Reader's Digest 04 2014 Aus

WHY DOLPHINS ARE NOT HAPPY
FUNNYREVIEWS lMARVELS&COINCIDENCES
SHORTSTORYWINNERS lTHEBOUNTYSINKS
+
Plus20oftheBest
Lab-Tested
Advances
Surprisinglysimplemedical
breakthroughsthatwill change
yourlifeforthebetter
AUSTRALIA
Ap r i l
2 0 1 4
cartia.com.au
Available in pharmacies nationally.
Always read the label. Use only as directed. If symptoms persist, see your healthcare professional.
Cartia
helps prevent blood clotting and reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients with known cardiovascular or
cerebrovascular disease. For use under medical supervision only. The use of low dose aspirin may be only one component of your
medical practitioners management plan to prevent you having a further heart attack or stroke.You should discuss this plan with your
medical practitioner. Do not substitute other medicines containing aspirin, for this medicine, without frst consulting your Pharmacist
or medical practitioner. Cartia
and Duentric
are registered trade marks of Aspen Pharmacare Australia Pty Ltd. Aspen Pharmacare
Pty Ltd. 34-36 Chandos Street, St Leonards NSW 2065. CA-014 ASMI 21309-1112
Look for the Duentric
coating.
Taking low dose aspirin for cardiovascular protection?
Cartia
low dose aspirin has a Duentric
coating which
is designed to protect your stomach from irritation
that can be caused by the aspirin.
1
Al L zo
contents Onthe cover h
28 100-wordtorie
h
Our wrltlngcontest wlnners l
36 Miracle, marvel
andcoincidence
h
!hesetruestorles wlll
astonlshyoul
58 Bea nerd
Star TrekenslgnWll Wheaton
has someadvlcefor theyoung
60 Comical
comment
!hewackler theroduct, the
funnler therevlew
64 Lifetheatre
uttlng the words of ordlnary
eole onstage l
Oolhlns are
frlendly, layful
andheldln
catlvlty
52
zobreakthrough
medical curesl
PLusextraordlnary
thlngs your body
accomllshed
today
72
ALs
sMlLs
h
!udl Oenchon
why she doesnt
take herself
serlously l
oANb
bAM
h
44
ou
AMAzlNo
Bob
h
2
138 Immaculate
obsession
Aself-confessedcleanfreak
tries totidy upafter her messy
family of collectors
148 Copacabana
Barry Manilowknewwhat he
was onabout: Rios favourite
beachis hot andhappening l
This
months
magazine
brings youstories
andideas fromall over
44
THE
SINKING
OFTHE
BOUNTY
h
Thelast voyageof
amajestictall shipl
lOcaTION
lOcaTION
h
Take a scenic tour
towhere your
favourite movies
were filmedl
130
90
33
36
90
118
130
26
64
contents
36
90
33
110
148
Reader s Di ges t 04 / 1 4
HUMOUR
The worlds
best-loved
magazine
MOvie
Digest
All the best
stuff fromthe
big screen
vyp
vo
HeALtH
Digest
Howtoreally
comfort a
sickfriend
yo laughter
yo lifes likethat
vqqall ina
days work
Regulars
q Have Your Say Letters
8 letter fromthe editor
gv ower of eood
gg My Story Aplace of hope l
vzp quotable quotes
vy6 Smart animals
vyo uzzles, trivia
8word ower
TheDigest
vo Health
v6 food
zo travel
zz tech
zq ets
z6 etc
vyp Movies
v6z Books
Horse sense
Y
our story about
the blind person
in Michigan with the
miniature guide horse was
so enlightening and so
beautiful (Here & Now,
December). I can imagine
a horse might be more
suitable than a dog for
some people with special
needs and would be a
good companion. Well
done, Mona Ramouni, for
trying something different.
Noel e ne Pai nt i n
Foes nowfriends
I
have just read the article about
Dale Zelko being shot down in
Serbia (My Enemy, My Friend:
The Stranger Who Changed My
Life, February, Subscriber Bonus).
I found the comments about warring
groups getting together to know
each other in a personal and
meaningful way very true and
touching. He is a credit to his family
for wanting to meet and befriend the
man who shot him down. Credit also
to the Serbian filmmaker, Zeljko
Mirkovic, for arranging and filming
their meeting to help spread the
word of peace. Deanne Corbet t
M
y Enemy, My Friend is
a heart-rending call to
end all wars. This story should be
translated into every language and
p
h
o
t
o
:
g
e
t
t
y
i
m
a
g
e
s
If youremovedor provokedbyanyarticle, tell us at editor@
readersdigest.com.au. This monthSusanMalkinsonwins a
Logitechcase+energyworth$119.95. Next months best letter wins
aDVDprizepackfromTransmissionFilms, valuedat $169.95.
FeaturingRailwayMan, Quartet, TheKings Speech, TheBest Offer
andDiana, theres somethingfor anyfilmfan.
Writetous andWIN!
HaveyourSay
L E T T E R S F R O M O U R R E A D E R S
4 Reader s Di ges t 04 / 1 4
P
H
O
T
O
S
:
T
H
I
N
K
S
T
O
C
K
distributed throughout the world.
What a beautiful portrait of
humanity at its worst and best!
El l e n Kol l mar
Just So good stories
R
ecently I returned home after an
absence of six weeks, due to ill
health, during which time I was not
interested in reading at all. Among my
accumulated mail was the Readers
Digest Classic Reads 2013 edition. My
passion for reading was renewed and
I enjoyed every page.
Youll Be a Man, My Son was of
particular interest, as my father had
copied the last four lines of Rudyard
Kiplings If in my autograph book
and it was very enlightening to read
the story behind the poem. >>
Dancefever
Weaskedyoutothinkupa
funny captionfor this photo.
Congratulations toVinceKunde.
Before we fight, I must warnyou
they dont call me Bruce Lee-mur for
nothing. Vi nce Kunde, Cambooya, Qld
No-one ever toldFredthat it takes two
totango. Te res a Robe r t s , Sale, Vic
Its just a jumptothe left, andthena
steptothe right.
Mel i s s a Wi l l i ngs, Stanmore, NSW
Ive got the moves like Jagger!
Deanne Napi e r, Ryde, NSW
Gibbonthe chance, Ill performfor
peanuts! Ji l l Se ymour, Capalaba, Qld
Well, youcantell by the way I use
my walk, Ima womans man, notime
totalk. Juan Pot g i et e r, Happy Valley, SA
Stop. Hammer time!
Tanya Wal t e rs , Bellara, Qld
I heardtheyre auditioning for the next
series of Glee. Suzanne Brenzi , Nilgen, WA
I just love songs by Fur East Movement!
Trac y Vu, Armidale, NSW
Youput your right foot in, youput your
right foot out! Hokey Pokey!
Gl e nda Boot h, Doolandella, Qld
Come up with the funniest
caption for the above photo and
you could win $100. To enter, visit
readersdigest.com.au/contests.
Captioncontest
W
IN
!
5
Anecdotes and jokes
$50 - $100
Whats madyoulaugh
rcntly? Afunny sgn? Acollagus
bhaour? Sndnyour ral-lf
gmfor Lfs LkThat or All na
Days Work. Got ajok? Sndt nfor
Laughtr s thBst Mdcn!
Smart Animals
Up to $100
Sndus a tal about th antcs
of unqu pts or wldlf nup
to300words.
Power of Good
Up to $150
Acts of gnrosty canchang
ls or just g youthat warm,
fuzzy flng. Shar your momnts
n100500words.
My Story $500
Doyouhaannsprngor
lf-changngtaltotll? Submssons
must btru, unpublshd, orgnal
and8001000words swbst
for mornformaton.
Letters to the editor and
reader submissions
Online FollowthContrbut lnk
at radrsdgst.com.au
Email dtor@radrsdgst.
com.au
Mail Submssons Dpartmnt,
GPOBox 3799Sydny, NSW2001
Wmaydt lttrs andusthmnall mda.
For trms andcondtons, gotoradrsdgst.com.au/
trms-and-condtons
Contribute
leaoers L|gest |s pr|nteo on
LlC-cert|t|eo paper. ||s prov|oes
an assurance t|at t|e paper |s proouceo trom
susta|nab| y manageo torest ano contro||eo
sources.
For dgtal xtras, st
radrsdgst.com.au/magazn
Volume 184
No. 1106
April 2014
EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief Sue Carney Design Director John
Yates Managing Editor Louise Waterson Chief Subeditor &
Production Editor Donyale Harrison Deputy Chief Subeditor
Melanie Egan Designer Luke Temby Photo Editor Judith Love
Humour Editor Greg Barton Subeditors Tom Guise; Hannah
Hempenstall Editorial Coordinator Lora Storey Editorial
Assistant Sally McMullen Contributing Editors Hazel Flynn;
Helen Sandstrom; Helen Signy
PRODUCTION&MARKETING ProductionManager Balaji
Parthsarathy MarketingDirector Jason Workman Circulation
MarketingManager Matthew Kind Business Development and
Partnerships Manager Vincent Ho
ADVERTISINGGroup Advertising Director, Asia Pacifc
Sheron White Senior Account Manager, NSWDarlene Delaney
Account Manager, NSWSamantha Lowe Senior Account
Manager VICSteve Carberry Account Manager QLDCristian
Arratia Group Advertising Marketing Manager, Asia Pacifc
Elspeth Baker Advertising and Marketing Coordinator
Kate Williamson
PUBLISHEDBYREADERS DIGEST(AUSTRALIA) PTYLTD
Managing Director/Publisher Walter Beyleveldt
Director Lance Christie
READERS DIGESTASSOCIATION, INC(USA)
President andChief Executive Officer Robert E. Guth
Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, International Brian
Kennedy Editor-in-Chief, International Magazines Raimo Moysa
Readers Digest is published in 17 languages
ADVERTISINGINQUIRIES
Phone 02 9018 6273/03 8844 5542 Fax 02 9018 7290
Email rdadvertising@readersdigest.com.au
Customer inquiries
Online Chck your account, pay a bll,
chang your addrss andshopat
myshoptoday.com.au.
Phone 1300300030Fax02 90187160
Email customrsrc@radrsdgst.
com.au
Mail Radrs Dgst (Australa) Pty Ltd,
GPOBox 3799, Sydny NSW2001
MOviNG? Plas notfy us of your changof addrss
sx wks bfor youmo.
MAiLPReFeReNCe W alu youas a customr andtrust that younjoy
our products. Occasonally, w mak our malng lst aalabl tocarfully
scrndcompans whos products w bl may b of ntrst to
you. if youprfr not torc ths malngs, plas wrt to: Pracy
Ofcr, Radrs Dgst (Australa) Pty Ltd, GPOBox 4353, Sydny, NSW
2001.
Readers Digest, as a member of the Magazine Publishers
Association, has adoptedthe Privacy Standards of the Australian
Press Council.
llHLL 3/ l|Ls llHLls L lL, :6 uas avLHuL , slHgaOlL 6,,o, lOl lL
lOllLOls, lLaLLl s LlgLs (auslalla) / lL, 8o 3a/ slLL, ull|O, Hsv .oo,.
lLlOLuClOH 3/ slHHO 3lOs |LLla .o:, lLaLLl s LlgLs (auslalla) / lL
(a3H 8:ooo6,,:). all llgls lLsLlvLL llOuglOu lL vOllL. lLlOLuClOH lH
aH/ |aHHLl lH vlOlL Ol al lH LHgllsl Ol OlLl laHguagLs lOll3lLL
Reader s Di ges t 04 / 1 4 6
W
e could easily fill the
pages of this magazine
each time with stories of
amazing medical breakthroughs that
are emerging from research labs
around the world. Truly, theres
never been a more exciting era for
researchers and medics on the
frontline of health science and for
patients seeking effective treatments.
So to whittle our choice of the
astounding health advances in 2014
to just 20 was a task and a half. (Turn
to page 72 to see how we did.)
Our aimwas to fill the list with news
that cuts above the (all-too-easy-to-
claim) promising trials and potential
cures. To make the cut, ideas had to
be simple to grasp, backed by solid
evidence and useful to most readers
right now or very soon.
Whod have thought beating flu
bugs could be as basic as resetting
your home humidifier? Or the cure to
some very common symptoms was
sitting in your kitchen cabinet and is
now backed by some very clear
science? If youre reading this on
a digital version of our magazine,
be sure to note how backlit
screens boost vision and speed
reading. Simple. Amazing.
EditorsLetter
8
u
e
c
a
r
n
e
/
h
O
t
O
g
r
a
h
e
d
b
/
t
i
|
b
a
u
e
r
>> The postscripts with the Classic
Reads were a welcome bonus. I look
forward to the next compilation of
Our Best Stories of All Time.
Pam Gardi ne r, vangaratta, v|c
Digest on iPad
I
have now gone paperless! My
vision is failing, and I am delighted
that I can easily read the iPad
version. Thank you for providing
your wonderful magazine in
this format. Sandra Phi l l i ps
Dont throwit away
Y
our article Art of Repair
(Subscriber Bonus, January)
reverberated with me. My pet
grievance is the enormous waste in
society and the system of planned
obsolescence built into almost
every product we buy. In a world
where we are told to reduce our
carbon footprint and conserve
resources, how can any government
condone this wasteful practice?
It brings to mind a washing
machine we had that broke down
soon after the warranty ran out. We
were told it was obsolete and
couldnt be fixed. It was less than
three years old and no-one
could get into the case without
breaking it unless they had a
special tool.
Good on this group who
fixes things and teaches
useful skills. I hope many
more start up.
Sus an Mal ki nson, kewarra beac|, Q|o
Whether you want to change
your personal details, view your
payment history or contact
customer service, you can
access our online Customer Care
Centre 24 hours a day, seven
days a week its simple, fast
and convenient.
READERS DIGEST CUSTOMER CARE CENTRE
Were only a click away
For help thats always available go to
www.readersdigest.com.au
and click on the Customer Care button on the left.
SIMPLE
FAST
CONVENIENT
TheyneedTime on their
own, you may think,
postponing a visit or call to
someone whos ill or bereaved.
But though its hard to know what
to say, we should always make the
effort. I wouldnt hesitate to raise
the subject unless youre sure they
dont want to talk, says Toni
Bernhard, author of the award-
winning book, How to Be Sick. If
theyre angry, thats OK. If they
think its unfair, thats OK. If theyre
grief-stricken, thats OK. Just let
them know that you hear them and
care about them, says Bernhard.
And, avoid giving advice its not
what theyll want to hear.
dRAWUPALiSTof possible chores.
When words are long forgotten,
friends will remember who mowed
the lawn, made a casserole, or ferried
their children to school.
Helpg
afred
P
H
O
T
O
:
T
H
i
n
k
s
T
O
c
k
T
halt
Actions speak louder than
words intimes of loss andillness
halt F Travl Pts Tc
WhAT(AndWhATnoT) ToSAy
If your intentionis good, evenif your
words are clumsy, your compassionwill
shine through, says Bernhard.
Instead of Youcanbeat this,
or Times a great healer.
Say Imsorry. It must be sohardfor
you.
Instead of Let me knowif I cando
anything tohelp.
Say Imgoing tothe shops what
canI bring youback?
Instead of Youlook exhausted.
Say Youlook fine, but howare you
really?
Instead of Ameal out onthe town
will cheer youup.
Say I miss our lunchdates. Let me
knowwhenyoufeel uptoit.
etc
Aoaptot|g|tma|ar|a
Aneveryday routinecouldsavecountless lives
By Si mon Li em
Aformer high-school chemistry
teacher in Burkina Faso is battling
one of Africas deadliest diseases
with the simplest of weapons: a bar
of soap. Grard Niyondiko and his
partner Moktar Dembl, created
Faso Soap with the goal of reducing
malaria infection, which, transmitted
through mosquito bites, kills one
African child every minute. Its rare
to go two or three successive months
in my region without catching
malaria, says Niyondiko, who has
been hospitalised several times with
the disease.
Developed in a country that deals
with five million malaria cases a year,
the soap will sell at a cost
comparable to other soap brands.
Building on the age-old method of
burning lemon grass to fend off
mosquitoes, Faso Soap uses the
plant, along with other locally
derived repellents, to offer up to
six hours of protection
following application
through bathing or
laundering.
In April 2013, Niyondiko and
Dembl became the first non-
American winners of the Global
Social Venture Competition (GSVC)
for socially minded entrepreneurs.
While malaria treatments and
prevention methods exist in Africa,
funding shortages render them too
costly to be universally implemented.
Because soap is already widely used,
Niyondiko hopes the affordability
and availability of Faso Soap will
allow for quick integration and help
mitigate a disease that is, in his
words, decimating our people and
reinforcing the poverty of our
continent.
Halth
h
O
t
O
.
t
h
i
n
k
s
t
O
c
k
COMPRESSION FOOT SLEEVE
RELIEVES SYMPTOMS OF PLANTAR FASCIITIS. HEEL PAIN & ARCH PAIN
PATENT PENDING COMPRESSION ZONES
MEDICAL GRADE SUPPORT
HOW IT WORKS:
FS6 uses Patent Pending Compression
Zones to lift the Plantar Fascia and move
excess fluids and blood out of the foot
and heel to reduce swelling and pain.
FS6 keeps the Plantar Fascia ligaments
gently stretched whilst increasing blood
flow to damaged tissues in the foot and
heel, resulting in less pain and
inflammation.
11
22
33
44
55
66
FS6 HAS 6 ZONES OF COMPRESSION BUILT INTO EACH SLEEVE THAT SUPPORTS
FOOT STRUCTURE AND INCREASE BLOOD FLOW NEEDED FOR HEALING.
IDEAL FOR:
Plantar Fasciitis: FS6 can be worn continuously day and night, promoting
faster healing, reducing the need for a bulky night splint.
Tired Aching Feet, Arch Pain or Swollen Feet: FS6 can be used as a
preventive measure when worn in shoes or under socks.
Athletes: FS6 increases blood flow to damaged foot tissue, therefore
increasing oxygen and decreasing lactic acid build up, ensuring faster recovery.
VOTED 2012
NEWPRODUCT OF THE
YEAR AT THE RUNNING
EVENT USA
AVAILABLE FROM LEADING HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS
or call 1300 856 226 or email sales@fs6.com.au for your local stockists
www.fs6.com.au
Proudly distributed by
Relief After
Use of FS6
Plantar Fascia
Achilles Tendon
Plantar Fascia
Infammation of
the Plantar Fascia
causing Heel Pain
& Discomfort
Firm
Moderate
Light
COMPRESSION LEVELS
News fromthe
worldof medicine
WhyWeLoveaBaByssmeLL
Feel like you could just eat up
a newborn? Scientists in Germany
recently monitored the brains of
30 women as they sniffed newborns
undershirts; half had recently given
birth, and half never had. As the
women smelled the newborn scent,
all their brains showed activity in the
pleasure centre the area that lights
up after you, say, eat chocolate but
the new mums brains lit up more
than those of the childless women.
This mental hard wiring may
strengthen the mother-child bond by
rewarding mums for their caregiving.
Frontiers inPsychology, Se 5, 2013
endingJustinCase
antiBiotiCs
A genomic blood test developed by
Duke University researchers may
help doctors more easily determine
whether a sick patient has a viral or
a bacterial infection. This has the
potential to reduce the number of
antibiotic prescriptions that are
improperly ordered for viruses. The
test detects a specific genetic
signature in the persons immune
system that activates to fight off a
viral infection but not a bacterial one.
The test could be available in three
years. ScienceTranslational Medicine, Se 18, 2013
asafershotforBaCkPain
Epidural steroids are a common way
to relieve back pain. Now Johns
Hopkins researchers have discovered
that it may not be just the steroids
that are responsible for soothing sore
backs but some other component,
like saline solution. Saline may help
flush inflammatory chemicals,
providing pain relief. After
researchers reviewed 43 studies
involving more than 3600 patients,
they found that steroids in the
epidurals were responsible for less
than half of the short-term pain-
relieving effects. This suggests that
patients may reduce pain with lower
doses of steroids. Anesthesiology, Oober 2013
hl
p
h
O
t
O
:
t
h
i
n
k
S
t
O
c
k
Re-discovering the joys of travel with
the lightest folding mobility scooter
How much do you value your ability to travel
independently? It is of course one of the most
treasured of freedoms. Yet mobility problems can
make getting around our beautiful countryside
and overseas difcult if not impossible.
For people such as some stroke victims, those
with severe asthma or breathing problems, MS,
Parkinsons disease, MD, arthritis even people
who can no longer hold a drivers license a
mobility scooter can be life-changing.
A compact and very light electric mobility
scooter known as the TravelScoot is designed
for those who have walking difculties but are
otherwise still mobile. This battery-powered
machine is fun, safe and easy to drive, and it
delivers precious independence.
It can be on standby wherever you go, giving
you the freedom to cope with planes, cruises, bus
trips, site seeing, markets, shopping, medical
appointments, shows and more to explore the
world independently and with dignity.
The TravelScoot folds and unfolds as quickly
and easily as an umbrella to tuck into your car
with ease, and weighs just 16 kilos. Carers and
family love it, as they do not have to struggle
with back-breaking weighty mobility aids to help
the person they are caring for to independently
enjoy outings. TravelScoot is a great idea for
anyone living in a small unit too.
OUT AND ABOUT, SCOOTER STYLE
The TravelScoot hums quietly along footpaths
and byways in sit-down comfort at the owners
speed, with ample power. Steering is simple
the scooter goes where it is pointed, with
handlebars like the scooter you may have ridden
as a kid.
Enjoy your freedom. Yes you can!
See the demonstration video at www.travelscoot.com.au
For more information call 1300 282 300 or email your phone
number and location to travelscoot@bigpond.com
Walking a problem? TravelScoot could be your answer!
Fd
SoFt and luscious,
figs are both
delicious and
beautiful. Figs need
gentle handling as
they bruise and
deteriorate
quickly. When
choosing figs,
look for ones that
are plump, have a
rich, deep colour and are free
from marks and bruises. Store
ripe figs in the fridge to keep them
fresh for two to three days. Unripe
figs can be kept out of the fridge,
until theyre ready to eat.
Figs can be eaten raw or gently
cooked and they suit both sweet
and savoury dishes. One of my
favourite weekend brunches is to
serve slices of whole grain toast
spread with fresh ricotta and
topped with sliced fresh figs and
a drizzle of honey.
Youcanalsoeat theseeds and
skinof this sweet fruit
By kathryn elli ott
HEALTHYSNACKS
CURBtHoSEAFtERNooN
SUGARCRAVINGS
Dont assume youshouldbe able to
get throughthe afternoon, without
eating. Insteadplanaheadandhave
a healthy snack suchas fruit,
popcornor carrot sticks ready togo.
Frefg
Full of vitamins
andcalcium, figs
areagreat
sourceof fibre
p
h
o
t
o
:
t
h
i
n
k
s
t
o
c
k
anlmotantnewtltLefom
eadeS digeSt
CALL 1ORL$LRVL YOURCOYNOW!
oo o oo
Natures cures
Heres the scientific proof - l!
Meticulously
eseachedand
clealy wltten
extraordinary
stoles and
goundbeaklng
teatents
LuS what
oUcando
fo a healthle
you
I
N
C
L
U
D
I
N
G
8
L
$
1
D
I
Y
R
L
M
L
D
I
L
$
Eatingoilyfish twice a week is a good
idea for your general health. Plus, oily fish
contains high levels of omega-3
polyunsaturated fatty acids, which help
reduce the risk of heart disease. Oily fishes
include sardines, herring, kippers, Atlantic
salmon, trout and mackerel.
Compared to white fish, oily varieties are
darker in colour and stronger in flavour.
To balance and soften the flavour of the
fish, pair it with other strong flavoured
ingredients such as garlic, chilli, chermoula,
ginger, pepper and citrus. These can be
finely chopped and stuffed into the fish or
made into a marinade and rubbed over the
outside. Oily fish can be cooked in a variety
of different ways, but it responds
particularly well to barbecuing and grilling.
f
vayyoudlet
howmanydiffErEnt
foodsdoyouEat?
eatng a wde vaety f fds
takes the wy ut f healthy
eatng. dheent fds
cntanvayng types and
levels f nutents, s
chsng a vaety f fds
s a gdway tensue
yue gettng the nuttn
yuneed.
gEtExpErimEntal
oncEamonth
8et asde ne meal a mnth
as yu expemental meal t
ty a newngedent ecpe.
choosEdiffErEnt
brEad
aneasy way tncease the
vaety f fds yueat s t
change yu beadeachweek.
ty nes wthdheent us
andtypes f nuts andseeds.
Hed
fh
By kathryn elli ott
Healthexperts
recommendtwoservings
of oilyfishaweek
p
H
o
t
o
s
:
t
H
i
n
k
s
t
o
c
k
Reader s Di ges t o / 18
Hundreds of doctors are now
recommending a new medically
based program which can offer
genuine relief for tinnitus
Sound Therapy!
If you have:
Ringing in the ears
Work related noise exposure
Dizziness or vertigo
Difculty hearing clearly
Blocked ear/s
Sleeping problems
Sound Therapy may be the
answer!
To learn exactly how our program works and get a FREE DVD
info pack visit our website www.SoundTherapy.com.au/rd
or call 1300 55 77 96 and discuss your needs
with one of our consultants.
Sound Therapy INTERNATIONAL / ABN 53 097 38
RINGING IN
YOUR EARS?
I suddenly realised I didnt have tinnitus anymore!
Kelvin Pleming, panel beater
Ear specialist Dr Alfred
Tomatis demonstrated
that we can change the
way the brain responds to
sound. Sound Therapy
re-educates our auditory
system, so that your brain
can tune into real sound
instead of creating its own
tinnitus noise. You can use
Sound Therapy while
you work or sleep so it
wont take up extra time
in your day!
CALL 1300 55 77 96
ENT DOCTOR DEVELOPED
Travel
1. ForTHbsTdALs on the
internet, start by deleting your search
history. If you have your eye on a
bargain, clean your cookies before
revisiting it. Deal sites know when
theyre getting a repeat visitor and
may increase the last price you saw.
2. ForTHbsTvALu on
accommodations, call the hotel
directly. A manager or booking agent
will usually match or better the best
price you found online. Hotel
sold out? Find out when
cancellations go into effect
and phone exactly on
the hour to scoop up
last-minute openings.
3. ITsworTH
checking out what day
of the week is the least
expensive day to fly.
Domestically,
Wednesday is usually
the cheapest option,
since most holiday
makers bookend their trips with
weekends. Tuesdays and Saturdays
are the next best days.
4. ALmosTvrymajor city has
its own mini off-seasons, when rates
drop and last-minute specials apply.
Visit New York following Fashion
Week, or go to Venice after the film
festival. Hotels lose a huge
percentage of their guests on the
final day of a major event, and top
restaurants have vacancies.
5. NoTALL HoTL rooms are
created equal some are larger or
have superior views. Upon check-in,
request better digs. If you have
some cash to spare, ask if an
affordable upgrade is available.
6. doyoukNow your
passport number by heart?
You wont need to if youve
made a copy to leave with
a trusted friend or a
relative for safekeeping,
in case of loss or theft.
Better yet: if you know
youll have ready email
access, scan and send
yourself your passport
details so youll always
have them on hand.
13marter
waytogo
By Vi cki HogartH
P
H
O
T
O
:
T
H
i
n
k
s
T
O
c
k
7. MaketheMost of your reward
points by calling an agent for
assistance just after midnight. Not
only will you have the help of a pro
who can think strategically with
your points, you may have more
options to choose from, since
airlines have traditionally released
new inventory at 12.01am.
8. askyour Facebook friends or
Twitter followers if they have any
recommendations for the place you
plan to visit. Knowing a few show-
offs will finally come in handy! And
be sure to like the Facebook pages
of your destinations tourism board
and key attractions for deals and
specials.
9. Banksgenerally have sister
banks abroad, which means you can
use their ATM machines to take out
local currency with no international
transaction fees. Check with your
bank before leaving home.
10. unlessitsBronze, no-one
wants to take home a $20,000 cast
as a souvenir. Check to see what
travel insurance coverage you
already have from your credit card
company and health-care plan, and
then fill in the gaps. Avoid
insurance companies that make
travellers front hospital bills.
A multi-trip insurance policy with
one annual rate is generally the best
way to go, even if you only take a
few trips a year.
11. if youfind yourself stuck at
the airport for any length of time,
consider buying a day pass to an
airline lounge. The cushy chairs,
Wi-Fi access, snacks and beverages
will allow you to unwind in comfort.
Or if you need Wi-Fi, try sitting just
outside a lounge to pick up its free
service.
12. youdonthave to break the
bank on food while travelling. Many
restaurants particularly in holiday
resorts offer early bird specials
in the early evening. Eat early and
youll have some extra money for
ice-cream or coffee later. Or grab
some fresh vegies and fruit, local
cheese, and homemade bread and
have lunch or dinner al fresco.
13. keepadigital trail of your
travels. Photos are a great way to
keep track of important things
such as where you parked your
car, what your suitcase looks like
and what hotel room youre in.
21
Th
WanTaccess to Wi-Fi on your
computer but dont want to spend
a fortune on coffee at your local
caf? If you have a smartphone and
a decent signal, the answers in
your pocket. By tethering your
phone to your laptop or tablet, you
can use the mobile network to get
online and use a proper computer
keyboard and screen instead of
the miniature version.
lowtocreate
av-l |otpot
Usingyour computer onthego? Everythingyouneedis inyour pocket
Start by clicking tethering or
personal hotspot in your phones
settings. (If its not there, your
tariff may not allow it.)
Then go to your other
device and select the
Wi-Fi code that pops
up on the connections
menu. Enter the password
given by your mobile, and
youre away.
Just keep an eye on the
clock, because youll be
using your monthly
allowance. The average of
500MB is enough to surf
500 no-frills web pages,
but watching YouTube,
checking Facebook and
any automatic updates
may gobble it up, leaving
you with a bill bigger
than youd have in any
coffee shop.
By Li nda Gray
Utethe ou phoe wheoue oe, o sk ft btte.
l
O
t
O
.
t
l
i
n
k
s
t
O
c
k
Call 1800 302 157
Things you should know. There is no rollover of credits, they expire at the end of the billing month. Monthly call credit includes standard calls to
landlines and mobiles, voicemail SMS, MMS, 13, 1300 and 1800 numbers. Youll have to pay for any calls that exceed the $50 monthly credit. Call types not included
in your monthly call include International calls, mobile internet and data, premium text and premium numbers (eg 1900 numbers and competitions), international
roaming, directory assistance, mobile commerce transactions (eg ringtones). Mobile data packs are available from $5 a month for 100MB. Because we give you
a 20% plan fee discount we ask you agree to a 24 month contract with an early exit fee of $10 multiplied by the months left on the 24 month contract plus any
outstanding handset repayments (if you selected that option). While stocks last. No delivery free for mobile handset. Offer expires May 31st 2014.
Introducing Southern Phones
Value Plan for Seniors.
With a great phone thats easy to use.
2
0
%
Seniors
Discount
While
Stocks
Last
Want a mobile thats just a phone?
Your choice is easy.
$12 Plan + $4 Handset Fee
Min. cost over 24 months $384
ALCATEL 20.01
Easy To Use, Large Keypad
Big Button Phone
$
16
a month
All my friends have new
mobile phones.
Tey carry them around
with them all day.
Some of them have
touchscreens and my
friends ofen fnd theyve
hung up on a call as they
take the phone from
their pocket or bag just
because they touched the
screen. Te keypads are
too small and the phones
are just so complicated.
Tanks to Southern
Phone I now have a
mobile that has great
features and is easy to
use! Alcatel made the
Alcatel 20.01 with just one
thing in mind to ofer people
a quality mobile phone that is easy to use.
It has a large keypad with legible numbers.
When the phone rings you answer by pressing
the green button and you press the red one to
hang up. Te battery has been improved too so
you wont have to charge it as ofen.
To top it ofthe monthly planfee
on the Southern Phone Value
Plan has been discounted by
20%for people who are over 55.
It has been reduced from $15 to
$12 a month and for that you
receive $50 call credit for calls
and SMS
One of the best things about
Southern Phone is the award winning
customer service. Every single one of their
knowledgeable operators is in Australia.
Call 1800 302 157 now and try for yourself.
The cost of a 2 minute mobile call is $2.38
including flagfall, an SMS costs 25 cents
and data is 50 cents per MB
ADVERTISEMENT
P
8e|rc|ass
By Katheri ne Lai dLaw
Pain Cats are good at hiding pain,
so if yours is more reclusive,
sedentary or quiet than usual, head
to the vet. Arthritis, for example, is
tough to detect but can be treated
with supplements, painkillers or diet.
Claws As a cat ages, hell
develop brittle claws. Check nails
regularly and clip when theyre
getting long.
KidneysSwitch to canned food
instead of dried. Water consumption
is necessary to stave off kidney
problems, a common concern. Put
out multiple water bowls and make
sure theyre changed regularly.
Low-protein food will help make the
digestion and elimination process
more comfortable for older cats.
MusCles Just like humans,
muscle wasting is an issue that
ageing felines face. Encouraging
your cat to eat by providing variety,
a warm dinner and three or four
What tolook out for when
caringfor anageingcat
smaller feeds through the day will
help keep him strong.
Cognitivedisorders Cats
especially those 14 and over can
suffer from cognitive disorders
similar to dementia. If your cat
begins to miss the litter box, hides,
sleeps more often, stops grooming
or cries for no reason (often at
night), he could be ill.
eyesight If you notice your
cat struggling to move around or
bumping into things, she might
have a vision problem. A cataract
will give a cats eye an opalescent
quality, but a tumour or a retinal
detachment can only be detected
with an examination.
teeth Brush your cats teeth
regularly: as cats age, theyre more
prone to plaque, tartar build-up and
the like. Bad breath or difficulty
chewing can be a sign its time for
dental work.
h
O
t
O
.
t
h
i
n
k
8
t
O
c
k
Ec
Translation
trip-ups
By Ari kA Okrent
ChoColatEsforhimIn the
1950s, when chocolate companies
began encouraging people in
Japan to celebrate Valentines Day,
a mistranslation from one
confectionary maker conveyed the
message that it was customary for
women to give chocolates to men on
the holiday. And thats what they do
to this day. On February 14, women
shower their men with treats, and on
March 14, the men return the favour.
YourlustsforthEfuturE
When US President Jimmy Carter
travelled to Poland in 1977, the
US State Department hired an
interpreter who knew Polish but
did not have a lot of experience
translating it. Through the
interpreter, Carter said things like
When I abandoned the US (for
when I left the US) and Your
lusts for the future (for Your
desires for the future), mistakes
that the media in both countries
very much enjoyed.
DoNothiNgHSBC Private Bank
had to launch a US$10 million
rebranding campaign in 2009 when
its iconic catchphrase, Assume
nothing was mistranslated as
Do nothing in various countries.
WEWill BurYYou At the height
of the Cold War, Soviet premier
Nikita Khrushchev gave a speech in
which a phrase was interpreted from
Russian as We will bury you.
The statement escalated the tension
between the US and the USSR.
However, the translation was a bit too
literal. The more accurate sense of
the Russian phrase was, We will
outlast you. Still, not exactly friendly,
but not quite so threatening.
FrOm Mental Floss
Eventheslightest slip-upcanturn
acompliment intoacurse
NikitaKhrushchev
P
H
O
T
O
:
G
E
T
T
Y
I
M
A
G
E
S
1oo
Word
story
Winners
f
i
c
t
i
o
n
c
o
n
t
e
s
t
thrju mplqu. Whkh
przurulra-hr-rymp?
t
he standard of entries in our 100-word story
contest was extremely high. This is the
second time weve run this contest, and the
stories had the same quality of twists, turns, tearful
moments, killer endings and laughter that we
enjoyed last year. RD readers from around the
country obviously are a talented bunch, with
powerful imaginations to match. So, here, after
much debate, are our 2014 winners.
28
Marrowis stad, mbrathigslow,
mtargt oblivious. His stadigili
at agrorstor, abstmiddl
radighis mil|arto. Thlishuffls
forwardadas mtargt shifts, m
arrowshifts withhim. Imalmost rad.
Shsts ilibhid, droighr
urs. Hotis, bdigdowtoi|
it u. I loosmarrowadit hits himat
thbasof his ba|. Hauss for a
momt bforloo|igat hr fafor
thfirst tim. Hsmils, shsmils, ad
mjobis do. Thrst is utothm.
P
H
o
T
o
S
:
C
L
T
T
y
I
M
A
C
L
S
;
T
H
I
H
k
S
T
o
C
k
TheJudges
Su Cry,
Editor-in-Chief,
RDMagazine
Ly Lwis,
Editor-in-Chief,
RDGeneral Books
Bvrly Cousis,
Fiction Publisher,
RandomHouse
Australia &NewZealand
TheJudgessaid:
Surprising, endearing and very simply told. This stood out
as a clever idea smartly executed. It is charming and made
us all smile.
Wellbe
runningmoreof
your100-Word
sTories
ThroughouTThe
yearinThe
magazine. look
ouTforThemin
upcomingissues
Winner
ReBeCCaLehman, 31
Our $1000prizgos toRbcc,
profssiol dydrr dvid
trvllr froadlid, Soutaustrli.
29
RunneRup
SuzanneShimmin, qp
The
Judges
said:
This storytells so
muchinsucha
short amount of
time. Its cleverly
writtenwithan
unexpectedtwist.
Lucynoticedthemanseemedmoredirectedin
his movement throughthebusyOpenHome.
Straight upstairs. Theother patrons of the
twilight viewinghadall beenchattedto, details
taken, andpamphlets distributed. Shefollowed.
Hewas at thestudiowindow, lookingout.
Across thestreet, lightedwindows allowed
clear viewintobathroomandbedroom. Lucy
clearedher throat, suspectingill motives. Heturned, angry. Im
suretheneighbours wouldnt appreciatevoyeurism, shesaid.
No, I dont, themanrepliedsharply. But it seems mywife
does.
It nowstruckLucy, theowner hadbeenawfullyreticent about
selling.
Whenshewas bornheenvisionedshewould
becomeaglamorous moviestar. Henamedher
Graceafter GraceKelly. His littleprincess. He
couldnot foreseehis laughing, intelligent child,
bewilderedandfrightenedbyunseendemons
whenshereachedher teens. Cruel words
utteredinher head. Countless psychiatricward
visits. Wherewas his child? Gonebut still
present. Asmilelights uphis hopes but it was
onlyaflicker. Toobrief, but somethingtoholdon
to. Onthestreet, shesits huddledwithan
outstretchedcuptoapasser bywhowalks by
without lookingtwice.
TheJudgessaid:
This storycarries thereader from
promisetodespair, fromjoytogrief,
andchallenges us all toshowmore
compassiontothosearoundus.
Masterful.
RunneRup
martinLindSay, qv
Or prize of $zo goes to Martin, who when not breaking
things for a living as a software tester, is a writer based in
erth, western Australia.
SuzannefromMount Lliza, victoria, awriter by
leisureandlovingaunt of twonephews, wins $zo.
P
H
O
T
O
S
:
T
H
I
N
K
S
T
O
C
K
W
o
eader s oi ges t 04 / 1 4
31
ThePowerofGood
Rita Streich wants to hear you
audition in three days.
When I met Rita she was friendly.
She sang her part of The Shepherd
sotto voce very softly while
I played mine as best I could.
Once our performance ended
Rita rose from her seat smiling.
Tomorrow night we will do it as
an encore after our concert. You
will come onto the stage on the
D
er Hirt auf dem
Felsen or The
Shepherd on the
Rock was written by Franz
Schubert. One of the greatest
exponents of this beautiful piece
was the world-renowned Austrian
soprano, Rita Streich.
I started playing the clarinet
when I was seven. That was 76
years ago. I first heard Rita sing
The Shepherd in 1958. When
I heard she would be touring
Australia with the ABC Celebrity
Recital Series in 1963, I wrote
letters to all of my musical contacts,
appealing to them to use whatever
influence they had to persuade Rita
to sing it with me. Most of them
thought I was crazy. I eventually
received a sympathetic reply from
Joseph Post, the conductor of the
Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
Although he agreed to ask Rita, he
said he could make no promises.
Some weeks later, I received a
call from the ABC with the news:
Subedby Bill Forrest
Readers s|are t|e|r stor|es of small acts of ||ndness t|at
ma|e a b|g d|fference
Ashowtoremember
p
l
o
o
:
C
L
y
l
m
A
C
L
S
31
ThePowerofGood
left with your
music on a
stand. She
shook the
music stand in
mock
nervousness,
exactly as she
wanted me to do on the
night. I was too nervous to do
anything more than thank her.
The concert was the following
night, on October 17, 1963, in the
Tamworth Town Hall. It was
packed and Rita Streich was
brilliant. I stood backstage dressed
in my dinner suit, breathing deeply.
I knew my part well, but didnt talk
to anyone for fear the spell would
be broken.
Although the night was already
a dream come true, the standing
ovation we received was very
much more of a reward than I ever
could have imagined. I was told
later that it was the first time a
local had ever performed with a
visiting celebrity artist.
The next day was my son Peters
fifth birthday and we all went to the
airport to farewell Rita. When she
found out it was Peters birthday,
she sat him on a counter, and sang
Happy Birthday. That was one of
the highlights of my life.
Ever since, I have lived by
this motto: nothing ventured,
nothing gained.
s
e
e
p
a
g
e
6 for
d
e
t
a
i
l
s
FEEL-GOOD
STORIES
Shareyours
andwin
upto$150
Like us on Facebook to read and
share your own kindness stories.
Facebook friends
Facebook.com/readersdigest.com.au
Whats thenicest thing
someonehas saidtolift
your spirits whenyou
werefeelingdown?
Shahfeeza SelongWhile
walkinghomefromtheofficeoneday, a
stranger whoI seeevery day gavemea
smileandsaid, Youlooknicetoday. That
simplecompliment really liftedmy spirits.
KarenFuscoI was not well withsore
heels andtryingtowalkwas painful. My
five-year-oldgrandson, Nicholas, said,
Nanny, your smileis upsidedown. If you
turnit theright way youwill feel happy like
I always do. That simpleadvicemademy
day andit really worked.
Maha FaheemWhenI was upset about
my A-level results, my mother kissedand
huggedmeandsaid, Dont worry, kiddo.
Whatever theresult, youll remainmy
daughter andImproudof you.
AireenGavilaga JoviaMy sisters always
tell me, Wearehere. Youdont haveto
bear it all alone.
Sandra Scott Anewfriendsent meatext
whenI was downthat read, Yourea
wonderful friend. Thanks for beinga
friendtomeandallowingmeintoyour
family. I feel honouredtosay Imyour
friend. Loveyou, honey. This went along
way tocheeringmeup.
32
O
ne day while
tidying my linen
cupboard, I found
myself holding a tiny white
towel. Tears welled up in my
eyes as memories came
flooding back. This tiny
towel was once a part of
a simple United Nations-
funded toiletry pack, given
to refugees who were ready
to start a new life in a new
country.
My husband, Adam, our
daughter Ania and myself
each received one of these
bags the day before we left
the refugee camp in Latina, Italy and
flew to start our new chapter in
Australia.
1981 was a turbulent year in
Poland, where we lived. Everyone
knew that something violent was
brewing. The country had
experienced wars, uprisings and
struggles almost every 20 years in its
Asmall whitetowel holdspreciousmemoriesfor
aPolishrefugeewhobravedanewlife
Apaceof hope
P
H
O
T
O
S
:
C
O
u
r
T
e
S
y
O
f
a
n
n
a
m
a
l
a
r
z
B y A n n A M A l A r z
more than 1000 years of history. So
by 1981 every Pole knew that trouble
was coming again.
Our small family of three were
among the lucky ones. We lived in
a nice apartment in Warsaw; we had
good jobs and a fulfilling life.
Fist stop: Aa, AiaadAdami1981
at thelatiaefugeecampiIta
33
Thepressuresto
jointheCommunist
partywerebecoming
morefrequent
access to our passports. Without
them we had lost our last chance to
leave the Communist regime forever.
This news instantly decided our
fate. An hour later, we slammed the
door of our apartment, and headed to
where our car and camping trailer
were parked. The trailer was to be
our home from that dramatic
moment onwards.
We fled our home, our country,
our life. I could not tell anyone in our
extended family that we had left for
fear that the knowledge would
endanger them. I didnt know if I
would ever see my family again.
At the time, it was considered
treason if somebody left the country
and did not return. We drove over
1600km without stopping for fear that
the regime would catch us. Ania, who
was just four years old, sat in the
back seat playing innocently with her
toys. We didnt feel safe until we
crossed the border to Italy, the first
non-communist country on our way
to Spain.
We wanted to start a new life in
Australia. The Australian Embassy
officials in Rome were very helpful
but advised we had to go through the
Up until this point we had
managed to avoid being forced to
become members of the Polish
United Workers (Communist) Party.
However, they were becoming
increasingly impatient with us. The
pressures to join were becoming
more frequent, more threatening and
more menacing.
In June, we were delighted to learn
that we had been granted the
privilege of accessing our passports
and had organised tourist visas to
travel to Spain for a one-month
holiday. Back then, no-one owned a
Anna Malarz lives in Canberra with her husband
and their beloved dog Kluska (Little Noodle
in Polish). After working 31 years for the
Australian government, she is now retired and
enjoys writing, entertaining friends and endless
travelling in a motorhome with Adam.
passport passports were issued at
the discretion of the authorities and
the secret police. Our holiday was a
decoy we intended never to return
to Poland.
Our joy was shattered when, a few
days later, Adam was invited to a
room at the Warsaw Forum Hotel,
where two Dark Suits from the
secret police told him: Whoever is
not with us, is against us. These
were chilling words. The meeting
ended with Adam being told that he
and his family would no longer have
was a rainy, gloomy day in Rome. So
was the spirit of those bidding us
farewell who had not managed to
bring their families out of Poland yet.
Twenty-two hours later, we landed
in Melbourne. The sky was
unbelievably blue, the people were
kind and gentle, and the Christmas
spirit was overwhelming. I remember
thinking for the first time in my life,
I am in heaven my family is safe!
After nine years, our family
eventually joined us and after the
Communist regime collapsed, we
visited our homeland to show Poland
to our daughter. It is now a very
dynamic and beautiful country, but
there is no country like Australia.
normal assessment processes in the
refugee camp in Latina. Despite
being in Italy, the refugee camp was
a frightening place.
Rapes and murders occurred
frequently. The facilities were
unusable because of the filth and
danger. But we resolved wed find
a way to survive in order to qualify
for refugee status and the hope of
living a safe life without fear or
threat in a new country.
Many months and countless
checks later, we received good news.
Several countries had offered to
resettle us. Our first choice was
Australia. We left Rome on
December 13, 1981, the same day
martial law was introduced into
Poland. Poles who were waiting in
Italy for family members to join
them from Poland realised that this
would now not happen for years. It
Do you have a tale to tell? Well pay for
any original and unpublished story we
print. See page 6 for details.
CallingAustraliahome: Melbourne,1984
(left); andcuddlingwildlifeinHealesville
35
36
These incredible stories
inspiredus, made us shake our
heads innear disbelief, and
provedonce againthat
amazing things really do
happen
B
y
C
i n
d
y
M
C
d
o
n
a
l
d
Reer s d ges t 04 / 1 4
37
WhenManuela thetortoisewent
missingduringhomerenovations
in1982, her Brazilianowners
thought shedshuffledout of
their lives forever. But a clean-
out of a storageroomearly last
year brought a special surprise
for theAlmeida family. Anoldbox containinga recordplayer was
put onthestreet for garbagecollectionandout crawledManuela.
No-oneis surehowthered-footedtortoisesurvivedfor over 30
years, but veterinarians suspect Manuela survivedby eatingtermites
andother insects. Thespecies, whichis nativetoCentral andSouth
America, cansurvivefor twotothreeyears onnofoodat all.
Aslowprocess
38
Last year began with a lucky break for a spear fisherman who was
pulled unconscious from the water near Kiama Blowhole, south
of Sydney, on January 2. The mans dive partner raised the alarm as
he dragged his friend towards shore. One passing holidaymaker,
whod had CPR training through his work, scrambled down the
rocks to help and was closely followed by another man an
experienced surf lifesaver who was out enjoying a morning stroll.
Next on the scene was the local councils lifeguard coordinator,
followed by an off-duty paramedic who happened to be at the
beach with his children. As one of the rescuers later declared, the
man just wasnt meant to die today.
HLLA1HANo
Her diamondringhadsparkledonher
finger every day of her 38-year marriage.
But whenAlair Schroeder lost it while
swimminginanIdaholake, andasearch
withscubagear andanunderwater metal
detector cameupwithnothing, she
thought it was gonefor good. It wasnt.
Amonthlater Amy Harris was wading
inthe lake whenshe sawsomething
LOs1ANolOuNo
Ambulanc
paramdic ra
h par
fihrman
Radr oi g 04 / 1 4
39
glisten. Returning home withthe ring, she
postedanadonCraigslist looking for its
rightful owner.
After gettingnoresponsefor several
months, Amy decidedtosell theringsoher
husbandcalledanoldjeweller friendto
haveit valued. Youdidnt happentofind
that at RedfishLake? thejeweller asked.
Turns out thejeweller hadsoldthe
Schroeders areplacement diamondring
andhadheardthestory of thelost original.
Amy Harris turneddownthe
Schroeders offer of arewardfor therings
returnfivemonths after it was lost, saying
futuregoodkarmawouldbereward
enough. Its avery humblingfeeling said
Amy, tobepart of somethingthat can
makesomebody sohappy.
UScoupleJacoband
BonnieRichter took
their cat, Holly, for
a 32okmroadtripin
their motorhometo
Daytona Beachin
Florida inNovember
2012. Onenight
fireworks frightened
thekitty andshetook off. Her owners searched
frantically for days, handing out flyers and
contacting local animal shelters, but eventually hadtogiveupand
returntotheir West PalmBeachhomewithout Holly.
Sixty-two days later, PalmBeach Gardens resident Barb
Mazzola found an emaciated and very feeble cat in her yard.
When she took the cat to a veterinarian, a microchip scan
revealed it was Holly. The determined feline had got to within
1.5kmof her home when she was found. It was quite a journey for
this little girl, Jacob Richter said after he and his wife were
reunited with their devoted pet.
LONGway
HOME
JacobandBonnie
Richter withHolly,
thetravelling
tortoiseshell
p
h
o
t
o
s
:
(
p
r
e
v
i
o
u
s
s
p
r
e
a
d
)
t
h
i
n
k
s
t
o
c
k
,
t
v
g
l
o
b
o
;
(
f
i
s
h
e
r
m
a
n
)
f
a
i
r
f
a
x
s
y
n
d
i
c
a
t
i
o
n
;
(
r
i
n
g
)
t
h
i
n
k
s
t
o
c
k
;
(
r
i
c
h
t
e
r
s
)
b
a
r
b
a
r
a
p
.
f
e
r
n
a
n
d
e
z
/
t
h
e
N
e
w
Y
o
r
k
T
i
m
e
s
40
FruitFul
labours
Three separate members of a Norwegian
family have won their homelands national
lottery over a period of six years, taking
home a total of more than 3 million. The
latest win came in September 2012, when
the right numbers dropped for Tord Oksnes,
following his sister Hege Jeanette and father
Leifs success. All three family members have
won when Hege was pregnant or had just
given birth and two of the wins took place
within hours of delivery. Hege Jeanette told
AFP news agency that her other three
brothers who have yet to win the lottery are
urging her to have at least ten children.
Theres nothing too surprising about finding an old
postcard doubling as a bookmark. But for Peter Dodds,
finding one in a biography of Winston Churchill that
he bought for 50 pence in a charity shop in Derbyshire,
England, turned out to be extraordinary. The card of
Washington, DC, had been sent from his brother to his
late mother in 1988.
Its just one of those stories you wouldnt
believe, says Peter, who thinks the book
once belonged to his late father.
Peters mother died in 1999 and
her sons donated some of her
books to her nursing
homes library. Id
love to know who
donated the book
and where its been
on its travels, says
Peter.
rEturNtosENDEr
The postcard
was hidden
in an old
biography of
Winston
Churchill
41
P
h
o
t
o
s
:
t
h
i
n
k
s
t
o
c
k
;
(
M
c
d
o
n
a
l
d
s
)
g
e
t
t
y
i
M
a
g
e
s
McHappyending
Just a short while after reporting her SUVstolen
fromoutside her Washington state home, a
McDonalds employee returned to work
believing the only other eventful thing that
would happen that day would be some orders
for fries with that.
But as Virginia Maiden manned her drive-
thru windowlater that day she was shocked to
notice a familiar vehicle approaching. The
person driving Maidens stolen vehicle then
proceeded to order, among other things, an
ice-cream. Thinking quickly, Maiden lied to the
woman that the ice-creammachine wasnt
working at that moment and suggested she pull
up to the next windowand wait. Maiden then
called the police. Officers quickly arrived to
arrest the ice-creamloving suspect.
afaMiliarring
DonBreyfogleloves fossickingwithhis
metal detector at weekends but hehad
noideait wouldbringhimcloser toafellow
Wal-Mart employee, EricUschold. By
incrediblecoincidence, Dons metal
detector cameacross agoldclass ring
lost 18years earlier by EricinMarshall,
Minnesota. WhenDonfoundtheringwith
EricUschold andOronoH.S. 1996
engravedonit, thenamedidnt register at
first. Weusually goby first names [at
work], Donsaid. But whenherealised
theringbelongedtohis co-worker Eric,
Donplannedalittletrick. I worehis ring
intowork, andI showedhim. Hesaid,
Wherethehell didyoufindthat?
42
Move over Mary Poppins a father fromChinas Guangdong
province has gone outside the square to solve his childcare
issues. Chan Liu happily leaves his son Azhe, now14, in the cold-
blooded care of his 4.5m-long, 100kg python. Chan hatched the
snake froman egg six years before Azhe was born and has
raised both ever since.
Azhe and the reptile have become inseparable, Chan says,
and he is certain the snake would never harmthe boy.
Byahairs Breadth
Dr RoseGenesis of theNirvana Laser Hair &SkinClinic
curseda power outagethat forcedher tosendall her
customers home. But shortly afterwards shewas
thanking thegods of electricity.
Awomanmotorist trying topark outsidethe
premises lost control of her car andploughed
throughthefront windowof theclinic, inSaskatoon,
Canada, right intothewaiting area. Thecar was right
over thetopof wherepeoplewouldhavebeen
sitting, Genesis said, expressing her gratitudefor
thetimely blackout.
Thenanny
sTaTe
az n pon
ofn curl up
together for np
eder oi ge t 04 / 1 4
43
p
h
o
t
o
S
:
(
p
y
t
h
o
N
)
E
u
R
o
p
i
c
S
/
a
u
S
t
R
a
l
;
(
c
l
i
N
i
c
)
c
o
u
R
t
E
S
y
c
k
o
M
;
(
c
o
l
l
i
N
G
S
)
w
a
S
h
i
N
G
t
o
N
l
o
t
t
E
R
y
/
F
a
c
E
b
o
o
k
;
(
D
o
G
)
N
i
c
o
l
a
v
i
t
t
i
Whenyoure hot
Cary Collings doesnt mindpushing his luck. Thethen61-year-
oldfromWashingtonwonUS$55,555 ona scratch-lottery ticket
that hebought whenhestoppedtorefuel his car onJune14last
year. Thenext morning, whileonhis way tocollect his prize, he
stoppedtobuy pizza for lunch. Whilehewas waiting for his
order, hewent next door andbought threemorescratch-lottery
tickets. Hewon$200,000onthefirst ticket hescratched. Two
big wins inless than24hoursWhat are the odds?
ForeverFaithFul
Whenadogs 57-year-oldItalianmistress
diedsuddenlyinNovember 2012, theGerman
shepherd, nicknamedCiccio(andalso
Tommy), was heartbroken. Cicciojoined
mourners at her funeral at theSantaMaria
AssuntachurchinPuglia. For months, Ciccio,
whohadroutinelyattendedafternoonmass
withhis owner, continuedtoanswer the
chimingbells andwander infor theservice.
Thepriest wouldallowCicciotolieat the
foot of thealtar duringhis sermons. Sadly, Ciccio
followedhis mistress inFebruary 2013.
as blls begantoing, Ciccio
wouldheadtothechuchfo mass
44
P
H
O
T
O
:
g
e
T
T
y
i
m
a
g
e
s
She may be one of Britains greatest actresses
but, as Benji Wilsondiscovers, Judi Denchis a
womanwholoves comedy, onandoff the set
Im trying to rouse Dame Judi
Denchtosomethingapproaching
anger. Its not easy. Shes a model of
equanimity and phlegm.
Her latest filmPhilomena, I say, made
me angry at the true story it tells of
Philomena Lee, an Irishwoman whod
become pregnant as a teenager in 1952.
She was sent, in shame, to work in the
laundry of a convent andwhenher son
was three, the nuns took himfromher
to sell to an American family for adop-
tion. Philomena spent the next 50years
trying in vain to establish his wherea-
bouts, until she eventually got some
answers with the help of the journalist
Martin Sixsmith played in the film
by British actor Steve Coogan.
Philomenas talemademeangryand
it made Martin Sixsmith angry. Yet
Judi, in her wisdom, takes another
moral fromthe story. It made me very
angry, she says inthat throaty, fragile
voice, but what struckme muchmore
was Philomenas level of forgive-
ness and her belief and faith.
Evennow, thats completely
unshaken. I was just
arrestedbyher incredible
compassion.
I met Philomena
beforehandandthen
Refuses to be
pigeonholed:
Dame Judi
Dench
46
Judi Dench. Weknowshesaremarkable

person a 50-year career on stage and
screen, winning just about every award
there is, tells you that. Yet there are
other similarities with Philomena
Lee. I can identify with her past
and I can identify with
Ireland: myMaandher family
were from Dublin.
Judi was particularly
impressed by Philomenas
sense of humour and Im
impressed by Judis. Theres
no reason I should have
assumedshedbehumourless:
someof her greatest triumphs
have been in comedies, from
Trevor Nunns 1976 produc-
tion of The Comedy of Errors
tothesitcomsAFineRomance
and As Time Goes By. Yet
because she has those stern eyes,
and because shes manifestly an
acting great, somehow her wry wit
comes as a surprise. She describes the
set of Philomena, a profoundly moving
film, as a giggle a minute.
twoor three times duringfilming. I have
no doubt well be in touch again. They
showed us a tiny bit of the film at the
wrapparty. Weweretalkingandshehad
her hand on my shoulder. I hardly
looked at the filmbecause I was so
aware of her sitting behind
me. Suddenly there was her
little boy on the screen and
the only remark I heard her
say was, Ah, God love him.
I hope she feels we told her
story properly.
Many actors think that
meeting the person youre
playing can muddy the
waters. But, says Judi, I just
wantedtheimpressionof her
so that you have something
in the front of your mind. If
youmet her, youdthink, Very
nice, smart Irish lady, but then you
realise what a remarkable person
she is.
Though shed never hear of it,
you might say something similar about
Steve
made
me
laugh
every
day
I lIketobebusy JudI InactIon
AFine Romance, 1983
(withhusbandMichael Williams)
The Comedy Of Errors,
1976
Mrs Brown,
1997
P
H
O
T
O
:
(
c
O
M
e
D
y
)
J
O
e
c
O
c
k
S
S
T
u
D
i
O
c
O
l
l
e
c
T
i
O
N
/
S
H
a
k
e
S
P
e
a
R
e
B
i
R
T
H
P
l
a
c
e
T
R
u
S
T
For a video run through Dame
Judis brilliant career, visit
Readers Digest Magazine
online, see page 6
47
Steve Coogan? Hes hysterical. He
made me laugh every day and when
youre playing something that requires
quite a lot of tension, its glorious to be
able to just have a laugh suddenly. Hes
a terribly clever man. I asked him to
take off [comedian] Bruce Forsyth, he
did; and he does Sean Connery young
andold. Henever stopped. Hejust made
me howl. How wonderful that is.
She also says there was a lot of
mickey-taking, and it sounds as if Judi
gaveas goodas shegot: I never stopped
telling him he had Botox in his top lip.
I dont think he denied it!
Eventually, I admit that Id never
thought of her as a comedienne. She
takes mild offence, suggesting in
response that a little levity is a precon-
dition for a successful production.
I defy anybody to do a really
smashing piece of work without people
having a sense of humour.
She says her only other criterion in
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,
2011
Skyfall,
2012
P
H
O
T
O
:
i
T
v
/
r
e
x
Manifestly an
acting great: with
Steve Coogan
in Philomena
48
P
H
O
T
O
:
M
u
R
R
a
y
S
a
N
D
e
R
S
/
D
a
i
l
y
M
a
i
l
/
R
e
X
choosingworkistofollow
a zig with a zag. You
don t wa nt t o do
something remotely like
somethingyoudidbefore.
I want something thats
fascinating to do and
wh e r e y o u l e a r n
something new and is
as different fromthe last
thing as possible.
Her recent work in-
cludes the comedy The
Best Exotic Marigold
Hotel, the Bond epic Skyfall, and now
the tender, intimate Philomena. She also
starred with Ben Whishaw in a West
End run of Peter andAlice playing the
elderly Alice Liddell, who as a girl had
inspired Lewis Carroll. It reminds you
that, at 79, not only does Judi Dench
refuse to be pigeonholed, but shes not
slowing down either.
I like to be busy; I love the work.
Iminthe twoper cent of the population
doing the job they want to. I think thats
incredibly lucky. But I took eight weeks
off when I finished the play, because
that was 12 weeks in London and it was
quite exhausting. After that I thought,
You know, I really want a rest. And so
I spent four weeks in Cornwall in the
sun, swimming and lying on the beach,
which was glorious.
You hear very little about the off-
screenlife of Dame Judi Dench for the
most part, she says, because she doesnt
have much of one: I go fromone thing
straight to another very, very often.
But, she adds, whenshe does get time
off, her priority is her family: My
daughter [the actress Finty Williams]
and grandson [Sam, 16] I just love it
whenwere together. We had supper in
thegardenlast night. It was reallylovely.
Those are the good bits.
She also paints watercolours,
though typically she downplays
her talents. I paint a lot but theyre
not for public consumption, just for
myself. I dont write a diary, so I paint.
I trained as a theatre designer before
being an actress, so thats something
Ive always likeddoing. MyPa was very,
very good at it, an uncle was very good
too and both my brothers paint its
just a great way of relaxing.
So would it be possible to buy a
genuine Dench? No! I dont think there
wouldbe a market for them, she laughs
although I suspect there would.
Another thing you may not know
about Judi Dench is that shes a fan of
the football club, Everton. Its because
of Bill Kenwright [Evertons chairman
and a theatre and film producer]. Ive
Judi with her
daughter Finty: I
just love it when
were together
49
worked for him so many times, I have
to support his team.
As for the day job, she says that
evenafter50yearsinthebusiness,
andwith11 Baftas, anOscar anda Tony,
its not getting any easier: Imfar more
nervous now than I was. But thats
something you just have to deal
with. Its something you dont
broadcast toomuchbecause nerves
create adrenaline. You can
use all that its petrol but
its not your business to let
other people sense it. All
that fear or fright is really
your own business.
In fact, the fear has
grown with her celebrity.
(Its odd to think that
Denchs global fame came
only in the mid-1990s with
GoldenEye and Mrs Brown,
40yearsintoher career.) Themore
you do, the more is expected of
you. Youalso knowmore about the job.
I dont knowif Iveimproved; sometimes
you havent. But at least youve learned
to simplify things. Less is more I
understand that now.
Less is more works well oncamera,
but fromher first appearance at the Old
Vic in 1957 to those filmbreakthroughs,
Judi was always primarilyastageactress.
And its still where her heart lies.
The thing I like best is the theatre,
she says frmly. You could play Lady
Macbeth in the afternoon, Beatrice in
MuchAdo at night andthe next day you
could play Adriana in The Comedy of
Errors. Now, that for me is the most
exciting way of working. Youcould
play four parts in a week, four
different parts, four different
Shakespeare pl ays.
That s my i dea of
heaven.
It is, of course, aworld
away from Bond. After
17 years as M, she wont
be returning to the role,
but hopes that doing big
films likethat will inspire
their audiences to be-
come theatre-goers.
ThereactiontoBond
comes from young chaps of about
11 and they have no idea what else
Ive done, and nor should they be both-
ered. But theyliketohavemet somebody
who is in Bond and thats wonderful
because I think, Well, theres anaudience
who would maybe go into a theatre. Its
to bait people for the theatre really. I
never want people to not go to the
theatre. I want it always to last. n
Imfar
more
nervous
nowthan
I was
c h a r ac t e r de v e l op me n t
I havent the slightest idea of howtochange people, but still, I keepa long
list of prospective candidates just incase I shouldever figure it out.
Davi d Sedar i s
Changingis what people dowhenthey have nooptions left. Hol l y Bl ack
GOTA
GOOD
JOKE?
Share it and
win cash
s
e
e
p
a
g
e
6 for
d
e
t
a
i
l
s
Hero to zero
Do you want to hear a good
Batman impression? asked
my friend Dave.
Go on then, I replied.
NOTTHEKRYPTONITE!
he screamed.
I said, Thats Superman.
Thanks, Ive been
practising, he replied.
St|e|nternet
Found him!
Not Wally, not Wally, not Wally, not Wally, not Wally, not
Wally, not Wally, not Wally, Wally, not Wally.
Wheres Wally Audiobook
Comedy wri ter Jason Musti an onTw|tter
Thats the ticket
You know, people dont
usually compliment me
on my driving, so I was
very pleased this morning
when I sawa note on my
car reading parking
fine. That was nice of
them!
Submi tted by Isaac Sargent
Vincent Van Dalism
Twoscruffy young boys are
looking at anabstract painting
hanging ina shopwhenone
whispers urgently tothe other:
Lets get out of here before
they say we didit!
Seenont|e|nternet
P
l
o
T
o
S
:
T
l
l
H
k
S
T
o
C
k
;
C
L
T
T
y
l
m
A
C
L
S
;
(
3
l
k
L
)
g
l
e
n
I
n
n
e
s
e
x
a
m
I
n
e
r
Sentenced to death
Is imporn ohv goo
vocbury. If I hknownh
iffrnc bwnh wors
nio nnco, on of my
goofrins wousi b iving.
Comedi an John McDowel l
Life cycle
Alert reader AnnetteEastwd
frNewSutWales, Australa,
sent nts wnderful lppn
frer lal paper. Turnt
pae6fr detals nwuan
turnur funnpts ntas!
NaIledIt
I sw ocumnry onhowships
r kp oghr. I ws riving.
Comedi an Stewart Franci s
Cssic gronr
abioogis, chmis n sisicinr ou
huning. th bioogis shoos r nmisss
hr mrs oh f, h chmis ks sho n
misss hr mrs oh righ, nh sisicin
ys, W go him! Seenntenternet
Not falling for it
Mike went into work an hour
late, his face scratched
and bruised, his
glasses bent.
What happened
to you? his boss
asked.
I fell down two
flights of stairs,
Mike said.
His boss was
aghast. That took
you a whole hour?
Seenntenternet
51
Adolphins smile is actually anillusion.
Sois our belief that these animals canheal
by Lori mari no l from aeon magazine
Dolp oo hi pp ns
aren rr t
pp
nn
smiling n
JAY, AN LleH1-YLA-OLo boy with
autism whose behaviour has always
been agitated and uncooperative, is
smiling and splashing in a pool. A
pair of bottlenose dolphins foat next
to him, supporting him in the water.
Jays parents stand nearby as a staff
member in the water engages Jay in
games with colourful shapes. She
asks himsome questions, and the boy
begins to respond. He names the
shapes, speaking his frst words in
months. Jay appears more aware and
alert, and a quick, noninvasive scan
shows that there have indeed been
changes in his brain activity.
Jays parents are elated to have
finally found a treatment that works
for their son. They sign up for more
sessions and cant wait to tell their
friends about their experience.
Theyre not surprised to find that
dolphins have succeeded where main-
stream doctors have not. Everyone
believes that dolphins are special
altruistic, extra gentle with children,
good-natured. And the trainers have
assured the parents that the dolphins
are happy and accustomed to the role
theyre playing. After all, as everyone
can see, the dolphins are smiling.
Jay is a composite character drawn
from the dozens of testimonials that
appear on dolphin-assisted therapy
(DAT) websites, but stories like his
about the extraordinary power of
dolphins have been told since
ancient times. Much of our attraction
to these creatures derives from their
appealing combination of intelligence
and communication skills. However,
their smile, which is not a smile at
all but an anatomical illusion arising
from the configuration of their jaws,
makes people believe wrongly that
the animals are always content.
Not only are the dolphins living in
captivity unhappy, but theres also no
compelling evidence that they can
heal. What does exist is evidence that
they are being harmed.
Fuel forthemyth
The perception of dolphins as healers
is connected with beliefs that they
possess magical powers that come
down to us through myth. The ancient
Celts attributedspecial abilities to dol-
phins, as didtheNorse. TheGreeks and
Romans linkeddolphins withthe gods.
People from Brazil to the Solomon
Islands have tradeddolphinbody parts
for medicinal and totemic purposes.
The person most responsible for
advancing modernnotions of dolphins
as healers is the late neuroscientist
John C. Lilly, who pioneered research
with captive specimens in the 1960s.
His early work on their brains and
behaviour was groundbreaking. In a
paper published in Science in 1961,
Lilly reported on the range of vocal
exchanges between two dolphins in
adjacent tanks and noted how their
conversation followed polite rules.
For example, when one spoke, the
FROM Aeon mAgAzine (JUNE 18, 13), 2013 BY aEON MEdia ltd., WWW.aEON.cO/ MagaziNE
Lori Marino is a neuroscientist at Emory
University. She has been studying dolphins
and whales for 25 years.
54
p
R
E
v
i
O
U
S
S
p
R
E
a
d
:
v
i
N
c
E
N
t
J
.
M
U
S
i
/
N
a
t
i
O
N
a
l
g
E
O
g
R
a
p
h
i
c
c
R
E
a
t
i
v
E
eae s oi es t 04 / 1 4
wild dolphins, the large majority of
SWD customers in the US where it
is most popular swim with captive
dolphins in tanks or pools.
Many people describe their in-water
encounter with a dolphin as exhilarat-
ing, transformative encounters. Others
report a sense of euphoria andintimate
kinship with the animals. In many
ways, it was only a
matter of time before
the concept of dolphin-
as s i s t ed t her apy
e me r ge d a s a n
enhanced version of
SWD programmes.
Dubious
benefits
Therapy with dolphins
typi cal l y i nvol ves
several sessions of cus-
tomers swimming or
interacting with captive dolphins,
along with performing more conven-
tional therapeutic tasks such as puzzle
solving and motor-skills exercises. In
the US, the standard price of DAT
sessions, whose practitioners are not
required by lawto receive any special
training or certification, is steep,
reaching into the thousands of dollars.
DAT has become a highly profitable
business with facilities in countries
such as Mexico, Israel, Russia, Japan,
China and the Bahamas. DAT practi-
tioners say that the sessions are
particularly successful in treating
depression and motor disorders in
addition to childhood autism. But
other was quiet. Lilly drew up a
lexicon, showing that dolphins used a
variety of communication methods,
from blowing and whistling to click-
ing. But it was his informal studies of
the mammals interacting with
children with autism that led him to
make statements about the animals
powers, which became the basis for
many of the claims
made by dolphin-
assistedtherapy(DAT)
facilities.
Flipperisnt
real
The popularity of
dolphin shows, in
which trainers engage
them in daring gym-
nastics, grew dramati-
cally in the 1960s and
70s. In 1964, the TV
series Flipper was first broadcast.
Flipper was a bottlenose dolphin who
lived in a cove and helped his two
young human pals save people in
trouble. But if Flipper increased public
interest in dolphins, it also led to con-
cerns over the animals welfare. So
marine parks rebranded themselves
as centres of learning rather than as
sites of entertainment.
Regardless, millions of people visit
captive-dolphin facilities every year.
Swim with dolphins (SWD) pro-
grammes have emerged as a lucrative
component of the dolphin industry.
Although many international opera-
tions offer opportunities to swimwith
In dolphin therapy, children
may benefit fromthe extra
human attention rather than
the animal interaction
55
P
H
O
T
O
:
J
e
f
f
r
e
y
L
.
r
O
T
m
a
n
/
C
O
r
b
i
s
DAT can sometimes be advertised as
a treatment for everything from
cancer to developmental delays.
While there are some published
studies claiming to demonstrate
positive results fromDAT, fewinclude
a control group, which would help
measure whether general, short-term
results are due to interacting with the
dolphins or caused by other factors.
Proponents of DAT cite anecdotal
evidence and offer many reasons for
its efficacy, from brain wave changes
to the physiological
effects of echoloca-
tion (dolphin sonar)
on the human body.
The loved ones of
children with autism
and other people
who appear t o
benefit from DAT
tend to accept these
expl anat i ons as
scientifically plausi-
ble. And even those sceptical of DATs
therapeutic abilities may shrug and
ask, Whats the harm if a child who
typically experiences little enjoyment
and accomplishment finds some hap-
piness and connection with dolphins?
But the question usually left out is
What about the dolphins?
Out of theirdepths
Decades of scientific research have
confirmed that the mammals possess
large, highly elaborate brains and pro-
digious cognitivecapacities andengage
in complex societies and even cultural
traditions. Dolphins also have a level
of self-awareness not unlike our own:
theyre able to recognise themselves in
a mirror, something only humans and
primates are also able to do.
Hidden behind their smiles,
however, captive dolphins spend their
lives under tremendous stress. In
their natural habitats, dolphins may
swim up to 160km a day and dive
down to 100m. They spend 80 to 90%
of their time travelling below the
surface. Contrast this with the shallow
tanks of captive dolphins.
The outcome of
this treatment is dev-
astating. Dolphins
canlive 30to 50years
in the wild. A 2004
Sun Sentinel analysis
of US federal docu-
ments of marine
animals in captivity
found that more than
half of the bottlenose
dolphins that died
over the decades covered (and whose
agewas known) wereyounger thanten.
Of dolphins born in captivity, an
estimated 60% die before their first
birthday. Scientists have observedcap-
tive dolphins ramming into the sides
of their tanks and chewing on the
concrete until theyve worn through
their teeth. Often they die fromgastric
ulcers, infections, andother stress- and
immune-related diseases.
The public is largely unaware of the
consequences because aggressive or
dying animals are often quietly
replaced. The original orca Shamu, for
instance, spent just six years in
Captive dolphins
spendtheir lives
under
tremendous
stress
56
captivity in SeaWorld before dying
aged about nine in the wild, killer
whales live 50 to 80 years. But the
name Shamu has been used for
different orcas, leading to the
perception that the original Shamu is
alive and well. In 2010, one Shamu,
knownto have a history of stress from
captivity, attackedandkilleda trainer.
Dolphins arent the only ones
harmed by dolphin-human contact.
Because of their smiles, we forget
dolphins are predators and can be
extremely aggressive. In the wild,
theyve been known to participate in
brutal attacks on porpoises and,
sometimes, their own young. Parents
who would never place their child in
a cage with a lion or an elephant seem
to think nothing of placing them at
very real risk of injury and disease
in a tank with a dolphin.
According to a US National Marine
Fisheries Service study of dolphin
attractions, people have come out of
their encounters with broken bones
and lacerations. In December 2012, a
dolphin in an SWD programme in
Cancn bit three people: a couple on
their honeymoon and a middle-aged
woman. The male victim compared
it to a scene from Jaws.
Meanwhile, many parents bring
their children with autismhome after
their DAT sessions and are disap-
pointed when the kids withdraw
again. At first, the fathers and mothers
dont want to consider that they could
have wasted their time and money.
But later they may acknowledge that
not much has changed and that the
benefits were due to the excitement
of the trip and the attention their child
received. Anthropologist Betsy Smith,
who has been credited with creating
dolphin therapy in the 1970s, stopped
doing it in the 1990s and now calls it
the exploitation of vulnerable people
and vulnerable dolphins.
So what can be done? Legislation
governing captive dolphins and wild
dolphins can be tightened, as has hap-
penedincountries including Australia,
New Zealand and South Africa.
Additionally, DATprogrammes should
be required to make their long-term
results public so families are able to
decide based on statistics whether
to participate. Even with evidence de-
bunking DAT, its understandable that
desperate people will continue to turn
to dolphins to find some help for their
children. But theyshouldknowthat the
dolphins are suffering too.
57
s we e t ta l k
Seventy-six per cent of Americans eat the ears of their chocolate Easter
bunnies first. ABC News
Whenwe dont have the words, chocolate canspeak volumes.
Joan Bauer
58
Anexpectant mother at a comics
conventionaskeda Star Trek actor
totell her unborndaughter ...
Whyitsgreat
tobea
T
his is what he said: My name is Wil Wheaton
and I am a nerd. Its awesome to be a nerd.
I dont knowwhat the world is going to be like
by the time you understand this. I dont know what its
going to mean to be a nerd when you are a young
woman. For me, when I was growing up, being a nerd
meant that I liked things that were a little weird, that
took a lot of effort to appreciate and understand. It
meant that I loved science, playing board games, read-
ing books, and really understanding what went on in
the world instead of just riding the planet through space.
When I was a little boy, people really teased me about
that and made me feel like there was something wrong
with me for loving those things. Now that Im an adult,
Im a professional nerd, and the world has changed.
I think we have realised that being a nerd is not about
what you love but about how you love.
Wil Wheaton
is an actor, a writer
and a dad. Hes
known for playing
Wesley Crusher on
the TVseries Star
Trek: The Next
Generation and for
his appearances on
The Big Bang Theory.
nerd
59
i
l
l
u
s
t
r
a
t
i
o
n
:
j
o
e
m
c
k
e
n
d
r
y
;
P
h
o
t
o
:
d
a
n
W
i
n
t
e
r
s
So theres going to be a thing in
your life that you love. I dont know
what its going to be. It might be
sports or science or reading or telling
stories it doesnt matter what it is.
The way you love that thing and how
you fnd other people who love it the
way you do is what makes being a
nerd awesome. Some of us love Game
of Thrones, while others love Star
Trek or Star Wars. But we all love
those things so much that we travel
thousands of kilometres which is
probably easy for you, but were still
using fossil fuels, so its diffcult to
be around people who love the things
that we love the way that we love
them. Thats why being a nerd is
awesome.
Dont let anyone tell you that the
thing that you love is a thing that you
cant love. Dont let anyone ever tell
you, You cant love that. Thats for
boys. You fnd the things that you
love, and you love themthe most that
you can.
And listen, this is really important:
I want you to be honest, honourable
and kind. I want you to work hard
because everything worth doing is
hard. I want you to be awesome, and
I will do my very best to leave you a
planet that you can still live on.
Have a great life. n
60
Everyones a comedian
onthe internet. We found
people wise-cracking
onbook reviewsites, online
retailers andmore
Ccl
cets
b y a n d y S i m m o n S
Reer s d ges t 04 / 1 4
61
I
l
l
u
s
t
r
a
t
e
d
b
y
N
I
s
h
a
N
t
c
h
o
k
s
I
The book Howto Avoid Huge Ships
Reads like a whodunit. I bought Howto Avoid Huge Ships
as a companion to Captain Trimmers other excellent titles:
Howto Avoid a Train and Howto Avoid the Empire State
Building. Ci ti zenf i tz
Saved my life and my sanity. For about eight
months now, I have noticed that a huge ship has
been stalking me. I was fearful because my parents
were killed by a big ship when they went out to walk the
dog one day four years ago, and I have nightmares about
it to this day. Rael i x
Tuscan Dairy whole milk
Tuscan transports you instantly to scenic hill towns in central Italy (is that
Montepulciano I detect?) thereis theloamy clay, thegreengrass of summer days, the
toweringcypress. Then, onetakes inthethick liquidandlets it roll across andunder the
tongue what is that? Perhaps a hint of a nutty Edamcheese? Phi l i p Tone
Has anyone else tried pouring this stuff over dry cereal? A-W-E-S-O-M-E!
J. Fi tzsi mmons
What if you have used milk you want to sell? Wayne
The Hutzler 571 banana slicer
What can I say about the 571 banana slicer that hasnt already been said about
the wheel, penicillin or the iPhone? Mrs Tol edo
Uraniumore sample fromImages Scientific Instruments
I purchased this product 4.47 billion years ago, and when I opened it today, it was half
empty. Patri ck J. McGovern
Funniest product reviews
Inthemarket for something? Anything? Chances areyoull findit onAmazon.
And their reviewers are eager to offer their opinions, serious or not.
The BICCristal for Her ball pen
Someone has answered my gentle prayers and finally designed a pen that I can
use all monthlong! I use it whenImswimming, ridinga horse, walkingonthe
beach, anddoingyoga. Men[find] me more attractive. It has givenme softer skin
andmore manageable hair. Tracy Hami l ton
62
Crazyadvertisements
If you have to get a chest, you can do it on Craigslist classifieds. And if you
have to get something off your chest, you can do it on Craigslist as well.
Dresser for sale possessed by ex-girlfriend
I amselling the dresser that my ex left behind when we split. As in our relationship,
she felt it wasnt an obligation of hers to move anything along in our union or move
anything out when she left. It has a huge trifold mirror that was perfect for each of
her faces. This dresser is a real keeper and just needs a little TLC. [It] never wonders
where you have been, and it can be friends with other pieces of furniture without
being jealous or complaining.
1996 Subaru Outback with over 480,000 km
If youre a parent considering buying and fixing up this car for a teenager in
your house who imagines theyll use it to go to the drive-in theatre with a cute
boy/girl and let their hormones run wild, rest assured, this car is an automotive
chastity belt. I mean, look at it. The back is too small to lie down in, the rear seats
are contoured in such a way as to make love-making impossible, and the centre
console is loaded with enough protuberances and jagged edges that necking
could lead to a visit to the emergency room. [The cars] pastel paint job and
fabric interior [will douse] any hormonal flames. Trust me on this, I drove this
car for four years. Your teenager will experience a baffling streak of abstinence
when they drive this car.
Free cello
Somy sister gave me this celloa couple years ago. Its a nice cello. Actually, its a great
cello. Its probably the best cello, but I dont really knowmuchabout cellos. Also, the neck
snappedoff. Of the cello. Soits really more like
three quarters of a cello, but the other quarter is
still there. Its just not attached. Its kindof like
youre getting twocellos, only one of themdoesnt
have a body andthe other doesnt have a neck.
Free hot tub
Ever wondered what a 1600-litre colander
looks like? Today is your lucky day. I have
a free hot tub. Yes, it is complete, and it is
drained. I drained part of it, and it drained
itself the rest of the way. Where does it leak?
Find that and you have found the leprechaun
with the pot of gold.
63
Two stars, horrible food
Yelp! gives top-notchcritiques onentertainment, restaurants, luxurious
accommodations andevenprisons.
The Alameda County Santa Rita Jail
First off, youdont evenneeda ride here. They pick youupfromanywhere inthe county.
Sometimes they evenget youout of bedandbring you, andits all free of charge. Jason L
Tent City Jail, Phoenix, Arizona
I was severely misled by Frank As Its hot, but the food aint bad review. It
was very cold and by far the worst food Ive ever eaten. Youll have to drag me
there in cuffs to get me to return. Dani el B
Moby Dick
Any enjoyment I got out of the book was overshadowedby the tedious, largely
pointless stretches of encyclopaedic descriptions about the whaling industry. Melville
strikes me as one of those people whowouldcorner youat a party andtalk incessantly
about whaling, whaling ships, whales, whale diet, whale etymology, whale zoology,
whale blubber, whale delicacies, whale migration, whale oil, whale biology, whale meat,
whale skinning, andevery other possible topic about whales sothat youdfinally have
topretendtohave togotothe bathroomjust toget away. Only hedfollowyouintothe
bathroomandkeeptalking toyouabout whales. Jami e
Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #1)
I read this book to the end so you dont have to. Shiver should come with a
Surgeon Generals Warning. I think all the purple prose has blacked out my eyes!
Too bad the swelling didnt prevent me fromnoticing the ginormous plot holes.
And I need some aspirin because my head aches fromclenching my jawas I am
certain all the sappy sweetness contained in this adverb-infested book was
injected straight into my molars. I amvery much at a loss as to howthis book has
received so many glowing reviews. AmI missing something? Heather
WhenI readthis, I didshiver. I shiveredinhorror andfear that sucha book found
a publishing company that thought this was worthy of public consumption. Sarah n
Badreads on Goodreads
Looking for a great book to cuddle up with? Heed the suggestions from
posters on the book-lovers website, Goodreads.
First
person
singular
DeaDManBraKe
Rescue worker Steve Smokey
Dawson is played by Gerard
Carroll in the Merrigong Theatre
Companys verbatimwork
about the Waterfall train crash
Anincreasingly popular formof play
verbatimtheatre gives
voice toordinary people with
extraordinary stories totell
BY HAZEL FLYNN
THE WATERFALL
RAIL ACCIDENT
InJanuary 2003, a speedingtrain
fromSydney roaredintoa curve
near Waterfall stationinNew
SouthWales. Thetrainderailed,
killingsevenpeople.
Top: SteveDawsonwithsurvivor
Christiana Gruenbaum.
Above: Rescueworkers struggled
tofreetrappedpassengers
PHOTOS: ( PL AY ) ASHL EY F ROST; ( SURVI VOR)
TAMARA DEAN/ FAI RFAX SYNDI CATI ON; TRAI N
WRECK) DAL L AS KI L PONEN/ FAI RFAX SYNDI CATI ON
January 31, 2003,
Steve Smokey
Dawson was the
f irst intensive-
care paramedic to
reach the site of
the Waterfall train
crash. The cata-
strophic accident in
the bushland south of
Sydney, in which a passenger
train derailed and smashed into a
rock wall at high speed, left seven
people dead, including the driver, and
injured 19 others, some grievously. A
Special Commission of Inquiry into
the Waterfall Rail Accident concluded
that the accident could have been
avoided if earlier safety warnings
regarding the deadmans emergency
brake had not been ignored.
Ten years later, when he learned
that Dead Man Brake, a stage play
about the crash was being planned,
Dawsonwas perplexed. I thought, Are
they going to have a train carriage on
there, with people sort of trapped?
When I was going through the
carriages there were horrific scenes,
all sorts of terrible, terrible injuries. I
thought, Howare they going to portray
all that on stage?
It was Dawsons first encounter with
verbatim theatre, which tells true
stories through the words of those
involved. The lines are spoken by
actors, but they come directly fromthe
transcripts of interviews with
ordinary people who happen to find
themselves in extraordinary situations
(sometimes withthe additionof public
testimony from sources such as the
Commissionof Inquiry). Generally the
sets are abstractly minimal there is
no attempt torecreate the events being
described. The power is all in the
words being spoken.
Unlike the clipped and polished
dialogue of traditional theatre,
verbatim plays include the ums and
ahs and unfinished sentences that
characterise real speech. The effect
can be electrifying. Sitting in the
audience on the opening night of the
play, Dawson says, I had my hands in
my face when it first started, but it
was amazing. Just sensational.
Dead Man Brake is by Alana
Valentine, whose two dozen plays
include verbatim pieces on topics
such as cyber-bullying, parenting
from prison, the notorious Girls
Training School at Parramatta
(ParramattaGirls) andthe community
fight to save the South Sydney
Rabbitohs rugby league team (Run
Rabbit Run). The latter two are on the
NSW Higher School Certificate
(HSC) drama syllabus.
On
verbatimtheatre
bringstOthe
stagevOices
thatmight
Otherwisebe
hidden
66
For Valentine, whose scripts have
won several awards, verbatimtheatre
is a powerful way of telling stories
that wouldnt otherwise be told.
What I really love, she says, is
givingsomethingbacktoacommunity;
saying Your life is important. Your
story is important. We dont have to
look at Elizabethan England to
understand that humanity is a
beautiful and courageous thing. Its
right under your noses.
Anne-Louise Rentell, director of
Merrigong Theatre Companys world
premiere production of Dead Man
Brake, concurs. When life itself is
stranger than anything you could
imagine, the stories are out there.
They dont have to be made up.
Valentine has really pushed the
verbatim theatre form along in
Australia, more than anyone else, Id
venture to say, according to Paul
Brown. Hes in a position to know. In
1990 the Newcastle Workers Cultural
Action Committee commissioned
Brown to begin work on what became
Australias first fully verbatim play,
Aftershocks, about the Newcastle
earthquake which had happened less
than a year earlier. Thirteen people
died in Australias most destructive
earthquake, nine of them in the
collapse of the citys Workers Club.
For Brown, currently collaborating
with an Indian theatre group on a
runrabbitrun
Above: Josef Ber in Belvoir Street
Theatres play about the fight by
Rabbitohs fans to save their
teamfrombeing axed from
the national league
67
P
H
O
T
O
:
H
e
i
d
r
u
n
L
O
H
r
hybrid documentary play about
Delhis urban development, verbatim
theatre is about bringing to the stage
voices that might otherwise be
hidden. In the case of Aftershocks
there was also a desire to set the story
straight: The local people had a lot
of concerns about how the national
andinternational press was portraying
the earthquake. People wanted the
story told in different ways to what
they were seeing in the press.
But after its emotionally charged
premiere in Newcastle, Aftershocks
took on a life of its own, with high-
profile productions in Sydney and
Melbourne and a telemovie version.
Two or three productions are
mounted each year around Australia
and it, too, is on the HSC syllabus.
Whats the appeal to people with no
connection to the earthquake? Its
about the way in which a person
responds to a crisis, says Brown.
Thats the basis on which most
people can get something out of
verbatimplays which cover particular
catastrophic events. Everybody likes
to think through how they will
respond in a crisis, and I guess the
truth is we dont know until were in
one. How would you respond to a
really bad car crash if you were first
on the scene, or what would you do if
you were in a war zone or a tsunami?
Its a universal question.
Some verbatim theatre is overtly
political (British writer David Hares
The Power of Yes, about the global
financial crisis), some sociological
(New Zealanders Miranda Harcourt
and Stuart McKenzies Portraits about
a real rape and murder, and verbatim
touchstone The Laramie Project by
Moiss Kaufman and the Tectonic
Theatre Project about a US gay-hate
murder). Some, like Aftershocks and
Dead Man Brake, serve as a
chronicle, taking the audience behind
the headlines.
The sense of responsibility to those
entrusting their stories to the
playwright is keenly felt by both
Valentine and Brown, and both say
the choice of participants is crucial.
Lyn Brown (no relation to Paul) was
incredibly lucky to walk away from
the Newcastle Workers Club, after
being trapped on an unstable, exposed
ledge. She agreed to participate in
Aftershocks but says quite a few of
her co-workers just werent ready.
Paul Brown says, We resisted the
temptation to think of the whole
process as a form of therapy. We kept
saying to everybody that we were
trying to make an artwork. But he
acknowledges that having their story
told often triggers an emotional
havingtheir
storytold
oftentriggers
anemotional
catharsis for
participants
68
catharsis for participants, as it did for
Lyn Brown, who had spoken very
little about the earthquake in its
aftermath. It was something very
close to your heart and you had all
your thoughts inside, she explains.
After seeing the play, I actually had a
good talk to my family more than I had
before. I guess it sort of brought home
a lot of things. It gave me more insight.
People who are unfamiliar with
verbatim theatre sometimes get
worried that youre going to exploit
someones heartache and personal
drama for entertainment, says Rentell.
But theatre is a great medium for
talking about things andtosome extent
healing. You can address something
head-on and feel that the community
is supporting and embracing the
people in that story.
Steve Dawson saw the effect first-
hand on the audience around him:
You see movies where people do all
sorts of stuff, but when it comes to real
life and people who were actually
there, well it hits home then.
Another common misconception is
that the playscript is just a cut-and-
paste job, where all the work is done
by the interviewees. Paul Brown says
a useful comparison is the process of
making a documentary film, where
the writers role is to decide who will
be interviewed and what theyll be
asked about, then decide which
sections of which interviews will be
used, and weave it all together to tell
a cohesive story.
As for the notion that the ordinary
spoken word wont make good theatre,
Valentine has found just the opposite.
With Run Rabbit Run, for instance,
people would always say to me that
football fans and sports fans in
Australia are not necessarily lucid.
And yet my experience of growing up
among football fans was that they were
incredibly able to articulate their point
of view they often would be kind of
working-class philosophers.
For me the verbatim form has an
authority and an authenticity that is
irrefutable froman audiences point of
view. They cant say, Oh, Alana,
youve made them sound very
articulate, because that is what those
people actually said. n
WE WA N T YOU R VOT E
Smaller political parties oftentake oddstances:
Unionof Conscientiously Work-Shy Elements (Denmark): Foundedin
1979, their policies includedNutella inarmy rations andbetter weather.
The Two-TailedDog Party (Hungary): Electionposters featured
candidateIstvnNagy, a two-taileddog. Campaignslogans included
Eternal life, free beer, tax deduction!
The Rent Is TooDamnHighParty (US): Self-explanatory.
69
Loose
beaks
Awoman in
China filed for
divorce after
suspecting her
husband was
cheating on her.
Howcould she
tell? Her pet
mynah birds
vocabulary had
grown to include
divorce,
I love you and
be patient
words it had
allegedly picked
up while
overhearing the
husband on the
phone with his
lover.
Source: CNN P
l
o
o
8
:
l
l
H
k
8
o
C
k
>> Eat her alreay! Animal watching people
kissing. Josh Hara (@yy|a)
>> They make cat fooout of cow, fish, turkey,
chicken &lamb meat but not mouse meat, which
is probably all cats want. John Fugel sang (@J|nFugelsang)
>> If a cat is sleeping on your lapanyou nee
to get up, a goosolution is to just sit there an
remember your relative unimportance.
Henri , Le Chat Noi r (@lenr|LeC|atH|r)
>> SALMONstill a fan TUNAunbroken perfection
HALIBUTefinitely falling off the charts
SCALLOPS no thanks man THIS HAS BEEN
TOPFISH. Jason Scott s Cat (@sc||ngtn)
>> Crocs, huh? Well Imnot surprise
they namesomething after us. What is
it? Somethin awesome? Why are you
making that face? Acrocoile.
Pete Hol mes (@ete|lmes)
The Great Tweet-off
Whether youre cracking wise about
animals, or pretending to be one,
Twitter is the place to let your
creativity run wild:
People insleeping
bags are the soft
tacos of the bear
world. Jason Mi l l er (@lngwall26)
WILdLIFE
EdITION
70
Fromthe
archives
JAN
1954
Dont axe questions
Afewweeks back, I went tothe hardware
store andbought anaxe touse onan
overgrownshrub. I put the axe ina bag and
went a fewdoors downtothe liquor store,
where I bought twobottles of wine. As the
assistant placedthe wine ina bag, he
spottedthe axe.
This, he said, has all the makings of
a very interesting weekend.
Submi tted by Lyl e Brewer
Growth spurt
I filled in an application formto
increase my life insurance cover and
accidentally put my height down as
8ft 5in instead of 5ft 8in.
Within a fewdays, I received a reply
asking me to confirm
the increase in
my height, as
this may have an
adverse effect on
your premiums.
Submi tted by
Kei th Stevens
Films like Avatar may
have perfected the art of
3D, but this 60-year-old
yarn shows they
certainly didnt invent it:
A couple of tall, striking-
looking girls, obviously
models, boarded the train
and sat down in front of
me. I was supposedly
immersed in my morning
newspaper, but I couldnt
help overhearing their
conversation.
Remember that nice
movie producer we met at
the Stork Club luncheon
the other day? said one of
them. Well, he offered to
put me in 3D.
No! exclaimed the
other. Arent you excited?
I was, she replied
laconically, until I found
out that 3Dwas his
apartment number.
Submi tted by John McCarthy
All in the delivery
My daughter said something to me that
I didnt think was very polite. I told her she
needed to say it again in a nicer way so
she repeated it with a British accent.
Source: lamebook.com
71
Highways of blood. Aburlybodyguardof animmune
system. Bones constantly rebuilding. Youwont
believe howbrilliantly designedyouare. Turnthepage
for twoparallel stories: 1) theextraordinarythings
your bodyaccomplishes everydayand2) thehealth
advances that will keepit hummingfor years
72
73
photographs by steve vaccari el lo
anatomi cal i l lustrati ons by bryan chri sti e
H
a
i
r
&
M
a
k
e
u
p
/
G
r
o
o
M
i
n
G
:
k
e
r
r
y
-
L
o
u
B
r
e
H
M
a
t
p
r
o
-
S
t
y
L
e
-
C
r
e
w
f
o
r
B
o
B
B
i
B
r
o
w
n
Thelatest news youcanusetoprotect your heart,
keepyour brainsharp, wakeuphappier andmore
1
Betterstroke
detector
Imgi ou xpicig severe
dizziness and suspect youre having
a stroke. Precious lifesaving minutes
tick by before you finally decide to go
to the hospital and wait to have a CT
or MRI to diagnose the cause. Now
a new test may quickly determine
whether the dizziness is being caused
by a stroke or another condition such
as vertigo, preventing the misdiag-
nosis of as many as 100,000 strokes a
year in the US alone. During the test,
a patient dons goggles connected
to a webcam and laptop that record
video of her eyes as they look at a
target on the wall and the doctor
moves her head from side to side. (If
its just dizziness, eyes wander off; if
its a stroke, eyes stay focused on the
target.) The test identifies the cause
correctly 99%of the time, according to
developer Dr David Newman-Toker, a
neurologist at Johns Hopkins Hospital
in Baltimore. The rate of accuracy is
higher than that of CT scans.
2
Protectiontorbig
andsmall athletes
Figuig out when players have sus-
tained blows to the head not just
concussions but minor hits, which
may be just as damaging is a big
concern among coaches, profes-
sional athletes and parents alike. Two
wearable devices may soon make it
a lot easier to determine whether a
player has suffered a worrisome head
injury. The CheckLight beanie (worn
under a helmet or without one) has
sensors that identify the strength, du-
ration, and location of impacts to the
head. Moderate hits trigger a yellow
blinking light; severe ones set off a
red one. Created by Reebok and elec-
tronics startup MC10, the CheckLight
launched last June and costs around
US$150. Another option is the
X-Patch, a sensor in the form of a
patch that is worn behind the ear and
transmits information about injuries
wirelessly to a computer on the side-
lines. The developer, X2 Biosystems,
says the patch will be available
20\indBlowing\edical
BPLAKTHPOLGHS
B y H a l l I e l e v I n e S k l a r
CONTINUEDONPAGE77ANDONBLUETHROUGHOUT
74
>>
rd s Di gs t 04 / 1 4
TheAmazingBodyTouR
Takeaguidedtripthroughtheuniversewithinthe
humanbodyandwhat your bodyaccomplishedtoday
Yu hd bu
20,000 hugh.
Picture 100billion neurons
(or brain cells), which each
fire (talk to each other)
five to 50times per second
(on average). The impulses
can travel as fast as
435km/h. This is what
allows you to see an object
and immediately identify
that 1) its a cat, 2) its
orange, 3) it reminds you of
Garfield, and 4) Garfield
was your favourite comic.
Yu ddn ehe
feeze. Your inner
thermostat, located in the
hypothalamus, is an
engineering marvel.
Achange of as little as one
degree triggers your body
tomake lifesaving
adjustments. Whenyour
temperature gets toohigh,
bloodvessels inyour skin
dilate torelease heat. When
it drops, they constrict and
your sweat glands shut
down. Once your core temp
falls toaround36C, you
canstart shivering as a way
toproduce heat.
B Y D r t r a v i s s t o r k
CONTINUEDONPAGE76
75
Your heart beats
anywhere from60
to 100 times every
minute. Imagine doing
biceps curls at that
pace! Thats about
100,000times a
day and up to
three billion
times in the
average
persons
life.
Whats alsovery impressive
about the heart is its ability
toadapt toour lifestyles.
During a vigorous workout,
more than70%of the
hearts output fuels your
working muscles, for
example, comparedwith
just 20%while youare less
active. Youhave about
161,000kmof various
bloodvessels, laidendto
end, andyour heart pumps
about 7570litres of blood
throughthemevery day.
You breathed
25,000 times
without trying. If you
hadtoconsciously
choose tobreathe that
often, youdnever get
anything else done.
Or be able tosleep. So
thank your brainstemfor
making the habit of
breathing automatic.
Curious why youneedto
inhale andexhale sooften?
Well, humans have a very
highmetabolism; at rest,
youdemandabout 250ml
of oxygeneachminute.
Andyour lungs are
perfectly designedto
handle these truckloads of
oxygen. They contain
about 300million
microscopic air sacs called
alveoli, whichprovide the
surface area of 70m
2
to
100m
2
(roughly equivalent
tohalf a tennis court) to
bring oxygenintothe body
while releasing carbon
dioxide.
76
later this year. Neurologist and
brain-trauma pioneer Dr Robert C.
Cantu, told the New York Times that
he is in favour of such devices but
says that they shouldnt be used to
diagnose concussions.
3
Foodsforlower
bloodpressure
l Sesame and rice-bran oil People
who cooked with a blend of the two,
sold at health-food stores, saw a drop
in blood pressure almost compara-
ble with the decrease that results
from taking medication, according
to a study performed in New Delhi.
Researchers believe the effect is due
to the oils fatty acids and antioxidants
such as sesamin, sesamol, sesamolin
and oryzanol.
l Purple potatoes Eating two small
helpings a day decreased blood
pressure by about 4%without causing
weight gain, according to a University
of Queensland study. Researchers
believe the drop is likely due to the
high levels of healthful antioxidant
compounds called anthocyanin found
in the colourful spud. Other stud-
ies have identified in all potatoes
substances that have blood pressure
lowering effects similar to those
of ACE inhibitors, a type of blood
pressure medication.
l Beetroot juice People with high
blood pressure who drank about
230ml of beetroot juice experienced
a decrease in blood pressure of about
10mmHg, according to researchers at
the Queen Mary University of London.
The magic ingredient? Nitrate, which
turns into nitric oxide, a gas that
widens blood vessels and aids blood
flow. A glass a day could help keep
blood pressure at a lower, healthier
level.
4
Thesupplement
cardiologistslove
Coenzyme Q10 a substance your
body produces naturally in small
amounts decreased mortality rates
among heart-failure patients by about
half, according to a study presented
at the International Heart Failure
2013 Congress. Coenzyme Q10 may
be so beneficial because it encourages
heart cells to produce more energy,
explains Dr Clyde Yancy, chief of
cardiology at Northwestern Memo-
rial Hospital in Chicago, although he
feels more research is needed if this is
to become widely recommended for
patients. The study found that people
with chronic heart failure who took
100mg of CoQ10 supplements three
times a day (along with their regular
medications) were about half as likely
to suffer major cardiovascular compli-
cations as people who didnt take the
supplement.
5
Genespredict
weight-loss
surgerysuccess
Some obese patients shed 60% of
their weight after bariatric surgery,
while others struggle to lose just 15%.
>>
77
78
Soon prospective surgery patients
may learn in advance how much
weight they are likely to lose, thanks
to a researcher at Massachusetts
General Hospital who identified a
genetic variation on chromosome 15
that seems to influence how people
respond to gastric surgery. Patients
who had two copies of the beneficial
version of this gene lost about 40%of
their presurgical weight, while those
with only one copy lost about 33%.
The one unlucky individual with no
copies lost less than 30%. (For very
obese people, this could translate to
differences of 14kg to 23kg.) The team
is studying 12 other gene variants that
may influence surgery outcomes and
plans to develop a test within the next
two years to determine who is a good
candidate.
6
Obesityis
adisease
The American Medical Association,
voted in June 2013 to categorise
obesity as a disease that requires a
range of interventions. The mile-
stone decision strongly supported
by cardiologists and endocrinologists
is expected to influence whether
insurance companies cover treat-
ment such as weight-loss counsel-
ling, medication and surgery. By
elevating obesity to more than a risk
factor in other diseases, the new clas-
sification should help patients realise
that obesity is not just a behavioural
issue that it is due to changes in
brain and body chemistry that make
losing weight difficult and encourage
GPs to play an active role in their
patients weight, says Dr Louis Aronne,
director of the Comprehensive Weight
Control Programme at NY-Presbyte-
rian/Weill Cornell Medical Centre.
7
Blockbusterblood
sugardrug
Endocrinologists are buzzing about
Invokana (canagliflozin), a new type
2 diabetes drug that received FDA
approval in March and TGA approval
in Australia last December. Unlike
other drugs that lower the amount
of glucose you absorb from food,
Invokana causes you to pee out your
blood sugar, says Dr Ronald Tam-
ler, clinical director of the Mount
Sinai Diabetes Centre in New York.
One study published in April found
that patients who added Invokana to
their diabetes drug regimen improved
blood sugar control significantly
more than those who added a differ-
ent diabetes drug that encourages the
body to release insulin after meals.
Invokana produces modest weight
loss (about 900g over a year) and low-
ers blood pressure. Unfortunately, it
also has one undesirable side effect:
an increased risk of yeast infections.
8
Thehealthiest diet,
rediscovered
Eating like a Greek was touted for
years as pure diet nirvana: where
else could you snack on nuts and
enjoy olive-oilsoaked bread? But
The muscles that
help focus your
eyes moved about
100,000 times. Thats
a workout equivalent to an
80kmwalk.
You also blinked
about 15 times a
minute, or almost
15,000 times while
you were awake.
You do this spontaneously
to protect your eyes and
clean away dirt. Even
cooler: your brain doesnt
let you miss out while you
blink it fills in missing
information so you never
realise your eyes were
closed.
You produced about
1.5 litres of saliva.
Yes, thats a lot of spit, but
saliva is one of the bodys
most under-appreciated
fluids. Without it, you
wouldnt be able to taste or
swallowfood. Or form
words. Saliva is also a
potent germfighter: its
enzymes clean your mouth
and prevent tooth decay
and infections. No wonder
animals lick their wounds.
80
You made up to
three million red
blood cells each
second. They perform
one of bloods most
important roles: delivering
precious oxygen to all your
bodys cells. Asingle drop
of blood contains millions
of these guys, which get
their scarlet hue from
the protein
haemoglobin.
You got cut but
didnt bleed
out or get a
systemic
infection. Next time you
get a scrape, think about
this: after some bleeding,
which helps clean
the wound,
your body
stops
blood
flowby
forming a clot. If bacteria
enter through the break in
the skin, white blood cells
quickly arrive to destroy
them. Mast cells fromyour
immune systemrelease
histamine, a chemical that
increases blood flowto the
site (it also makes the area
red and swollen). This
leads other cells to begin
battle with the bacteria.
Its a magical sequence that
helps save your life
whenever you get cut.
81
as doctors and nutrition experts
zealously promoted Paleo- and vegan-
style programmes over the past dec-
ade, the diet fell out of favour. Nowthe
Mediterranean diet is back, after two
important studies recently confirmed
its powerful health benefits:
l Better brainpower: Heal thy
people who followed the diet were
19% less likely to develop memory
problems, according to a University
of Alabama at Birmingham study of
over 17,000 people.
l Healthier heart: Mediterranean-
style eaters aged 55 to 80 were 30%
less likely to die from cardiovascular
disease or have a stroke, according to
a Spanish study of over 7000 people
followed for eight years.
9
Wackyfix for a
tamertummy
Aneffectiveantidote for an antibiotic-
resistant intestinal infection may come
not from the medicine cabinet but
fromthe toilet bowl. With a procedure
informally known as a pooptransplant,
researchers found that transferring
stool from a healthy person into
the gut of someone infected with
Clostridiumdifficile, a deadly bacteria,
cured 15 out of 16 persistent cases
(only one-third of patients who took
only antibiotics improved), accord-
ing to a 2013 study published in the
New England Journal of Medicine.
Donor stool is typically diluted in a
saline solution and then inserted into
the intestines via colonoscopy or
enema; the healthy bacteria wipe out
the C. difficile critters. Doctors have
started to recommend stool trans-
plants for other gut-related health
problems like ulcerative colitis and
Crohns disease. We hope that in the
future, there will be stool banks, just
like there are blood banks and sperm
banks, says Dr Lawrence Brandt,
professor of medicine and surgery
at the Montefiore Medical Centre in
New York.
10
DIYsleep
apnoeatest
Determiningwhether you have sleep
apnoea usually involves spending
the night in a special lab often far
away from home. Sticky electrodes
are attached to your head, finger,
face, and chest to measure such
things as brain activity, and elastic
belts are wrapped around your
belly and chest to evaluate breath-
ing. No wonder it can take years for
a spouse to convince a partner to
seek a cause for disruptive snoring.
Although home sleep tests have been
around for some 20 years, most doc-
tors believe the DIY tests arent as
reliable as those done in a lab. But
research published last year in the
journal Sleep found that home test
results are just as accurate as those
from tests performed in a lab setting
and in countries such as Australia
and the US, Medicare or health fund
rebates are sometimes available.
Your doctor can prescribe the home
test, which may differ depending on
which country youre in, but is likely
82
D
to involve wearing a small module on
your wrist that connects to three to 12
sensors placed on your chest, a finger,
your forehead and under your nose.
One caveat: the tests are very accurate
for moderate to severe sleep apnoea
but can sometimes miss mild cases,
explains Mayo Clinic sleep specialist
Dr Timothy Morgenthaler. He advises
that a patient with risk factors (such
as being overweight and complaining
of daytime fatigue) undergo a follow-
up lab study if home test results are
negative.
11
Apotential
newsleepaid
By the end of the year, the FDA is
expected to approve a new sleeping
pill that has scientists excited. Suvo-
rexant (MK-4305) inhibits the brains
wakefulness-promoting neurons.
This is a more natural sleep-inducing
process than that of other commonly
prescribed sleeping pills, which work
by enhancing GABA, a chemical that
slows down brain activity and pro-
duces drowsiness, explains sleep
expert Dr Michael Breus. The result?
Possible higher-quality sleep with
fewer side effects such as next-day
drowsiness and impaired memory.
If you are often unable to get
enough shut-eye, suvorexant may
be a good short-term option, but
Morgenthaler and Breus stress the
best results come fromchanging your
bedtime behaviour and routine, like
not watching the clock and shutting
off your computer.
12
Teststhat catch
cancerearlier
l CT scans for lung: Doctors have
been reluctant to routinely pre-
scribe these tests because they can
cost several hundred dollars, may not
be covered by insurance, and emit
potentially cancer-causing radiation.
But new research shows that theyre
worth the expense and risks: scans
revealed potential signs of cancer in
27% of patients, compared with 9%
of those who got X-rays, according
to a study of over 53,000 people. The
CT scans were also much more likely
to pick up lung cancer in early, more
treatable stages. If youre a current
or former smoker over age 55 with a
smoking history of at least 30 pack-
years (one pack a day for 30 years,
two packs a day for 15 years, etc), ask
your doctor about having a CT scan
for early lung cancer detection.
l Pap smears for ovarian and
endometrial: Now the test that
has dramatically reduced rates of
cervical cancer may screen for other
gynaecological diseases. With a swab
of the cervical fluid from your Pap,
pathologists can look for mutations
in the genes most frequently altered
in ovarian and endometrial cancers,
according to a new Johns Hopkins
study. The test picked up almost 50%
of ovarian cancers and 100% of endo-
metrial cancers, which is fantastic,
says Dr Ernest Hawk, vice president
of the division of cancer preven-
tion and population sciences at the
University of Texas MD Anderson
83
The
lining of
your stomach
regenerated about
25%of itself. Your
tummy is home toa
powerful fluid: hydrochloric
acid, whichhelps break
downfoods inmuchthe
same way that laundry
detergent cleans stains. Its
sopotent (strong enough
todissolve the metal zinc)
that your stomachlining
regenerates itself every
four tofive days sothe acid
wont injure it.
You had
dozens
anddozens
of chances
to choke to
death but
didnt. The back of
your mouthdisplays an
impressive feat of life
guarding every time youeat
or drink foodor liquids. As
youprepare toswallow,
your soft palate comes up
tocover your nasal cavity
(soyoudont squirt
spaghetti out your nose)
andyour epiglottis covers
your trachea (sofood
doesnt godownyour
lungs). Toappreciate the
art of swallowing, watcha
baby being spoon-feda jar
of mashedcarrots. Hell
pushthe foodout withhis
tongue because he is still
learning howtoperfect the
swallowing reflex, without
which he would likely die.
84
Your kidneys
cleaned and
recirculated almost
200 litres of blood.
Thats over three times as
much as a medium-size
cars fuel tank would hold.
To fully appreciate the
wonder of the kidneys,
which formthe most high-
tech filtration system
youll ever encounter, all
you have to do is look at
someone on dialysis due to
poor kidney function.
People need a machine
about the size of a mini
fridge to filter their blood,
adjust electrolyte levels,
and get rid of waste, while
your body accomplishes
this without any
fanfare using two
small organs, each
about the size of a
computer mouse. Your
kidneys also help maintain
the proper level of
hydration. When youre
drinking a ton of water,
they excrete more, turning
your urine a clear or pale
yellowcolour. When youre
dehydrated, they cling to
as much fluid as
possible, so your urine
becomes more
concentrated,
making it look
darker (like apple
juice).
85
Cancer Centre. These cancers are
often deadly because theyre difficult
to screen for and are usually diagnosed
at advanced stages.
lBreathalysertestforcolon: Asimple
breath test can correctly identify pa-
tients with colon cancer more than
75% of the time, according to a recent
Italian study. Researchers analysed
the chemical make-up of the breath of
37 people with colorectal cancer and
41 people without cancer and found a
chemical pattern that was consistent
with colorectal cancer. In comparison,
colonoscopy widely considered the
gold standard of colon cancer screen-
ing has a successful detection rate
of 85 to 95%. Other researchers are
studying ways to use breathalysers to
ferret out lung, breast and prostate
cancers.
13
Asafekids
coughhealer
Now theres solid science behind
a sweet remedy from your pantry.
Children between the ages of one
and five who had a teaspoon or two
of honey before bedtime coughed
less and slept better than those
who didnt, found an Israeli study
published in 2012. The thick liquid
coats the back of the throat, where
some irritant cough occurs, says Dr
Ian Paul, a paediatrician at Penn State
College of Medicine. And honey
contains a lot of antioxidants, which
may help fight the cold. In addition,
the fact that its so sweet causes you
to salivate, which may thin mucus, and
the sweetness may also help suppress
the cough centre in your brain. While
all types of honey appear to work, Paul
especially recommends buckwheat
honey (found in health-food stores),
which is rich in antioxidants. One
caveat: children under one year old
shouldnt be given honey.
14
Flu-proof home
strategy
Raising indoor relative-humidity
levels to 43% or above quickly ren-
dered 86% of airborne flu virus
particles powerless, according
to a new study. The theory is if
you combine virus droplets with
water droplets in the air, they become
so heavy that they fall and cant be
inhaled, explains study author Dr
John Noti, a senior service fellow at
the health effects laboratory division
of the US National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health. Noti
recommends setting your humidifier
at a slightly lower level, between
30 and 40%. This setting should
provide enough flu-fighting water
vapour without spurring mould
growth, which can trigger allergies.
15
Shot-free
flufighter
A new nasal spray may make flu
pandemics a thing of the past,
according to recent University of
Pennsylvania research. Gene therapy
guru Dr James Wilson, and his team
discovered a rare antibody that could
fight off many flu strains. To stimu-
late the immune system to produce
this antibody, the researchers used
a sophisticated delivery vehicle: the
genes of a very mild virus called
adeno-associated virus (AAV). When
scientists inserted the gene for the an-
tibody into the AAVvirus and then put
the virus in the nasal lining of mice,
the animals produced virus-fighting
antibodies, which provided complete
protection against lethal strains of flu.
These antibodies neutralise a whole
array of flu viruses, so unlike current
flu vaccines, the spray wouldnt have
to be redeveloped each year, explains
Wilson. He may collaborate with the
US government to develop a version
for flu pandemics.
16
Easierreading
forblurryvision
Age-related macular degeneration
accounts for 7.1% of global blindness,
says the World Health Organisation.
Patients with impaired vision im-
proved their reading speed by at least
42 words per minute when they used
an iPad on the 18-point-font setting
compared with reading a printed
book or newspaper, according to a
study conducted by the Asia-Pacific
and American Academies of Ophthal-
mology. Experts believe the devices
backlighted screen, which creates
contrast between the words and the
background, is the key. (Patients who
used the original Kindle, which wasnt
backlighted, achieved a more modest
gain of 12 words per minute.)
17
Music:
it reallyheals
The right tunes can improve your
health in a number of ways:
l Keep calm. Listening to favourite
music lowered anxiety among ICU
patients by about one third, accord-
ing to a recent Ohio State University
study. And no, any old music wont do
it had to be familiar and comforting,
according to researchers.
l Eat less. When a fast-food chain
gave one of its restaurants a make-
over including soft lighting and
jazz diners ate about 18% less and
reported enjoying their food more,
according to a Cornell study in the
journal Psychological Reports.
l Improve focus. Uplifting concertos
from Vivaldis The Four Seasons can
boost mental alertness, according to
research from Northumbria Univer-
sity in the UK. When young adults
were given a task that required intense
concentration, they did better while
listening to the uplifting Spring
concerto versus the slower and more
sombre Autumn one.
18
Needles that
relaxyou
Acupuncture has long been touted as
a treatment for everything frominfer-
tility to migraines. Now new research
shows it helps relieve stress, accord-
ing to a series of Georgetown Univer-
sity Medical Centre studies. When
we looked at rats exposed to chronic
stress in this case, a shallowice bath
86
S
You regenerated
about 0.03%of your
skeleton. Your bones
strong as steel but as light
as aluminum arent just
some chalky-white lifeless
scaffold; they are living
tissues with blood vessels
and nerves. They are
constantly repairing and
rebuilding about 10%of
your adult skeleton is
replacedeach year. Your
bones are alsoa good
example of use it or lose
it: the bones of someone
with a broken leg whois
immobile for a fewweeks
will literally shrink during
that time, but they will bulk
uponce the person starts
bearing weight and
exercising again.
87
Your feet
produced up to
500ml of sweat. No
wonder your shoes and
socks smell less than fresh.
That sounds like a lot, but
youll want to cut your feet
a break when you consider
howmuch work they do.
If a healthy person takes
8000to 10,000steps a
day, thats the equivalent
of walking the circum-
ference of the earth four
times by age 70!
Your skin shed
about 50 million
dead cells. Thats
about 30,000to 40,000
a minute (just think about
howmuch skin youve
axed since you started
reading this article). You
may have heard that your
skin is your bodys largest
organ, and because it
serves so many important
functions, the scaffolding
is always up, so to speak.
Just 2.5cm
2
of skin has 650
sweat glands, 6mof blood
vessels, 60,000pigment
cells, and more than 1000
nerve endings.
You
may
have
fought
cancer. Your
body has trillions
of cells. If a mutation
occurs in the DNA
(genetic material) of
any, it can create cancer
cells, which divide
uncontrollably and can
clump together to form
tumours. When you
consider howmany cells
split every minute and
each time a cell divides, it
has to copy 30,000genes
its a wonder we dont
get cancer all the time. The
reason we dont: the
bodys incredible system
to catch errors. When a
cell divides, proofreading
enzymes fix any DNA
mistakes. If the
proofreaders dont work,
the cell itself can detect
that its broken and
commit suicide. It says,
Imabout to become
cancerous, so Ill kill myself
to save the body. n
88
for an hour a day we found that
those treated with acupuncture had
no spike in corticotropin-releasing
hormone (CRH), a chemical made
in the brain that launches stress
hormones, explains study author
Dr Ladan Eshkevari, of the George-
town University Medical Centre.
19
Drinkupfor
healthierears
Experts have known for years now
about the ability of resveratrol, a sub-
stance found in grapes and red wine,
to help fight heart disease, certain
types of cancer, and diabetes. Now
they may add hearing loss to the list.
Rats exposed to loud noise that were
given a resveratrol supplement be-
forehand had much less hearing loss
than those that werent. Oxidative
stress or the bodys rusting
affects age-related hearing loss, and
resveratrol, a potent antioxidant,
appears to help offset that damage,
explains study author Dr Michael
Seidman, director of the division
of otologic/neurotologic surgery at
the Henry Ford Health System. But
since there are many compounds in
red wine that could have antioxidant
effects such as tannins or grape-
seed extract Seidman suggests
getting the benefits through a daily
170ml glass of red vino instead of
supplements. Teetotaller? A 230ml
glass of grape juice will do the trick.
20
Prevent drug
mess-ups
Taking drugs haphazardly skipping
doses or lapsing between refills costs
hundreds of billions of dollars per year
in unnecessary healthcare costs and
can greatly affect the chances of you
becoming even more ill, especially
if the medication you take is for a
chronic condition. AdhereTech have
created pill bottles that measure the
exact number of pills they contain and
can wirelessly transmit this data to
patients, reminding themto take their
medication via an automated phone
call or text message. The company
hopes this technology will become
available by the end of this year. n
t h e p ol i t i c a l t rough
During a debateinEnglands House of Commons, one member of
parliament apparently shoutedat another: The right honourable
gentlemanhas the manners of a pig!
Members of the oppositionbooedloudly andcried: Retract! Retract!
The MPreplied: I retract my last statement. The right honourable
gentlemanhasnt the manners of a pig. The Washington Monthly
The honourable member is living proof that a pigs bladder ona stick can
be electedtoparliament. UK Labour MP Tony Banks on Tory MP Terry Dicks
89
Awesome Welles:
The Third Man
Museumin Vienna
may be the worlds
only museum
dedicated to one
single movie
p
h
o
t
o
s
:
C
o
u
r
t
e
s
y
o
f
t
h
e
t
h
i
r
d
m
a
n
m
u
s
e
u
m
The romance andfascinationof
a movie setting canoften
translate intoa tourist boomfor
anotherwise ordinary place.
Helen ONeill looks at howthe
silver screeninfluences where
we holiday
92
Harry Lime did in the film.
There is an old-fashioned, full-size
projector screening bursts of the
Oscar-winning flick, and there is
information about the rest of The
Third Man trail that exists in this city.
The movie screens three times
weekly in its original form at the
comfortably retro Burg Kino cinema,
and theres a special walking tour
through the films real-life locations.
You can even relive its famous chase
scene Harry Limes sweat-soaked
The Third Man Museum in the heart
of Austrias capital city of Vienna is
eccentric, fascinating and by all
accounts unique.
Believed to be the only museum in
the world dedicated to a single movie
Orson Welless classic 1949 post-
World War II thriller The Third Man
it is also a cineastes dream.
Within these crowded walls on
Saturdays from 2pm till 6pm (this
institutions opening hours are as
eccentric as the concept behind it)
visitors can immerse themselves in
the sights and sounds of arguably one
of the greatest movies ever made.
Memorabilia collected by die-hard
fan Gerhard Strassgschwandtner
includes original scripts, cameras and
props such as a vintage sewer grate
that tourists can poke their fingers
through just as Welless character
93
P
h
o
t
o
s
:
c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y
o
f
t
h
e
t
h
i
r
d
m
a
n
m
u
s
e
u
m
;
(
v
o
n
t
r
a
P
P
s
)
G
e
t
t
y
i
m
a
G
e
s
descent from the police into the
underworld by donning a torch-
bearing hard hat and stepping into
Viennas deep, dank kanal (sewer
system) guided by a sewer worker.
The Third Man isnt the only movie
thats been shot in this city. The smash
1984 Mozart biopic Amadeus, James
Bonds 1987 outing The Living
Daylights, andthe SigmundFreud/Carl
Jung 2011 drama A Dangerous Method
have all been filmed here.
But just as the 1965 Julie Andrews
spectacular The Sound of Music is
intrinsically linked with another
Austriancity, Salzburg, The ThirdMan
will forever, for some, define Vienna
and in so doing it has paved the way
for whats known in the vacation trade
as film-induced tourism, a
phenomenon that can turn a small
wave of holiday-makers intoa tsunami.
Bangkok University academic Dr
Walaiporn Rewtrakunphaiboon
released a study on the topic several
years ago, arguing that movie-fuelled
tourism can be a powerful force.
She accompanied her findings with
a look at visitor numbers to movie
locations, noting that 12 months after
Mel Gibsons historical smash-hit
Braveheart was released in 1995,
visitors to Scotland s Wallace
The Von Trapp gazebo fromThe
Sound of Music, at Schloss Hellbrunn
gardens in Salzburg
For a look at more of the movie
tourismmentioned here, visit
Readers Digest Magazine
online, see page 6
94
P
h
o
t
o
S
:
G
e
t
t
y
i
M
a
G
e
S
;
(
h
o
b
b
i
t
o
N
)
F
R
a
S
e
R
c
l
e
M
e
N
t
S
/
N
e
w
z
e
a
;
a
M
D
.
c
o
M
Monument soared by 300%; that
Mission: Impossible II in 2000
coincided with a doubling of visitors
to Sydney, and that tourists still drive
through the US state of Iowa looking
for the cornfield-turned-baseball-
pitch immortalised in Kevin Costners
1989 Field of Dreams.
Somefilmsevenchangetheirreal-life
locations forever. For generations of
Harry Potter fans, Londons Kings
Cross station will eternally be the site
of J.K. Rowlings magical platform
nine and three-quarters, and the brick
wall that leads to the Hogwarts
Express.
Filmmaker Peter Jacksons big-
screen adaptations of Lordof the Rings
and The Hobbit have undoubtedly
Tolkien-ised New Zealand. Certain
areas of the NorthIslandandthe South
Island have become Middle-earth, and
sparked such passion that one
Queenstown tourist operator told the
Guardian newspaper visitors had
arriveddressedas the hobbits Samand
Frodo, some even speaking to each
other in the fictional tongue of Elvish.
TourismNewZealandis making the
most of it, creatingextraordinarystunts
as part of a three-year 100% Middle-
earth tourism campaign coinciding
with the releases of each part of
Jacksons The Hobbit trilogy. Last year,
just before the December release of
part two, The Hobbit: The Desolationof
Smaug, this culminated in what was
claimed to be the worlds largest
pop-up book in the car park of Los
Angeless swankyBeverlyHiltonHotel.
Commandeering an area the size of
two tennis courts, Tourism NZ built
The Book of New Zealand filled
with enormous pages containing
three-dimensional representations of
New Zealand and Middle-earth.
This giant installation featured
mountains, lakes, forests, bridges
and homes, allowing visitors to
step into Hobbit locations like
Paradise, Queenstown(site of the skin-
changer Beorns recreated house),
Marl borough s Pel orus Ri ver
(transformed into Tolkeins Forest
River) and Lake Pukaku in Mt Cook,
which the film crew turned into the
Lake-town community of Esgaroth.
Harry Potty! AHogwarts fan at Londons
Kings Cross station attempting to enter
platformnine and three-quarters
The tourist board had good reason
to go to this much effort.
Last year 8.5% of tourists to New
Zealand surveyed cited The Hobbit
movies as a factor in sparking their
interest to visit. Once in the country,
13% reported taking The Hobbit-
inspired adventures such as dropping
in on the theme park Hobbiton near
Matamata in the North Island.
Other tourist organisations yearn
to reap the rewards of this kind of
movie-generated mania. Mega-
franchises from The Bourne Identity
series, Mission: Impossible and James
Bond films have cut action-packed
swathes through Europe and Asia,
often bringing visitors in their wake.
Individual blockbusters such as The
Da Vinci Code (2006) have generated
trails of tourists in France and Britain
eager toexaminechurches andgalleries
featured inthe film. Thenthere are the
other multi-billion-dollar movie
industries such as Bollywood, and the
effect of location-orientated TV.
Things dont always work out the
way fans expect it, as anybody whohas
walked down the steps of Cheers at 84
Beacon Street in Boston the bar
There and back again: a trip to New
Zealand nowadays is a journey to actual
Middle-earth locations like Hobbiton
immortalised in the long-running TV
series Cheers will know. Its outside
is identical but the inside completely
different. Indeed, one of the highlights
of coming here is sitting at the bar and
watching disappointment flood across
the faces of other visitors as they
realise this, too.
Tourismcan also have a devastating
impact onfragilelocations. The 2000
Leonardo DiCaprio film, The Beach,
brought Thailands once untouched
island of Koh Phi Phi Leh to
international attention, though
perhaps not for the right reasons. Not
only did the filmmakers damage the
environment, sparking a court case
and ongoing negative publicity, but
the movie attracted more tourists
than some believed the place could
handle.
But for any truly dedicated filmbuff
the ultimate mecca is Hollywood.
Nothing can compare with the thrill
of seeing that enormous white sign on
the hillside, exploring its hidden
96
A MAT T E R OF T I ME
Isnt it funny howday by day nothingchanges, but whenyoulookback,
everythingis diferent... C. S. Lewi s
nooks and crannies, and finding out
what it takes to become a Hollywood
star. Hollywood, Ireland, that is.
Just ask Johnny Glennon, an affable
60-year-old retired civil servant
turned local historian who was born
and raised in the tiny village 40km
south of the city of Dublin.
Local television crews wanting to
cover the Oscars but unable to afford
the cost of flights to Los Angeles have
been known to present their Academy
Awards coverage from here using
their Hollywood sign as a backdrop,
he says. One clue that theyre not in
California may be that this sign is
surrounded by grazing sheep.
It may seem far from the real
bright lights of Hollywood, but listen
to Glennon and you realise that this
place, too, has played host to its fair
share of silver-screen heavyweights.
Liam Neeson filmed the Oscar-
nominated historical thriller Michael
Collins here in 1995 and several years
later the movie circus came to town
again with period drama Dancing at
Lughnasa starring Meryl Streep.
She mixedwell, a very nice woman,
had her photo taken with one of our
local publicans, recalls Glennon.
Residents were also movie extras. It
gives a great boost and excitement
Hollywood locals appearing alongside
Hollywood greats.
This quiet little Irish village has one
more movie-related claim to fame.
According toGlennonit is the original
Hollywood. This is where the name
ultimately came from, he says, telling
the story of Matthew Guirke, a local
villager who emigrated to the US
around1850, just after theGreat Famine.
He did well in America and he was
i n Cal i forni a, thi s has been
documented, smiles Glennon.
Hollywood in California was only
officially named in the 1890s (and)
theres always been a strong tradition
round here that he brought the name
there originally.
Its a lovely tale full of intrigue,
romance and drama. Who knows, it
may even be true. At the very least
someone should immortalise it by
turning it into a movie.
The Hollywood
hills: more sheep
than stars
P
h
o
t
o
:
a
l
a
M
y
Pages 97-128 are
for subscribers only.
OSTEOPOROSIS
Osteoporosis is one of the most serious
health issues facing Australia today.
More than 1 million people around the
country are currently estimated to have
osteoporosis.
Women are more prone to
osteoporosis, largely due menopause-
related hormonal changes. After
menopause, oestrogen which plays an
important role in maintaining bone density
is produced at lower levels. As a result,
bones begin to lose density, becoming
brittle and more prone to fracture.
There are very few symptoms
people are often completely unaware
there is a problem until they experience
a related fracture. However, there are a
number of lifestyle-related risk factors
low calcium intake, low vitamin D
levels, excess caffeine intake, smoking
and excess alcohol consumption are
all associated with a reduction in bone
density.
Additionally, a number of health
conditions are known risk factors
for developing osteoporosis later in
life, including coeliac disease and
Crohns disease (as
they interfere with
the bodys ability to
absorb nutrition),
kidney and liver
disease, rheumatoid
arthritis and thyroid
disease.
MANAGING
OSTEOPOROSIS
Your likelihood
of developing
osteoporosis is
heavily inuenced by
your diet particularly
your calcium intake.
The good news is its
never too late to improve
your diet even if youve
been diagnosed with
osteoarthritis, you can still
improve your bones health
by eating healthily and
getting plenty of calcium.
Calcium is most
commonly found
in milk and dairy
A lot of us take our joints and bones for granted until
something goes wrong and then were stuck. This
month, we take a look at some of the conditions that
affect our joints and bones and more importantly, how
they can be treated, or avoided.
ADVERTISINGPROMOTION
LOOKING AFTER YOUR
JOINTS AND BONES
produce, but its also in leafy greens
(eg, kale, bok choy, broccoli, spinach),
Brazil nuts, almonds and a variety of
tinned sh, such as salmon.
Exercise is essential for preventing
and treating osteoporosis. Strength
training (or lifting weights) in particular
has been demonstrated to improve
bone strength and density but you
dont need to turn yourself into a
professional bodybuilder; moderate
weights are ample. Additionally,
weight-bearing activities such as
walking, sport or dancing can also
be helpful.
BURSITIS
The body requires cushioning between
the bones and soft tissue, and this role
is lled by bursae small uid-lled
sacs which are positioned throughout
your body.
Individual bursa can become
inamed, causing pain and restricting
movement. This is known as bursitis.
This is usually due to joint overuse
sports and manual labour are both
common causes but it can also be
the result of a pre-existing condition
such as gout, diabetes or rheumatoid
arthritis.
Septic bursitis, on the other hand,
is caused by an infection. In this case,
the bursa can become lled with pus
which can leak into the bloodstream,
potentially causing blood poisoning.
Symptoms of bursitis include pain
and swelling, accompanied by heat.
Pain will often be worse at night, and the
joint will likely be stiff or feel tender when
moved. In the case of septic bursitis,
swelling is likely to be accompanied by
redness, as well as fever.
The symptoms of bursitis and arthritis
are similar, so diagnosis is usually
conrmed by physical examination,
draining uid from the affected bursa
(particularly for septic bursitis), x-rays
(to rule out possible causes), and
ultrasound.
Bursa can become
inamed, causing
pain and restricting
movement.
Always read the label. Use only as directed. If symptoms persist see your healthcare professional. OsteoEze and Herron are registered trademarks of Aspen Pharma Pty Ltd. CHC52504-08/12
For more information contact 1300 659 646 or
visit www.jointcarespecialist.com.au.
Stiff and rusty joints can be painful and restrict your mobility.
OsteoEze offers a range of specially developed formulations,
that can help reduce joint pain and increase joint exibility in
arthritis, like OsteoEze Proactive and OsteoEze Bone & Joint.
Advanced products like double action OsteoEze Active with
chondroitin and triple action OsteoEze Active + MSM (with
chondroitin) can also help, with the repair and rebuild of
cartilage, to help get your bones and joints moving freely again.
TREATING BURSITIS
Once symptoms have been diagnosed,
treating bursitis is a relatively straightforward
process. The joint must be rested and
the injurious activity discontinued. To
minimise pain and swelling, cooling
treatments such as ice packs or gels
are often recommended in tandem
with painkillers. In some cases,
anti-inammatory steroids may be
prescribed.
Septic bursitis will typically require
treatment with antibiotics, and
sometimes the infected bursa will be
drained.
Occasionally, surgery may be
necessary to provide relief from pain.
However, this is a last resort if other
treatments have not been successful.
GOUT
Gout is a form of arthritis, distinguishable
by the suddenness of onset. While
other forms of arthritis take months or
years to develop, an attack of gout can
appear overnight.
The initial attack usually presents
as a painful, reddened swelling of the
joint, often the big toe. The condition
is caused by excess uric acid in the
bloodstream. This acid then forms
crystals, gradually creating deposits
around bone joints. These crystallised
deposits subsequently cause painful
swelling, tenderness and redness of
the skin.
If left untreated, symptoms will
typically resolve of their own accord
within a week or two, but modern
medical treatments can reduce their
severity within a few days. Gout can
be indicative of poor diet and excess
alcohol consumption, so its important
to address the underlying causes.
A build-up of uric acid within the
bloodstream is often attributable
to over-consumption of purine-rich
foods, such as meat, certain seafood
The initial gout attack usually
presents as a painful, reddened
swelling of the joint.
You may be acidic!
|
PH 1300 887 994
E
K
O
E
X
C
L
U
S
I
V
E
S
A
V
E
$
6
9
.
9
5
Testimonial From A
Remedial Therapist
I am sending you
this to express my
overwhelming delight
in your Eko Crystals.
I was introduced to them a couple of
months ago and I have not looked back.
I have had osteoarthritis for 40 years and
it has done some damage to my skeletal
system and my muscular system. I have
had two back operations for disc problems,
plus I have calcication in my feet, hands,
neck and back; my hips and spine are t
for a wheelchair according to the doctors.
However, I still work full-time and intend
to keep working, but some days the pain
is terrible. I am not a lover of drugs so I
use natural ways to ease my discomfort.
Then I started drinking Eko Crystals and I
feel better than I have for ten years. I am a
remedial therapist, so I know all the tricks,
but I was not winning the pain war with
my body. I saw a chiropractor in January
who refused to touch me due to my bad
condition and said my only option might
be an orthopedic surgeon. I did not realise
how acid impacted the body although I
fully understood about balance I just never
joined the two. My hair is not breaking, my
nails are not ridged, I have more energy
and I am sleeping better, plus I have lost
six kilos and I have done nothing but drink
the water. I am sure I have found my answer
to agility and a pain free existence...
Karin Brown RT, Dip of PC, GRM
Karin
Arthritis

Gout

Reux
UTIs

Weight Gain
Acid has been shown to
contribute to many diseases.
Reduce acid with Eko Crystals
Eko Crystals is full of alkaline minerals
which helps to neutralise acid in
the body. Add Eko Crystals to your
water daily to see the difference...
Eko Duo Pack
Four Months Supply $69.95
(+p&h $9.95) Pack contains 60 sachets,
lasts for 120 days. Plus FREE magazine.
Normally $139.90
ASSEEN
ONTV
(eg, sardines), offal and fructose
sugars. However, dietary habits are
not always the sole cause being
male or having a family history of
gout increases your likelihood of
developing the condition.
Once diagnosed, you will be advised to
reduce the levels of uric acid within your
body. This may require dietary changes
or medication. For most people, gout
management will involve a combination
of both.
A variety of treatments may be used
including NSAIDs, corticosteroid
injections/tablets or colchicine to help
manage the pain, as well as reduce the
length and severity of an attack.
If gout is not properly managed,
crystallised uric acid can form large
growths known as tophi. Over several
years, these growths can protrude from
the skin, causing additional pain. More
worryingly, if they are left untreated they
will grow larger, potentially interfering
with surrounding bone and cartilage
structures. High levels of uric acid also
increase the likelihood of developing
kidney stones.
Fortunately, with the right treatment
and careful eating, gout can be
managed effectively and attacks
kept to a minimum.
We associate joint and bone
issues with the elderly, but arthritis,
osteoporosis and bursitis, can
affect people at almost any age.
Unfortunately, many people ignore
the early warning signs, minimising
their seriousness, or dismissing them
as being a normal part of getting
older. But if youre experiencing
pain, stiffness, reduced mobility or
discomfort, get it checked out by your
doctor. The sooner your symptoms are
assessed, the quicker youll be able to
regain a sense of wellness, strength
and mobility.
If you want to seize
the day, dont let
your knees get
there first
Wagner Green Lipped Mussel 850mg
can help increase joint mobility plus
may relieve the joint pain, swelling and
stiffness associated with Osteoarthritis
and Rheumatoid Arthritis so you can
make the most of life.
CHC43189-08/13
Always read the label. Use only as directed.
If symptoms persist, consult your healthcare professional.
wagnerhealth.com.au
VISIT HANDYMAN.NET.AU/SUBSCRIBE
OR CALL 1300 550 001 WEEKDAYS (LOCAL CALL COST)
129
P
H
O
T
O
:
G
E
T
T
Y
I
M
A
G
E
S
Results. Excuses. You cannot have
both. Choose.
Mi chel l e Bri dges, personal trainer
The past is a ghost, the future is a
dream, and all we ever have is now.
Bi l l Cosby
If youre horrible to me, Im going to
write a song about it, and you wont
like it. Thats how I operate.
Tayl or Swi f t
What makes something special is not
just what you have to gain but what
you feel there is to lose. Andre Agassi
April 1. This is the day upon which
we are reminded of what we are on
the other three hundred and sixty-
four. Mark Twai n, writer
I believe that every time we do or
say something mean, we lose a little
bit of our specialness.
Yasmi n Ahmad, film director
Have you ever noticed that
anybody driving slower than you is
an idiot, and anyone going faster
than you is a maniac?
George Carl i n, comedian
The hardest part of any big project
is to begin. Si r Peter Bl ake, sailing champion
I dont carewhat
anybodysays about me,
as longas it isnt true.
Truman Capote, writer
If yourethesmartest
personintheroom...
findadifferent room.
Mi chael Del l , business magnate
AniconictAll shipsAils into
hurricAne sAndy withdeAdly
results By ni ck hei l
Bounty
ofthe
sinking
the
Hurricane Sandy whipped
up seas that swamped
Bounty. This US Coast
Guard photo of the
submerged ship was
shot the morning after
132
lieutenant Wes McIntosh of the US
Coast Guard was watching a sports
game on TVwith his seven-man flight
crew around 9.30pm on a Sunday in
late October 2012 when his phone
rang. It was the Coast Guardcommand
centre alerting him that theyd
received a call from the owner of the
tall ship Bounty.
The ship, located in the Atlantic
Ocean off the coast of North Carolina,
was taking on water, had lost all power,
and was requesting help. By 11pm,
McIntosh was in his turbo prop plane
heading east, into the storm.
Locating the ship on radar would
be impossible in such rough weather.
McIntosh and his copilot, Mike
Myers, pulled on night-vision goggles.
The sky was clear, a full moon fixed
above them, but directly ahead
McIntosh could see a wall of dark
clouds rising fromthe water to 2100m.
They approached just above the
clouds but were unable to see down to
the ocean surface. McIntosh lowered
the plane into the storm. The plane
lurched and shook violently. Hard rain
pelted the windshield. McIntosh
wrestled the controls, guiding the
plane lower until the clouds shredded
and revealed a churning black ocean.
They circled.
Anything? McIntosh asked.
Myers sat back in his seat and said,
Theres a pirate ship in the middle of
a hurricane.
The Bounty was one of the worlds
most recognisable ships. Launched in
1960 for the MGM film Mutiny on the
Bounty, she was a scaled-up replica of
the 1784 original HMS Bounty on
which Fletcher Christian led the
revolt against Captain William Bligh
in 1789. The modern Bounty* was a
classic tall ship. Its three masts rose
more than 30m high, supporting
930m
2
of sailcloth and laced with
more than 3.2kmof line. She was 36m
long about 9m longer than the
original and built of hand-hewn
Douglas fir, oak and spruce.
In recent years, however, the ship
had fallen into disrepair; she was
plagued with dry rot and leaks, and
her owner had struggled to keep up
with the expensive maintenance.
Tired and sagging from 50 years of
sailing and dock tours, the ship had
been for sale since 2010, but no-one
was buying. Its crew was now sailing
fromNewLondon, Connecticut, to St
Petersburg, Florida, to entice possible
buyers, and, with dockside tours, to
help raise funds for a nonprofit
organisation supporting kids with
Down syndrome.
The Bounty left New London on
Thursday, October 25, with a crew
of 16, ranging from f irst-time
volunteers to career boatmen. Three,
including Robin Walbridge, 63, were
licensed captains. Another four crew
members were Merchant Marine
certified able-bodied seamen. The
rest were new to the ship, either
entry-level hires or volunteers. The
P
h
o
t
o
S
:
(
A
L
L
)
A
P
* Although often popularly known as the HMS
Bounty, the modern ship was not entitled to
the use of the prefix HMS as it had never been
commissioned into the British Royal Navy.
133
Aaly collson cours: As th
Bounty sal south fromNwLonon,
Connctcut, hurrcan Sany
travll up th ast coast, ganng
forc. Th two mt off th coast of
North Carolna. Top, th Bounty n full
rgala on calmr sas
most recent addition was Claudene
Christian, 42, a professional singer
and former beauty queen
from California who claimed to
be a descendent of Fletcher
Christian himself.
Captain Walbridge was soft-
spoken and gravel-voiced, wore
wire-rimmed glasses and hearing
aids, and bound his flyaway
grey hair in a short ponytail.
The Bountys owner, NewYork
businessman Robert Hansen,
had hired Walbridge in 1995,
and Walbridge had since
helmed hundreds of voyages
on Bounty up and down the
Atlantic coast, in all kinds of
weather, including at least two
serious tropical storms.
Walbridge was thought of as
a good sailor, but he was also
considered something of a
cowboy. A few weeks before
Bounty departed NewLondon,
hed told an interviewer, We chase
hurricanes You can get a good ride
out of them.
Before they left port, Walbridge
gathered the crew on deck and
informed them that there was a large
storm off the coast. He believed they
could safely skirt it, but theyd likely
be encountering rough seas along the
way. Anyone who wasnt comfortable
with this was free to leave. The next
day, Bounty departed under clear skies
and light winds, all 16 crewin tow. The
mood on board was cheerful.
Walbridge had said he expected the
trip to take 14 days.
As arknss fll on Sunday evening,
however, Bounty sailed into one of
the worst storms ever recorded in the
Atlantic. Dubbed SuperstormSandy,
it stretched about 1600kmacross. Out
at sea off the coast of North Carolina,
winds gusted more than 130km/h.
Earlier that day, a gust had ripped
Bountys
path
Oct. 25
partsfrom
NwLon0n,
Connctcut
Oct. 29
Bountylocat
byCoast Guar
Oct. 27
Oct. 28
Oct. 27
Oct. 28
Oct. 26
Sanys path
U
N
i
T
e
d
STATeS
134
transmitter, tapping out a message with
their coordinates, praying it would
reach someone on shore.
In the skies above, McIntosh banked
hard, looking down on a sight unlike
anything hed ever seen. Below was
the Bountys hulking shadow, its giant
masts listing at 45 degrees. On the
aircraft, the mission system officer
radioed down on the emergency
channel.
The response was instantaneous:
This is Bounty, we read you loud and
clear! It was John Svendsen, 41, the
first mate. In short exchanges,
Svendsen briefed the rescue crew on
the situation. Bounty was still taking
on water at 30cm an hour, but he felt
they could hang on until daylight.
McIntoshhadhopedtodropback-up
pumps to the vessel, but conditions
were too dangerous to get close
enough. His seven-manflight crewhad
been taking a severe beating too.
Several were airsick. Periodically,
McIntosh climbed above the worst
weather, providing temporary breaks
fromthe nauseating turbulence. Then
he would circle back down into the
maelstrom for updates.
As the early hours of Monday
morning dragged on, Walbridge
positioned himself at the Bountys
the ships fore course, one of its 16 sails
and one that steadies the ship in
storms. The damage required a daring
operation to scale the mast and stow
the sheet. As daylight faded, conditions
deteriorated. Nearly 2m of water
sloshed around the engine room. The
cabin overheads flickered until the
generators and engines gave out
entirely, leaving only the ghostly glow
of the emergency lights.
Below decks, Walbridge made his
way to the communications room. He
moved gingerly; earlier, a wave had
thrown him across the cabin, injuring
his back. He took a seat at the
communications console with Doug
Faunt, 66, a volunteer who helped with
general engineering work. The storm
had rendered their mobile and satellite
phones useless. Walbridge and Faunt
were trying to email the shore office,
alerting them to the grim situation.
Walbridge had instructed anyone
who wasnt on watch or tending to a
crisis to try to rest. It was going to be a
long night. Another crew member,
Adam Prokosh, 27, had also been
injured, breaking several ribs and
dislocating his shoulder when the ship
was rolled by a wave. Several other
people were severely seasick. In the
communications room, Walbridge and
Faunt hunched over a makeshift
ThewaTerwascominginfasTer. iTwas
TooroughTosTandupondeck. The
crewcrawledalongTheboardson
handsandknees
135
To be the captain of the Bounty
is one of the greatest jobs in the
world, RobinWalbridge once said
hel m, l eavi ng Svendsen t o
communicate withthe plane. Svendsen
told McIntosh that they were planning
an orderly evacuation at daybreak.
Around 3am, Walbridge and Svendsen
directed the crew to the stern and
briefed them on the plan.
No-one panicked, Dan Cleveland,
the third mate, recalled later. The
mood was calm, professional. I was
really impressed.
For the next hour the crew tended
to tasks gathering their Gumby
suits (bright red, neoprene survival
suits) and assembling supplies for the
life rafts or tried to find a place to
rest, survival suits at the ready.
Claudene Christian tended to the
injured Adam Prokosh, helping him
move to the high side of the ship.
By 4am, Walbridge told the crew to
put on the suits. They would depart
from the rear of the ship at first light.
The water was coming in faster, at
around 60cm per hour, and the bow
was now submerged. It was too rough
to stand up on deck, so the crew
crawled along the boards on their
hands and knees. Those who didnt
have a task simply clung to fixed
objects.
Around 4.30 that morning, Bounty
was broadsided by a massive wave that
rolled her 90 degrees. A few people
screamed. Several crewmembers were
tossed into the sea. Some slid across
the soaked deck, hitting the low rail
and toppling into the water. Others,
fearing the ship was capsizing
completely, jumpedfromtheir perches
into the ocean. Bounty now lay on her
side, masts inthe water, surroundedby
a web of tangled rigging.
Svendsengrabbedthe radiohandset.
Were abandoning ship now! he
shouted into the mic.
The message crackled over the
intercom onboard the Coast Guard
plane, still circling above. The planes
radio operator repeatedly called back
but received no reply. McIntosh flew
toward the water. He could see the
Bounty foundering and lights in the
water: the strobes onthe survival suits.
The flight crew called command,
informing themthat the Bountys crew
had abandoned the sinking ship. The
situationwas nowmost critical, though
the full extent was unknown. Were
there survivors? Was anyone still on
board, trapped below?
McIntosh circled again. Despite
their battered condition, the crew
opened the rear door and dropped two
rafts down into the hammering wind.
They could only hope they would land
136
close enough to the ship to be of use.
No sooner had they deployed the
rafts than the aircrafts fuel light
flashed on the dash, indicating they
had to head back to base right away.
McIntoshveeredaway fromshipwhile
his radio operator continued to try to
hail theBounty. Therewas noresponse.
Treading in frothing water, John
Svendsen floated amid the wreckage
next to the ship. The Bounty was lost,
and he needed to get away from the
sinking carcass as fast as possible.
The water surrounding the ship was
now a deadly mess of rigging, loose
boards, and detritus from the ship.
Witheachwave pulse, the masts would
lurch back up to 45 degrees. Then they
would crash back into the water, sink
under the surface, andrepeat the cycle.
Adam Prokosh later described the
wrecked ship as moving fast, up and
down, like a fishing bobber.
The entire crew was now in the
water, swimming and thrashing amid
the huge swells and breaking waves.
As the ship slowly sank, she pulled
everything around her down with her,
so the only safe course was to try to
get away from the wreck. The
emergency sui ts made every
manoeuvre difficult. Dan Cleveland
reached out to grab a raft that was
floating past himbut couldnt reach it.
Not far away, second mate Matt
Saunders, 37, clung to a wooden grate
with six other survivors. One of the
Coast Guard rafts drifted nearby, but
they couldnt catch it. Soon, however,
they found one of the life raft canisters
and inflated it. It looked like a large
kiddie pool with a tent over it. They
clambered inside, pushing and pulling
one another till they were all aboard.
Six more crew members sat inside
a second raft. Meanwhile, first mate
John Svendsen was drifting out to sea,
clinging to a floating signal beacon.
Later, he would credit Walbridge for
saving his life; it was the captains idea
to pack the buoys as standard
equipment. But where was Walbridge
himself ? And where was Claudene
Christian, last seen on deck as the ship
tipped into the sea?
With no way to communicate,
neither raft, nor Svendsen, alone out
in the waves, knew the fate of their
shipmates. At last, Coast Guard
helicopters arrived on the scene, the
sound of the propellers echoing above
the din of the storm.
Dawns light filteredinto the eastern
sky as Coast Guard rescue swimmer
Randy Haba was lowered from a
hovering chopper into the towering
waves. After a short swim, he reached
Svendsen, who had nowdrifted nearly
ThewaTersurroundingTheshipwas
nowadeadlymessofrigging, boards
anddeTriTus. wiTheachwave, ThemasTs
wouldlurchbackupTo45 degrees
137
The body of Claudene Christian, left, was
recovered about 12kmfromwhere the ship
sank. Above, Coast Guardworkers assist
Bounty crewman AdamProkosh
a kilometre from the wreckage.
The first mate was exhausted;
hed smashed his right hand on
the ship, rendering it useless, and
swallowed seawater.
Haba slung Svendsen into a
harness and got him safely
onboard the chopper. Then the
rescue crew moved to the first
raft. The Bounty survivors had
heard the rotors and realised
help was at hand. But it was still
a shock when Habas head
popped through the raft door.
I bet you guys are ready to get
out of here, said the swimmer,
flashing them a smile.
A second rescue swimmer
helped survivors from the other
raft board a second helicopter.
In all, 14 survivors, ranging in age
from 20 to 66, staggered off the
choppers at the Elizabeth City, North
Carolina, air base shaken but alive.
Another rescue crew later found
Claudene Christian, unconscious,
floating near the ship. Despite efforts
to revive her, she didnt survive.
Sandy had flooded towns from
Maine to Florida, causing anestimated
147 direct deaths and widespread
flooding. During the next three days,
the Coast Guard search continued for
Walbridge, but no sign of the captain
was ever found. Meanwhile, Losing
two people was tough, but when we
saw the survivors getting out of the
helicopter on TV, we were overjoyed,
recalls McIntosh. And even though
we didnt meet any of the crew
personally, you go through something
like that together, and it feels like
theyre family. n
P
H
O
T
O
S
:
R
E
U
T
E
R
S
;
(
c
H
R
i
S
T
i
a
N
)
P
E
T
E
R
P
a
R
S
O
N
S
/
a
P
P
H
O
T
O
S E L F I E P ROMOT I ON
Selfie the ubiquitous social media self-portrait has producedseveral
spin-offs including helfie (hairstyle selfie), welfie (workout selfie) and
drelfie (drunkenselfie). The Guardian
For footageof theCoast
Guardrescue, visit Readers
Digest Magazineonline,
seepage6
Rdr s D gs 04 / 1 4
138
Aneat freak reckons with
her chaoticchildhoodand
apack rat daughter
B y w e n D y f o n t a i n e
My daughter has a private corner in
the living roomwhere grown-ups are
forbidden. The rat hole, she andI call it.
If something is missing, a measuring
spoonor my eyelashcurler, it can
surely be foundinthe rat hole. She sits
there, wedgedbetweenthe couchand
the bookshelf, stockpiling her pirated
items, out of the watchful eye of her
clean-freak mother.
l
from brain, child magazine
Immaculate
p
h
o
t
o
:
h
e
N
R
i
k
B
o
N
N
e
v
i
e
R
/
G
a
l
l
e
R
y
S
t
o
c
k
For
Fontaine,
a spartan
home is a
safe home
obsession
140
our new verandah. We smelled the
fresh wood of its vacant, clean walls
and marvelled at its empty spaces.
What would we do with this new
place? We could play there, spread
our sleeping bags out on the wooden
floor for a camp-out. We could
practise our cartwheels or throw a
football back and forth.
Within months, the verandahs
possibilities, once endless and
promising, were lost. It became a heap
of snow sleds and fishing poles,
holiday ornaments and outgrown
clothes things
that no longer
served us but no-
one was willing to
throw out. There
were rusted coffee
cans filled with
homeless screws
and nails, tent
poles sticking out
of tote bags.
A path was
blazed from the
screen door of the
verandah to the
sturdier front door of the house, which
concealed our familys greatest secret,
the reason why my brother never in-
vited friends over and I never hosted a
sleepover party. Ours was a house of
things, items saved and stored just in
case. We didnt have conversations or
emotions; we had stuff. To say my
parents were collectors would make it
sound like something elegant,
something sophisticated. They stock-
Her collections spread like ivy to her
bedroom, where she saves tiny piles of
pebbles andseashells, twigs andacorns.
Orphaned items find newbelonging in
Angelas room, transformedinher four-
year-old imagination from their
ordinary purposes to something
fanciful. Ahandful of pencils becomes
aswordcollection. Amixingbowl takes
shape as a Jacuzzi for superhero
figurines. Abrokencoil of vacuumhose
morphs into a black snake.
Why are you keeping this? I ask.
Its a rattlesnake, Angela says. A
nice rattlesnake.
I hand over the
broken hose and
wonder how my
daughter can be so
much like me yet
so different at the
same time.
When I was ten
years ol d, my
f a t h e r h i r e d
someone to build
a n e n c l o s e d
verandah onto our
house. Like many
families, we needed more room for
our stuff. But our stuff wasnt quite
like the things other families had.
The contractor arrived every
morning for a week. He laid out his
tools and went to work while my
brother and I were at school. At the
end of the week, he left behind a
verandah that felt as big and empty as
a football field.
My brother and I ran the length of
Ours was ahouse
of things, items saved
andstored. Wedidnt
haveconversations
oremotions; we
hadstuf
2011 by weNDy FoNtaiNe. brain, child magazine (Fall 2011), bRaiNchilDMaG.coM. h

a
i
R
a
N
D
M
a
k
e
u
p
:
J
u
l
i
e
F
i
G
u
e
R
o
a
F
o
R
c
e
l
e
S
t
i
N
e
a
G
e
N
c
y
(
t
h
i
S
S
p
R
e
a
D
a
N
D
p
R
e
v
i
o
u
S
)
141
piled. They accumulated. They built
around us walls of possessions, a for-
tress.
When I was pregnant with Angela,
I spent sticky summer afternoons in
her nursery, sorting tiny pink T-shirts
and baby socks. While my husband
was away on military deployments, I
arranged bottles of baby shampoo on
the dresser and stocked the wardrobe
with onesies and blankets, making
room for something wonderful to
happen in there, in the new space.
As an adult, cleaning my own home
had become a tether, a way to find my
footing when I felt I had lost control.
It made me feel safe, like nothing bad
could happen. If I was cleaning, then I
wasnt worrying. Were we ready to
have a family? Would our baby be
healthy? Then, after my daughter was
born, I was an overwhelmed new
mother, washing dishes in the middle
of the night when my husband was out
tosea. Andwhenhe left me for another
woman, I scrubbed the kitchen floor
until it gleamed.
My father saved practical things:
tools, hunting videos, cans of oils and
sprays. Unopened packs of clearance
Daughter
Angela
collects stuf
just because it
delights her
142
wool socks filled his dresser. My
mother, on the other hand, saved
things she foundbeautiful: a snowflake
knitted from silver yarn, a figurine of
a mother teddy bear holding a teddy
bear. Her things were from thrift
stores. Jewelleryboxes were filledwith
necklaces andearrings she never wore.
My mother had no pretty things
when she was a girl. She and my father
grew up poor, the kind of poor you
read about in books. In primary
school, she owned two dresses,
alternating themso as not to wear the
same dress two days in a row. When
the lunch bell rang and her classmates
went home to eat, my mother walked
along the dirt road that led to her
house, only to turn around and walk
back once she got there. There was no
sense in walking into the kitchen for
lunch. She knew there would be
nothing there for her.
As a teen, my father worked in the
local supermarket, turning over his
pay cheques to his mother, who had
four other mouths to feed. His father
was absent, a drinker.
Now my mother has more items of
clothing than she could wear in a year.
She saves like she has something to
prove. Inher bedroomare three dress-
ers stuffed so full, its hard to open the
drawers. Between the clothes are jars
of eye cream, tubes of lip balm, old
receipts and envelopes of cash.
In her sock drawer are bags of
almonds and chocolate bars. Lotion
tubes and Kleenex boxes forma pyra-
mid atop a dresser, blocking a family
portrait that hangs on the wall. My
12-year-old self peeks out over the top.
The jungle spreads to the kitchen,
where a bakers rack overflows with
cookbooks. The cabinets holdspice jars
soold, their contents areas solidas rock.
The most tangled, bewildering part
of the house is the living room, where
bookshelves are stuffed with
notepads, boxes of broken crayons,
and board games games no-one has
ever played. The desk is heaped with
papers, a curled wedding programme
sticking out from the stack.
Each time I visit, my eyes fixate on
the same item: a picture frame bearing
the sticky residue of a moving sale tag.
It sits proppedupas thoughondisplay,
next to a bottle of lighter fluid and a
Frosty the Snowman videotape. The
frame is meant to holdschool pictures,
one fromeachgrade. The spaces inside
are empty and have been for as long as
I can remember.
I grew up differently from my
parents. When my brother and I
needed something, they found a way
to get it for us. He and I knew how
hard our parents worked at their
factory jobs making shoes. We visited
their hot workplaces that smelled like
sweat andrubber cement andsawhow
tired they were at the end of the day.
Instead of having our friends over,
we went to their homes, which were
tidy and organised. I mistook their
orderliness for harmony, thinking that
if everything was where it was
supposed to be in their kitchens, then
everything was where it was supposed
to be in their lives.
After I grew up, I thought I had
143
I cleantwiceaday.
Abedwithrumpled
sheets says some-
thingis out of order,
something iswrong
withmy family
escaped my parents house and their

piles of stuff, thought I had left it
behind, unable to swallow me up. But
it did swallow me. Today, my own
house is just as
maniacal as theirs
was. I clean twice
a day, once in the
morning and again
before bed. I cant
sleep if there are
dirty dishes. Toast
crumbs on the
table are like ants
crawling on my
body. A bed with
rumpled sheets
says something is
out of order,
something is wrong with my family.
Throwing something out gives me
freedom, makes me feel lighter. Maybe
thats what children do; we followthe
road that takes us as far away fromour
parents as possible. We fear becoming
them so much that we miss the
moment when we become their
mirror images, the same in our exact
oppositeness.
As my daughter squirrels my
belongings away to her rat hole, she
is finding her own way of creating
order. She likes to save things, while
I am inclined to throw them away.
Who is to say that one impulse is
better than the other?
Angela has no interest in tidying
her r oom or
t hr owi ng out
things that are
broken. So I clean
her room for her,
putting her books
back i nto the
bookcase, big ones
to the left and
smal l ones to
the right.
In the back of
her wardrobe, I
find two glossy
pages ripped from
a National Geographic. One shows a
baby harbour seal, the other a scuba
diver. I hold themin my hand, feeling
her personality jump off the pages.
She loves the ocean. The pictures
probably make her smile.
I wonder if she hid them from me,
knowing that I would have no use for
them. My instinct is to put themin the
trash, but instead I put them back
where I found them on the wardrobe
floor. Angela decided she needed
those pictures, beautiful things kept
simply because they are beautiful. n
HOR S E S AT E MY C A R !
AyoungAustralianmanreturnedtohis car parkedat afriends propertyto
findthreehorses chewingthroughthedoor seals, front spoiler andsidemirrors.
Hephonedtheinsurancecompanytocheckwhether heshouldleavethetongue
marks onthecar for theassessor toview. carsguide.com.au
144
REAL-LIFE
GEM?
Share it and
win cash
s
e
e
p
a
g
e
6 for
d
e
t
a
i
l
s
I take thee
A colleague of mine officiating at
a wedding using the 1662 Book
of Common Prayer came to the
direction, I require and
charge you both that if either
of you know any impediment
why you may not be lawfully
joined together in matrimony,
ye do now confess it.
Unfortunately, he had a slip of the
tongue and solemnly said, Why
ye may not be joyfully loined
together.
Ever since, Ive been very careful whenever
I come to that same line.
Submi tted by Reverend Dean Rowney
p
h
o
t
o
S
:
t
h
I
N
K
S
t
o
C
K
Enoug to me
up te numbers
Eight fellowaccountants
andI got intothelift at
work, never stoppingour
discussions about an
upcomingmeeting. After
a minute, a voicefrom
thebackinterruptedus.
So,a mansaid,
howmany accountants does it taketo
press thelift button?
Submi tted by Anahi ta Hashemi
TEchTalk
There are only two
types of computers in
the world: those that
waste your precious
time andthose that
waste your precious
time faster.
Seen n e inerne
145
My cousin once
called in sick to
work because of
a death in the
family.
I was her boss.
Source: reddit.com
Found barrier
Youve never
beenlost
until youve
beenlost at
Mach3.
US test pi l ot
Paul F Cri ckmore
Cubicle wisdom
These office drones know
exactly what youre thinking
at work:
>> No-one likes hearing agree to
disagree. Why dont we just say,
Youre wrong, but I dont feel like
fighting about it right now?
>> Sorry, I dont listentolectures
onbeing organisedfrompeople
with60icons ontheir
computers desktop.
>> Answers to
questions askedonthe
way tothe bathroom
are not legally
binding. People
will agree to
anything inthat
situation.
Source: meetingboy.com
Felon vs feline
ARomanian man called the
police to report hearing a
strange noise in the house.
When the police arrived,
they realised the
man was in fact
burglarising the
place, so they
arrested him.
Upon further
investigation,
they discovered
that the noise
hed heard was
made by the
homeowners
cat.
Source: metro.co.uk
SLLYOUATTHLWAkL
146
p
h
o
t
o
S
a
n
d
i
l
l
u
S
t
r
a
t
i
o
n
:
t
h
i
n
k
S
t
o
c
k
Frank here came up with the idea of
billing customers for products and
services we dont provide.
see page 1 7 0 pzzeaswes
Heart of thematter
C. Eac|||eca|s w
aws s||g|ef aoe
s||g|g|. Eac|||e
ca|s e|||ac, eye||w,
aoew||e|eoaw.
Eac|||eca|s e||,
em| aoeb|e
fea|eeoaw. |em|ss|g
f|gems |avea|ef-
s||gaw, w||a|||ac|
aoam| fea|e.
Hiddenmeaning
A. Ao|a||gs
B. ||s o|s
me
C. F||g| aswe
All gonedotty
12. |em|ss|gom|
|s 6/6aoo|ea|
os f |ef|s ao
secoom|es ao
|em|||yb|by
|e||oom|.
Spell it out
|e|eces ae
aageoas be|w:
acollu of
min kdm to
cll animl Wlfr bcu
h couldhr littl uy
trdinth wll or
undrnthth buildin.
afwdy ltr, hr nxity
hdon. shdrlid
tht th do h could
hr w th o-u
Offic aitnt onhr
lto.
Submi tted by
Sarah Jenki ns
Ldo
Fun
all the
w
ay
Our buin rli hvily on
bbrvition. For xml,
I clld cutomr th othr dy.
Rdin frommy rintout,
I kd, ar youtill fun
dirctor?
aftr u, h rlid,
Im funrl dirctor.
Submi tted by Susan Ladd
Awomanwent intomyfathers insuranceofficewith
her newborntwins. Dadaskedher if shedever had
any troubletellingthemapart.
Shegavehimanoddlookandsaid, No, I havent had
any problem. This is Benjamin, andthis is Elizabeth.
Sce: gcf.e
Context clues
148
Viewof Copacabana and
Sugar Loaf Mountain;
Opposite: a carioca sips
froma freshly opened
green coconut
149
p
h
o
t
o
s
:
(
o
p
p
o
s
i
t
e
)
C
o
r
b
i
s
;
(
t
h
i
s
p
a
g
e
)
g
e
t
t
y
i
m
a
g
e
s
;
t
h
i
n
k
s
t
o
C
k
No-one cares if youre richor poor
onRiode Janeiros peoples beach
by robert ki ener
Cpacaaa
150
Because Ive come to Rio for a week
to explore Copacabana beach and the
fascinating role it plays in the life of
Rios cariocas, I make a mental note:
Work on my tan, lose the baggy shorts
and buy a sunga.
Copacabanais apicture postcardcome
to life; a crescent of fine white sand
backed by an arc of highrises. To the
northis the 395mSugar Loaf Mountain,
and to the south the
maj esti c Chri st the
Redeemer statue. And like
all the beaches in Rio, its
enjoyed by all.
The most important
thing that you have to
understand about Copac-
abana beach, and our other beaches,
is that they are one of the few places
in Brazil where there are no class
distinctions, renowned Brazilian
anthropologist and author Roberto
DaMatta tells me as I visit him in his
home just outside of Rio.
The poor residents of the favelas
(Rios shanty towns), the business
executives and the students are all
equals on the beach, he explains.
Because everyone is nearly naked,
theres little to tell the classes apart,
and because all the beaches are public,
Why not? I ask her as I butter my
pale skin with a thick coating of
SPF 100 sunscreen lotion.
She doesnt answer. But I get her
point as I look at the mostly tanned,
fit cariocas (Portuguese for people
born in Rio) who are enjoying what,
for many of them, is their neighbour-
hood beach.
Almost all of the women wear
Brazilian bikinis, which, as Renata has
explained to me, are
much smaller than the
bikinis their interna-
tional sisters wear. And
some wear tiny, barely
there thongs, which cari-
ocas refer to as dental
floss tangas. I notice
that from the rear they seem to, well,
disappear like floss between teeth.
While some of the men wear surfer
shorts, many more of all ages
sport tight sungas, Brazilian bathing
suits that are somewhat larger than
a Speedo but much smaller than the
ridiculous shorts I am wearing; the
ones that unmistakably mark me as
a gringo, the local word for foreigner
in my case, an American from
Vermont, a place better known for
skiing than sunbathing. Everyone is
wonderfully tan.
my first day on world-famous Copacabana beach,
3.2kmof shimmering sands, super-fit bronzed bodies
and itsy-bitsy bathing suits. And Imalready feeling
like a fish out of water. Youre not wearing those, are you? my
Brazilian friend Renata asks me as she points to my baggy cargo shorts
the kind that zip off at the knee.
151
p
h
o
t
o
:
e
S
t
o
c
k
p
h
o
t
o
everyone is welcome. The beach is
Brazils most democratic space.
It doesnt take me long to discover
that on Copacabana, as Monty Python
comedian and travel writer Michael
Palin has noted, the gap between the
favela and the favoured almost
disappears. Among the throngs of
beachgoers who are jogging, playing
volleyball, frescoball, exercising,
swimming, surfing, sunbathing, and
just plain people-watching, I bump
into Magno, a tall, lean dark-skinned
resident of one of the nearby favelas.
This is the peoples beach, he tells
me before he dives into the water for
a long-distance swim across the bay
with a group of fitness fanatics.
No-one cares whether you are rich or
poor here; its the beach that matters.
Nearby, journalist Fernando Morais
is taking part in an outdoor capoeira
class (a mixture of dance, sport and
martial art popular throughout Brazil)
and explains to me that Copacabana
beach also owes its eclectic nature to
the densely populated high-rise
neighbourhood itself.
Agroup of local kids
jumps for joy on the
world-famous beach
152
p
h
o
t
o
:
A
l
A
M
y
It s just a very interesting
neighbourhood in Rio where you can
find all types of people. Today we
have a 24-hour nightlife here, and all
sorts of people coming fromdifferent
parts of Brazil rich, poor. You can
find everything here.
Rios police regularly patrol the
beach and have helped cut down the
sweeps, where large groups of
young men reportedly from the
nearby favelas swarmthe beach to rob
locals and tourists alike. Nevertheless,
beachgoers are constantly warned to
bring as little as possible to the beach
and to watch for suspicious activity.
Some of the high-rise hotels have even
positioned security guards on their
roofs with walkie-talkie radios,
watching their guests at the beach
through binoculars. The historic
Copacabana Palace Hotel boasts a staff
On Sundays many
of Rios 6.5 million
residents head for
Copacabana
153
of 32 highly trained security guards.
I learn the hard way during my first
day on Copacabana beach that it pays
to be watchful.
Shoeshine, mister? asks the
diminutive youth with a wooden
shoeshine kit slung over his shoulder.
He then points to my sneakers, which
now somehow sport a large glob
of yellow mustard. Before I can
refuse, hes on his knees, feverishly
brushing away.
He finishes and, pointing to a sign
on the side of his shoeshine kit,
says, That will be US$50! Suddenly
I realise he, or an
accomplice, must
have snuck upbehind
me a fewminutes ago
and squirted my
shoes with mustard
an age-old scam.
I m s o me wh a t
amused with his
brazenness but his
manner changes when I refuse to pay
himmore than a fewdollars. He grabs
the money and slinks away, cursing
me in Portuguese. I learn later that
I was lucky; he had attacked other
tourists for not ponying up the $50.
Copacabanas role as the peoples
beach is most evident on weekends
and during large public events. When
Pope Francis, the first Latin American
pope in history, visited Brazil in 2013
he celebrated a papal mass on
Copacabana beach. More than three
million flag-waving people poured
onto the beach to greet the Pope.
Many of themslept on the white sand
in a massive night-long slumber party.
Rod Stewart reportedly outdrewthe
Pope; more than 3.5 million turned out
for his concert on the beach in 1994.
The Rolling Stones drew1.5 million in
2006. The beach is also home to the
worlds biggest NewYear celebrations
each year when more than two mil-
lion revellers pack the sands for a
fireworks extravaganza and the
chance to honour Iemanj, the Afro-
Brazilian goddess of the sea.
OnSundays so many of Rios 6.5 mil-
lion residents head for Copacabana
beach that town offi-
cials close one of the
driving lanes of Ave-
nida Atlntica, the
majestic beachfront
promenade, and turn
it into a pedestrian,
bike, skateboard and
rollerblade zone.
Here, cariocas leav-
ing the beach call out to acquaintances
just arriving Boapraia! whichmeans,
Enjoy the beach!
This Sunday the beach is packed.
Indeed, there are so many people here
that its almost impossible to see any
free sand between the throngs and the
thongs. As I walk along the curving
shoreline, I see an army of hawkers,
weaving in and between the
beachgoers, peddling everything from
bikinis to ice-cold drinks to soccer
balls to, believe it or not, vacationtime-
shares. As a Brazilian friend explained
to me, Just sit still and whatever
you need will eventually come by.
154
After baking under Rios blistering
sun, I find the 20C water is
surprisingly cool as I wade in and then
take a brief swim. The sea is calm, but
thats not always the case; sometimes
large waves and riptides make
swimming a challenge. And the sea is
not crowded; many beachgoers seem
content with merely wading or just
staying on the beach.
Pay attention to the carioca beach-
goers, Roberto DaMatta had told me.
Youll notice that no-one is reading.
Instead, they are people-watching.
Its one of our national pastimes.
Hes right. Seeing and
being seen is what
Brazils beaches are all
about. I ask a beautiful,
tanned, l ean young
woman with long black
hai r who has j ust
emerged from the sea in
a skimpy bikini if she
minds the hundreds of
people, both men and
women, that seem to be
watching her. Not at all, she says.
We grew up wearing tiny bathing
suits and we consider it a compli-
ment when people look at us. Latin
people appreciate beautiful bodies.
Dont you?
How could I disagree?
Accordingtosomebeach aficionados,
Copacabana may be past its prime.
Admittedly, its lost a lot of its lustre
compared to the days when Brigitte
Bardot, Cary Grant, the Kennedys and
a host of international jet setters
visited its now-closed casinos and
swank hotels. Flying down to Rio
was long celebrated in films and songs
as the in-thing to do. And the in-
place was Copacabana beach.
Many claim the nearby beaches of
Ipanema or Leblon have eclipsed
Copacabana, but dont tell that to any
of Copacabanas residents.
Ipanema? Its snobby, says local
resident and realtor Lirian Rodrigues
as she raises a finger aside her nose
to reinforce the point. Copacabana is
more real. It is more Brazil!
Andrea Natal, general manager of
the Copacabana Palace
hotel, claims that Copa-
cabana beach reflects
Brazilians healthy, fun-
filled lifestyle. This
beach is a very special
place, she tells me as she
welcomes me to the
90-year-old, 216-room
hotel where rooms start
at about US$640 and go
into the stratosphere.
Weve got the water, the views and
the friendliest people. There is no
other place like this in the world!
Further proof that Copacabana is
unique among Rios other 70 beaches
lies at the southern tip of the beach,
just beneath the 100-year-old Forte de
Copacabana. Shoehorned into this
palm-tree-studded corner of the beach
is a fleet of small wooden fishing boats
owned and manned by a colony of
professional f ishermen, proud
reminders of Copacabanas history as
a fishing village.
155
p
h
o
t
o
:
A
l
A
m
y
Small wooden fishing boats are reminders
of the former fishing village
Each morning at around 5.30, before
sunrise and long before the beach fills
with visitors, these hearty, weathered
fishermen help one another pull their
boats fromthe fine, white sand to fish
the waters off Copacabana.
We are proud that we are
maintaining this way of life, Jos
Manuel Pereira Rebouas, the vice
president of the fishermens colony
and resident of a nearby favela, tells
me. Most people come to the beach
to play. We come here to work. On
a good day Rebouas and his fellow
fishermen each haul in 100kg of fish.
After a few days exploring, Ive
learned a lot about what makes this
one of the worlds most famous
beaches. Ive also come a long way
frommy first day here when my pale
skin, baggy shorts and backpack all
screamed Gringo!
I ditched the shorts and bought a
green and yellow the colours of
Brazils flag sunga, which I started
wearing to the beach. Admittedly, Its
XL but I dont care if anyone stares at
me. After all, as the woman in the
skimpybikini toldme, Itsacompliment
when people look at us. n
p u no g r a p h y
l I didnt like my beardat first. Thenit grewonme.
l Energiser Bunny arrested: chargedwithbattery.
l Howdoyoumake holy water? Boil the hell out of it!
l Imreading a book about anti-gravity. I cant put it down.
lJokes about Germansausage are the wurst.
SmartAnimals
156
Reader s Di ges t o /
l
l
l
u
8
!
A
!
l
O
N
:
b
L
N
8
A
N
O
L
8
O
scar, a pied butcherbird,
was a regular visitor to our
garden, arriving every
morning with his beautiful
melodious call. After catching
a treat of minced meat, hed sing
again and disappear until the next
day. One morning he refused to
leave, pacing up and down, calling
louder and louder. Several times
I offered him more food, but he
wasnt interested. He became
increasingly agitated, and his song
more urgent. When he persisted
with his attention-seeking antics,
I went outside again and called out,
What is it, Oscar? It was then that
all went quiet and I heard the
faintest words, Help me, Judy.
It was Ali, my neighbour and best
friend. Ali is a diabetic. Racing over
to her house, I found her lying in
the hallway, unconscious. Clearly
shed become ill during the night
cometotherescue
Vssginthsong
157
Xena: the
warrior puppy
Xena was an integral member of our
family, and a good watchdog. But
one February morning, our beautiful
German shepherd was sitting in the
backyard, barking at seemingly
nothing. She was 11 years old but
certainly hadnt yet shown any signs
of going senile.
What was Xena doing? I wondered
as my husband and I headed to the
backyard for a closer inspection.
After about a minute, we saw a
bright yellow hot air balloon. It was
the first time wed seen one fly over
our house and Xena wasnt at all
sure about this airborne intruder.
Clearly, despite her age, there was
nothing wrong with her hearing.
Her barking had alerted us. She had
kept us safe yet again. Good old
Xena. Wendy Wi l l i ams, W G, Vic
You could earn up to $100 by telling us about the antics of unique pets or wildlife.
See page 6 or visit readersdigest.com.au/contribute for details.
Invasion of the
big-screen cats
Shelby, my toy poodle, loved the
new flatscreen TV I had installed
between the bedroom and the
lounge. The night it was installed,
I settled down for an evening of
great viewing, including a
documentary on large cats.
Shelby was less keen. To her, it
seemed as though a band of giant
cats had invaded her home. At first,
she stood beneath the TV staring at
the large cats, growling. Then, after
a few seconds, she bounded up the
steps looking for the big cats who,
she reasoned, must be lurking
behind the screen in the bedroom.
Shelby figured that the large
rectangle must be another window
and the cats were on the other side
of it pretty impressive deductive
reasoning. Li nda Champi ne
and had been there for some time.
When the ambulance officers
arrived, I told them Id heard her
small voice for help. They shook
their heads and said that would
have been impossible in her
condition. And I knew that even if
she were conscious for a time
I would never have heard her from
my home. Thankfully, Ali received
medical care in time. I believe Oscar
came that morning not only for his
treat and to sing his song, but as a
special messenger. And on that
morning his song was for Ali.
Judi th Cai ne, dv, Vic
ANZAC
stories
Unfrgettabe
rea-lfe
exerlences
Aseclal
volume your
famlly wlll
treasure
Commemoae he cenenay of WWI
8LClAL NLWLLLA8LlOV
RLAoLRs oleLs1
RL$LRVL ALIMI1LDIIR$1LDI1ION
oo o oo
8
O
N
U
$
I
R
L
L
C
D
i n t h e a t r e s E d i t o r s P i c k s
P
H
o
t
o
s
:
(
B
o
n
d
)
g
E
t
t
y
i
m
a
g
E
s
;
(
s
w
E
E
t
s
)
t
H
i
n
k
s
t
o
c
k
MvDg
WilDlifeDocuMentary
lanDof theBears
follows the story of a four-year-oldbrown
bear as he heads out ona 12-month
journey across the ruggedandremote
terrainof Russias Kamchatka Peninsula,
leaving behindhis mother. Amust for
animal lovers.
suPerheroaction
caPtainaMerica: theWintersolDier
has a cast of big names withChris Evans, Scarlett
JohanssonandRobert Redfordtaking the leads.
This one will be essential viewing for all fans of the
superherocharacter, whofirst appearedbefore
the existence of Marvel Comics, inMarch1941.
coMeDy
theGranD
BuDaPesthotel
The plot of this quirky comedy
centres onthe hotels much-
admired-among-women
concierge, Gustave H., playedby
RalphFiennes. Gustave is accused
of murdering a hotel guest and
stealing a priceless Renaissance
painting. Withthe helpof his
faithful lobby boy, Zero, he
tries toavoid
the police.
159
JamesBondshakenandslurred
Seems James Bonds famous catchphrase
shaken, not stirred may just as well have
referredtohis ownlack of sobriety andalcohol-
inducedtremors as it didhis martinis. Ateamof
liver specialists at NottinghamUniversity
Hospital inEnglandstudiedthe secret agents
drinking habits, using a technique called
retrospective literature review. This involvedtwo
of the researchers reading all 14novels inthe
series by IanFleminganddetailingevery alcoholic
drink Bondhad. The study foundthat
Commander James Bond, codename007,
consumedanaverage of six or sevencocktails
a day. The BritishMedical
Journal eloquently
summedupthe obvious:
The level of functioning
as displayedinthebooks
is inconsistent withthe
physical, mental, and
indeedsexual
functioning expected
Name the actor whostarredas the voice of Donkey inthe movie Shrek andits
three sequels, Shrek 2, Shrek the ThirdandShrek Forever After?
q
dVdrelease
TheBuTler
This filmwas incinemas over the
Christmas break, andis nowavailable on
DVD. It depicts the lifeof Cecil Gaines
(Forest Whitaker), the African-American
chief White House butler whoservedno
fewer thaneight Americanpresidents. The
cast reads like a whos whoof Hollywoodgreats Oprah
Winfrey, JohnCusack, Jane Fonda, RobinWilliams and
more. Ideal viewing for the modern Americanhistory buff.
moViemanners
Were all beenthere before
someone inthe cinema continues,
relentlessly, towrestle witha noisy
cellophane bag of sweets or chips.
Heres our movie tip: toavoid
being askedtostopor worse still,
being yelledat, openthe bag
before entering the cinema or
before the lights dim. Or simply
stopeating the offending gummy
bears altogether.
mvdgt
In2009, Avatar grossed
US$2.8billionworldwide.
A
EddieMurphy. In2011, theactor wonFavouriteVoicefromanAnimatedMovie
for ShrekForever After at theKids ChoiceAwards for his workas Donkey.
STARSHEADBACKTOPANDORA
Director James Cameronand
20thCentury Fox have announced
that the 2009sci-fi hit Avatar, will indeed
have three sequels. The release dates are
set for December 2016, 2017 and2018.
While details onplot are thinonthe
ground, news that bothSamWorthington
andZoe Saldana have signedonhas
movieblogs speculating that their
characters, Jake Sully andNeytiri,
will start a family. Whoknows where
the story might end?
YOuROwNPiECEOf HOllYwOOD
Ever wonderedwhat happens toall the
props andcostumes usedinmovies?
Websites, suchas Premiere Props
(premiereprops.com), source
merchandise directly frombacklots (thats
movie speak for movie sets) andlist items
according tomovie title. Hits as diverse as
August: Osage County, Returnof the Jedi,
Chocolat, Howthe GrinchStole Christmas,
andMansfieldPark, toname just a few,
eachhave original memorabilia available to
bidfor andpurchase. Treasures range
fromthe engagement ring wornby Julia
Roberts inAugust: Osage County (2013),
anoriginal theatre poster of The French
Lieutenants Woman(1981) andevena
pitcher that appearedinIndiana Jones and
the Kingdomof the Crystal Skull (2008).
161
BkDiget
E d i t o r s P i c k s
GarryGrosswrites, inBeautiful OldDogs: ALoving
TributetoOur Senior Best Friends (editedby David
Tabatsky; MacMillan): This is thefirst photographof a
senior dogI ever did. As I lookedthroughthelens, muchto
my surprise, I was mesmerised. I sawwisdom. I sawhis
history. I sawthedogas apuppy runningaround. I saw
somesadness. I sawsomuchbeauty ...
SimonSinghwrites inThe Simpsons
andTheir Mathematical Secrets
(Bloomsbury): IntheepisodeThey
SavedLisas Brain, thewriters hadwanted
Professor StephenHawkingtomake
aguest appearancebecausetheplot
requiredacharacter whowas evensmarter
thanall Springfields Mensamembers put
together. Theprofessor, whohadbeen
afanof theseries for many years, was
planningtovisit theUS, soimmediately
his schedulewas rejiggedtoallowhim
tovisit thestudios andattendavoice-
recordingsession.
heSobSeSSedwithmaking
youtouchthingS
Its fitting that Jony Ive, the manbehindthe iPhone
andiPad, startedhis designcareer by adding a
fiddle factor tohis products. All his early
products were markedby little thoughtful touches
that made owners want tofiddlewiththem.
Anearly tablet for Apple, for example, hada
telescoping pop-out penthat users lovedtofiddle
with. He evenaddedhandles tohis computers to
encourage users totouchthem.
Jony Ive: TheGenius BehindApples Greatest
Products, by Leander Kahney (Penguin)
OnceHawkingarrivedat therecording
studio, thewriters waitedpatiently as every
script linewas keyedintohis computer.
Theonlyproblemwas thevoicesynthesiser
struggledtodeliver thelinethat describes
Hawkings disappointment at theway
Springfieldwas beinggoverned: I wanted
toseeyour utopia, but
nowI seeit is moreof
aFruitopia. The
computers dictionary
didnot containthis
Americanfruit-
flavoureddrink, so
Hawkingandtheteam
hadtofigureout howto
construct Fruitopia
phonetically.
As writer Matt Selmanlater recalledof
thehistoricepisode, Its goodtoknowthat
weweretakingthemost brilliant maninthe
worldandusinghis timetorecord
Fruitopiainindividual syllables.
P
H
O
T
O
s
:
(
s
i
m
P
s
O
n
s
)
g
e
T
T
y
i
m
a
g
e
s
163
Paul Wilson,
TheGuruof
Calm, WriTes:
Part of theguru
gameis that
somewherealongthe
trackheimparts a
secret. Aninsight,
amantra, shaktipat
(akindof instant
awakening), or somethingequally as
mysterious. Youwouldbedisappointedif I
didnot haveonesuchsecret for youThat
secret is comingbacktothepresent
Just keepcoming back. Dont think
about what is meant by meditation, dont
analyse, dont entertainexcuses, anddont
make plans. Just start doing it. Turnup, sit
down, anddirect your attentiontothe
outbreath. Turnup, focus onthe activity
at handanddirect all your attentionto
that. Whenthe attentionstrays, you
direct it back.
Calm, NoMatter What (MacMillan)
JudesTeWarTnotes inROYG. BIV:
AnExceedingly Surprising Book About
Colour (Bloomsbury): Scientists
estimate 2 to3 per cent of womenare
tetrachromats. Anextra fourthcone
betweenthe redandgreencones
boosts their colour-visionrange from
one milliontoone hundredmillion
shades. (Most conedevelopment rides
onthe Xchromosome, sotoget the
extra cone for tetrachromacy, youd
needtwoXchromosomes, as only
womendo.) Tetrachromat ladies have
serious colour powers: champions at
sock-matching, they canalsodiagnose
fever by the slightest flushof the skin,
differentiate Dove White paint from
Cloudand
challenge bees,
zebra fish, mantis
shrimpandbirds
to a colour-
discrimination
smackdown.
henryBeardandChrisToPher
Cerf havecompiledEncyclopedia
Paranoiaca(Bloomsbury) The
indispensibleguidetoeveryoneand
everythingyoushouldbeafraidof or
worriedabout.For example, chewinggum:
Many womenaretroubledby lines
aroundtheir mouth, writes Dr Kristie
Leong. Thesevertical lines, visibleat the
border of thelips, arereferredtoby
dermatologists as marionettelines, she
says, andagoodway toprevent, or, at least,
delay their appearanceis toeliminatebad
habits that canlead
totheir premature
development.
Onesuchhabit is
chewinggum. It may
soundharmless,
shewarns, but
repeatedly
contortingthe
mouthmuscles andoverusingthejaw
contributes tobreakdownof collagen
andelastinandcauses mouthlines to
appear sooner.
Bkdgt
Living &lifestyle promotional directory
For your FREE Book and subscription please call 1800 242 858 or email
your request to info@cbchurchofgod.com.au or write to
(GPO BOX 1574 SYDNEY NSW 2001) Christian Biblical Church of God
Easter was never inspired or written in the original bible, it has
always been the Passover, and Christ is the Passover Lamb
that was slain from the foundation of the world. His sacrice
has nothing to do with Pagan names, symbols, and traditions
that todays Christianity practices. For the true facts request
the free book The day Jesus the Christ died and a free sub-
scription to Church at Home CDs and DVDs starting with the
DVD Should Christians observe Easter.
Easter was never inspired or written in the original bible, it has
always been the Passover, and Christ is the Passover Lamb
that was slain from the foundation of the world. His sacrice
has nothing to do with Pagan names, symbols, and traditions
that todays Christianity practices. For the true facts request
the free book The day Jesus the Christ died and a free sub-
scription to Church at Home CDs and DVDs starting with the
DVD Should Christians observe Easter.
GET THIS BOOK
free copy
(Matt 12
13 DAYS Victoria, Vancouver, Canadian Rockies
From $4,995 Add San Francisco & Yosemite $1,000
+ Los Angeles $500 + 7 night Alaska Cruise from
$1,300 + Return to Australia by sea from $2,000
25 DAYS Victoria, Vancouver, Canadian Rockies,
Mt Rushmore, Niagara Falls, Ottawa, Montreal,
Boston, New York $7,995 per person twin share
20 DAYS Calgary or Niagara Falls to New York or
Orlando $6,995 per person twin share
29 DAYS Niagara Falls, Ottawa, Montreal, Boston,
New York, Washington DC, Orlando, Nashville, Mem-
phis, New Orleans. $7,995 per person twin share
32 DAYS USA & Canada National Parks, West Coast,
San Francisco, Canadian Rockies, Mt Rushmore.
Grand Canyon, Zion & Bryce National Parks
$8,495 per person twin share
WORLD DISCOVERY TOURS
FREECALL 1800 645 055
Los Angeles, San Francisco, West Coast, Canadian Rockies,
Yosemite, Niagara Falls, Montreal, New York, East Coast,
Americas South, Monument Valley, Grand Canyon &
Las Vegas
Departs: 3 September 2014 Fares from $14,995
Includes ALL breakfasts except Banff 11 Dinners & 3 lunches
worlddiscoverytours.com.au
60 days too long Take any part of the tour for instance: FARES INCLUDE RETURN AIRFARES,
ACCOMMODATION, SIGHTSEEING AND SOME MEALS
For classieds bookings contact Darlene Delaney on (02) 9018 6257 or email darlene.delaney@rd.com
Why compromise
your lifestyle and
freedombecause of
diculty getting up
and down the stairs?
CALL US NOWFREE ON
1800142882
FORAFREE NOOBLIGATIONQUOTE
B
est P
rice
G
uaranteed
For straight or
curved staircases
Direct fromthe
manufacturer
Free home
assessment
Best price guarantee
Fast installation
Safe & reliable
What a great idea from
North America and Europe
Easy and safe access to
have a bath (SPA)
Relax in comfort and dignity
For more information or a free brochure
contact us on 1800 505 712
Email: info@safebath.com.au
www.mobilityaid.com.au
BATH WITH
A DOOR
FOR A FREE INFORMATION PACK,
SEE CONTACT DETAILS ABOVE
Finally, a complete DIY TERMITE
treatment. No more pest controllers
needed. As easy as 1-2-3.
1
2
3
Install Superway Termite Baiting Stations
around your property & inspect for activity
every 2-3 weeks.
As soon as the Baiting Stations become
active, apply the Termite treatment to
the station. (Superway owned & APVMA approved)
Termite colony destroyed re-use
Baiting Station
DIY Termite Baiting System and White Ant Termite Bait
Superway Termite Baiting Solutions Pty Ltd Factory: 13 Moroney Place, Beerwah QLD 4519
Ph: 1300302938 | Fax: (07) 54390366 | www.superway.com.au
KILL TERMITES THE EASY WAY!
Superway
Compact
Termite Baiting
Stations are
nowavailable
call us now
1300 133 001
info@interasia.com.au
www.interasia.com.au
Lic 32572 Member IATA/TCF/AFTA
Ask for our award winning
brochures at your travel
agent
Huge range of small group
tours and private guided
journeys
River cruises and rail
journeys throughout Asia
^~~ ^~~ ^~~ ^~~ :- :- :- :- ~,~ ~,~ ~,~ ~,~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ :,~~ :,~~ :,~~ :,~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
--~ --~ --~ --~ -~~ -~~ -~~ -~~ ^~:.~ ^~:.~ ^~:.~ ^~:.~ :~- :~- :~- :~- ,~~~ ,~~~ ,~~~ ,~~~ ~ ~ ~ ~
- ~- - ~- - ~- - ~- ~~~. ~~~. ~~~. ~~~. ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~-~ ~-~ ~-~ ~-~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~
~~-~ ~~-~ ~~-~ ~~-~ - - - -
~.- ~.- ~.- ~.- :,~- :,~- :,~- :,~-
Operating since 1989, InterAsias experience counts!
For classieds bookings contact Darlene Delaney on (02) 9018 6257 or email darlene.delaney@rd.com
It costs $600 to fund
a stula operation and
restore a womans dignity
Obstetric stula is a tragic
childbirth injury causing
permanent incontinence, shame,
isolation and usually a stillborn
Most patients can be cured with
one surgical procedure
Australian Dr Catherine Hamlin
has been transforming lives in
Ethiopia since 1959
To be one of Dr Hamlins
Super 600 donors
visit hamlin.org.au
W
e
need
600
organisations
or
individuals
to
donate
or raise
$600
by
the
end
of June
so
that
w
e
can
treat 600
m
ore
patients
170
Puzzles
Challenge yourself by solving these puzzles andmind
stretchers, thencheck your answers onpage 146
Heart of the matter
Whichof the four figures inthe box completes the set?
All gone dotty
What is the value of the missing domino?
A
B
C
D
=60 =50 =40 =30
__ __ __ __ __
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
__ __ __ __
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
__ __ __ __ __ __
Spell it out
Place the tiles intothe gridtoforma word
square. Different words readacross anddown.
Clues tothe down words are givenbelow.
1 Grainfor grinding
2 Tall perennial herbof tropical Asia
3 Memorable proverb
4 Boxing match
5 Cog ona wheel
Hidden meaning
Identify the common
words or phrases above.
A
B
C
1 2 3 4 5
D I
R
A
F
T E E
G
R
I
S
A
G
T
O
A
M
I
G
H
T
O
T
H
ME
ANSWER
ANSWER
ANSWER
ANSWER
171
Trivia
172
1. Agoogol is 1 followedby how
many zeroes? 1 point
2. InApril 1970, whichApollo13
astronaut saidOK, Houston,
wevehada problemhere? 1 point
3. What is the original Britishtitle
of the mystery novel publishedin
the US as Murder onthe Calais Coach?
1 point
4. Aglossectomy is the removal of which
body part? 1 point
5. Inthe Chinese Zodiac, 2014is the year
of the horse. What are the animals that
represent the year before andthe year
after? 2 points
6. Whats the largest fishinthe world?
1 point
9. What creature is anophidiophobe
afraidof? 1 point
10. Name these famous rabbits. 3 points
> Bambis pal
>Mr McGregors enemy
> James Stewarts (invisible) sidekick.
11. What is the meaning of the symbol ?
1 point
12. What insect lives inanapiary? 1 point
13. The US Masters is heldannually inthe
first week of April. Whichgolfer has won
the tournament more thanany other (and
is alsoits oldest winner); andwhoshot the
recordlowscore of 18 under par (andis
its youngest winner)? 2 points
14. Whichare the only twocountries
inthe worldwhose names containthe
letter x? 2 points
15-20Goldmedal 9-14Silver medal 5-8 Bronze medal 0-4Woodenspoon
A n s w e r s : 1 . 1 0 0 . 2 . J o h n L . J a c k S w i g e r t . 3 . M u r d e r o n t h e O r i e n t E x p r e s s . 4 . T o n g u e . 5 . 2 0 1 3 S n a k e ;
2 0 1 5 S h e e p ( o r g o a t ) . 6 . W h a l e s h a r k . 7 . B r u c e B a n n e r . 8 . F r a n c e a n d S w i t z e r l a n d . 9 . S n a k e s . 1 0 . T h u m p e r ;
P e t e r R a b b i t ; H a r v e y . 1 1 . I n f i n i t y . 1 2 . B e e s . 1 3 . J a c k N i c k l a u s ; T i g e r W o o d s . 1 4 . M e x i c o , L u x e m b o u r g .
8. The Large HadronCollider
the worlds largest particle
accelerator lies beneathwhich
two countries? 2 points
p
h
o
t
o
:
(
h
A
D
R
o
N
C
o
L
L
I
D
E
R
)
g
E
t
t
y
I
m
A
g
E
s
7. What is the
name of the
scientist alter
ego of the
Incredible
Hulk?
1 point
r eader s di ges t . c om. au 07 / 09
B
y
R
o
B
L
u
t
e
s
.
I
L
L
u
s
t
R
A
t
I
o
N
s
:
L
u
c
M
e
L
A
N
s
o
N
1. erinaceous adj.
A: from Ireland.
B: like a hedgehog.
C: insincere.
2. depone v. A: steal.
B: dismount a horse.
C: testify under oath.
3. yarborough n.
A: travelling folksinger.
B: slum. C: hand in
whist or bridge with no
honour cards.
4. impignorate v.
A: tie tightly. B: accuse
of wrongdoing.
C: pawn something.
5. selcouth adj.
A: exceptionally clean.
B: unusual. C: unaware
of behavioural norms.
6. doodlesack n.
A: bagpipe. B: painters
supply bag. C: balloon.
7. aduncity n. A: bend
in the form of a hook.
B: To be high in
altitude. C: stupidity.
8. digamy
n. A: second
marriage.
B: friendship.
C: belief in ones
own attractiveness.
9. cachinnate v.
A: vibrate. B: rattle
coins in a container.
C: laugh noisily.
10. zoanthropy
n. A: study of
human-animal
relationships.
B: delusion in which
one believes oneself
to be an animal.
C: preferring animals
over humans.
11. macrosmatic adj.
A: having a good sense
of smell. B: partially
automated. C: common
stitching pattern.
12. oxter n. A: baby
otter. B: armpit.
C: spice used in soup.
13. widdifow adj.
A: too emotional
to speak. B: small for
ones age. C: deserving
of the gallows.
14. pauciloquy
n. A: charity.
B: brevity in speech.
C: ceremonial robe.
15. ratoon n. A: shoot
growing from a plant
root. B: group of young
soldiers. C: wicker sofa.
Say what?
With such a rich vocabulary to choose
from, its not surprising some words
get overlooked. This month, we
blow the dust off exotic terms that
most of us have never heard before.
WordPower
173
1. erinaceous [B] like a
hedgehog. Small, squat and
slow-moving, Garys new dog
was erinaceous in appearance.
2. depone [C] testify under oath.
Because she witnessed the robbery,
Helen was called to depone about the
incident in a crowded courtroom.
3. yarborough [C] hand in whist or
bridge with no honour cards.
Sue shrugged when she was dealt
a yarborough sure her hand held no
royals or aces, but the odds were
1827:1 against it happening twice.
4. impignorate [C] pawn something.
Needing cash for his trip abroad,
Colin decided to impignorate his
vintage guitar.
5. selcouth [B] unusual. For a diver
to find more than 20 artefacts in one
dive was certainly a selcouth event.
6. doodlesack [A] bagpipe. Sheena
grabbed her doodlesack and joined
her father as he played the familys
favourite jigs and
reels.
7. aduncity [A]
bend in the form
of a hook. The
judges nose
curved in a severe
state of aduncity.
8. digamy [A]
second marriage.
His recent
Answers
digamy was a
surprise, since he
had lived alone for
40 years after his
wifes death.
9. cachinnate [C] laugh
noisily. Marias subway
ride was made unpleasant by
the woman cachinnating
beside her.
10. zoanthropy
[B] delusion in which one believes
oneself to be an animal. Bens habit
of barking when rubbed on the
stomach could be a case of
zoanthropy.
11. macrosmatic [A] having a good
sense of smell. Being much more
macrosmatic than Gunther, the dog
was the first to locate the carcass.
12. oxter [B] armpit. Worried by
the small lump in his oxter, Tom
called his doctor immediately.
13. widdifow [C] deserving of the
gallows. The farmhand who had
been caught stealing the neighbours
sheep was a widdifow lad indeed.
14. pauciloquy [B] brevity in
speech. Adrians pauciloquy could
be off-putting, but Elly found it
intriguing.
15. ratoon [A] shoot growing from a
plant root. Cutting down the plant
didnt kill it a ratoon soon poked its
head out of the soil.
How
did you do?
2 and below
Like most of us
3-6
Youre clearly a
keen reader
7-15
Do you secretly
edit dictionaries?
WordPower
174
Call 1300550001 or visit
readersdigest.com.au/subscribe
Alreadyasubscriber?Youcantakeadvantageof thisgreat oer now
andextendyour subscriptionbyphoningthenumber above.
O
ptometrists can tell a
lot about the health
of your eye by using a
special camera to look
at the retina. Digital
retinal photography
employs a specialised
low power microscope
with a camera attached
or built in to the unit,
which is used in a quick
and painless test as part
of your eye examination.
It takes an accurate
picture of the inside
of the eye, which is
then available to view
immediately on a screen
in the consulting room.
This is advanced
technology that
permanently stores
retinal images, allowing
optometrists to instantly
bring up previous eye
images to track your eye
health more efciently
and accurately for
any changes that may
occur over time. The
facility to make such
comparisons means
early detection of serious
eye diseases and
conditions is possible,
giving optometrists the
best chance of catching
conditions in the early
stages when there are
still many treatment
options available to
maintain your sight
in the future.
Digital Retinal
Photography is a
powerful tool that helps
optometrists detect
serious eye diseases
including glaucoma,
macular degeneration
and retinal changes
that may be associated
with diabetes, and the
optometrist will discuss
the results of this
examination with you.
Make sure you have
regular eye check-ups.
Make an appointment
to visit your optometrist
today.
SPECSAVERSPROMOTION
WHATIS
DIGITAL RETINAL
PHOTOGRAPHY?
Many causes of vision loss and blindness are treatable or
preventable. It is important toget a regular eye examination
every two years to monitor the health of your eyes. Your
retinas in particular may have a story to tell.
NE W P RE S C RI P T I ON
SUNGLASSE S COL L E C T I ON
I N S TORE NOW
2PAIRS
FROM
$
199
*
PRESCRIPTION SUNGLASSES
PLUS DESIGNER GLASSES
Visit collettedinnigan.specsavers.com.au to view the new collection.
*Price complete with PENTAX standard single vision lenses with scratch resistant coating. Multifocals and bifocals also
available at an extra cost. 2nd pair must be from the same price range of frames and lens range or below. Must be
same prescription. Price for other lens types may differ. Extra options not included. Prices correct at time of print.
Frames available while stocks last. See specsavers.com.au for full details.
www.transmissionlms.com.au TM and 2014 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Reader's Digest 04 2014 Aus

Загружено:

Сведения о документе

Исходное описание:

Авторское право

Доступные форматы

Поделиться этим документом

Поделиться или встроить документ

Параметры публикации

Этот документ был вам полезен?

Это неприемлемый материал?

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

Reader's Digest 04 2014 Aus

Загружено:

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

WHY DOLPHINS ARE NOT HAPPY

low dose aspirin has a Duentric

Judi Dench. Weknowshesaremarkable

2011 by weNDy FoNtaiNe. brain, child magazine (Fall 2011), bRaiNchilDMaG.coM. h

escaped my parents house and their

Вам также может понравиться

Reader&#39;s Digest 04 2014 Aus

Загружено:

Сведения о документе

Исходное описание:

Авторское право

Доступные форматы

Поделиться этим документом

Поделиться или встроить документ

Параметры публикации

Этот документ был вам полезен?

Это неприемлемый материал?

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

Reader&#39;s Digest 04 2014 Aus

Загружено:

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

WHY DOLPHINS ARE NOT HAPPY

low dose aspirin has a Duentric

Judi Dench. Weknowshesaremarkable

2011 by weNDy FoNtaiNe. brain, child magazine (Fall 2011), bRaiNchilDMaG.coM. h

escaped my parents house and their

Вам также может понравиться

Reader's Digest 04 2014 Aus

Reader's Digest 04 2014 Aus