Table of contents for February 2023 in Readers Digest Australia

SOMETHING WEIRD OCCURS when one of my family members is feeling unwell. I’ve noticed that a flatness descends over the house, as we all react in sympathy. So I was very keen to read the article by Lisa Kadane about empathetic pain (page 144). While my family’s sympathetic response doesn’t extend to experiencing the illness or pain of the family member, it seems that this potential does exist between some long-term couples. Their health actually falls into sync over time. Experts now think that a better ageing environment can be created by recognising these health similarities and working together on the commonalities with better exercise, diet and medication treatments. For the vast majority of people, winning the lottery will remain an unachievable goal. In ‘The Lotto Man’ (page 60) we…

“Reader’s Digest has been around longer than I have!” guffaws Jane Fonda. At 85 the iconic actress and activist has clearly not let the passing years dim her self-deprecating sense of humour. The one-time fitness guru, who almost single-handedly created an empire from her Jane Fonda Workout videos, still looks utterly fabulous. Ostensibly, we’re here to talk about her project Luck, an animated film available on Apple TV+, which gave her a rare opportunity to take on a voice-over role (as a pink-suited dragon, no less). “I was very happy because I want to do more voice over,” she says. “First of all, it interests me. I like animated films. Also, I’m old! It’s a great way for an old person to stay involved because it doesn’t matter how you…

“Honey, if you don’t mind, I’d prefer to keep the details of our marriage more analogue than digital.” Optimistic Optometry Apparently, my 94-year-old mother had been told that she’d be able to drive home following her eye treatment. Remarkable, we agreed, since she doesn’t drive. I shared the reason we were laughing with the waiter who was clearing our table after we stopped for a meal. I said not to look so worried, as she didn’t have a licence. “That’s good,” he said, “because she’s just gone into the Gents!” SUBMITTED BY EILEEN COX Lather Don’t I walked in on my three year old pumping streams of our hand wash into the bathroom sink, all the while happily chanting “wasting soap, wasting soap” to himself. @NULLSTATEOFMIND Words To Live By…

OPPORTUNITY IS MISSED BY MOST PEOPLE BECAUSE IT IS DRESSED IN OVERALLS AND LOOKS LIKE WORK.THOMAS EDISON, INVENTOR Whenever someone starts disagreeing with me, I listen at first and then start wondering, in a wrestling match between us, who would win?PATRICIA LOCKWOOD, AUTHOR YOU’RE BRAVER THAN YOU BELIEVE, STRONGER THAN YOU SEEM, AND SMARTER THAN YOU THINK.A.A. MILNE, CHILDREN’S AUTHOR Man can learn nothing except by going from the known to the unknown.CLAUDE BERNARD, SCIENTIST If one is to be consumed by passion, I can think of no more worthy all-consuming passion than the struggle for human rights, greater opportunity and a livable planet.MARY FRANCES BERRY, ACTIVIST Don’t waste your purpose worrying about your body. It’s your house. It’s where you live. There’s no point in judging it.EMMA THOMPSON, ACTRESS…

1 b) A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth is between the moon and the sun. The shadow of the Earth eclipses the moon. 2 a) Researchers now agree that the moon was caused by a celestial body the size of Mars colliding with Earth. In the process, rocks from both celestial bodies were thrown into space, which collected in the Earth’s orbit and finally condensed into the moon. 3 c) On board the Soviet space probe Zond 5 were microorganisms, plants, insects and two turtles. 4 d) James Lovell was the first of three men to go to the moon twice. Before the Apollo 13 mission, he visited the moon with Apollo 8. However, he never landed on the moon. 5 c) Wearing space suits that roughly doubled their…

Those saved by Sousa Mendes ultimately settled all over the globe: in the US, Britain, Argentina, Australia, Uruguay, Cuba, Mexico, the Dominican Republic. And many, including Rabbi Chaim Kruger, ended up in Israel. In February 2020, I visited his son, Rabbi Jacob Kruger, now 90, in an ultra-Orthodox enclave in northwest Jerusalem, about three kilometres from a public square named after Sousa Mendes. When I asked what he remembered about his father’s role in the Sousa Mendes affair, he brought out a number of keepsakes – ship tickets, letters – that told the story of the family’s ordeal. After escaping France and making their way through Spain, the Krugers spent a year in Portugal. On June 3, 1941, the family boarded the Nyassa, a ship full of refugees bound for…

FOOD 10 of the world’s strangest food museums Herrings, potatoes, chocolate and ice cream all have their devotees - and museums celebrating them. EXERCISE The 17 best arm exercises for women If you’re a woman, the health benefits of strength training extend far beyond toned muscles. HEALTH + WELLBEING HOW TO STOP COMMITTING SLEEP SABOTAGE Sleep health expert Mark Boulos shares six things to change for a better night’s sleep. ReadersDigestAustralia PLUS SIGN UP TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER FOR MORE HOT OFFERS, TOP STORIES AND PRIZES!…

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Feeling Peckish LOUISE MILLER Over Christmas in 2012, a young peewee (magpie lark) was lodging in my spare room for a few days. The little bird had been found on the ground, with no parents in sight, and brought to me – a volunteer wildlife carer – until longer-term care could be arranged. As it was not yet fully grown into its adult plumage, the peewee had a crown of fuzz on top of its head, the last vestige of its chick stage of development. This fledgling bird was away from its parents and its natural environment, and found itself in alien surroundings in the middle of the city, where everything was new. On the second day, I heard the peewee chirping insistently from inside as I let myself through…

Up to 50 per cent of people suffer from teeth grinding (also known as bruxism), a condition that means they involuntarily grind and clench their teeth and jaw. The consequences are painful and can include flattening, chipping and fracturing teeth. Tooth enamel can wear away, causing pain and sensitivity. Jaw muscles can be painful, and sufferers may also experience pain in the face and neck, headaches and disrupted sleep. The reason why we might grind our teeth is not fully understood, though studies show that 70 per cent of cases are likely to be the result of stress. Other causes include side effects of medications and conditions such as reflux, epilepsy, sleep apnoea and ADHD. According to dentist Dr Katie Perkins, our upper and lower teeth shouldn’t naturally have much…

Bad Boy A teenager brings her new boyfriend home to meet her parents. They’re appalled by his piercings, the vulgar slogan on his T-shirt and his constant swearing. Later, the girl asks her mother, “So, what did you think?” “He doesn’t seem very nice.” “Oh, please, Mum!” says the daughter. “If he wasn’t nice, would he be doing 500 hours of community service?” RICHMOND REGISTER Changing My Ways Grant me the serenity to accept the things I can’t change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to think of reasonable-sounding ways to blame other people for things I could totally change but consistently don’t. SEEN ON REDDIT Age Is Just A Number I want my 13 year old to understand how important honesty is, but also…

Megan Davis was in high school when her family received an envelope from the Queensland State Archives. At last, they had some information about the life of their grandfather, Fred Davis. The kids gathered around – Megan and her siblings Alf, Will, John and Lucy. They lived together with their mother in a small housing commission house in Logan, Queensland. Although they lived on a meagre income, it was a house full of books and laughter; homework and rugby league. A few weeks previously, they had filled out a form at a NAIDOC week event at Musgrave Park, where the Queensland archivist had offered a service to track down the long-lost records of Aboriginal people who had once lived on the missions and reserves. Now they had Fred’s file. “It…

Movies Superhero partners Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) return in Quantumania as Ant-Man and the Wasp to continue their adventures. The latest sequel officially kicks off phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe – something only Marvel fans will understand. When Scott’s daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton) sends a signal down to the Quantum Realm, she, Scott, Hope and Hope’s parents, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), find themselves teleported to a secret universe. To get home from the Quantum Realm, they have to go into battle with strange new creatures, which pushes them beyond the limits of what they thought possible, while pitting them against Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors). TÁR Drama/Biopic Cate Blanchett stars as Lydia Tár, considered one of the…

1. What are the only creatures known to navigate using the light of the Milky Way? 1 point 2. How many items are in a ‘baker’s dozen’? 1 point 3. One of Paddington Bear’s two birthdays is December 25. When is the other? 2 points 4. What element, dissolved by rainwater, gives turquoise gemstones their blue hue? 1 point  5. Frasier, the multi-award-winning TV show was set in which US city? 1 point  6. What is the only country in the world to have an amphibian as a national animal? 2 points  7. How many official languages does Singapore have? a) Two. b) Four. c) Six. 1 point  8. What 16th-century theatrical art form evolved into pantomime, clowning and other forms of slapstick? 2 points 9. Who was New Zealand’s first…

Holding On To Hope Stacey May Fowles’s ‘A Bunny At My Door’ (October) was a very touching story. I was teary reading about her struggles to conceive and at the same time had tears of joy when a cute bunny made her forget all her worries about infertility and just focus on her everyday life. Thank you for this story about hope. KAVITHA SUKIRTHALINGAM 730 Issues… And Counting I’d like to acknowledge my dad, William, a long-time reader of your magazine. He has subscribed to Reader’s Digest and read every issue from front to back since he was 19 years old. He has recently turned 80, so has read 730 magazines! He often announces, “I wonder when they’re going to send me a letter for subscribing for so long?” When…

Welcoming a new pet can be a magical moment for a lot of people. Unfortunately, many new pet owners can take a while to adjust to their pets and struggle to bond with them. According to celebrity dog trainer Nicole Ellis, following certain steps will help you to become closer to your pet. This should go without saying but spending time with your pets can greatly help you form a relationship with them. Cats, dogs and other animals love to be included in the activities of their humans. Whether it is going on errands or just chilling at home watching a movie, make sure your furry friends are with you and enjoying themselves. Another thing to bear in mind is that playtime between an owner and their pets is a…

A GENTLER WAY TO TREAT AN ACHILLES TENDON INJURY A common treatment for a ruptured Achilles tendon is surgical reattachment. However, this may not be the best option. A study in The New England Journal of Medicine found that patients who skipped surgery in favour of rehabilitation therapy had regained similar amounts of strength and jumping ability. The difference between the two treatments is their risks. The researchers showed that patients who underwent surgery were more likely to sustain nerve injuries related to the procedure. On the other hand, rehab patients had a higher chance of re-rupture. CRANBERRIES HELP THE HEART A new British study, published in Food & Function, found that people who ate the equivalent of 100 grams of cranberries (nine grams of whole cranberry freeze-dried powder) every…

In a 1950s building in Berlin, an elderly man is standing at a counter at the entrance. He has won €1000 (A$1500), the woman explains to him. She then pushes a Prize Request form under the pane and asks him to fill it out with his bank details. Anyone who wins a lot more isn’t left standing at the counter – they go one floor up to where they are greeted by Lutz Trabalski. Born in 1961, Trabalski took a holiday job at Lotto Berlin, Germany’s State Lottery office, while studying environmental technology – and never left. Today his job is to offer advice to big winners. Reader’s Digest: Say I’ve got a ticket with six winning numbers. Lutz Trabalski: First I would do is check the game receipt that…

Why does it matter? The Uluru Statement calls for a Voice to Parliament to be enshrined in the Australian Constitution by way of an enabling provision. Previous First Nations’ representative bodies, such as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, were set up administratively or by legislation. That meant they were easily abolished. How did the Uluru Statement come about? In 2010, Prime Minister Julia Gillard established an Expert Panel on the Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in the Constitution. From 2015, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Labor leader Bill Shorten issued the Kirribilli Statement and asked Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for their views in 13 regional dialogues and a national convention. What will happen now? The Federal Government has committed to holding a referendum…

1 On May 16 last year, people in many places around the world marvelled at a lunar eclipse. As always, the natural spectacle can only be admired on a full moon when… a) the moon is between the Earth and the sun b) the Earth is between the moon and the sun c) the sun is between the moon and the Earth d) the sun is behind the Earth 2 Planets like Jupiter and Saturn are orbited by multiple moons. The Earth has only one of these natural satellites. How did the moon actually come to be Earth’s? a) a celestial body brushed against it, and the matter thrown up became the moon b) the Earth and moon were formed at the same time by the Big Bang c) the…

Several years ago, not long after we welcomed a puppy into the family, my shoulder became stiff and sore. It quickly morphed into ‘frozen shoulder’ – a condition that commonly strikes women in their 40s and can be triggered by repetitive strain. I assumed it was from the dog constantly pulling on her leash like an out-of-control yo-yo. My husband of nearly two decades was, of course, sympathetic about the searing pain that shot down my arm like a lightning bolt whenever I reached for something slightly out of range. But then, a few months later, a weird thing happened: just as my shoulder was loosening up and the sharp pain was receding to a dull ache, my husband developed a frozen shoulder in his left arm, too. It wasn’t…

1. epitome – A: exact centre. B: first edition. C: ideal example. 2. armada – A: long pause. B: fleet of ships. C: expensive suit. 3. tacit – A: unspoken. B: so-so. C: sticky. 4. rapier – A: gang of thieves. B: mountain climber. C: two-edged sword. 5. loll – A: laugh. B: lounge. C: lick. 6. hairsbreadth – A: short distance. B: musty smell. C: flower bud. 7. mayhem – A: perhaps, perchance. B: early movie theatre. C: state or situation of disorder. 8. caustic – A: sealed tight. B: resulting from. C: cruelly sarcastic. 9. oratorio – A: choral work. B: shell-shaped pasta. C: official speech. 10. magnum – A: hunter’s rifle. B: free thinker. C: large wine bottle. 11. winnow – A: zigzag. B: persuade. C: narrow.…