Table of contents for November 2022 in Readers Digest Australia

AMONG THE EXTRAORDINARY EVENTS OF 2022, the death of Queen Elizabeth II sparked a global response. While any individual born into royal privilege enjoys an opulent lifestyle, the Queen’s ability to remain devoted to her family made her universally relatable. She, too, withstood the constraints of lockdown, made harder by the loss of her husband and family quarrels. While there is criticism about the institution of monarchy, even anti-monarchists declared themselves impressed by the Queen herself. Our tribute to Her Majesty is two-fold. ‘The Queen’s Portrait’ (page 30) offers details into the story behind the Queen’s portrait commissioned by Reader’s Digest in 1986. ‘When She Was Princess’ (page 32) portrays the life of the then 19-year-old Princess Elizabeth Windsor, first published in the magazine in 1945. Both tributes offer unique perspectives…

1 Tai chi is good for both bodyand mind This gentle martial art originated in China. It’s called ‘meditation in motion’ because it involves slow movements with a focus on breathing and on what your body is doing in that moment. You can go at your own pace. 2 It’s easy on the body Tai chi is suitable for all ages and levels of fitness. It is low impact, meaning there is minimal risk of damage to your joints. Muscles are relaxed and there is no stretching or straining. It’s an exercise that can be easily adapted for less able people, including those in wheelchairs. 3 It could prevent falls A 2019 review of studies suggested that tai chi might reduce the risk of falls in older people. Certainly, the emphasis is on…

PUBLISHED IN READER’S DIGEST IN NOVEMBER 1945 AS ‘PRINCESS ELIZ ABETH’. CONDENSED FROM THE PAGES OF LIFE On September 8, 2022, Queen Elizabeth II died peacefully at her Scottish castle in Balmoral. The days and weeks that followed her passing witnessed much regalia, tradition and tears. This year also marked her Platinum Jubilee: 70 years since she ascended the throne in 1952 at the age of 25 after the death of her father, George VI. It was the start of the longest reign of any British monarch in history. Hers was an extraordinary life and one that even she could never have envisaged. This article was written in 1945, at the end of World War II, two years before Elizabeth married Prince Philip. PRINCESS ELIZABETH ALEXANDRA MARY WINDSOR will someday…

Budding Writer My name is Lachlan Badowski and I am nine years old. I like all the Reader’s Digest magazines you make. My mum has a subscription and we read your magazines together every month. My favourite edition so far contained ‘I Survived!’ (July). It reminds me of when I went to Tonga to visit my aunty and we swam with the whales. Luckily we did not get eaten! I like writing letters and am learning how to use a fountain pen. I would like to win the prize so I can keep on writing letters to my family around the world. LACHLAN BADOWSKI Following A New Direction ‘Our Second Chance’ (My Story, September) was a wonderful and inspirational story. Mandy Poole beautifully showed us how we can change the direction…

THERE IS OFTEN A VERY SPECIAL BOND between children and pets. Growing up with a family pet can be a wonderful experience for a child. Research has even found that pets can be beneficial for childhood development and health by teaching responsibility, reducing the risk of allergies and encouraging exercise. Veterinarian Dr Katrina Warren shares her top tips for managing children and pets. BEFORE BRINGING HOME A NEW PET, you should discuss basic ground rules that the whole family agrees on. Read some age-appropriate books about the type of pet you are getting and ask your children to answer basic questions about what will be involved in looking after that pet. ALWAYS SUPERVISE YOUNG CHILDREN AND PETS, and if you can’t supervise then be sure to separate them. Never leave a…

EYE DROPS THAT REPLACE READING GLASSES The first prescription eye drops to treat age-related far-sightedness, also known as presbyopia, were recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. This promising development could potentially replace reading glasses for up to 1.8 billion people globally. The eye drops work by reducing your pupil size and expanding your depth of focus so you can see close-up objects more clearly. They may be best suited for people in their 40s and 50s, since they are less effective for those with advanced presbyopia. A DOLLOP OF YOGHURT LOWERS BLOOD PRESSURE A study at the University of South Australia and the University of Maine found that people with elevated blood pressure (greater than or equal to 140/90 mmHg, the normal level being less than 120/80)…

We all get busy sometimes, but feeling constantly and chronically swamped, worried and overwhelmed can lead to burnout, which can have serious consequences. Think of burnout as stress taken to another level. “Typically, burnout is defined as an extreme state of psychological strain,” says YoungAh Park, an associate professor at the School of Labor and Employment Relations at the University of Illinois. It’s a response to facing prolonged, chronic stressors that go beyond your ability or available resources to overcome. Because so many of us frequently feel stressed, it can be hard to recognise when the line has been crossed. True burnout is different from feeling overextended. Michael Leiter, a professor of psychology at Acadia Uni versity, explains. “Burnout combines three key dimensions: overwhelming exhaustion, feelings of cynicism, and a…

Dementia describes a group of symptoms caused by disorders affecting the brain. There are more than a dozen types, including rare conditions and those that may develop from other brain disorders, like Parkinson’s disease. Here are the five most-diagnosed forms: 1. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, accounting for up to 70 per cent of all diagnoses, according to the WHO. Generally, Alzheimer’s affects most areas of the brain and can involve changes in memory, language, problem solving, mood and behaviour. 2. Vascular dementia, the second most common type, happens with a blockage to the brain’s blood supply, which causes brain cells to be deprived of oxygen and die. Strokes and blood-vessel disease are common causes and can affect different brain areas. 3. Lewy body dementia is…

Timothy Mucciante was an executive producer working on a film called Lucky when something in the script struck him as odd. The film was based on the 1999 memoir of the same title by Alice Sebold, author of The Lovely Bones. It recounts her sexual assault in 1981 while in her first year at Syracuse University. It was late at night when Sebold was walking alone back to her dormitory. As she entered a tunnel, a man brandishing a knife grabbed her, threw her to the ground and raped her. The book’s title came from a police officer who said a girl had once been murdered in that tunnel. By comparison, the officer told Sebold, she’d been lucky. In October of that year, Sebold said a man on a Syracuse…

I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.JIMMY DEAN, SINGER The lesson I’ve learned the most often in life is that you’re always going to know more in the future than you know now.TAYLOR SWIFT, MUSICIAN FOCUS ON ONE GOOD THING EVERY DAY.JEANETTE AW, ACTRESS EMPTY POCKETS NEVER HELD ANYONE BACK. ONLY EMPTY HEADS AND EMPTY HEARTS CAN DO THAT.NORMAN VINCENT PEALE, AUTHOR Spend 30 minutes a day doing something to help you become the person you secretly would love to be, to do the job you would secretly love to do.TOMI ADEYEMI, NOVELIST Intelligence is nothing if it’s not accompanied with kindness.CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN, DESIGNER…

It’s often said that the three most powerful words in the English language are ‘I love you’. But I think there are another three words that give them a good run for their money: ‘I forgive you’. Sure, forgiveness doesn’t have the same rush of electric charge in it that love does. It doesn’t evoke the same frisson of excitement. It might not be the subject of as many films or have as many songs written about it as love does. But it is no less powerful. Forgiveness is such an underrated virtue, yet it holds the key to happiness in life. There is a tendency to blame others for our faults and difficulties, but this sense of grievance helps no one and actually stunts and restricts the direction of…

1. Who recently wrote, “Political life no longer has to do with healthy debates… but only with slick marketing techniques aimed at discrediting others”? 1 point 2. The average resident of low-income countries uses roughly two tonnes of natural resources each year. How much do people in high-income countries use? 2 points 3. The New York Times received 2500 complaints in 2015 after dropping its long-standing column about what game? 1 point 4. In the 1930s, Pearl Kendrick and Grace Eldering led development of a vaccine for what deadly childhood disease? 2 points 5. How many planets have astronomers found in our galaxy: at least 50; 500; or 5000? 2 points 6. Which famous Canadian singer lent her music to a 2019 Broadway show? 1 point 7. Which of these…

1. beneficent – A: charitable. B: all-powerful. C: blissful. 2. centaur – A: ancient sculpture. B: king’s adviser. C: mythological creature. 3. accentuate – A: make shorter. B: highlight. C: mispronounce. 4. centigrade – A: Fahrenheit. B: Kelvin. C: Celsius. 5. nascent – A: emerging. B: having a sweet or pleasant smell. C: bankrupt. 6. epicentre – A: brain stem. B: exact opposite. C: focal point. 7. effervescent – A: unimportant. B: acidic. C: high-spirited. 8. incentivise – A: enrage. B: motivate. C: sell for profit. 9. acquiescent – A: obedient. B: greedy. C: shimmering. 10. licentious – A: disputed. B: lewd. C: infested with lice or mites. 11. docent – A: midwife. B: Venetian nobleman. C: tour guide. 12. eccentric. – A: offbeat. B: selfish. C: assorted. 13. florescent…

The beautiful image of Queen Elizabeth II that features on the cover of this issue has special significance to our magazine, as it was commissioned by Reader’s Digest to celebrate Her Majesty’s 60th birthday on April 21, 1986. Unlike most royal portrait painters, Michael Leonard took no sketch-book or paintbrush with him to Buckingham Palace. The sittings took place in the summer of 1985, and for his sittings with the Queen in the Yellow Drawing Room, Leonard was equipped with only a camera. “Photographs provide all the information I need,” he told Reader’s Digest at the time. “I have to take them myself, though.” “I want to give the viewer the feeling of having a conversation with the Queen – to convey royalty combined with human warmth” During the 25-minute…

As the late afternoon sun beat down in May 2021, Brandon Leseberg finished feeding his cows on his farm in Missouri in the midwest US and decided to call it a day. As they often did, his two sons, Louie, 6, and Everett, 3, had tagged along with him as he worked in his north pasture, and they were also anxious to go home. On the way back to the house, the boys, rambunctious as always, ran ahead of their father. As Brandon, a farmer and cattle producer, stopped to close the pasture gate, Louie paused at a water tap atop an old well to quench his thirst. Unknown to the Lesebergs, the board covering the well opening had, over time, grown brittle. When Louie stepped on it, it caved…

Ingredients • 1 slice day-old bread, broken into pieces• 1 ½ tbls warm milk• 1 small onion, finely chopped• 1 clove garlic, minced• 250g minced beef• 250g minced pork• 1 egg• 2 tbls parsley, chopped• 1 tsp salt• ½ tsp pepper• 1 tsp mustard• 1 tsp dried marjoram• 1 tsp paprika• ¼ tsp ground ginger• ⅛ tsp mace or nutmeg• ⅛ tsp ground coriander• 2 tbls olive oil• 4 bread rolls Method 1. Break the bread into small pieces and place in a bowl. Pour over milk and let soak for 15 minutes. 2. Heat half the oil in a frying pan and sauté the onions until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. 3. Squeeze excess liquid out of bread. 4. Place all ingredients (except…

It’s the way the world has always been: one generation follows the next, and each has its own ideas about how it wants to shape its own life. Some of the wishes and dreams, worries and fears of today’s young people are similar to those of their elders. Others differ quite clearly from their parents’ and grandparents’. Reader’s Digest asked young people all over the world: What do you think about the world you’ll be left with? What are the most pressing problems? What are your expectations? Where do older generations serve as a role model, where as a cautionary tale? I am grateful… “…to my parents because they are loving and supportive. I’m grateful for the many opportunities I have for my sport.”Paloma McKenzie, 13, New Zealand “…to my…

For more than two years, Dulcie Shoener has done daily German lessons on her phone. To some, that might sound like self-imposed homework, but Shoener – a language lover and sub-editor – doesn’t see it that way. “I enjoy it so much,” she says. “It’s a delight to be able to read a short story in German.” To be able to read, write or carry on a conversation in another language is a feat few native English speakers attempt, let alone achieve. Of her school German, Shoener says, “I remembered very little.” Yet the rewards for those who do learn a second (or third, or fourth…) language are profound: increased travel opportunities, of course, but also improved memory, focus and the ability to multi-task. Bilingual brains are better shielded against…

Movies Seriously Red Drama Comedy Real estate valuer Raylene ‘Red’ Delaney (Krew Boylan) busts out a rendition of Dolly Parton’s ‘Nine To Five’ at an office party, resplendent in blonde wig and spangled jumpsuit. Sadly, her performance doesn’t go down well with her manager and she finds herself without a job. However, the vivacious redhead catches the eye of a celebrity-impersonation agency talent scout – a deadringer for Neil Diamond – and soon finds herself doing her Dolly Parton act alongside Kenny Rogers and Elvis lookalikes. Written by the main star, Krew Boylan, the Aussie comedy is an affectionate celebration of fandom, identity and performance, stuffed with sing-along classics. With an all-star cast, including celebrated comedians Celeste Barber, Bob Downe and Jean Kittson, and directed by Gracie Otto, who channels…

FOOD + MONEY How to get dinner on the table faster Before you dial for pizza, use these clever kitchen hacks to help you cook a healthy, homemade meal in 25 minutes or less. GRAMMAR 21 fun pangrams A pangram is a sentence that has every letter of the alphabet, A to Z, such as “The quick brown fox jumps over a lazy dog.” FAMILY FUN + GAMES BEST KNOCK-KNOCK JOKES FOR KIDS Get ready to knock your kids’ socks off! Our great selection of knock-knock jokes will keep them entertained. ReadersDigestAustralia PLUS SIGN UP TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER FOR MORE HOT OFFERS, TOP STORIES AND PRIZES!…