Table of contents for April 2017 in Reader's Digest

EDITING A STORY ABOUT everyday mistakes (p. 62) sure can make a guy feel dumb. Of the 50 items on our list of common slipups, I am habitually guilty of Nos. 1 through 9. Also 11 to 20, 22 to 34, 36, 42, and most of 44 to 49. Fortunately, I don’t have a fitness tracker (No. 10) or an Instagram account (No. 21), which saved me two demerits. I am, however, an excellent napper—thank you, No. 38. And because I’m not a woman, I assume that No. 50 doesn’t technically apply to me. When I discovered my pitiful score, I initially shrugged it off. I’m not what you might call a self-help person. For instance, I tried guided meditation once, but when I squirmed and sighed repeatedly, my guide…

JON HOFFMAN was sitting at a red light when he saw a man run out of a 7-Eleven carrying a plastic donation jar full of cash. The Plano, Texas, detective, dressed in plain clothes but wearing his badge and gun, caught the man and pinned him to the hood of his car. But Hoffman had trouble containing the thief, and they got into a struggle. “The detective has a martial arts background, and he said he thought the suspect must have a martial arts background, too, because he was able to break away so easily,” a Plano police spokesperson said. The detective called out for help as a crowd gathered. Among those watching: Andre Harvey and Kirby Sample, two day laborers. Harvey did what has become common these days—he whipped…

TO TRAVEL ALONE, I learned, isn’t to rely on yourself. To travel alone is to force yourself to depend on others. It is to fall in love with mankind. KEN ILGUNAS, author, in his book Trespassing Across America I GAVE UP ON BEING NICE. I started putting more value on other qualities: passion, bravery, intelligence, practicality, humor, patience, fairness, sensitivity. Those last three might seem like they are covered by “nice,” but make no mistake, they are not. ANNA KENDRICK, actress, in her book, Scrappy Little Nobody BASEBALL IS SIMILAR TO LIFE. You start out at home and get a little older (first base). Then in early adulthood (second base), you’re the furthest away from home you’ll ever be. You get a little older and wiser (third base), and you…

ANSWER: Two thousand dollars. QUESTION: What is the price the New York pizzeria Industry Kitchen charges for its pie topped with edible strips of 24-karat gold? Source: Town & Country ANSWER: The title of the overdue book returned to the public library in San Francisco 100 years after it had been checked out. QUESTION: What is Forty Minutes Late? Source: sfgate.com ANSWER: This film caused a Japanese woman to file for divorce because, as she told her soon-to-be ex, “If you can’t understand what makes this movie great, there’s something wrong with you as a human being.” QUESTION: What is Frozen? Source: metro.co.uk ANSWER: The name of the Charles City, Iowa, bar that was heavily damaged in August 2016 when a freight train crashed into it after derailing. QUESTION: What…

THE DAY BEFORE my daughter Norah’s fourth birthday, something she said foreshadowed a remarkable event. I’d just picked her up from preschool when she cautioned me to mind the elderly person walking across the parking lot at a glacier’s pace. She went on to explain that she has a soft spot for mature folks: “I like old peoples the best ’cause they walk slow like I walk slow and they has soft skin like I has soft skin. They all gonna die soon, so I’m gonna love ’em all up before they is died.” Sure, it got kinda dark at the end, but I liked where her heart was. I was struck by her thoughtfulness and empathy and posted that quote as a status update on Facebook when we got…

First told at a show by the Moth, the live storytelling group, at the Neptune Theatre in Seattle IWAS 23 YEARS OLD when I had my first child. I was in labor for three days before my son, RJ, was born. So when I first laid eyes on him, I felt nothing but exhaustion. I said, “This is it?” It wasn’t until about an hour later, when I woke up and he was in my arms, wrapped up, that I felt it—that rush of maternal love, that primal adoration. And I thought, This is it. This is how the species survives. Two years later, I had another child, a daughter, Emma. And soon after Emma was born, their father and I divorced. He moved to Europe, and I raised the…

IF YOU WERE like most kids, your mother told you there were three no-no’s when it came to your fingers: Don’t put them in an electrical outlet, don’t stick them up your nose (at least not in public), and don’t use them when you’re counting. The first two laws of finger dynamics are as true as ever. But experts in education and cognition now believe that using your fingers to do math is not only a perfectly good idea but may even help children become superior students. It certainly makes sense. When children count on their fingers, they take an abstract concept— mathematics—and translate it into the most basic, tangible form. In fact, neurobiologists believe that the brain is hardwired to “see” a representation of our fingers even when we…

50 Food Facts I thought “50 Food Facts” was the best summation of healthy eating I have read. But the tip that uses a study of fruit flies to caution against consuming too many artificial sweeteners made me wonder: How do you measure the number of calories a fruit fly consumes? STANA TILMAN, Olathe, Kansas I’ll bet the recommendation for nut consumption should have been one ounce five days a week, rather than five ounces five days a week. CAROL BOERGER, Somerset, Wisconsin FROM THE EDITORS: You are correct. Thank you for pointing that out. The Moment I Knew I Was in Love I was sitting in the lecture hall on the first day of classes when she walked in. I watched to see where she would sit, but she went…

WHOOP! First gotta warm my tea. OK, OK, OK, done. Let’s do this. Except I think I left the back door open. Just gotta check. Yup. Closed. Phew. Now I can finally settle in and get started. Wait. Is that caterpillar trying to cross the windowsill? I have to see this. I definitely need to check out this scene, and it’s definitely going to take me 45 minutes of just staring at this caterpillar and watching it rear up and wave its little arms around like a tiny emperor. Maybe I should put it on my finger. Maybe I should just pop it into my mouth. Ha! I’m back. Time to really get my hands dirty here. OK, let’s see, gathering my forms. The gathering storm! A perfect storm! Shoot.…

NEFTALI ALVAREZ-NUNEZ was guilty, and he knew it. On March 21, 2015, while walking out of a bar in Cataño, Puerto Rico, the rapper spotted some cops and immediately threw the handgun he had hidden in his clothes to the ground. The police detained him and found the gun, a loaded Glock 9 mm fitted with an extended magazine and modified to fire as a fully automatic weapon. Alvarez-Nunez was also carrying ammunition and six Percocet pills. He pleaded guilty to two counts under U.S. law: possession of a machine gun and possession of that gun and ammo by an illegal drug user. He expected the district judge to sentence him to 24 to 30 months in jail, the standard predetermined range for his crime according to U.S. law, and…

Jarred Condiments Spreads and sauces may seem to last forever, but jarred condiments tend to have significant exposure to bacteria, putting you at risk of food poisoning. Bacteria can start multiplying as soon as you open a jar, especially if there’s cross contamination. “As we make sandwiches, for example, we dip the knife into the spread container, wipe it onto the sandwich, and then dip it back into the container,” says Jessica Crandall, a Denver-based registered dietitian, certified diabetes educator, and national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “By doing this, you’re putting some bacteria back into the container.” Also, if there’s water floating on top or discoloration, get rid of the whole jar. Egg Substitutes Whole raw eggs can stay in the fridge for three to five…

Celery You may already know that peaches and apples can exacerbate symptoms in people with pollen allergies, but it turns out that celery can as well. Both cooked and uncooked celery can cause swelling of the throat, lips, and tongue, so if you have a pollen allergy, you’ll probably want to steer clear. And be sure to read the labels on packaged foods—celery is often an ingredient in soups and salad dressings. Wearing Shoes at Home In addition to tracking in dirt and mud, you can track in pollen when you wear your shoes into your house, Mark Dykewicz, MD, told everydayhealth.com. If you’re prone to allergies, Dr. Dykewicz, a professor in the allergy and immunology division at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, recommends not only taking off your…

Rise and Shine 1Setting your alarm for the middle of a REM cycle. Humans sleep in five-stage cycles. Waking up in the middle of a REM stage (when you sleep deepest) leaves you groggy and grumpy—but get up during one of your light-sleep stages, and you’ll rise feeling refreshed and alert. Find your perfect bedtime with a free site such as sleepyti.me, which gives you four optimal bedtimes based on when you need to get up, or a sleep-tracker app such as Sleepbot, which uses motion and sound sensors to wake you from the lightest phase of your cycle. 2Wrinkling your face with a cotton pillowcase. “Persistently pressing your face into a pillowcase causes trauma to the skin,” says dermatologist Dennis Gross. “Over time, this trauma, aggravated by the friction…

1 Beware this word: phenylephrine. That’s the active ingredient in most over-the-counter cold medicines, but it’s no better than a placebo. Drugmakers started using it after pseudoephedrine, a decongestant that does work, was forced behind the counter because it was being used to make meth. 2 Want a discount on your prescription? Ask your doctor for a 90-day refill instead of 30. Most pharmacies offer discounts and mailing services for a three-month supply. 3If I’m grumpy, there’s a reason. In most chain stores, I have 15 minutes to fill a prescription, and I get reprimanded if I’m too slow. I may also be expected to answer the phone, counsel patients, call insurance companies, and run the cash register—all while making sure you get the right medicine at the right dosage.…

1. anneal (uh-'neel) v.—A: toughen. B: weaken gradually. C: submit to authority. 2. doughty ('dow-tee) adj.— A: hesitant. B: willing to yield power. C: stouthearted. 3. enervated ('eh-nur-vay-ted) adj.—A: lacking vigor. B: strengthened. C: glorified. 4. dint (dihnt) n.—A: heavyweight. B: power. C: electrical unit. 5. proxy ('prahk-see) n.— A: strong liking. B: authority to act for another. C: king’s royal guard. 6. thew (thoo) n.—A: muscular strength. B: castle wall. C: term of surrender. 7. buttress ('buh-tress) v.— A: shore up. B: challenge head-tohead. C: dethrone. 8. preponderate (pre-'pahnduh- rayt) v.—A: seize control. B: influence by insidious means. C: have greater importance. 9. duress (du-'rehss) n.— A: queen’s sister. B: sovereign rule. C: compulsion by threat. 10. puissant ('pwee-sahnt) adj.— A: powerful. B: subdued by fear. C: cowardly. 11.…

MICKEY WILSON HAD been on the mountain only a few seconds when he heard the scream. Wilson, 28 years old and a confirmed ski bum, had just gotten off the chairlift at the Arapahoe Basin Ski Area in Keystone, Colorado, along with his friends Billy Simmons and Hans Mueller. Their friend Richard (not his real name) had been on the chair ahead of them, but when the men reached the top of the lift, he had seemingly vanished. The men walked toward the source of the scream and found skiers stopped on the slope, pointing to the chairlift. And then the friends screamed too. “My God!” yelled Mueller. When Richard had tried to jump off the lift, his backpack had become entangled in the chair, which then dragged him back…

FINDING HIS VOICE Our library had a “music in the lobby” day, and I registered to play old-time piano tunes. An elderly gentleman and his granddaughter stopped to listen. Noticing he was unable to stand, I patted the bench next to me, and he took a seat. When I played “Strangers in the Night,” he began to sing, and an audience gathered. At the end, they gave him a standing ovation. As the man left, his granddaughter whispered in my ear. “My grandpa has not sung a word since my grandma died,” she said. “Thank you for giving him his voice back.” LISA LESHAW, Coram, New York SNACK EMERGENCY After moving to the country, my three-year-old daughter and I were often alone in our house. Because we lived in a…

Banana Peel ? Silver Polish Finishing a banana just as you’re starting the weekend chores? Run the peel through the blender with a little water, and dab a washcloth in the paste to use as polish for your silver. (You’ll love the tropical smell!) Dip the piece in a water bath to wash off the paste. Toothbrush ? Corn-on-the- Cob Cleaner Disinfect an old toothbrush (you can run it through the dishwasher), and put it to work in the kitchen. The tool can be reincarnated as a handy gadget for removing silk strings from corn on the cob. Cooking Water ? Plant Food Forget pouring the cooking water from boiled foods down the drain. As long as it’s not salted, your plants will be more than happy to drink it…

DURING MY FIRST year in college, I was silent. I never skipped class, and I read every page assigned to me, but I didn’t speak, even though I was in a program called the Great Conversation. I was too afraid of saying something wrong. I declared a religion major as a sophomore and took a class from Barbara, a young theologian. Although I’d grown up in the Protestant church and was the child of a pastor, I didn’t have a clue what feminist theology was about. But the class fit with my schedule, and I’m so glad it did. My mind was split open by a range of new thinkers and writers and by the quality of Barbara’s questions. I finally had something to say and the energy to say…

Breast Cancer: Look for More than Lumps One of the most common signs of breast cancer is a lump, but that isn’t the only red flag. In a survey of more than 2,300 British breast cancer patients, 17 percent went to the doctor with another symptom, such as nipple discharge or a swollen armpit. The patients with lumps sought help sooner than those who had noticed other signs. Since early detection is key to the best treatment, see your doctor as soon as you notice any abnormalities. For more on what to look for, go to nationalbreast cancer.org. Marriage, Stress, and Weight You know how you sometimes eat more and can’t resist junk food cravings when you’re frazzled? It turns out that your emotional eating can also be triggered by…

A REAL UNDERSTANDING OF HISTORY MEANS THAT WE FACE NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN. JAMES MATTIS, secretar y of defense The freedom to believe people is one of the joys of being a chaplain. KERRY EGAN, hospice chaplain IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT SOCIETY’S GOING TO BE LIKE IN 20 YEARS, ASK A KINDERGARTEN TEACHER. CLIFFORD STOLL, ast ronomer and educator I was street-smart, but unfortunately the street was Rodeo Drive. CARRIE FISHER, actress OUR HEADS ARE ROUND SO OUR THOUGHTS CAN CHANGE DIRECTION. FRANCIS PICABIA, artist An ugly idea left unchallenged begins to turn the color of normal. CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE, writer…