Table of contents for May 2015 in Reader's Digest

I HAVE LIVED in rural America for nine years, first in Michigan, where I was getting my PhD; then in central Illinois; and now in Indiana, where I am a professor. In a place where most people have lived the whole of their lives, I feel like a stranger—someone on the outside looking in. There are few things I enjoy more than complaining about my geographic isolation. I’m a vegetarian, so there’s nowhere to go for a nice dinner that isn’t 50 miles away. I’m black, so there’s nowhere to get my hair done that doesn’t involve another 50-mile drive. I’m single, and the dating options are, at times, grim. And the closest major airport is two hours away. I recite these gripes to my parents, my brothers, my friends.…

MY SISTER DIDN’T DO as well on her driver’s-ed test as she’d hoped. It might have had something to do with how she completed this sentence: “When the ______ is dead, the car won’t start.” She wrote: “Driver.” NATHAN HELLMAN, Brooklyn, New York AS I WAITED for my luggage at the airport, a man lifted my suitcase off the baggage carousel. “Excuse me,” I shouted. “That’s my suitcase.” The man shot back defensively, “Well, somebody took mine!” C. S., via Internet MY 11-YEAR-OLD grandson spent a beautiful Saturday playing video games. His older sister tried coaxing him outside by warning, “Someday, you’re going to be 30 years old, single, and living in Mom’s basement playing video games all day!” His reply: “I can only dream.” SYLVIA CARDENAS, Hacienda Heights, California…

“You can’t eat that. It has nuts in it.” WE WERE MAKING leaflets for a local church, and the client wanted a logo designed with Earth being shielded by the hand of God. I sent the client a proof. Shortly thereafter, I got a call. Client: The hand looks too human. Please use a hand that looks more like God’s. Source: clientsfromhell.net MY FAVORITE GAME is “Professional Dog Walker or Crazy Person?” @KENJENNINGS “NOW HIRING,” read the classified ad. “Cemetery superintendent. The ideal candidate must be able to supervise in a fast-paced environment.” A. S., via Internet AN APPLICANT for an open teaching job submitted a résumé. Under the heading Qualities and Skills, she listed, “Impeachable character and integrity.” M. O., via Internet IT’S THE FIRST of the month; here…

Scene: The operating room. I’m reviewing the surgical checklist with the nurses. Me: We have the surgical equipment, the heart-lung machine, antibiotics, and the replacement heart valve on hand. Patient: You wait until now to figure this stuff out? MARC GILLINOV, MD, the Cleveland Clinic “Here,” says the nurse, handing the patient a urine specimen container. “The bathroom’s over there.” A few minutes later, the patient comes out of the bathroom. “Thanks,” he says, returning the empty container. “But there was a toilet in there, so I didn’t need this after all.” TRAVIS STORK, MD, Nashville, Tennessee Overheard in the Doctor’s Office I prescribed an inhaler for a patient’s cat allergy. He came back a week later saying he was none the better. Turns out, he was spraying the inhaler…

FROM THE BOOK DAISY TO THE RESCUE THESE DAYS, YOU’D BE HARD-PRESSED to find a scientist who doesn’t acknowledge that most animals have the ability to feel emotion in some way. In the past decade, a tremendous amount of research has focused on how animals think and feel and the possibility that they possess reason and morals. We may never know what motivates animals when they go out of their way to save people, as they do in these stories, but in these moments, it’s hard not to see striking evidence of empathy, love, and perhaps a basic understanding of life. ROSELLE’S FINEST HOUR BREED: Labrador retriever WHERE: New York City On the morning of September 11, 2001, computer sales manager Michael Hingson, who is blind, went early to his…

1. FRACKING Also known as hydraulic fracturing, this process uses pressurized liquids and sand to break rock and release trapped fossil fuels. 2. CO 2 FLOODING When CO2 is combined with oil that has been trapped underground, it lowers the viscosity of the oil so that it is able to flow into the production well.…

Chosen by Cathy Trost senior vice president for exhibits and programs at the Newseum “I have a copy of this photo in my office, and it lifts me up each time I see it. An American prisoner of war is released from captivity in Vietnam in 1973. His family members have waited nearly six years without knowing if they will ever see him again, and they are literally lifted off their feet with excitement at this moment of reunion. “The photo symbolizes hope and healing near the end of a bitter war, but for me, it’s all about the love of family.”…

BEFORE THEY THREW HIM IN CHAINS, he was a gutsy kid with wandering feet. The Cleveland Museum of Art was a favorite. He’d go alone, even though he was only six. Entry was free, and Ricky Jackson’s shoes would squeak down the marble hallways hung with Dutch masters and Monets. He always stopped in the Armor Court to look at the polished knights; here was a world as strange as the places on Star Trek, the show his stepfather watched on TV. He kicked around the streets too. He’d jump on the bus and go as far as his change took him. His family— mom, stepdad, two brothers, and a sister—moved as well, from house to house, and eventually they ended up on Arthur Avenue. One house down was a…

Freeze It ■ CHILL BERRIES Prevent a mushy mess by freezing berries on a baking sheet in a single layer first. The exposure to the cold freezes them quickly. This prevents the formation of large ice crystals, which destroys cell walls and makes berries lose their structure and become soft when they thaw. Once frozen, transfer to a plastic freezer bag. ■ SAVE MILK Accidentally bought a gallon of milk before leaving town? Freeze it at 0ºF for up to three months. Milk expands when frozen, so pour out a bit first if the container is full. Thaw in the refrigerator for two to three days. ■ PRESERVE BACON GREASE After Sunday morning brunch, make a delicious topping while reducing waste. Pour leftover bacon fat from the pan into an…

IGNORE THE ALARM clock. I’m so cozy snuggled between your hubby’s feet. They’re always warmer than I am. (A woman’s body draws more heat toward the core, the theory goes, which gives me and my friend on the left the shaft.) Your schedule is packed, and you’re going to be leaning on me for most of it. So please, just a few more minutes in bed. Thanks for the Walk Kudos for not skipping your morning workout, even though you’re running late (not my fault—the other extremity hit snooze). I appreciate that you’re serious about slimming down. Weighing as little as one pound more than your ideal weight can increase pressure in your hips, knees, and ankles by as much as eight pounds, which puts even more strain on me.…

1 We count on you not to show up. About 50 percent of people who start an exercise program quit within six months. If more members started coming regularly, it would be chaos in here. Here’s a tip to help you stick with it: Start slow. People who quit typically push themselves too hard at first and get discouraged. 2 It’s often cheaper to pay per visit. Economists at the University of California, Berkeley, found that the average gym user who enrolls in a monthly or annual membership pays 70 percent more—about $300 more a year—than those who pay per visit. 3 Many of you use the treadmills totally wrong. Holding on for balance is OK, but some people support almost all their body weight on their arms. That’s unsafe—and…

TYPICAL WAS the restaurateur who came to see me with symptoms of heartburn—as well as postnasal drip, sinus disease, hoarseness, and a chronic cough. He reported that he always left his restaurant at 11 p.m. After he arrived home, he would eat dinner and then go to bed. His problem was acid reflux—an epidemic that affects as many as 40 percent of Americans, a marked increase in recent decades. I specialize in the diagnosis and management of acid reflux, especially “silent” airway reflux, which often affects the throat, sinuses, and lungs without digestive symptoms like heartburn. Reflux can lead to esophageal cancer, which has increased by about 500 percent since the 1970s. The drugs we use to treat reflux, called proton pump inhibitors, don’t always work and may even increase…

STUDENTS ARE GREAT about sending our troops letters, and the troops love ’em. You can see why: ■ “Dear Soldier, If you’re having a rough day, remember the most important thing in life is to be yourself. Unless you can be Batman.” ■ “Dear Veterans, You rock more than AC/DC or Metallica or Red Hot Chili Peppers.” ■ “I am so happy you are risking your life for the USA! My grandpa Bob was in the Navy. Now he likes peanuts.” Source: uniformstories.com IT WAS SHEER BRILLIANCE. The ship’s operations officer entered the messdeck, his eyes bleary and at half-mast. He grabbed a bagel and took a seat. Unfortunately, the sun was shining through a porthole right onto his face. Rather than move, he called the bridge: “Hey,” he said,…

IN MY EARLY 30s, I used an expired grad-student ID to buy discounted movie tickets. (I’d peeled off the date sticker.) I’d tell myself, I’m buying a ticket I wouldn’t have otherwise bought. One must be resourceful in an overpriced city, right? If you also break rules sometimes, you understand this paradox. We think of ourselves as honest citizens despite daily acts (one to two on average) of cheating, lying, or otherwise innocuous rule breaking. We stand in the express line with too many groceries, play hooky from work, board planes before our seat is called, or lie to give our kids an advantage. Researchers who study everyday transgressions believe that character isn’t the real driver; situational forces are. We might break the rules under some conditions and in some…

1 THERE’S NOT A POTTED PLANT IN SIGHT (OR IT’S DEAD). Bright green leaves breathe life (literally) into your home— houseplants can purify the air indoors, which can be five times more polluted than outdoor air, reports the Environmental Protection Agency. Plus, studies have shown that plopping one in a bare spot can reduce stress. 2 YOUR ONLY LIGHT SOURCES ARE IN THE CEILING. If you rely on recessed lights (especially in your kitchen), you might not realize you’re still living in the dark. Recessed lights don’t allow the full amount of brightness to shine from the bulb, so vertical surfaces don’t get sufficiently lit. That leaves your space dark and gloomy. But task lights (like table lamps or under-thecabinet lighting) help you to actually see what you’re doing and…

Om for a Healthier Heart If you prefer a downward dog to an uphill walk, your cardiovascular health still benefits. Yoga significantly reduces risk factors such as high body mass index, blood pressure, and LDL cholesterol levels, found a new study of nearly 3,000 participants in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. Effects were comparable to those of cardiovascular exercises like biking or walking. A Salty Culprit Behind Headaches In a recent study published in the journal BMJ Open, participants ate food with low, medium, or high sodium levels, each for 30-day periods. Those who ate foods high in sodium (about 3,300 milligrams of salt per day, what the average American consumes) had one-third more headaches than those who ate foods low in sodium (about 1,500 milligrams of salt per…

WHAT KIND OF RIGHT-THINKING PERSON takes off in the middle of her life to travel around the globe on a refitted cruise ship with 750 college students? That would be me, or, more accurately, me along with my 12-year-old son, Asher, and my husband, Paul. A poet, Paul had been hired to teach for Semester at Sea, a program that takes college students and instructors on ocean voyages. I’ll admit that I went reluctantly. I did not want to take my son out of seventh grade, nor did I want to be an ocean away from my parents (both in their 80s) and my college-aged daughter. But long ago, a more intrepid teenage version of me had gone to Maine on an Outward Bound course, where I spent weeks rowing…

IN 1974, I GRADUATED from Skyline High School in Oakland, California, an underachieving student with lousy SAT scores. Allowed to send my results to three colleges, I chose MIT and Villanova, knowing such fine schools would never accept a student like me but hoping they’d toss some car stickers my way. I couldn’t afford tuition for college anyway. I sent my final set of stats to Chabot, a community college in nearby Hayward, California, which, because it accepted everyone and was free, would be my alma mater. For thousands of commuting students, Chabot was our Columbia, Annapolis, even our Sorbonne, offering courses in physics, stenography, auto mechanics, certified public accounting, foreign languages, journalism— name the art or science, the subject or trade, and it was probably in the catalog. The…

… What do you see? No, that fuzzy bump on the leaf isn’t chest hair. It isn’t part of the leaf at all—it’s just trying to look that way. Native to India and Southeast Asia, the common baron caterpillar is one of nature’s best-camouflaged vegetarians. A central yellow stripe and branch-like spinal growths keep the baron invisible to birds and free to feed on mango leaves like this one. Look while you can: With camouflage this good, it’s only a matter of time before the caterpillar grows into a baron butterfly.…

RESEARCHERS IN CALIFORNIA once discovered that women in that state annually pay around $1,351 more than men for basic services—adding up to about $15 billion a year nationwide. But discrimination in pricing works both ways: Men can get overcharged too. Here are seven occasions where it’s advantageous to be a man, or a woman. Car Insurance COSTS MORE FOR: Men When it comes to car insurance, men are better off saving money by switching their gender than they are switching to GEICO. Women are generally offered better deals because they drive less and get in fewer accidents than men, who take greater risks behind the wheel and make up the vast majority of DUIs. In 2012, the FBI reported that 743,029 men were arrested for drunk driving, compared with just…