spent all evening gluing watches
together to make a belt. Complete
waist of time.
@PUNDAMENTALISM ON TWITTER
HAPPILY NEVER AFTER
My daughter gets so pumped
watching Disney films. She loves
that they all have singing, dancing
and a part when the parents die.
ACTOR RYAN REYNOLDS
C A R T O O N : N O A H J O N E S ; I L L U S T R AT I O N S : i S T O C K
THE JOYS OF PARENTING
Kids are expensive, I didn’t even
realise how broke I was until last
year someone stole my identity and
it ruined her life.
COMEDIAN KATE DAVIS
EXPLAINS A LOT
*Creator of Charlie Brown sits down
to draw a cartoon*
“What do eight-year-old boys look
like again? Bald? It’s bald, right?”
@THENATEWOLF ON TWITTER

ANIMAL CRACKERS
I took the shell off my racing snail,
thinking it would make him run
faster. If anything, it made him
SIG HT GAG more sluggish. Source: Reddit.com
tometrist
I went to the op e other
th
for new glasses o
an d gu es s w h
day
?
I bumped into
Everyone.
NE
SE EN ON LI

March •2018 | 65
FUN FACTS

10
MIND-BLOWING
STAR
WARS FACTS
Which Star Wars character was gender-
swapped, which one was almost a
monkey, and a close-kept secret
BY B R A N D O N S P E C K T O R
 1 LUKE SKYWALKER
WAS ALMOST A GIRL
A long time ago (January 1975, to
be exact) a f ledgling screenwriter
named George Lucas was working
on the second draft of an epic sci-fi
space opera.
Of the many, many problems with
this clunky script that would eventu-
ally become Star Wars: A New Hope,
one that seemed easily fixed to Lucas
was the serious lack of female charac-
ters. So, Lucas did something radical:
he rewrote his story’s main character,
Luke Starkiller, as an 18-year-old girl.
But a few months later, with Lucas’s
next draft, Starkiller was a boy again.
2 NOTABLE NOISES
The sound of Darth Vader’s breath-
i ng was recorded by put t i ng a
m ic rophone i n s ide a
been one of the greatest special
effects achievements in the film. As
Mental Floss points out, the text was
filmed practically “by carefully plac-
ing 2-foot-wide die-cut yellow letters
over a 6-foot-long black paper back-
ground with a camera making a slow
pass over them to mimic the crawl.”
4 THE GARBAGE IN THE
DEATH STAR COMPACTOR
SCENE WAS REAL
“Into the garbage chute, flyboy!”
orders Princess Leia. Apparently, the
smell was so bad that Mark Hamill
burst a blood vessel trying to hold his
breath, and the camera angle had to
be adjusted for the rest of the scene so
as not to show his injury. As for Peter
Mayhew’s yak-hair Chewbacca suit? It
reeked for the rest of production.

5
scuba diving regulator;
Chewbacca’s signature
IT TOOK FOUR MEN TO
Wookie gargle is a com-
PORTRAY ONE VADER
bination of bear, walrus,
How do you capture a
lion and badger sounds.
presence as big as Darth
The sound of Vader’s pod Vader? Cast four men.
door closing in Empire is The on-screen body of
reportedly the sound of Vader is bodybuilder
a whole block of Alcatraz David Prowse; his stunt
cell doors slamming shut. double for action scenes
is professional fencer Bob
3 THE OPENING Anderson; the voice of
Vader is the great James
TEXT CRAWL TOOK
P HOTOS: iSTOC K

3 HOURS TO SHOOT Earl Jones; and the de-

helmeted face of Vader
The famous floating text in Return of the Jedi
t hat opens Star Wars: is Sebastian Shaw.
A New Hope may have

March •2018 | 67

6 YODA WAS ALMOST
A MONKEY IN A MASK
The spiritual centre of the Jedi order
was almost a real-life monkey in a
green mask carrying a cane.
Luckily, a monkey expert on set
threw a banana peel in this plan’s
tracks by pointing out, “Look, the mon-
key’s just going to pull off the mask
over and over again. It’s never going to
work.” The team called on puppeteer
Frank Oz to bring Yoda to life.
8 IT TOOK SEVEN MEN TO
PORTRAY JABBA THE HUTT
“Three puppeteers were inside: one
controlled the right arm and jaw, an-
other handled the left hand and jaw,
tongue and head movements, and
both of them moved the body; a third
person was in the tail. Outside, there
were one or two people on radio con-
trollers for the eyes, someone under
the stage to blow cigar smoke up a
tube and another working bellows for
the lungs,” according to Mental Floss.
9 R2D2 AND AN EWOK
Kenny Baker, the man destined to
live inside R2D2, also played Paploo
– the enterprising Ewok who steals an
imperial speeder bike.
May t he Force be with you.

7 BEST-KEPT
SECRET IN FILM
Lucas kept the twist end-
ing of The Empire Strikes
Back so well g uarded,
he even wrote fake text
in t he script to t hrow
t he actors of f. During
f ilming, Dav id Prowse
yelled to Mark Hamill:
“Obi-Wan killed your fa-
ther!” The cast and crew
thought this was the real
line – only Hamill, who
had been told the truth
about Vader moments
before filming the scene,
knew otherwise.
10
LOST AN ENDING
The original ending of Return
of the Jedi has Han Solo dying
in a raid on the Death Star.
Harrison Ford probably would
have been fine with this. Ford
was famously snippy about
Lucas’s script (“George, you
can type this ****, but you can’t
say it”) and in a 2010 interview
he waved off his character as
“Ham Yoyo”, stating he was
officially “done with him”.
Time makes fools of us all.

68 | March •2018
 That’s Outrageous!
OUT OF PLACE
BY NATH ANIEL BAS E N
CATTLE POWER
A quiet stretch
of British countrysidee
turned chaotic when about 60
cows took over Heverr railway
station, an hour south heast of
London. The horde – which
marched across from m a nearby
farm – mobbed the platform,
shocking onlookers and a delaying
train traffic by nearlyy an hour.
Tensions rose as at least one
bovid tumbled from the th platform
l tf
back onto the tracks, but the entire
herd was eventually persuaded to
return to their pasture.
CREEPY CARRY-ON
On a United Airlines flight from
Houston to Calgary in April
2017, an eight-legged stowaway
I L L U S T R AT I O N : P I E R R E L O R A N G E R
made a grand entrance. Despite
United’s strict passenger manifest,
a scorpion – around six centimetres
of undocumented legs, pincers
and stinger – bided its time in the
overhead compartment before
plunging into passenger Richard
Bell’s hair. Bell plucked the arachnid
from his head and placed it on his
seat-back tray, but when he tried
to move th he beast he was stung
on the hand.
h
Felllow passengers leaped
in
nto action: one crushed
t he attacker and
a
another, a nurse, gave
Bell
B anti-inflammatory
medication. Scorpions
are rarely dangerous
to humans, but Bell
received
r medical
attention upon landing
just
j t in
i case. It seems that
any poison carried must have been
within security guidelines.
GROSS GARNISH
Earlier this year, one Florida couple
discovered an unappetising bonus in
their newly purchased pre-packaged
salad: a tiny dead bat. Although North
American bats are insectivores, the
furry surprise was discovered nestled
among the young leaves of a cos,
rocket and radicchio spring mix.
The horrified customers sought
treatment for rabies, but thankfully
neither showed signs of infection.
It was not clear how the creature
wound up in what should be
mammal-free fare.
March •2018 | 69
 PSYCHOLOGY

My
Insanely
Powerful
Memory
An extremely rare ability means some
people can remember most of the days
of their life in vivid, calendar detail
BY C L A I R E N OWA K

MARKIE PASTERNAK remembers ex- The professor, Dr Kristy Nielson,

actly when she realised her brain was stood at the front of the classroom,
I L L U S T R AT I O N : i S T O C K

different. It was Tuesday, August 26,
2014, the beginning of her third year at
Marquette University, in Wisconsin, in
the US. She sat in a class called Learn-
ing and Memory, a psychology course
that covered how people learn and the
different types of memory.
going over the syllabus for the semes-
ter. She said if the class completed
the required material, they would
get into ‘the fun stuff ’. That meant
discussing people with abnormally
impressive memories, who can play
music completely by memory or

March •2018 | 71
M Y I N S A N E LY P O W E R F U L M E M O R Y

map out an entire city after seeing it my memory] … and she didn’t know,”
only once. They might even study a Pasternak says. “She just thought it’d
relatively new subject in the field of be cool if I went on David Letterman.”
psychology: people who are able to Researchers at the University of
remember every day of their lives. California-Irvine reported the first-
That’s me, Pasternak thought. known case of HSAM in 2006 and
I can do that. have been further studying it since.
Pasternak, now 23, is currently When a potential HSAMer is identi-
one of the youngest people with fied, researchers conduct a two-part
Highly Superior Auto- test to conf ir m t he
biographical Memory diagnosis. First, they
(HSAM), a rare condi- provide several dates
tion that only around (say, June 25, 2009)
60 people in the world and part icipants
are known to have. must recall what ma-
Give her any date be- jor current event took
tween 2005 and the place each day (that
present day, and she was a Thursday, and
will tell you what day that’s when Michael
of the week it was Jackson died). If they
and everything she pass t hat test, t hey
did that day in extra- move onto t he sec-
ordinary detail. On Superior memory: ond. A generator spits
December 11, 2006, Markie Pasternak out ten random dates,
her dad got distracted and participants must
watching the Chicago name the day of the
Bears play Monday Night Football week, verifiable events that occurred
and accidentally cut off the top of that day, and other descriptors like
their Christmas tree instead of the what the weather was like.
P H OTO : CO U RT E SY L I N DS E Y S N OW

stump. On that day in 2009 (a Fri- Upon the recommendation of her

day), she chaperoned a school dance professor, Pasternak took the tests
and then went on a date with a guy over the phone on Monday, March
she had started seeing two days ear- 9, 2015. She got 9 out of 10, the av-
lier. But before that psychology class, erage score for people with HSAM.
she and those with knowledge of her The average score for those without
ability only knew it as “the fun trick HSAM is 2 out of 10.
Markie can do”. People who have HSA M have
“I asked my high school psychology different means of recalling dates.
teacher [if she knew anything about Pasternak describes her memor y

72 | March •2018
 READER’S DIGEST

like a board from the board game Hence, the specification of ‘auto-
Candy Land. In her mind, she sees biographical’ memory. Those with
each month as a different coloured HSAM aren’t able to recall current
square; June is green, August is events that they didn’t personally
golden yellow, November is dark hear about or experience. Pasternak
red. The months connect to form knows singer Tom Petty died on Oc-
a path, weaving back to February tober 2, 2017, but she associates his
2005, when she had her first HSAM death with October 3, the day she
memory. found out and subsequently listened
Once she finds the right month in to ‘Among the Wildflowers’ and ‘Free
the right year, she ‘zooms into’ the Fallin’’ on repeat.
square and visualises P a s t e r n a k p a r-
each week as a seven- ticipates in studies,
piece pie cha r t. To online sur veys and
figure out the day of phone inter v iews
the week, she starts Those with w it h t he Universit y
w it h a ‘go-to’ date HSAM aren’t of California-Ir v ine
t hat she k nows es- research team a few
able to recall
pecially well. For in- times a year. In doing
stance, if you ask her
current events so, she learns more
about Febr ua r y 17,
that they didn’t about the condition
2011, she’ll first recall personally and meets others who
Februar y 14, 2011, a hear about or have the same abili-
Monday. experience ties. But perhaps most
“I k now t hat one importantly, it gives
because of Valentine’s her a purpose to what
Day,” she explains. “I know who I she long thought was a useless tal-
was with on that Valentine’s Day and ent. Researchers believe people with
what happened, and then I can kind HSAM have the extreme opposite
of piece it together. Now I remember of A lzheimer’s, and uncovering
what happened on that Tuesday and what is biologically different about
Wednesday and Thursday.” HSA M bra i n s cou ld help t reat
It takes time to recall those mem- Alzheimer’s, depression and other
ories, but eventually, she can re- mental health issues.
member events down to the hour. “It makes me so glad that I figured
“I can’t just memorise things,” she out I have [HSAM],” she says, “so I
says. “That’s not how it works. I have can help contribute to this growing
to see it. I have to be there. I have to body of research that has the poten-
live it, or it doesn’t affect me.” tial to change lives.”

March •2018 | 73
 WILD
Beauty
OF THE
Desert
 PHOTO FEATURE

A photographer goes
to the Gobi in Mongolia
to capture images of an
age-old nomad culture
P H O T O S BY B A R B A R A D O M B R OW S K I
T E X T BY C O R N E L I A K U M F E R T
Few pack animals can carry as much weight and travel as far as a camel.
The nomads have bred them for millennia. At market, white camels
(previous page) claim the highest prices.

Camel breeder Tschulun lives with his wife and their two children
in a traditional round tent known as a ger, which serves as living room,
bedroom and kitchen combined.
Byambadorg, 58, was raised in the desert and owns roughly
1000 goats, 20 horses and 400 camels. He says the desert
has become increasingly unpredictable in the past few years.
 During the week, ten-year-old
Khongurzul stays in Dalanzadgad,
the capital of South Gobi, where she
goes to school. She looks forward to
her weekends at home in the desert.
Shamanism has been practiced
for centuries in Mongolia.
Here, Shaman Budsana prepares
for a ritual in Ulaanbaatar.

The Mongolian horse is at home on the grassy steppes. These robust

animals can withstand temperatures as low as -40°C.
 Breeding goats is considered essential to the
nomads, but the animals graze plants down to their
roots, giving the vegetation zero chance to recover.

The Gobi (from Mongolian gobi, meaning ‘waterless place’) is

1600 kilometres long and 500 to 1000 kilometres wide. Each
year, grazing fields are lost to huge dunes such as this one.

See more at www.tropic-ice.com

INVESTIGATION

CARDS The inside scoop on the greatest scam

in the history of professional bridge – and the
player who put a stop to it
BY J O HN COL API NTO FR O M VA N I T Y FAIR

On August 22, 2015, Boye Brogeland posted a provocative com-

ment to the website Bridgewinners.com. “Very soon there will
come out mind-boggling stuff,” wrote the Norwegian bridge
player, then aged 43, and ranked 64th in the world. “It will give
us a tremendous momentum to clean the game up.”
Norwegian
whistle-blower
Boye Brogeland
HOUSE OF CARDS
A FEW DAYS L ATER , Brogeland
launched his own website, bridge-
cheaters.com. The home page fea-
tured a huge photo of Lotan Fisher
and Ron Schwartz, a young Israeli
duo who, since breaking into the
international ranks in 2011, had
snapped up the game’s top trophies.
They appeared under the tagline
“The greatest scam in the history of
bridge!”
Brogeland posted examples of what
he claimed to be suspiciously illogi-
cal hands played by the pair. He also
laid out a pattern of alleged cheat-
ing and bad sportsmanship going
as far back as 2003, when Fisher and
Schwartz were in their mid-teens.
For the game of contract bridge,
it was an earthquake equal to the
jolt that shook international cycling
when Lance Armstrong was banned
from competition for doping. Fisher
and Schwartz denied all wrongdoing
and hired lawyers who dispatched a
letter to Brogeland threatening a law-
suit and offering to settle if he paid
them US$1 million. In a message he
denies was intended for Brogeland,
Fisher posted to his Facebook page:
“Jealousy made you sick. Get ready
for a meeting with the devil.”
B
ROGELAND LIVES IN Fle-
kkefjord, Norway, with his
wife, Tonje, and their two
you ng ch i ld ren. Hav i ng
learned bridge at the age of eight from
his grandparents, he fell in love with
82 | March •2018
the game and turned professional at
28. In 2013, he was recruited by his
current sponsor, Richie Schwartz
(no relation to Ron), a Bronx-born
bridge addict who made a fortune at
the racetrack in the 1970s. Brogeland
says Richie Schwartz pays him travel
expenses and a base yearly salary
of US$50,000 – with big bonuses for
strong showings in tournaments.
Not long after Brogeland joined Ri-
chie Schwartz’s team, he learned that
his employer was also hiring Fisher
and Ron Schwartz, about whom he
had heard misgivings from other
players. Over the next two years, Bro-
geland and his five teammates won a
string of championships.
Nevertheless, Brogeland says he was
relieved when, in the summer of 2015,
Fisher and Ron Schwartz were lured
away by Jimmy Cayne, former CEO
of the defunct investment house Bear
Stearns. “When they changed teams,”
P H O T O ( P R E V I O U S PA G E ) : C H R I S T I A N A R P - H A N S E N
Brogeland says, “I didn’t have to be
faced with this kind of environment
where you feel something is strange
but you can’t really tell.”
Fisher, meanwhile, was enjoying his
position at the top of the game, where
the lives of many successful young
pros resemble those of globe-hopping
rock musicians. Charismatic and
darkly handsome, Fisher posted Ins-
tagram photos of himself in well-cut
suits, behind the wheel of luxury cars
or partying with an array of people.
There was only one problem: the
persistent rumours that he was a
 READER’S DIGEST

cheat. “But it’s an unwritten rule that refinements American railroad mag-
you do not publicly accuse anyone – nate Harold S. Vanderbilt introduced
even if you’re sure,” says Steve Wein- in 1925. He sought to spice up auction
stein, a top American player. It was a bridge by awarding escalating bonus
Catch-22 that Fisher seemed to delight points to pairs who took the great-
in flaunting, shrugging off questions est risk in the opening auction, and
about his suspicious play. “He had the imposed steep point deductions on
Nietzschean superman personality,” those who failed to make the tricks
says Fred Gitelman, a professional contracted for. Thus did a polite Brit-
player who has won championships ish parlour game take on some of the
worldwide. “He just thought he was in sweaty-palmed excitement of the
a different league.” big-money trading of
Wall Street.
CON T R AC T BR I DGE The American Con-
is built on the rules of tract Bridge League
WEALTHY
the 18th-century Brit- (ACBL), the game’s
ish card game whist.
ENTHUSIASTS governing body in
Four people play in
BACK TOP North America, lists
t wo-person partner- PLAYERS WITH only 168,000 mem-
ships. The player to the RETAINERS AND bers, with a median
dealer’s left leads with BONUSES age of 71.
a card of any suit, and Yet the professional
each player in succes- tournament game is a
sion plays a card of the suit led; the serious pursuit, with wealthy enthusi-
highest card wins the trick. asts assembling stables of top players,
It’s a simple game, slightly compli- paying them retainers and bonuses –
cated by the existence of the trump: all for the privilege of playing hands
a card in a suit that overrules all oth- with the pros in important tourna-
ers. In whist, trump is determined ments. With six world championships
randomly. In auction bridge, a game under her belt, Gail Greenberg, one of
popularised in England in 1904, each the game’s greatest female champions,
hand has an opening ‘auction’, where says that such paydays have fuelled
the teams, communicating solely by cheating by players hoping to be re-
way of spoken bids establish which cruited by deep-pocketed sponsors,
(if any) suit will be trump and how or to hang onto the one they’ve got.
many tricks they think they can take. Pairs are forbidden to say what
Pairs who take more tricks than con- high cards they hold or in what suit
tracted for are awarded extra points. they might be strong – except by
Contract bridge emerged from way of the koan-like bids (‘Two no

March •2018 | 83
HOUSE OF CARDS
trump’). Any other communication
is outlawed. In one of the game’s big-
gest scandals, British champion J.
Terence Reese and his partner, Boris
Schapiro, were discovered in 1965
using finger signals to communicate
the number of hearts they held.
Tournament organisers would
event ua l ly respond by erect ing
screens to block partners’ view of
each other. When players were dis-
covered communicating via footsie,
barriers were installed under tables.
Pairs can come under suspicion even
when no signalling is detected.
“In bridge at the highest level,” says
Chris Willenken, a leading American
professional, “the best players play in
a relentlessly logical fashion, so when
something illogical happens, other
good players notice it. And if that il-
logical thing is consistently winning,
suspicions can be aroused.”
LESS THAN A MONTH after Lotan
Fisher and Ron Schwartz had left Ri-
chie Schwartz’s team, Brogeland met
the pair as opponents, in the quar-
ter-final of the 2015 Spingold in Chi-
cago. Brogeland’s team was the clear
underdog, but it won by the slimmest
margin possible: a single point.
Or it seemed to. Fisher immediately
contested the result on a technicality.
After an arbitration that stretched un-
til 1.30am, the win was overturned:
Brogeland’s team had now lost by one
point and been knocked out of the
tournament.
84 | March •2018
That night, a crushed Brogeland
could not sleep. He rose at 7am and
opened Bridge Base Online (BBO),
a website that archives tournament
hands, to see exactly how he had lost.
He immediately noticed something
odd. Ron Schwartz had opened a hand
by playing a club lead. Yet, Schwartz’s
hand indicated that a heart lead was
the obvious play.
Then he saw something even
stranger. In one of the hands, Fisher
had claimed 11 tricks. Except Fisher,
as BBO showed, held the cards for just
ten tricks. Brogeland thought it was a
mistake and immediately contacted
his sponsor. In any event, challenges
must be raised within half an hour of
a match. The loss would stand.
BROGELAND SPENT THE next two
days at the tournament scouring
BBO and comparing notes with other
players. By the time he flew back to
Norway, he was convinced Fisher
and Schwartz were signalling to
each other, but he had no idea how.
Still, he believed that if he amassed
enough illogical hands, he could
make a convincing case, however
circumstantial.
Brogeland contacted governing
bodies on both sides of the Atlantic.
When he gave suspect hands to the
ACBL, he was told to supply more.
“They had plenty of hands,” he says.
“Fifty, 60. I said, ‘How many do you
need? One hundred? Two hundred?
Please do something!’”
 READER’S DIGEST

Robert Hartman, the CEO

of ACBL, declines to discuss
the specifics of ongoing inves-
tigations but admits that the
process for reviewing cheat-
ing can take a year or longer to
play out.
Fisher and Schwartz aren’t
the only pair suspected of
cheating in recent history, ei-
ther. Fulvio Fantoni and Clau-
dio Nunes of Italy – ranked first
and second in the world in the
2014 European Champion-
ships – were expelled by ACBL
in 2016. Ron Schwartz (left) and Lotan Fisher
For his part, Brogeland had
no intention of waiting. De-
spite the risks to his career and repu- Winners, “I think Boye should be
tation – not to mention the fact that he thrown out of bridge for the way this
would be challenging rich and pow- was handled.”
erful interests – he decided to bypass As if in tacit acknowledgement
the official channels and go public. of how his failure to uncover actual
And so, on August 28, 2015, he went signalling by Fisher and Schwartz
live with Bridge Cheaters, where he weakened his case, Brogeland had in-
laid out his evidence. cluded links to three YouTube videos
Cheating investigators were under- of the pair in match play. On August
whelmed. Kit Woolsey, a mathe- 30, Brogeland’s friend Per-Ola Cul-
matician who has previously done lin, a semi-professional bridge player,
statistical analyses for the ACBL to watched one of the videos. In it, Fisher
help implicate cheaters, wrote on makes a suspicious heart lead.
P H OTO : B OY E B R O G E L A N D

Bridge Winners, “His example hands Cullin noticed that Schwartz set
are an indication of possible wrong- down the small slotted board that
doing, but I do not believe that by holds the cards. This was normal.
themselves they are proof of anything.” But he didn’t place the board in the
Barry Goren, a US professional, centre of the table, its usual spot. In-
excoriated Brogeland for publicly ac- stead he slid it a few centimetres to
cusing the pair without due process. the right, to one side of the opening
“Personally,” Goren wrote on Bridge in the trapdoor of the anti-cheating

March •2018 | 85
HOUSE OF CARDS

screen. Cullin decided to watch the queen). Mevius emailed the informa-
previous hand. The board had been tion to Brogeland.
positioned in the same peculiar spot On September 13, 2015, Bridge
– but this time by Fisher. As with Winners published ‘The Videos
the succeeding hand, the team led Speak: Fantoni–Nunes’, a damning
hearts. “My adrenalin started pump- analysis by Woolsey. In a statement
ing,” Cullin says. “I started watching from that month, the pair said, “We
all the matches from the European will not comment on allegations at
championships.” this time.”
After several hours, Cullin was On Bridge Winners, the first reader
convinced the board’s placement comment in response to this news
signalled what suit the sa id it a l l: “Is t h is
partner should lead the end? Speechless
with. He texted Broge- now…”
land, who forwarded VIDEO
the information to CAMERAS AND IT WASN’T QUITE the
Woolsey. MICROPHONES end. Brogeland soon
T h ree day s later, ARE NOW received a n a nony-
Wo ol s e y p o s t e d to INSTALLED AT mous email tip from
Br idge W i n ners a n SOME MATCHES someone identif ying
essay ent it led, ‘The himself as ‘No Matter’.
Videos Speak’, con- The t ipster adv ised
firming Cullin’s hypothesis. Fisher looking at videos of Germany’s Alex
and Schwartz were suspended by Smirnov and Josef Piekarek, as well
the ACBL and placed under inves- as the Polish pair Cezary Balicki and
tigation by that body and the Euro- Adam Zmudzinski. In subsequent
pean Bridge League (EBL). It was an emails, No Matter pointed out what
extraordinary exoneration for Broge- to watch for: signalling based on
land. But he wasn’t done yet. where the pair put the special bid-
ding cards in the bidding tray that is
MAAIJKE MEVIUS, a 45 year old liv- passed between the players during
ing in the Netherlands, is a physi- the auction.
cist and an avid recreational bridge Smirnov and Piekarek, told of the
player. While watching Fantoni and discovery, admitted to the violation in
Nunes in YouTube videos, she grew a statement. Balicki and Zmudzinski
convinced she had decoded how they denied the charges.
were using card placement to signal Still more astonishing, however,
to their partner whether they held is the fact that Brogeland believes
any high honour cards (ace, king or the person behind the mask of No

86 | March •2018
 READER’S DIGEST

Matter is the disgraced Lotan Fisher.
Brogeland cannot explain why
Fisher would assist in the quest to
root out cheaters – unless, by help-
ing to expose others, he hoped to
take the focus off himself. Fisher, in
an email to this writer, claims that
he only aided No Matter and that his
motivation was the same as Broge-
land’s – to clean up the game. “I love
[bridge] more than Boye or anyone
else,” he wrote, adding, “My next step
is to prove that me and Ron Schwartz
didn’t cheat. NEVER.”
IN M AY 2016, Bridge Winners an-
nounced that the EBL had issued
Fisher and Schwartz a five-year ban
from its events and a lifetime ban on
playing as partners. The other pairs
have also faced repercussions from
various leagues and events.
Brogeland’s actions have also had
a more permanent effect on the
game. In December 2015, the ACBL
held one of bridge’s biggest annual
tournaments, the American nation-
als. For the first time, the ACBL had
installed small video cameras and
microphones at the tables to record
FROM VANITY FAIR (FEBRUARY 2016) © 2016 BY JOHN COLAPINTO, VANITYFAIR.COM
all matches from the quarter-finals
through to the finals – since no one
imagines that every dishonest pair
has been rooted out.
Before t he end of t he tourna-
ment, ACBL CEO Robert Hartman
convened the first meeting of a new
anti-cheating task force – including
Willenken, Woolsey and Cullin – who
discussed means for streamlining the
process of investigating complaints.
Mea nwhi le, t he Inter nat iona l
Bridge Press Association named Bro-
geland the Bridge Personality of the
Year for 2015. When he arrived for
his first match at the Denver nation-
als later that year, he had to fight his
way through the crowd that had col-
lected outside the tournament room.
“Thank you for your service,” said a
bearded man who had stopped Bro-
geland at the door of the game room.
“Well, I had to do it,” Brogeland
said, shaking the man’s hand and
trying to move off.
“You really put yourself on the
line,” the man persisted.
Brogeland smiled. “Bridge de-
serves it,” he said, then headed for
his table.

MEASURED RESPONSE

The car sticker proudly displayed on the back of the lorry

in front of us touted the local police station. Its motto:
“When the seconds count, we’re there in minutes.”
GRACIELA NUNEZ

March •2018 | 87
 All in a Day’s Work
HUMOUR ON THE JOB

BLINK AND YOU MISS IT

Tech support: Is the light on your
modem blinking?
Customer: No.
Tech: So it’s solid, then?
Customer: Yes. It’s solid, then
it’s off, then it’s solid again, then
it’s off again … Source: notalwaysright.com

HARD TO ARGUE
Scene: A sixth-grade classroom.
Teacher: “What are the harmful
environmental effects of oil on fish?”
Student: “When my mum opened a
can of sardines last night, it was full
of oil and all the sardines were dead.”
Source: gophercentral.com
SEMI-PERMANENT
I worked in the human resources
department of a large apparel
company where turnover was a big
problem.
So while interviewing a potential
employee, one of the questions I
had to ask was, “Are you looking for
permanent work?”
“Yes,” she replied. “For the
time being.” SUBMITTED BY ANNE KING

Deadly Serious
I spent 20 minutes explaining insurance options to
one of our employees. After reviewing the different
plans and monthly deductions, he decided to max
out, choosing $100,000 worth of life insurance. But
he had one last question.
“Now,” he said, “what do I have to do to collect?”
Source: gophercentral.com

88 | March •2018

“I don’t know the answer.
Can I text it to you later?”
ON THE NOSE
‘PRN’ is a medical abbreviation of
the Latin pro re nata, meaning “when
necessary”. Apparently, some nurses
never learned their abbreviations.
One day, a senior nurse walked
into a patient’s room to find a
suppository shoved up his nose.
When she confronted the younger
nurse responsible, the latter
admitted that she thought PRN stood
for “per right nostril”.
C A R T O O N : D AV I D W E I G H A M ; I L L U S T R AT I O N S : i S T O C K
Thumbs Down
Had a bad travel experience
recently? Compare it to one of
these real complaints collected
by travel agents.
„ “There was no sign telling you
that you shouldn’t get on the
hot-air balloon ride if you’re
afraid of heights.”
„ “I compared the size of our
one-bedroom apartment with our
friends’ three-bedroom apartment,
and ours was significantly smaller.”
„ “The street signs weren’t in
English. I don’t understand how
anyone can get around.”
„ “We could not enjoy the tour,
as our guide was too ugly. You can’t
be expected to admire a beautiful
view when you’re staring at a face
like his.”

Source: scrubsmag.com „ “You said the town was next

to a volcano, but we went, and
IN STITCHES there was no lava. I’m pretty sure
it was just a mountain.”
My four-year-old grandson, Michael,
Source: telegraph.co.uk
was taken to the emergency room
after a fall that resulted in a cut
lip. He ended up needing stitches.
Following the procedure, the doctor
led Michael over to a mirror, hoping
to reassure him that all was now OK.
Upon seeing his swollen, stitched
face, Michael exclaimed, “You should
have let my grandma do it. She sews
better than you!”
SUBMITTED BY MARGARET AVENUE

March •2018 | 89
CULTURE

W L
ST ET

Flowers
 We take a look inside the world’s
largest flower market, where the stakes
are as high as the stems are plentiful
BY S H E L L I E K A R A B E L L
FROM FORBES .COM
WA L L S T R E E T O F F L O W E R S

T
hink of the Netherlands and the enduring
images that come to mind are windmills,
wooden clogs and… tulips. But tulips are not
indigenous to the tiny nation. They come from
– depending on whom you talk to – somewhere
in Central Asia, Kazakhstan or Afghanistan.

Tulip bulbs were given to visiting mainstay of the country’s economic

dignitaries by the sultan of the Otto-
man Empire, with the plants first culti-
vated in the Netherlands in 1593. The
name ‘tulip’ derives from ‘tulibend’,
the name of the turban worn in the
area (now modern Turkey) because
of the supposed resemblance of the
flower to a turban.
Tulips have long been a force in
the Dutch economy, and were even
the source of the world’s first ‘invest-
ment bubble’. Back in the early-17th
century, the tulip’s value escalated so
precipitously that one bulb could cost
as much as a house. Then, in 1637,
thousands of people lost everything
when a plant virus brought the whole
value system crashing down n.
Cartoons depicting thiss
folly can be found in
Dutch galleries as, inn
the years following,,
artists added tulips
to their paintings
life, and it plays an important role as
the cornerstone on which the Nether-
land’s leadership as the largest pur-
veyor of plants and seeds in the world
is built. It all takes place at Royal Flo-
raHolland, the world’s largest flower
auction company, where today more
than half of the world’s flowers move
from grower to distributor and then
on to the retail customer. It is
indeed the Netherland’s ‘Wall Street
for Flowers’.
Beauty Meets Business
Royal FloraHolland is a showcase for
Dutch expertise in logistics. More than
12 billion plants and flowers – includ-
ing more than 90 per cent of the
N
Netherland’s own output
– change hands each
year
y at Royal Flo-
raHolland’s
r four
marketplaces
throughout
t the
P H OTOS: iS TO C K

as an aside com- country. The

mentary meaning contribution to
‘foolish’. the Netherland’s
Today the tulip economy is pro-
continues as a found: more than

92 | March •2018
 READER’S DIGEST

250,000 jobs are th

he prod- The bidding sys-
uct directly and in
ndirectly tem is bbased on
of the flower markkets. a clock that runs
Royal FloraHollland is backwarrds: buy-
a cooperative with 4500 ers stop the clock
members, 9000 sup- at the price they
pliers, 2500 cusstom- w ant to pay and
ers and 3000 emplloyees. en advi se how
The largest of the markets many plants th hey want.
is at Aalsmeer, jusst below Then the clock resets. The process
Schipol Airport, ssouth of moves at lightning speed. In n the time
the centre of Amssterdam. it takes you to read this paaragraph,
Here, in a huge cconcrete Royal FloraHolland would h have sold
building, hund dreds of perhaps ten lots of flowers.
mini-trucks hauling wag- To the observer, it all seem
ms quaint
ons full of pla nts and in an efficient sort of way: thee bidding
flowers whizz around is done on computers, wiith more
other workers on n smaller than half of the auction parrticipants
vehicles in an areea the size doing their bidding off the p premises.
of 200 soccer fieelds – ap- Yet here are the actual flow wers, right
proximately 990,000 square under your nose. Within ho ours they
metres. could be in a bouquet on your dining
The flowers a rrive daily, room table. And flowers aree such an
usually overnight, for the auc- all-purpose commodity – weddings,
w
tion five days a week,
w which funerals, birthdays, Valentin ne’s Day –
starts at 6am and d ends around they practically sell themsellves.
10am. Elsewhere in the building,
Royal FloraHolland customers – Disruptive
p
flower sellers rannging from small Forces Abound
family-owned o outlets to mega But there’s another surpprise: the
chains, such as Teesco in the UK, are flower business and the Neth-
bidding against th he clock on the mil- erland’s leadership po osition in
lions of flowers so y
old each day. p
it have been ‘disrupted’ byy the
t inter-
net, the economic crisis, competi-
Race Against the Clock tion from new low-cost growers and
The auction works in reverse: rather changing consumer tastes. Shortly
than bidding up the price, Royal after 2009, Royal FloraHolland’s con-
Flora Holland’s auction bids down. sistent growth trajectory – on the up
FRO M FO R B ES .CO M (APRIL 30, 201 6) © FO R B ES

March •2018 | 93
WA L L S T R E E T O F F L O W E R S
Perishable plants and blooms need to travel quickly through the cool supply chain
since the cooperative was founded in
1911 – ground to a halt.
A 2015 report on the market con-
ducted by Rabobank  showed con-
sumer spending on flowers for the
previous five years had been ab-
solutely flat while customers were
drifting towards cheaper cut flowers
from supermarkets rather than spe-
cialist florists, due in large part to
constraints on disposable income in
the wake of the economic crisis.
Then there’s increasing competition
from low-cost flower-producing coun-
tries near the equator – Colombia, Ec-
uador, Ethiopia, Kenya and Malaysia
– all of which have lower production
costs. Better and cheaper transport –
improvements in sea containers, for
94 | March •2018
example – meant these low-cost pro-
ducers could also export globally.
It’s an effective combination and it
is eroding the flower market: in 2003,
Japan – one of the world’s top three
flower importers along with Western
Europe and the US  – imported ten
per cent of its flowers from Colombia;
in 2013, that number had increased
to 26%, according to the Rabobank
study. By comparison, Japan’s import
of flowers from the Netherlands had
dropped from 8% in 2003 to just 2%
in 2013. The Dutch share of the global
P H OTOS: iS TO C K
flower market had dropped from 58%
in 2003 to 52% in 2013, with exports
going mainly to Germany, France and
the UK – still dominant, but shrink-
ing. And with growers able to deal

Royal FloraHolland moves more than 12 billion plants and flowers annually
directly with retail customers via the
internet, the entire Royal FloraHol-
land cooperative auction business
model was becoming less relevant.
Overhauling the Bouquet
In January 2014, Royal FloraHolland
appointed a new CEO, Lucas Vos, who
lost no time in reviewin p
pera-
tive’s operations. Hiss changes
and the return of shooppers
buying in florists saw
solid improvements. In
2016, the consumptio on
of flowers and housee-
plants in Europe rosse
by 1% to €35.9 billion.
Emerging markets
such as Brazil, Mexxico,
READER’S DIGEST
China and India are helping to drive
growth – despite becoming flower
producers themselves.
The Net herland’s histor y-con-
scious florists have chosen to move
with the times. Opening Royal Flo-
raHolland’s auction floor to tourists
has also helped increase interest in
the 125-year-old
y procedure. Today,
v i sitor s f rrom a rou nd t he
world c a n w it ness t he
f low eer auc t ion f i r s t-
hand d, and through an
or mat ion-packed
i n fo
digital tour get to fully
understand what goes
on b behind the scenes
of thiis genuinely Dutch
institu ution.
March •2018 | 95
WHO KNEW?
Here’s Why
Seven Is Most
Likely Your
Favourite
Number
But if you favour 42, you
are also in surprisingly
good company
BY BR A N D O N SP E C KTO R
ONE IS THE LONELIEST NUMBER
that you’ll ever do, according to the
consortium of scholars known as
Three Dog Night. But what if there is a
number (or many numbers) even less
popular than one?
For reasons totally unrelated to clas-
sic rock, author Alex Bellos set out to
find the world’s favourite numbers.
His online survey swiftly received
more than 30,000 votes from number-
philes around the world. Voters gave
many reasons for their favourites,
though they usually corresponded
to an important date or age or other
positive association.
Overall, odd numbers outperformed
96 | March •2018
evens. And Bellos suggests that num-
bers ending in zero were too, well,
round for most tastes. “When we say
100, we don’t usually mean exactly
100; we mean around 100,” Bellos
told Nautilus magazine. “Why would
you have something as your favourite
that is so vague?”
Numbers that stake a claim to a
higher purpose did well. For instance,
42 – the “Answer to the Ultimate
Question of Life, the Universe, and
Everything” from The Hitchhiker’s
Guide to the Galaxy – landed in 11th
place. The lovely, symmetrical num-
ber eight, which is pronounced ba- in
Chinese and rhymes with the Chinese
word fa-, signifying prosperity, came in of seventh heaven as the ultimate
third. Second place went to the num- happiness.
ber three, perhaps for its many ap- But all of this, Bellos suspects, is
pearances in nature and culture: the the effect and not the cause of our
number of leaves on a typical clover, sevenfold obsession. He posits that
little pigs pursued by a certain wolf, seven is a stone-cold rebel that fol-
musketeers in the Dumas novel, and lows no rules but its own.
wishes offered by genies. “Seven is the only number among
Very specific numbers with regular those we can count on our hands,
gigs in geometry also proved popu- one to ten, that cannot be divided or
lar. More than 400 people voted for multiplied within the group,” Bellos
pi (3.14), and 103 voted for 1.618, explains. One, two, three, four and
which in mathematics is known as five can each be doubled to reach
the golden ratio or the divine propor- two, four, six, eight and ten. Nine is
tion and is commonly seen in nature divisible by three. Seven, then, is the
and design. only number between two and ten
But the clear winner is the number that is neither a multiple nor a fac-
seven, raking in nearly ten tor of the others. In this
per cent of the total vote. way, ‘lucky number seven’
THE TOP 10
Shocked? If you’ve ever NUMBERS stands alone.
been to a casino, probably “It’s unique; it’s a loner,
not. But seven’s triumph the outsider. And humans
1. 7
also reaffirms a human 2. 3
interpret this arithmetical
fascination that goes back 3. 8 property in cultural ways,”
thousands of years. Bellos 4. 4 Bellos says.
points out that ancient 5. 5 As for the real loneliest
Babylonian tablets were 6. 13 number? It isn’t one, which
riddled with sevens. There 7. 9 came in 21st. The smallest
are also seven dwarfs, 8. 6 whole number that didn’t
seven samurai, seven 9. 2 receive a single vote, 110, is
deadly sins and seven days 10. 11 in a solo class of loneliness
of the week. We even speak all its own.

MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE

Science question: Why is there no such thing as enough pizza?

@JOSHGONDELMAN

March •2018 | 97
DID YOU KNOW?

Featured
FEATHERS
Grab a bucket of popcorn and go behind
the scenes of these bird-related movies
BY K A I T L I N S TA I N B R O O K

2016
Angry Birds, a mobile game with
hundreds of levels, inspired a 2016
movie featuring the titular characters.
54
The black-and-white film Birdman
of Alcatraz is based on real-life
criminal and ornithologist Robert
Stroud, who raised and studied
canaries during many of his 54

5
To prepare for her physically years in multiple prisons.
intensive ballerina role in Black
Swan, Natalie Portman trained
five hours a day for six months.

8000
One of the hypercompetitive
protagonists of The Big Year begins
his birding journey at Phoebe’s Diner,
a nod to Phoebe Snetsinger, the first
birder to see over 8000 species.

98 | March •2018
 35
Director Alfred
Hitchcock often made
cameos in his films.
L E F T: C O U R T E S Y E V E R E T T C O L L E C T I O N ; R I G H T: M A R Y E VA N S / H A R O L D H E C H T/ R O N A L D G R A N T/ E V E R E T T C O L L E C T I O N

The Birds was the 35th

movie of his in which he
made an appearance.

2.4
When Follow That Bird, a now-beloved movie about Big Bird,
hit cinemas in 1985, it was a total flop, earning only $2.4
million on its opening weekend in the US.

10,297
After 10,297 balloons lift his house away in
the Pixar film Up, 78-year-old Carl meets
Kevin, a large tropical bird that resembles a
Himalayan monal pheasant.

March •2018 | 99
 SEE
THE WORLD ...
Turn the page
 ... DIFFERENTLY
The Vikings are on the loose again, at least in the Shetland
Islands, where the locals revel in reliving the Middle Ages once
every year. On the last Tuesday of January, the men dress as
Norsemen complete with axes and torches, to celebrate
Up Helly Aa, a traditional festival of fire. Carrying a longboat
through the streets of Lerwick while gathering up to 1000
paraders, the participants march through the town and at the
end of the procession throw their torches into the vessel, setting
it ablaze in a spectacular offering to the gods of old. The women
rejoin their men in the local pubs where the celebration
continues well into the night. PHOTOS: JEFF MITCHELL/GETTY IMAGES
Eco-Habits
WE LOVE
Moves that improve your health and
save the planet? Total win. Here are five
double-duty deeds to inspire you
BY J I L L B U C H N E R

Get in The Bike Lane
IT’S BODY-BOOSTING BECAUSE …
Over the past few years, much of the
Western world has been colloqui-
ally diagnosed with ‘sitting disease’,
which is linked to heart disease and
obesity. Technology is making our
lifestyles increasingly inactive, but
taking a few simple steps (or pedals)
to get moving can help. “It’s so auto-
matic … that if we want to go any-
where, even if it’s just a few minutes
away, we hop in cars,” says Adria
Vasil, an environmental journalist
and author of the bestselling Eco-
holic series. “We’d all be healthier if
we hopped on bikes instead.” A 2016
study found that those who com-
mute to work by walking or cycling
have less body fat and a lower body
mass index.
P H OTOS: iS TO C K
IT’S PLANET-PLEASING BECAUSE …
“If we try to bike to work or to the store
instead of hop in a car all the time,
we’re not just going to be helping our
waistlines; we’re going to be slashing
ENVIRONMENT
our carbon footprint in a massive
way,” says Vasil. About a third of all
greenhouse gas emissions in Australia
are from transportation, cars making
up 46 per cent of these emissions. Re-
ducing even a fraction of our carbon
footprint can go a long way.
Ditch Disinfectants
IT’S BODY-BOOSTING BECAUSE …
You’ve likely heard the call to rid
yourself of antibacterial hand soaps
that are waiting to wreak havoc on
your microbiome, but don’t stop
there. Vasal says that she has found
antibacterials on the ingredient lists
of toothpastes, deodorants, acne
products and dry shampoos.
In the US, 19 antibacterial ingre-
dients, including triclosan, have
been banned by the FDA for lack of
evidence that they are safe or effec-
tive. There are calls for triclosan to
be banned in Australia, New Zea-
land and other countries, too. And
it isn’t just personal care products:
cleaning products also contribute to
the problem. Microbiologist B. Brett
Finlay, who co-authored the book
Let Them Eat Dirt, says our over-
sanitised world is a contributing fac-
tor for conditions such as asthma,
allergies, diabetes and obesity. “We
have to respect these microbes and
understand that they’re part of us,”
he says.
March •2018 | 105
E CO - H A B I TS W E LOV E
IT’S PLANET-PLEASING BECAUSE …
Just as our bodies thrive on healthy
bacteria, so does the environment,
says Vasil. Research shows t hat
when all those antibacterial ingre-
dients go down the drain, they affect
the fish, plants and other aquatic
life downstream. “You don’t want to
throw that ecosystem off,” she says.
Triclosan has received a lot of atten-
tion in recent years for its toxicity to
aquatic life, where it winds up in fish
and stays there. It is also suspected to
be a hormone disrupter in humans.
If you’re still feeling a little germo-
phobic, Vasil recommends wiping
surfaces with vinegar, which has nat-
ural antibacterial properties.
Don’t Sugar-Coat It
IT’S BODY-BOOSTING BECAUSE …
Lately, sugar has been getting a bad
rap – and for good reason. Not only
does the white stuff contribute to
obesity but, according to a review
of research published in 2010, the
106 | March •2018
consumption of sugary drinks may
also be linked to an estimated 184,000
adult deaths each year worldwide.
Try eating more fruits to satisfy your
sweet tooth.
IT’S PLANET-PLEASING BECAUSE …
When Vasil sees people lined up
around the block for the latest sugary
fad, she has one thing on her mind:
the planet. “Sugar cane plantations
have led to some of the biggest losses
of biodiversity in terms of any single
agricultural product,” explains Vasil.
Translation: our environment, plants
and animals all take a hit. When you
have a hankering for sweets, Vasil
encourages looking for organic and
fair-trade versions of sugar and con-
sidering honey as an alternative.
Be An Earth-Itarian
IT’S BODY-BOOSTING BECAUSE …
And here’s some sad news for our
bacon-obsessed world: meat might
make your mouth water, but it’s not
so great for the rest of your body. In
2015, the World Health Organiza-
tion made headlines by classifying
processed meat as a carcinogen and
labelling red meat as a probable car-
cinogen because of its associations
with colorectal, stomach, pancreatic
and prostate cancers.
More recently, researchers from the
P H OTOS: iS TO C K
University of Adelaide in Australia
found that meat is as bad as sugar
when it comes to contributing to
global rates of obesity. Healthy vege-
tarian diets, on the other hand, have
been associated with a reduction
in weight and blood pressure and a
lower risk of heart disease, diabetes
and some cancers.
IT’S PLANET-PLEASING BECAUSE …
Our carnivorous ways contribute to
carbon emissions – big time. A 2006
United Nations report found that cat-
tle rearing was responsible for more
greenhouse gases than transporta-
tion. The massive carbon footprint
stems from deforestation used to cre-
ate pasture, as well as the bodily emis-
sions of the livestock. Swapping your
usual serving of meat for plant-based
protein options such as nuts, seeds
and legumes can have a big impact.
US biological research found that,
while eating a 230-gram steak pro-
duces the same amount of pollution
as driving a small car about 47 kilo-
metres, a vegetarian substitute equals
driving only about five kilometres.
Ditch Plastics
IT’S BODY-BOOSTING BECAUSE …
So you got rid of all your bisphenol A
(BPA)-containing water bottles and
canned foods – plastic problem
solved, right? Not so fast. According
to Lindsay Coulter, the David Suzuki
Foundation’s green-living expert,
many of those plastic containers
that boast a ‘BPA-free’ status are
actually filled with another chemi-
cal, bisphenol S (BPS), which may be
equally problematic. “Researchers
are finding that those are still hor-
mone disrupters,” says Coulter. And
since these oestrogen-mimicking
compounds are connected to weight
gain, it’s no surprise that a 2016 study
published in Endocrinology linked
BPA-free plastics (containing BPS) to
fat cell formation. When it comes to
water bottles and food storage con-
tainers, Coulter recommends switch-
ing to stainless steel or glass.
IT’S PLANET-PLEASING BECAUSE …
In a 2014 study, many BPA-replace-
ment plastics were found to still leach
chemicals with oestrogen activity,
especially when they were exposed to
ultraviolet rays. The potential effects
of all these endocrine disrupters have
been scientifically documented. In
the aquatic environment, the effects
have been observed in seals, birds,
alligators, fish and molluscs, where
there have been changes in
everything from reproduction to im-
mune function. It’s a risk so big that
it incited hormone experts to write an
editorial in a 2013 edition of Endocri-
nology arguing that these chemicals
pose a threat to human health and
the Earth’s ecosystems.
March •2018 | 107
TRAVEL

PHOTO: ALESSANDRO DELL A B ELL A /KE YSTONE/REDUX

View of Hong Kong

Island from Tsim Sha
Tsui Promenade
HONG KONG
REVISITED
It’s two decades since Britain handed
Hong Kong back to China. Our writer, a
former resident, returned to find the city
as vibrant – and quirky – as ever
BY B O N N I E M U N DAY
H O N G KO N G R E V I S I T E D

V
ICTOR I A H A R BOU R bridge linking Hong Kong to Zhuhai
is breathtak ing, es- in mainland China and the gambling
pecially during t he haven of Macau.
night ly laser show, It feels good to be back. Jules and I
when t he pleasu re lived here in the 1990s, before Britain
junks, ferries and container ships relinquished Hong Kong to China
seem to dance in the lights. On this in 1997. Now, 20 years later, we’ve
warm April night last year, my hus- returned for ten days to see how
band, Jules, and I are standing at the city has fared. It’s also our 20th
the railing of a rooftop restaurant on wedding anniversary. Where better
Hong Kong Island, in awe at the spec- to celebrate it than in the city where
tacular skyline. Brightly lit skyscrap- we met?
ers – some 1300 of which are over
100 metres high, by far the most of NEXT MORNING, we leave our Cause-
any city in the world – spike the night way Bay hotel and walk towards Wan
sky around us and across the teeming Chai, a district two kilometres away.
harbour on Kowloon Peninsula. Walking is the best way to experience
As the breeze shifts our hair, we Hong Kong’s colourful sights, sounds
feel Hong Kong’s energy. In the dis- and smells. First we must negotiate
tance twinkle the lights of Tsing Ma throngs of Saturday shoppers here in
suspension bridge, the world’s longest this retail mecca.
for cars and trains, whisking people We join the sea of people in a wide
towards the modern 20-year-old air- pedestrian crossing on Yee Wo Street
port on Lantau Island. Beyond it is a that leads us past one of the city’s
nearly completed multi-billion-dollar largest department stores, Sogo,
swathed in posters advertising de-
KOW LO O N signer labels. Young women sport-
TSIM
ing sleek heels and luxury handbags
SHA – a couple of them with beribboned
TSUI apricot poodles tucked under an arm
UR – are a common sight this morning.
R BO
H A
VICTORIA AY By the time we reach Wan Chai,
C AUSEW
B AY we’ve left the brand shoppers behind.
This district is grittier than Causeway
CENTRA
L Bay, although its former reputation
AI
WA N C H for girly bars has somewhat given
H O N G KO N G way to shiny office towers. At Bow-
1 km
ISLAND rington Road market, which spans
a couple of blocks, housewives are

110 | March •2018

 Street markets in the Mong Kok neighbourhood of Kowloon
haggling loudly over meat, fish and
vegetables.
Street markets are a must-see in
Hong Kong, but be prepared for the
smells – meat, seafood, stinky durian
fruit – and a little gore: I watch a ven-
dor prove to a customer how fresh his
fish is by slicing along one side, fold-
ing the fillet back and exposing the
still-intact beating heart.
Nearby, beneath an overpass, we
P H OTO : R I C H L EG G/G E T T Y I M AG E S
encounter a curious sight: an elderly
woman chanting while she beats a
paper with a shoe. A customer has
written on the paper the name of a
person who has upset him, we learn.
Afterwards, the paper is rubbed with
pork fat and burned. This ritual beats
the ‘villain’ out of the customer’s life.
Later we stop to check out the wares
of a grey-haired woman hanging
men’s shirts on the metal grille of an
office building. As Jules peruses the
shirts, I ask her, “Do you feel Hong
Kong has changed under Chinese
rule?” She’s dismissive. “I’m just part
of the little people,” she says. “I only
want to make enough money. I don’t
care if Britain or China is here.”
OTHER ENTREPRENEURS we en-
counter seem to agree it’s business
as usual. Before the handover, many
people here feared Communist China
would curtail the capitalism and hu-
man rights protections Hong Kong
enjoyed under British rule, even
though China promised self-rule –
“one country, two systems” – for 50
years. But, as Christine Loh, a legisla-
tor here before and after the handover,
expressed in an email to me, “The
March •2018 | 111
H O N G KO N G R E V I S I T E D
degree of freedom in Hong Kong on
a day-to-day basis remains very high.”
We’ll hear a similar opinion over a
lunch of dim sum in Kowloon, where
we’re heading now on the Star Ferry.
It’s been chugging across Victoria
Harbour since 1888. It’s a short walk
to Serenade Chinese Restaurant; it’s
vast, with huge windows overlooking
the harbour.
There we meet my longtime friend
Junko Watanabe. With her are Ron-
nie and Jennifer Ho, retired teachers
in their late 50s who have just moved
back from Boston to their home city
after 23 years. Over bamboo baskets
of har gau (steamed shrimp) and siu
mai (pork dumplings) and an order
of yi mein (egg noodles), Ronnie and
Jennifer tell us they’re delighted to
be home. “We haven’t noticed many
changes in daily life,” Ronnie says.
Their parents fled poverty in China
for colonial Hong Kong at a young
age. Ronnie’s father encouraged
the couple to emigrate before 1997.
“Our parents knew China was to be
feared,” says Jennifer. The 1989 Tian-
anmen Square massacre influenced
their decision to leave. They returned
to Hong Kong to be back among fam-
ily. Says Ronnie, “We’re too old to
worry about politics now.”
CLEARLY, HONG KONG is thriving. In
a recent survey of the world’s cities
by consulting firm Mercer, it ranked
sixth for infrastructure, which in-
cludes such criteria as drink ing
112 | March •2018
water and public transport. It ranked
71st among 231 cities for quality of
life – higher than the 11 other Chi-
nese cities included.
The outlook for press freedom is
less encouraging: a Reporters With-
out Borders (RWB) survey shows
Hong Kong has slipped from 18th
in 2002 to 73rd today (China ranked
176th.) RWB cites growing difficulty
in covering sensitive stories about
Hong Kong’s government and main-
land China, and finds “extremely dis-
turbing” the purchase of Hong Kong
media by Chinese companies such as
Internet giant Alibaba.
Politically, Hong Kong residents
use their right to protest when they
perceive China to be overreach-
ing. In late 2014, thousands took to
the streets in a protest dubbed the
Umbrella Movement when Beijing
insisted on vetting candidates for
chief executive. China got its way.
Another trigger for protests has been
tourism from mainland China. Before
1997 most visitors came from Japan
and Taiwan, but when Beijing relaxed
its rules in the early 2000s, the num-
ber of mainland visitors jumped from
about seven million per year in 2002 to
a whopping 43 million by 2016.
For some locals, that’s too many;
they say the visitors are rude and
loud. And they blame mainlanders
for the scarcity of such necessities as
baby formula and medicines.
Indeed, when Jules went to buy
shaving cream, he was mystified
 Lamma Island is just half an hour by ferry from Central but a world away
to see pharmacy staff unloading
countless boxes of baby formula
onto shelves. Mainlanders snap
it up due to tainted baby formula
scares in China. At a 2014 protest in
Hong Kong, mainlanders were de-
nounced as ‘locusts’ eating the city’s
resources. Signs read, “Go Back to
China” and “Reclaim Hong Kong”.
Late one afternoon I meet up with
Mark Sharp, a South China Morning
Post editor and writer since before
the handover, in the seaside town
of Sai Kung, in the New Territories
P H O T O : B O N N I E M U N D AY
– the mostly rural region between
Kowloon a nd ma i n la nd Ch i na.
Over a beer, he confirms locals are
more outspoken nowadays. “People
worry that as more mainland Chi-
nese come, Hong Kong will lose its
identity.”
Young people, Sharp says, are
especially vocal. They are Hong
Kongers first: a recent Hong Kong
University survey showed that only
3 per cent of people aged 18–29 iden-
tify as Chinese, an all-time low since
the surveys started in 1997; back
then, that number was 17 per cent.
Joshua Wong, 20, is the face of the
generation that has known Hong
Kong only as part of China. At age
14, he led a successful student pro-
test against mandated ‘national
education’ courses. In his opinion,
the courses were intended to create
loyalty to the Communist regime.
“We think that reduces freedom of
thought,” says Wong. As leaders of
the Umbrella Movement, Wong and
two others were jailed last August for
six to eight months for their roles.
March •2018 | 113
H O N G KO N G R E V I S I T E D
Incense coils scent the air inside
Man Mo Temple in Central
ON A SUNNY MORNING, we hop onto
a ferry bound for Lamma Island. It’s
a 30-minute trip to Yung Shue Wan
village – and a world away. Although
Hong Kong isn’t often associated with
green spaces, there are many, and
Lamma, where we lived, has some
of our favourite hikes. We drop our
bags at our guesthouse and walk for
two hours on paths that wind down
towards sandy beaches and steeply
upwards again.
At a hilltop pavilion, we buy re-
freshing pineapple slices from an
old woman in a straw hat. From a
114 | March •2018
nearby path we can see the fishing
boats and stilted seafood restau-
rants of Sok Kwu Wan village below.
Walking back, we spot graves set
into green slopes that face the sea
for favourable feng shui. During the
Ching Ming Festival two weeks ear-
lier, families had swept loved ones’
gravesites and burned incense for
departed spirits.
In Yung Shue Wan, we head to
Andy’s Seafood Restaurant on Main
Street and find a table with a view
of the sun setting over the sea. It’s
a slice of Hong Kong heaven to dine
on fresh grouper with soy sauce and
ginger, and razor clams in black
bean sauce.
BACK ON HONG KONG island, we
walk from the pier into Central and
Sheung Wan. The walk is a few min-
utes longer than in the 1990s: the
shoreline has shifted to accommo-
date new sk yscrapers. One thing
hasn’t changed: most high-rises
under construction are clad in tra-
ditional scaffolding of bamboo tied P H OTO : Y EU N G M A N C H U N /S H U T T E R S TO C K
with nylon strips.
We browse antique stores along
Hollywood Road and Cat Street, look-
ing for an anniversary gift to each
other. The symbol for the 20th year is,
fittingly, china, and we find the per-
fect item: a gold-painted teapot with
wicker handles, featuring the Chi-
nese character for double-happiness,
a wedding symbol.
The teapot tucked under Jules’

arm, we pass galleries and, surpris-
ingly, coffee shops with a hipster
vibe: Winston’s, The Cupping Room,
Cafe Deadend. When I lived here,
tea shops were ubiquitous. Stores
selling olive oils, vinegars, cheeses
and wines also exemplify changing
tastes; before 1997, we had to search
those things out.
This evolution contrasts with Man
Mo Temple, a Taoist and Buddhist
temple dedicated to the gods of lit-
erature (Man) and war (Mo). Built
in 1847, its sloping roof is decorated
with carvings of dragons and human
figures. The quiet, candlelit interior
is scented w ith burning incense
coils hanging from the ceiling. We
watch worshippers set offerings of
oranges and candles on a table.
Soon we rejoin the bustle of Hol-
lywood Road.
IT’S HUMID on our final day, and
threatening rain. We have time for a
last lunch. In Sheung Wan, past the
pungently scented dried-seafood
stalls this district is famous for, we
find a noodle house on Des Voeux
Road. It’s full of chattering office
workers. At the front window, the
END OF THE LINE
On average, people will wait six minutes in a queue before
giving up and going away.
FROM 1,423 Q.I. FACTS TO BOWL YOU OVER BY JOHN LLOYDE
READER’S DIGEST
chef is dropping fresh noodles into
a huge pot of steaming broth.
“Sorry, no English,” says the wait-
ress as she drops two Chinese-
language menus on the table. No
problem; we point to bowls of noo-
dles the chef has topped with barbe-
cued pork and Chinese broccoli and
hold up two fingers, then sip on tall
glasses of sweet iced lemon tea while
we wait. We copy the locals, who
stab at the lemon slices with a long
spoon to squeeze out the juice, stir,
sip, repeat.
On t he street, it’s raining. We
sprint to our hotel, grab our luggage
and hail a cab. “Central Station,
please, Airport Express,” I tell the
driver, a man in his 60s. As we weave
through buses, trams and luxury
cars, I point out to Jules an elderly
man wearing a pointed straw hat
riding a rusting bicycle. Tall propane
tanks are strapped to either side,
and he’s negotiating traffic through
the rain. Only in Hong Kong.
At the station, the driver points to
where we can check our bags to the
airport. “Make sure, come back soon!”
he says, waving. “This is world’s best
city!” I couldn’t agree more.
March •2018 | 115
As a nurse, Geri
Taylor had seen
Alzheimer’s in
action – now she
would live it
 BONUS READ

A woman faces the

ravages of this feared
condition and finds a
new purpose in life

BY N . R . KLE I N F I E LD
FR O M TH E N EW YORK TI M ES
WA I T I N G F O R A L Z H E I M E R ’ S

IT
BEGAN WITH WHAT SHE SAW IN THE
bathroom mirror. Geri Taylor padded into the
shiny bathroom of her New York apartment and
casually checked her reflection. Immediately, she
stiffened with fright. She didn’t recognise herself.
She gazed at her image, thinking: Oh, no, that’s not me.
Who’s that in my mirror? That was late 2012. She was 69
years old and recently retired.

For some time she had experienced
the sensation of clouds coming over
her. There had been a few hiccups at
her job. She was a nurse with a mas-
ter’s degree in public health, who’d
moved into several administrative
positions. Once, she was leading a
staff meeting when she had no idea
what she was talking about, her mind
like a stalled engine.
Certain mundane tasks stumped
her. She told her husband, Jim Taylor,
that the blind in the bedroom was bro-
ken. He showed her she was pulling
the wrong cord. It kept happening.
Finally he scribbled on the wall which
cord was which.
So, yes, she’d had inklings that
something was going wrong with her
mind. But to not recognise her own
face! This was when she had to accept
a terrible truth. “Before then I thought
I could fake it,” she would later ex-
plain. “This convinced me I had to
come clean.”
She confided her fears to her hus-
band and made an appointment with
a neurologist. The neurologist listened
to her symptoms, took blood, gave
her a standard cognitive test. She was
asked to count backwards from 100 in
intervals of seven. He told her three
common words, said he was going
to ask her about them later. When he
asked, she knew only one.
He gave a diagnosis of mild cogni-
tive impairment, a common precursor
to Alzheimer’s disease. The first label
that was put on what she had. Even
then, she understood it was the foot-
fall of what would come. Alzheimer’s
had struck her father, an aunt and a
cousin. She long suspected it would
eventually find her.
Alzheimer’s is degenerative and in-
curable, and democratic in its reach.
Worldwide nearly 47 million people
have Alzheimer’s or related demen-
tia. People live with it about eight to
ten years on average after diagnosis,
though some people last for 20 years.
The disease moves in worsening
stages to its ungraspable end. That is
the familiar face of Alzheimer’s, the

118 | March •2018


withered person with the scrambled
mind marooned in a nursing home.
But there is also the beginning, the
waiting period. Now this was Geri
Taylor. Waiting.
SHE NEVER CRIED
Geri remained energised, in control,
the silent attack on her brain not yet in
full force. But what about next month?
“THE BEGINNING IS LIKE PURGATORY,”
GERI SAID. “IT’S KIND OF A GRACE PERIOD.
YOU’RE WAITING FOR SOMETHING”
Next year? The disease would be there.
It nicks away at you, its progress messy
and unpredictable.
“The beginning is like purgatory,”
she said later. “It’s kind of a grace pe-
riod. You’re waiting for something.
Something you don’t want to come.
It’s like a before-hell purgatory.”
Geri is an effervescent woman,
with a round face and a froth of swirl-
ing hair. In her healthcare career, she
had seen Alzheimer’s in action. Now
she would live it. Those who learn
they have the disease often sink into
a piercing black grief. They try to
camouflage their symptoms from the
world as they back-pedal from life. But
Geri pictured Alzheimer’s differently,
with defiance and through a dispas-
sionate, unblinking lens.
Crossing into the pitted terrain of
READER’S DIGEST
Alzheimer’s made her question her
purpose. Her career was concluded.
Mortality was pressing in. Was she
limited to backward glances, or could
this be a new beginning?
At first her husband had trouble ad-
justing. He wouldn’t meet her eyes. He
drew away. Jim is two years younger
than Geri, a lanky, warm-voiced man.
To unfreeze the chill between them, it
took a pep talk that put the present in
softer perspective. Geri told him, “This
is something that is going to develop,
but it hasn’t developed yet.”
Yes, something big had happened.
Yet they were still alive. Still together,
with more mileage in their future.
So they moved forwards into their re-
ordered lives.
Many think of Alzheimer’s as a
memory disease, but its awful mys-
teries involve more than that. Not only
was her memory leaving her, but also
what is called ‘executive function’. You
lose the sequence of steps in a pro-
cess, like a man who begins shaving
before applying shaving cream.
She couldn’t know the speed of her
decline. It is different with everyone.
The impact, she learned, in part ap-
pears determined by the amount of
March •2018 | 119
WA I T I N G F O R A L Z H E I M E R ’ S

Jim drew up a to-do

list, a way to get things
started. When to tell
the kids and the grand-
kids. How long to keep
two homes. Advancing
care need. End-of-life
decisions.
Geri was advised not
to tell people of her
condition. Friends will
fall away from you, she
was told. It was as if
there were something
Geri and Jim Taylor on their wedding day in 1993.
illicit about contracting
With them are their children. From left: Mark Taylor,
Heidi Taylor, Amy Taylor and Lloyd Widmer
Alzheimer’s. The Taylors
wanted no part of that.
“It was my decision to
cognitive reserve, the mental capabil- let the disease be alive in my life,” Geri
ities that accumulate over a lifetime. said. “You don’t have to just throw in
She felt she had plenty of that – at least the towel.”
she hoped so. They waited six months. She
Her doctor put her on Aricept, a wanted time to try on her new life,
drug designed to improve cognitive so she could share the news without
performance. It seemed to sharpen an overflow of emotion. Then in the
her thinking, especially in the morn- summer of 2013, she told the children.
ing, but she couldn’t really gauge how They were not surprised. They had
much good it did. detected glitches in her memory, and P H O T O C O U R T E S Y G E R I A N D J I M TAY L O R

Her belief system was optimism. now they knew their origin. She post-
She never cried. Depression, she poned informing the grandchildren
knew, would lead her down alleys she and moved on to other relatives and
didn’t want to visit. Instead, the dis- friends. Some accepted the news, oth-
ease made her hungry for living. She ers quibbled, the glare of the truth too
vowed to plunge ahead and accelerate bright. Are you sure … You don’t seem
her longtime interest in photography. … I didn’t notice ... Some practically
See friends more. She aimed to live tried to talk her out of it.
the most fulfilling days she could at Others could hardly see it. She
what seemed the bleakest possible knew better. She was slipping, the
time. disease whittling away at her. Certain

120 | March •2018


words became irretrievable, sen-
tences refused to come out. Belong-
ings vanished: keys, glasses, earrings.
She lost things and then forgot what
she had lost.
A fraying at the edges of her life.
“I know the tide is going out on my
memory,” she would say.
She had trouble with time. “I have
no clock in my head anymore,” is how
she put it. “The concept of how long it
takes to do something has been lost.”
If she had seen someone that morn-
ing, by afternoon she would wonder if
it had happened some other day.
Her new best friend was her iPhone.
HER NEW BEST FRIEND WAS HER IPHONE.
MAYBE 20 TIMES A DAY SHE SCROLLED
THROUGH THE CALENDAR
She fished it out maybe 20 times a day
and scrolled through the calendar and
the notes she made to herself. Have
to be where? When? Do what? Call
whom? She used the camera to snap
pictures of places to remember them.
In March 2014 she went to the
CaringKind organisation in midtown
Manhattan. She had been reluctant
to visit, picturing the place as a re-
source for those sunk deeper into the
disease’s darkening world, that it was
too early for her. But once she min-
gled, she knew she was right on time.
READER’S DIGEST
“I thought these were my people,” she
said. “This is where I belong.”
She enrolled in some programmes,
including a photography workshop.
She signed on for a Memory Works
group that engaged in mind exer-
cises. The moderator said the games
would not cure them or forestall their
decline. They were there to have fun –
name words starting with the letter B;
foods starting with the letter M.
The best part was not having to
mask her shortcomings. In the out-
side world it was a constant strug-
gle to keep up. Outside, people with
Alzheimer’s are looked on as broken.
Inside these walls, though, everyone
had it. Alzheimer’s was normal. In
Memory Works, she felt protected
and safe.
The chumminess among these
strangers was amazing. They were hi-
jacked by a ghastly disease. But they
joked around, egged one another on.
“Everyone’s laughing,” she reported,
“and everyone is happy they are with
people just like them who can’t get the
words out.” Sitting there in the bub-
bly ambience, she would sometimes
think, “We shouldn’t be this happy.”
March •2018 | 121
WA I T I N G F O R A L Z H E I M E R ’ S
It was as if they were all high. High
on Alzheimer’s.
COPING STRATEGIES
Geri became watchful when she was
walking. Her gait had changed. She
felt as if she was weaving, one wrong
step away from whirling onto the floor.
It was worst when she talked while
walking. Once she fell while convers-
ing with friends. Her new rule: talk
SHE WAS A DIFFERENT PERSON WITH
ALZHEIMER’S, TUGGED BACK AND FORTH
ACROSS THE BORDERS OF THE DISEASE
only if necessary while walking.
One day she was driving and she
bumped into another car. There was
no serious damage, but it was totally
her fault. Not long after, she was driv-
ing with Jim when she came on some
roadworks. A flagman motioned her to
stop. Instead, she continued onward,
feeling an irresistible urge to speak
to the flagman. Finally, Jim got her
to stop. She couldn’t explain her odd
behaviour.
That night, Jim suggested that she
ought to stop driving, that she was us-
ing poor judgement. She lashed out at
him, told him he used poor judgement
all the time. Drove too fast. Tailgated.
But the next day, once the weight of
inevitability settled in, she agreed to
122 | March •2018
cut back, drive only when absolutely
necessary.
A friend showed her the ‘Find My
Friends’ app on her iPhone. “I hope
this doesn’t offend you,” the friend
said.
“I’ve already got it,” Geri replied.
She had set it up with Jim, allowing
him to track where she was through
their phones, in case she got lost and
had to be rescued.
She was a different person with
Alzheimer’s, tugged back and forth
across the borders of the disease. One
day things were one way and then
they were another. Feeling normal.
Trapped in a diffuse cloud. Bursting
with energy. Worn out. The disease
wasn’t a straight line.
The fluctuations would lead her to
question herself. “It’s the fraud com-
plex that Alzheimer’s people have,”
she said. “You have good days and bad
days. And when you’re having a good
stretch you think, Am I a fraud?”
But then the disease would clear its
throat and remind her. Some nights,
she would sleepwalk. One morning,
she woke up and found herself stock-
still in the living room, peering out the
 Her relationship with Jim is better than ever since learning she has Alzheimer’s
window. Sometimes she hallucinated
and had creepy, involved dreams. She
P H OTO : M I C H A E L K I R BY S M I T H F O R T H E N E W YO R K T I M E S
would scream in her sleep, and Jim
had to shake her awake.
She felt like she was working at half-
speed. “I can’t just open my closet in
the morning and put together what
to wear. I lay things out the night be-
fore or start earlier in the morning.
One thing I concentrate on is looking
orderly. I don’t want to look old and
crazy. In a heartbeat, I know, I could
look disorderly.”
Food also mattered less to her.
She never liked grocery shopping.
She liked it even less now. “One big
symptom is the inability to cook and
assemble,” she said. “Now I’m happy
with a plain sandwich, or I’m buying
pre-cooked chicken.”
She had trouble keeping up in a
conversation. “When I’m talking to
friends, I’ll prepare,” she said. “Do
some research. Like make sure to ask
about the latest granddaughter. Which
I forgot to do the other morning. Or to
ask about the husband, making sure
there is a husband.”
One thing nagging at her was find-
ing purpose in her life, a purpose to
replace her career. She’d loved her
work. She never wanted to simply
walk the sidelines.
Photography had been a sideline
for 30 years, but now she could really
devote time to it. Birds were her avid
interest. She put her best photos on
cards and gave them as gifts.
March •2018 | 123
WA I T I N G F O R A L Z H E I M E R ’ S
Certainly, the photography was a
salve. When she immersed herself in
it, the world around her seemed to re-
lax. The Alzheimer’s felt oddly absent,
not able to touch her. With her birds,
there was no need to scrabble for the
right word. She didn’t have to talk to
them. “For me, the disease doesn’t ex-
ist when I’m taking pictures,” she said.
The birds were wonderful. But were
they enough? She didn’t think so, but
hadn’t yet imagined what could be.
The CaringKind caregiver workshop
WITH HER BIRDS, THERE WAS NO NEED
TO SCRABBLE FOR THE RIGHT WORD.
SHE DIDN’T HAVE TO TALK TO THEM
began in the training room. There
were eight participants, Jim Taylor
among them.
The moderator told the participants
that eventually they would need sup-
port, too. “You can only bend so
far before you break,” she said. She
invited sharing. Driving came up.
A woman said she got nervous when
her husband almost ran a red light
and stopped only because she yelled.
Afterwards, she confiscated his keys.
He got furious. She relented. They
were still hashing it out.
One frustrated woman, caring for
her husband, said with a quaver in her
voice: “You’re left on your own with
124 | March •2018
this, looking all the time, watching –
oh you repeated that two times, you
repeated that three times. I don’t like
it.” Another woman said: “He probably
doesn’t like it, either.”
The moderator brought up the or-
ganisation’s medical alert programme.
Wandering is common with Alzheim-
er’s. It typically happens if there is a
disruption in one’s routine. So the or-
ganisation recommends everyone get
an identification bracelet.
Next the moderator said she wanted
to try an exercise. She handed every-
one two sheets of paper. Each con-
tained a star drawn in double lines.
She asked them to draw a line be-
tween those double lines, tracing the
outline of the star. Once they finished,
she asked how they felt about the
experience.
Back came their answers: “Boring.”
“Annoyance.”
She then handed everyone a small
mirror. Now, on the second sheet, she
wanted them to position the mirror so
they could see the star in the reflec-
tion. Then to trace the star again while
looking only in the mirror. The point
was to let them experience a taste of

what it was like to have dementia, to
promote understanding and empathy.
As he fumbled his way through the
star exercise, Jim Taylor said, “This is
like driving a trailer in reverse.”
The results were appalling, lines
scooting all over the place. Again, the
moderator asked how they felt.
“Frustrated.” “Disoriented.” A
piqued woman asked, “So is this how
they feel, people with Alzheimer’s?”
The moderator replied, “I would put
that back to you. What do you think?”
The woman was quiet. “Yes,” she
said softly, “I guess it must be.”
SHARING THE JOURNEY
Jim Taylor read a newspaper article
about an early-stage study for an ex-
perimental drug. The drug was aimed
at slowing mental decline by breaking
up the plaques formed by the beta
amyloid protein that are the hall-
mark of Alzheimer’s. The company
Biogen was testing subjects with mild
cases of Alzheimer’s. It was a promis-
ing possibility in a field littered with
disappointments.
Geri learned that part of the trial
was underway at Yale New Haven
Hospital in Connecticut. A few slots
were still open. Soon she was in New
Haven for cognition testing. The re-
sults placed her in the mild stage of
Alzheimer’s, the appropriate group. A
PET scan confirmed she had amyloid
build-up in her brain, another prereq-
uisite for the trial.
This felt like hope and it had a
READER’S DIGEST
potent allure for her, the possibility
that the drug might negotiate some
sort of truce with this disease.
She wouldn’t know whether she
would receive the drug or a placebo,
though because of the way the trial
was structured, the odds of getting the
treatment were high. Either way, she
would be entitled to the actual drug
after the year-long study period.
Meanwhile, in February 2015, the
Taylors were invited to give a dinner
talk about living with Alzheimer’s at
a church that Jim’s sister belonged to.
They had at first been hesitant. But
if it went well, perhaps it was some-
thing they could keep doing. Maybe
how they were figuring out this dis-
ease could help others.
Three dozen people squeezed into
the room at the church. Geri sat in a
chair. When she stood too long, she
got tremors.
Jim said: “We’re happy to be here
tonight to share our journey. While
sometimes difficult, it’s actually been
a rather exciting time.”
They told about the way the disease
weighed on them, how they avoided
the lockdown people with Alzheim-
er’s went through, how they chose
forward as the only sensible direction
to follow. The small details drew good
laughs. How Geri kept confusing their
toothbrushes and finally threw away
Jim’s because she couldn’t figure out
whose it was, even though, as she put
it, “there were just the two of us.”
She gave tips on how to
March •2018 | 125
WA I T I N G F O R A L Z H E I M E R ’ S
communicate with someone with the
disease: focus on one subject, never
ask several questions at the same
time. When a friend pelted her with
multiple questions, it left her baffled.
The audience was hushed and rapt,
hearing an ageing couple tell how they
were torn up and united by a disease.
They took questions. A man wanted
to know if she did crossword puzzles.
She said she didn’t, they were too
THE AUDIENCE WAS HUSHED AND RAPT,
HEARING A COUPLE TELL HOW THEY WERE
TORN UP AND UNITED BY A DISEASE
frustrating. But she still loved to read
and was ploughing through Crime
and Punishment. Someone else asked,
“What do you want to hear when you
tell someone you have Alzheimer’s?“
“I love you, anything I can do I’ll
do,” said Geri. “The acceptance is
more important than the particulars.”
NEW MISSION
In March 2015, Geri had her first
monthly infusion of the trial drug
aducanumab. Biogen had recently
announced that an analysis of 166
patients had shown positive results.
The drug slowed cognitive decline
and reduced plaque in the brain. Ex-
perts saw the data as encouraging. Of
course other drugs had offered initial
126 | March •2018
promise only to be discarded as false
leads. (In fact, further results a few
months later were more nebulous.)
In April the doctor sat with Geri as
she lay outstretched, an IV needle in
her arm. She knew about the parade
of failures for Alzheimer’s drugs. “It
must be exciting to be involved in a
success,” she said to the doctor.
“Well, a qualified success,” he
replied. “It’s still early.”
At this point, the drug remained a
question mark.* It would take years
to know its genuine worth. He was
rightly cautious.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
“Fine.”
“No itching?”
“No.” She felt hopeful. It was her
inner optimism, her desire to locate
a way out. She told the doctor, “I’ve
said to Jim that if I could be freeze-
dried like this, I could live with that.”
And, sure, who wouldn’t grab that
*On August 28, 2017, Biogen announced
positive results from a three-year trial
that found levels of amyloid plaque
continued to decrease in patients taking
aducanumab. Two global Phase 3 studies
are currently underway.
 Geri Taylor in Florida, where she and her husband travelled in 2015
bargain? Live with hunting for words,
misplacing her belongings, not driv-
P H OTO : M I C H A E L K I R BY S M I T H F O R T H E N E W YO R K T I M E S
ing? Why not? She knew nothing
would return her to the person she
had been, but being freeze-dried
where she was better than the ugliness
of the disease’s end stage.
Meanwhile, Geri and her husband
gave more talks on Alzheimer’s. They
were becoming apostles for how to
live with the disease. But she needed
to do more. She wanted to see strate-
gies identified and shared for navigat-
ing the everyday world, for wrenching
survival out of this disease. Since she
had it, she felt she was an authority.
In Aug ust, Geri met w it h t wo
CaringKind staff members. Geri
gave her pitch. She didn’t want
a traditional support group. She
wanted a group to share strategies,
an Alzheimer’s tutorial that could
be peer-driven. “We don’t want to
be done to, we want to do.”
CaringKind set up a series of three
workshops to swap strategies for liv-
ing with early-stage memory loss. For
and by the underdogs. People voiced
their problems. There was interest in
clinical drug trials. Strategies were
called out and put on a whiteboard.
Geri Taylor offered her ideas. Of
how to rely on a smartphone, social-
ising frequently, inventing reminders
and finding a purpose. She suggested
the group should have handbooks
published detailing these strategies.
Later, the Taylors met with the
March •2018 | 127
WA I T I N G F O R A L Z H E I M E R ’ S

Connecticut chapter of the Alzheim-
er’s Association, saying they were
amazed at how many people were
still in the closet about Alzheimer’s.
“If it stays hidden,” says Geri, “peo-
ple don’t develop the strategies to
compensate for the deficits. They just
slowly pass into a state of inability.”
The Alzheimer’s Association staff
members agreed. They mentioned
a woman who couldn’t remember
where different dishes were stored so
she put glass doors on her cabinets.
And the husband who worried his
wife would get lost when they went
shopping, so now they wore shirts of
matching colour.
Geri Taylor listened to all this, and
then the association executive said
she wanted Geri’s help. Come and
speak. Become one of their champi-
ons. Maybe become a representative
to the national organisation.
Geri’s face crinkled up, and she be-
gan to cry. For what she wished more
than anything was for people with
Alzheimer’s not to live in shame but
in nobility, and to learn ways to carry
on. And this woman was telling her
she wished for it, too. Geri had never
cried, never pitied herself for getting
the disease, but this made her cry.
More than three years had rolled by
since Geri Taylor hadn’t recognised
her face in the mirror, and began to
wonder what would fill her days. Now,
with her involvement in the Alzheim-
er’s Association, here was the answer.
This would be her second act, some-
thing that drew on her healthcare
career: helping others deal with the
darkness of Alzheimer’s.
Having purpose was the stabilising
force. And Alzheimer’s itself, she real-
ised, could be her purpose.
Currently, Geri Taylor is a spokesperson
in the US for the Alzheimer’s Association,
sharing her story to raise awareness of the
disease and advocating for increased
funding for Alzheimer’s research.

PRIME FIND

Maths fanatic Jonathan Pace, 51, has found the world’s largest
prime number after a 14-year search. Dubbed M77232917, the
prime – a number greater than one that is only divisible by one
and itself – comprises 23,249,425 digits. If printed in full with
one-millimetre digits, it would stretch the length of more than
1500 London buses. The figure is nearly one million digits longer
than the previous world’s longest prime, discovered in January
2016. Pace is set to receive a $3000 reward for his find.
THE GUARDIAN

128 | March •2018

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mountains. The differences between
their lifestyles divide tech-dependant
David further from his silent,
outdoorsy father. David is resentful
and reluctant to leave his creature
comforts and his phone behind to
join his father as they head off into
the wilderness to hunt.
COMPILED BY LOUISE WATERSON, VICTORIA POLZOT AND MELANIE EGAN
Movies
Cal tries to connect with his son
by recounting stories about how his
own father (played in flashbacks by
Bill Pullman) instructed him in the
same manly ways that Cal is passing
down now.
Things take a turn for the worse
when a chance encounter with a
grizzly bear leaves Cal wounded
and the ensuing mishaps force
David to mature under the weight
of responsibility.
March •2018 | 129
RD RECOMMENDS
Pitch Perfect 3
(Musical, Comedy) DVD
A
fter their graduation from
Barden University and
the highs of winning the
a capella world championship,
the Bellas find themselves split
apart and struggling to find jobs
in the real world. However, after
catching up over drinks, the former
a cappella group decide to reunite
when they are given the chance to
be part of a USO (United Services
Organizations) European tour.
The group come together for the
last part of their journey, making
some fabulous music and some
questionable decisions along
the way.
Rebel Wilson reprises her role
as Fat Amy alongside original cast
mates Anna Kendrick, Brittany
Snow and Elizabeth Banks.
130 | March •2018
Final Portrait
(Drama, Biography)
I 
n 1964, the American
biographer James Lord
(Armie Hammer) travelled
to Paris to meet with Alberto
Giacometti, the famous Swiss
artist and sculptor, to do a
series of interviews for the
biography that he was writing
of the artist’s life. In Final
Portrait film-maker Stanley
Tucci captures the weeks and
months that followed.
During the initial interview,
Giacometti (Geoffrey Rush)
asks Lord if he will sit for
a portrait because he has
such an interesting face.
Lord, who is flattered by
the request, agrees.
What is meant to take just a
few days turns into weeks, and
Lord belatedly realises that
he has signed on as captive
audience as well as subject.
As the portrait ebbs and
flows, an offbeat friendship is
born. The film shines a light on
whether the gift of genius is
a blessing or a curse.
 READER’S DIGEST

Sherlock Gnomes
(Animation)

T
he sequel to Gnomeo and
Juliet (2011) resumes in a
London garden, home now to
the garden-variety gnome couple.
Gnomeo (James McAvoy) and Juliet
(Emily Blunt) have been living here
‘happily ever after’. But, when their
friends and family start vanishing
from gardens, they call upon the
services of legendary detective
Sherlock Gnomes (Johnny Depp).
The sworn protector of London’s
garden gnomes arrives with his
assistant Watson (Chiwetel Ejiofor)
to investigate the gnome-nappings
and then leads Gnomeo and Juliet
on an adventure through the city.
Michael Caine, Maggie Smith and
Ozzy Osbourne reprise their voice
roles and Elton John contributes
music for this delightful animation.

What They Had (Drama)

T
his is the story of a family
working to understand what
their mother’s Alzheimer’s
means to their own lives.
Hilary Swank plays Bridget who,
at the urging of her brother Nicky .
(Michael Shannon), returns to her Burt is very reluctant to let go of
hometown following an incident his life with Ruth.
when their mother Ruth (Blythe Audiences will relate to the
Danner) wanders into a blizzard. characters’ love, compassion and
Bridget and Nicky must convince humour in dealing with each other
their father Burt (Robert Forster) to at such a critical time.

March •2018 | 131

Books How to
Be Human
New Scientist
HACHETTE
Ask a

P
 
recisely what
North Korean makes us amazing
Daniel Tudor
is detailed in this
TUTTLE PUBLISHING
entertaining tour of the

B
 
ack in 2011, the human body and mind,
American online presented as a series of
newspaper questions you might
NK.News.org was hear a curious ten year
launched. Its focus old ask, such as “Why
was North Korean do we fight? Why do
culture, curiosities and opinion,
i i we laugh?”
and it gathered material from a core group Does it hold all the
of experts – North Korean defectors. Daniel answers? No, and the
Tudor’s compilation continues this inquiry. editors admit that they
What he reveals is that, sure, the place has haven’t set out to claim
a rigid and dangerously narrow political they have, either. Among
view, but at the human level, life goes on.  our favourite quandaries
are the physical sting
of emotional pain and
the power of human
imagination. This book
answers the questions
science has been able
to sort out – all of
which help us better
understand ourselves.

132 | March •2018

 READER’S DIGEST

Dogs with Jobs

Laura Greaves RANDOM HOUSE

W
hen you open a book about dogs
and it contains a contents page
listing chapters titled Figo, Molly
Polly, Rowdy or the Backtrack Gang, you just
know you’re in for a chuckle or two. This
collection of true stories is about outstanding
members of the canine working world who
pitch in to help out their communities. As Laura
Greaves states in her introduction: “If dogs
could talk, the phrase ‘I can’t be bothered’
would not be in their vocabulary. Working
dogs are on call 24/7.”

Star Wars Episode IV

– A New Hope TITAN

I 
t all started in 1977 in that
galaxy, far, far, away. Since
then another nine movies have
been released in the Star Wars
series. But back on May 25, 1977,
audiences going in to see this sci-fi
action movie had no idea that they
were to witness the birth of a culture,
a movement … and possibly the most
extensive range of dress-ups to suit
just about any age. Published to mark
the 40th anniversary of Star Wars
(later titled Episode IV: A New Hope),
this guide to the 1977 classic covers
PHOTO: i STOCK

every detail of the film’s planning,

production and global success.

March •2018 | 133

Podcasts
s

The Assassination Song Exploder Ladies,We Need

Presented by the BBC, One for music lovers, to Talk
this is an investigation this popular biweekly Drinking. Loneliness.
into the 2007 murder show hosted and Lack of libido. There
of Pakistan’s former produced by are some sensitive
prime minister Benazir Hrishikesh Hirway subjects that women
Bhutto – just weeks features musicians don’t even discuss with
before an election in talking about the their closest friends. In
which her party was creative process an ABC Radio podcast
expected to prevail. behind an individual for women, by women,
The circumstances song while taking it host Yumi Stynes
surrounding her death apart layer by layer. “tears open the sealed
and exactly who was The songs highlighted section” on taboo
responsible remain range from pop to TV topics with sensitivity
shrouded in mystery. theme songs. and personal stories.

HOW TO GET PODCASTS TO LISTEN ON THE WEB: Google the website for ‘Song
Exploder’, for example, and click on the play button. TO DOWNLOAD: Download an app
such as Podcatchers or iTunes on your phone or tablet and simply search by title.

Puzzle Answers See page 136 CROSSHAIRS

FAIR AND SQUARE? SUDOKU

Yes
3 5 7 6 8 4 2 9 1
5 8 2 9 5 1 3 6 7 4
4 1 4 6 2 9 7 3 5 8
5 9 2 4 6 1 8 3 7
3 7 6 1 3 5 8 4 2 9
4 3 8 7 2 9 1 6 5 LUCK OF THE DRAW
2
9 1 5 8 3 6 7 4 2 Four.
1 2 7 3 1 4 5 9 8 6 ARITHME-PICK
6 6 8 4 9 7 2 5 1 3 5 + 7 ÷ 3 × 9 – 4 = 32.

134 | March •2018

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BRAIN POWER
TEST YOUR MENTAL PROWESS

Puzzles

( L U C K O F T H E D R AW, FA I R A N D S Q U A R E ? ) M A R C E L D A N E S I ; (A R I T H M E- P I C K ) F R A S E R S I M P S O N ; (C R O S S H A I R S ) DA R R E N R I G BY
Challenge yourself by solving these puzzles and mind stretchers,
then check the answers on page 134.
BY MARCEL DANESI

CROSSHAIRS (EASY)
None of the white squares
in this diagram have their
edges lined up. One of
the squares is a different
size from the others.
Can you find it?

LUCK OF THE DRAW (EASY)

There are six marbles in a bag. They are
exactly alike except for colour: one is
red, two are green and three are blue.
Without looking into the bag, what’s the
smallest number of marbles you would
need to draw out to guarantee getting
either two green or two blue ones?

ARITHME-PICK (MODERATELY DIFFICULT)

Place one of the four basic arithmetic operations (+, –, ×, ÷) in each box to
make a correct equation. Symbols may be repeated, and you don’t have
to use all four. All operations are performed from left to right, ignoring the
mathematical order of operations. The result at each step must be a positive
whole number. What’s the equation?

5 7 3 9 4 = 32
136 | March •2018
 8 4
2 6 7 BRAIN POWER
4 6 2 9 3 brought to you by

5 8
7 1 5 4 9
JUICE UP
8 5
5 3 6 7 4
7 3 8
9 7
TO SOLVE THIS PUZZLE…
You have to put a number from 1 to 9 in each
square so that:
 every horizontal row and vertical column
contains all nine numerals (1-9) without
repeating any of them;
 each of the 3 x 3 boxes has all nine
numerals, none repeated.

1
2

4
3
SUDOKUPUZZLER.COM

5 6
FAIR AND SQUARE?
(MODERATELY DIFFICULT)
Would it be possible to join these six pieces
together to form a square?
BRAIN POWER

TEST YOUR GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

Trivia
1. Which country’s 1900 Constitution
Act left room for adding New Zealand
as a member state one day? 1 point
2. In 1973, who became the youngest
Oscar winner to date? 1 point
3. What was the original name of
the kiwifruit? 1 point
4. In what 1980s hit does the
singer buy bread from a man in
Brussels who was “six-foot-four
and full of muscles”? 1 point
5. What is the only major
European river to waltz its
way from west to east? 1 point
6. Dr Kenneth Leigh Evans
purportedly used a 300-year-
old Jamaican recipe to
create what coffee liqueur?
1 point
7. What’s the name of
both the Libyan capital
and Lebanon’s second-
largest city? 2 points
8. Which calendar date
is the rarest birthday? 1 point
9. What is the name of the Australian
women’s soccer team? 1 point
10. Of the six wives of England’s
King Henry VIII, how many were
named Catherine? 2 points
11. In which country do the
similarly named Dnieper and
Dniester rivers reach the Black
Sea? 2 points
12. Which American ‘king’
posed for a photo with US
president Richard Nixon in
1970? 1 point
13. Measuring just a few
millimetres, Paedocypris
progenetica may be the
world’s tiniest fish species.
15. What In which country could
Renaissance political you spot one, if you have
thinker advised, good eyesight? 2 points
“It is better to be
14. Where in the human
feared than loved, if
body is the humerus
you cannot be both”?
2 points bone found? 1 point

16-20 Gold medal 11-15 Silver medal 6-10 Bronze medal 0-5 Wooden spoon
and Catherine Parr). 11. Ukraine. 12. Elvis Presley. 13. Indonesia. 14. In the upper arm. 15. Niccolò Machiavelli.
Danube. 6. Tia Maria. 7. Tripoli. 8. February 29. 9. Matildas. 10. Three (Catherine of Aragon, Catherine Howard
ANSWERS: 1. Australia. 2. Tatum O’Neal. 3. Chinese gooseberry. 4. ‘Down Under’, by Men at Work. 5. The

138 | March •2018

 BRAIN POWER

IT PAYS TO INCREASE YOUR

Word Power
Food, Glorious Food
Spice up the conversation at your next dinner party
with these culinary morsels.
BY B E T H S H I L L I B E E R

1. calzone n. – A: oven-baked folded 9. bard v. – A: tie fatty bacon around

pizza. B: guide to sugar content of
food. C: calcium-rich drink.
2. Welsh rarebit n. – A: melted
cheese poured over toast. B: turnip
stew. C: tender rabbit meat.
3. dredge v. – A: chop coarsely.
B: coat with flour or other powdered
food. C: scald briefly then drain.
4. persimmon n. – A: simmered
fish. B: herb used in turkey stuffing.
C: small, round, orange fruit.
5. fumet n. – A: smoked meat.
B: reduced and seasoned stock.
C: barbecue wood chips.
6. saporific adj. – A: of the highest
quality. B: high in alcohol content.
C: producing flavour.
7. charcuterie n. – A: cold cooked or
processed meats. B: grilled vegetables.
C: charcoal kettle barbecue.
8. tureen n. – A: film that forms on
cold gravy. B: crunchy skin on a roast.
C: deep serving bowl with a lid.
lean meat before cooking. B: simmer
in stock. C: plunge into iced water to
stop cooking.
10. batrachophagous n. – A: unsafe
to eat raw. B: rich in kilojoules.
C: of one who eats frogs.
11. pith n. – A: corn husk. B: white
layer under the skin of citrus fruit.
C: dish for serving cranberry sauce.
12. flambé v. – A: add alcohol to hot
food and ignite. B: moisten food
during cooking. C: beat rapidly.
13. gazpacho n. – A: warming tray.
B: vegetable soup served cold.
C: Mexican pastry.
14. epicure n. – A: person who
cultivates a refined taste in food.
B: one who will eat anything.
C: cured, dried meat.
15. sautée v. – A: boil until
partially cooked. B: cook slowly
in a covered pot. C: cook in a
small amount of fat.

March •2018 | 139

WORD POWER
Answers
1. calzone – [A] oven-baked folded
pizza. Calzone stuffed with cheese
and ham is a favourite in our family.
2. Welsh rarebit – [A] melted cheese
poured over toast. To make a good
Welsh rarebit, ensure the cheese is
fully liquified.
3. dredge – [B] coat with flour
or other powdered food. Sally
dredged the chicken pieces with
breadcrumbs and herbs before they
were sautéed.
4. persimmon – [C] small, round,
orange fruit. June couldn’t tell
whether she was looking at
persimmons or orange plums.
5. fumet – [B] reduced and seasoned
stock. The fumet simmered for
several hours before reaching the
desired concentration.
6. saporific – [C] producing flavour.
Garlic is highly saporific and should
be used sparingly.
7. charcuterie – [A] cold cooked
or processed meats. We ordered a
charcuterie plate of salami, smoked
ham and chicken pâté.
8. tureen – [C] deep serving
bowl with a lid. Stir in the herbs,
ladle the minestrone into a soup
tureen and serve with plenty of
Parmesan cheese.
140 | March •2018
9. bard – [A] tie fatty bacon around
lean meat before cooking. Jack
barded the chicken breasts so they
would not dry out on the barbecue.
10. batrachophagous – [C] of one
who eats frogs. The nervous guest
watched his batrachophagous hosts
dig into their frogs’ legs.
11. pith – [B] white layer under
the skin of citrus fruit. Domenica
carefully removed all the pith before
eating a grapefruit.
12. flambé – [A] add alcohol to
hot food and ignite. He doused
the strawberries in brandy and
flambéed them.
13. gazpacho – [B] vegetable soup
served cold. “Your gazpacho is so
refreshing, Miguel,” said Katia.
“What recipe did you use?”
14. epicure – [A] person who
cultivates a refined taste in food.
A true epicure knows to savour
every bite.
15. sautée v. – [C] cook in a small
amount of fat. Alison sautéed the
button mushrooms in butter using
a large frying pan.
VOCABULARY RATINGS
7-10: Amateur cook.
11–12: Master chef.
13–15: Word Power Wizard.
Explore, Interact, Inspire
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