Table of contents for May 2024 in Reader's Digest (2024)

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Reader's Digest|May 2024The Power of PeopleBOY, DID I underestimate you. When I took on this role in 2021, we ere about to celebrate Reader's Digest's 100th anniversary and its growth from a small publication with a first printing of 5,000 copies to an award-winning magazine, book publisher and digital media company with millions of readers around the globe. I knew joining Reader's Digest meant joining a part of history.What I didn't know was just how big a community Reader's Digest had built up over the last century. Every day, I hear from folks about how Reader's Digest made them laugh or cry. I've learned how much Reader's Digest is a beloved part of homes around the world. Let me tell you, it's amazing.We want to celebrate this community, so this month we are introducing a…2 min

Reader's Digest|May 2024A Senior MomentFROM THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITORTHE POND IS silent—until the first cry: “Found something!” A swimmer ducks into the water. She emerges, fist first, clutching a pair of bright blue children's swimming goggles. These are passed to a kayaker, who waggles them overhead, like a prize, before stowing them in a laundry basket for safekeeping.Over the next hour, on a cloudy Saturday morning in July, the team of 15-all over age 65, all women—hunts for trash across Mares Pond, a 28-acre kettle hole on Cape Cod, at depths of up to 8 feet.The divers turn up wooden planks, silty beer cans, a plastic container lid, a mud-caked fishing rod, a cement block and countless other bits of garbage. The day's pièce de résistance, though, is a 12-foot segment of aluminum flashing.…3 min

Reader's Digest|May 2024LIFEWe were playing the game Password with friends. I got the word violin, and gave my partner—my husband— this ideal clue: “Stradivarius.”My husband immediately perked up, shouting, “Clouds!”—GWENDOLYN SHAULYS Hicksville, NYJust because my mother likes her new cellphone doesn't mean she knows how it works. While on the phone with her, I noticed that she seemed reluctant to wrap up the call. I felt touched that she didn't want our chat to end. That is, until after numerous exchanged goodbyes, she muttered softly, “I really need to learn how to hang up this phone …”—DEBORAH SERGEANT Clyde, NYThree examples of why we need a vacation after our vacation:✦ Opened closet in hotel There are two types of people—those who get to the airport four hours early and still worry about…2 min

Reader's Digest|May 2024Crazy for CurryWHEN TENDER MEAT or veggies meet a fragrant, boldly spiced sauce, you need fluffy basmati rice and pillowy naan bread to soak up every drop. Although it's one of the most globally famous foods—recipes hail from India, Thailand, Japan and the Caribbean—curry can be a conundrum.“If you ask any Indian about curry, chances are they'll reply, ‘Which one?’ ” says food editor Amrita Thakkar. “Curry was a blanket term used by the British during the era of colonization for a wide variety of foreign dishes. Indian cuisine simply doesn't have one singular dish called curry.”Neither a specific flavor nor a single spice blend, curry (which simply means “sauce” or “gravy”) is similar in its vastness to the term pasta. Indeed, Indian curry variations are as diverse as the regions in…2 min

Reader's Digest|May 2024HOW TO BEFUSE A BOMB ACCORDING TO MY MOMOK, sweetie, now just stay calm and don't panic. I SAID DON'T PANIC. You're making me nervous.Now, to do this the RIGHT way, we need a portable X-ray unit. Of course, your father always forgets the portable X-ray unit. He remembers the dog's birthday. He remembers to refill the hummingbird feeder. He remembers the name of every horse in every Western ever produced in the history of cinema. But he forgets the portable X-ray unit. I have to do everything. Anyway, it's time to locate the detonator.Do you have a protective suit, honey? I bet you look so precious in a protective suit. It's not patronizing— what does that even mean? Well, I suppose if you don't have a protective suit, you can tape a bunch of throw pillows to…3 min

Reader's Digest|May 2024Eye Health EpidemicROUGHLY 42% OF Americans are nearsighted today, compared to 25% in 1971. The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that about half of the world's population will have myopia, or nearsightedness, by 2050. It's clear that our vision is becoming increasingly blurry, but researchers are only now beginning to understand why.Generally a childhood phenomenon, myopia happens when the eyeball grows too long from front to back, taking on more of an oval shape versus a sphere. Eyes have a “stop signal” so that they grow proportionally with the head, explains Gregory Schwartz, an associate professor at the Departments of Ophthalmology and Neuroscience at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. However, that signal can be interrupted by genetic and environmental factors, which leads to our eyeballs growing a bit too…3 min

Reader's Digest|May 2024LAUGHTER THE BEST MedicineA long-married couple is dining out at a fine restaurant when the husband orders a Scotch.“I've never had Scotch,” the wife tells the waiter. “Bring me one too.” The waiter returns with two Scotches. The wife takes a swallow and gags. “This is awful! How can you drink this?”Between sips, her husband says, “And here you thought I was out enjoying myself every night.” —Submitted by GARY KATZ Long Grove, ILMany sailors agree that the best part of owning a boat is naming it. If you're looking for a moniker, here are suggestions from the National Boat Owners Association.✦ A Wave from It All ✦ Sail la Vie ✦ Seas the Day ✦ Fishizzle ✦ Lady Kriller ✦ Marlin Monroe ✦ Tuna Colada ✦ Baits MotelMy biology report titled “Your…2 min

Reader's Digest|May 2024LEARN FROM THE EXPERTSThe United States has 13 different zones of plant hardiness, but horticultural zones are just a starting point. You'll find lots more information on what you can grow at the websites for these national organizations:• The National Gardening Association • American Horticultural Society • American Rose Society • The Garden ProfessorsBut for the best intel on which plants will grow in your area, check regional resources such as these:• Cornell University Home Gardening • Massachusetts Horticultural Society • Missouri Botanical Garden's Plant Finder • Colorado State University PlantTalk • Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas at Austin • Great Plant Picks • University of California's California Garden WebSee more at rd.com/list/expert-gardening -tips-for-beginners/.…1 min

Reader's Digest|May 2024Breaking CampDon't Poke the BearsA black bear approached our campsite in Shenandoah National Park, so we slowly walked away. Meanwhile, a man from the next campsite walked toward the bear, clapping his hands and yelling, “GO, BEAR! GO!” Magically, the bear went back into the woods. When it returned hours later, I stood my ground, loudly clapped and yelled, “GO, BEAR!” It didn't work right away as it had for our camping neighbor, but the bear did leave after several rounds. As it lumbered away, I heard someone running toward us. It was the man from earlier. “I forgot to tell you,” he panted, “if you say ‘Go, bear, go’ and it doesn't go, YOU need to go.”—CINDY STRAIGHT Crownsville, MDOverheard the HerdMy best friend and I took advantage of an…4 min

Reader's Digest|May 2024Mom's Last Ball GameFROM THE BALTIMORE SUNMy mother stopped talking a couple of months ago, and it was something of a shock. Mom was a legendary kibitzer. In the days before cellphones, she had a princess landline installed on the wall of her bathroom so that even Mother Nature couldn't interrupt a conversation.Need an opinion—or not? She had one either way. When she entered assisted living five years ago, her stories—about her three husbands, her acquaintanceships with various U.S. senators while working on Capitol Hill, and her days as a tap-dancing grandma—captivated the aides. They spent their breaks in her room, laughing and lapping up the received wisdom.To fill her now-silent days, my sister and I would turn on show tunes or the TV, but she ignored them, just like she mostly ignored…3 min

Reader's Digest|May 2024WORD POWER1. haptic adj. ('hap-tik)A unfeeling B blind C tactile2. mien n. (meen)A sound effect B earlobe C appearance3. redolent adj. ('reh-duh-luhnt)A soft B aromatic C pressed4. descry v. (duh-'skry)A discover B shout C taste5. noisome adj. ('noy-suhm)A loud B flat C offensive6. coruscate v. ('kor-uh-skayt)A glitter B scratch C perceive7. tactual adj. ('tak-choo-uhl)A tasteful B tangible C temperate8. tincture n. ('tingk-chr)A pigment B probe C irritant9. piquant adj. ('pee-knt)A spicy B textured C deafening10. osculate v. ('ah-skyuh-layt)A push B kiss C rotate11. lucently adv. ('loo-snt-lee)A silently B radiantly C forcefully12. sapid adj. ('sa-puhd)A weak B gaseous C savory13. attar n. ('a-tuhr)A fragrant oil B tooth cavity C tear duct14. acetous adj. (uh-'see-tuhs)A stunted B runny C vinegary15. sonorous adj. ('sah-nr-uhs)A unsightly B loud C incandescentThe (Real) Sixth SenseThe name of…3 min

Reader's Digest|May 2024More to DIGESTThanks, TeachOver 27 years of teaching art at Dixie Heights High School in Edgewood, Kentucky, Terri Schatzman has seen a lot. But what she saw on her last day broke her: Students gifted their beloved mentor an iPad so she could work on her own digital art in retirement. Go to rd.com/teacherthanks to see the video, and more for Teacher Appreciation Month. Just be warned: You may be fanning tears from your face alongside Schatzman.Fight the Power!What's one small but satisfying way you rebel? While not exactly tossing tea into Boston Harbor, little acts of defiance keep us alive, or at least amused. Editor Caroline Fanning likes to sign for purchases with her John Hanco*ck-literally—“John Hanco*ck.” See terms and share your story at rd.com/rebel.A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words…1 min

Reader's Digest|May 2024GLAD TO HEAR ITEwe Had to Be ThereTwo years ago, a kayaker spotted a lone sheep stranded at the bottom of 820-foot-tall sheer cliffs in Scotland. Rescue was deemed too dangerous. Then, last November, a group of five local ranchers decided the sheep had been alone long enough. The ranchers, who had climbing experience, brought along a winch and plenty of rope. Two of them stayed at the top to lower the other three down. Once on the ground, the rescuers tied rope around the sheep, and she was winched back up the cliff. Remarkably, a rescuer told BBC News, she was in great shape. If anything, “she is overfat—it was some job lifting her up that slope.” Freed from her solitary confinement, Fiona, as she's now known, will live out her days…2 min

Reader's Digest|May 2024SOMETHING TO REMEMBER US BY✦Seniors at my kids’ high school hired a mariachi band to follow the principal around all day.✦The seniors of two Alabama schools reversed places and showed up at the other school. It was midday before the teachers caught on.✦The relocation of the principal's office— including everything that wasn't nailed down— out onto a field. Everything was in the same position as in his actual office. They even ran an electrical cord so that he was able to work outside.✦They put the assistant principal's car up for sale on Craigslist. It said, “Proceeds will benefit the class of __.”✦While the history teacher was called to the office for a minute, all the seniors went into the room next door and a class of second graders filled the seniors’ room.…1 min

Reader's Digest|May 2024The Buzz About Bees1 HAPPY WORLD Bee Day! May 20 was chosen because it's also the birthday of the pioneer of modern beekeeping, Anton Janša of 18th-century Slovenia. Bees are well worth celebrating: They pollinate 35% of the world's food crops, including 75% of the fruits, vegetables and nuts grown in the U.S. And a single bee visits as many as 5,000 flowers a day—busy indeed!2 THE BUZZING beings we call bees comprise 20,000 different species, only eight of which produce honey. And honey might lose some of its sweetness for you once you know what it is: nectar that honeybees have repeatedly regurgitated and dehydrated. It's not just people who stock up on the stuff: Bees subsist on honey during the winter when they can't forage.3 DURING ITS entire lifetime, one bee…4 min

Reader's Digest|May 2024ALL in a Day's WORKMy friend Tom runs a whale watch cruise. Recently, his avid whale watcher and friend, Buddy, died. So Tom canceled his nightly cruise and organized a private memorial service. More than 80 of Buddy's friends and family members came to say a last goodbye. Among the passengers was a serious-looking young woman who sat quietly by herself and whom no one seemed to know.The service went well, with lots of laughter, a few tears and great stories about Buddy. Then the boat returned to the dock, and, as the young woman departed, Captain Tom thanked her for attending.We should be able to call in healthy. “Look, I'm not coming into the office today. I feel really good and I don't want to waste it on being at work.” —X@CAUSTICBOB“Honestly,” she…2 min

Reader's Digest|May 2024I Tried It … Exercises to Relieve “Tech Neck”I STARE AT MY phone for five hours a day. At least, that's what an impertinent weekly notification tells me. As a result, I've developed “tech neck”— head forward, shoulders rounded and back slumped—and it causes pain in my back, shoulders and neck.I saw a physical therapist who recommended some stretches to help alleviate the tension. For a week, I took a five-minute break, three times each day, to roll my head up and down into a chin tuck, slip onto a mat and into cobra pose (lie on your stomach with your palms on the mat, next to your shoulders, then raise your upper body and look forward) and do a few spinal rotations (sitting cross-legged on the floor, reach for your left knee with your right hand, gently…1 min

Reader's Digest|May 2024GET A GREEN (ER) THUMBWhether you love digging in the dirt, planting seeds and reaping the bounty that bursts forth, or find the whole idea of gardening intimidating, this spring offers the promise of a fresh start. Growing flowers, vegetables, herbs or anything else need not be endlessly fussy or take up your entire Saturday. As an avid gardener, I'm not opposed to a little sweat, but I much prefer working smart and keeping things easy. Here's a quick guide to minimize your effort and maximize your joy.What if I have no idea where to start?When I moved to my current garden, I got a wonderful blank slate, but the beds looked eerily sparse. To create an immediate feeling of “presence,” I planted some scented-leaf pelargoniums (sometimes called scented geraniums). These shrubby plants are…7 min

Reader's Digest|May 2024GROWINGFROM THE BOOK INCITING JOYIt's that time of year again. I'm sitting in front of the fire, looking through a small stack of seed catalogs—from High Mowing Organic Seeds, Seed Savers Exchange, The Maine Potato Lady. Today, though, I am loving the Fedco catalog because it is printed on newsprint, with the veggies and fruit depicted not with photographs but with beautiful and sometimes goofy drawings. One is an excellent rendering of someone drawing back a bow and arrow, except the arrow is a pod of peas. In another, some pumpkin-shaped people are admiring a pumpkin. A couple of leaves of the dinosaur kale are cute, happy baby dinosaurs. That kind of thing.There is no greater sucker for seeds than me. When I flip through these pages of photos and…8 min

Reader's Digest|May 2024THE BITTER TRUTH ABOUT SUGAR (AND SUGAR SUBSTITUTES)Y OU'RE PROBABLY AWARE that your frothy coffee drink or bakery scone is loaded with sugar. But did you know that startling amounts of added sugar are also lurking in your breakfast cereal, dairy-free milk alternative and even takeout fried chicken?“Americans are simply consuming too much sugar,” says Frank Hu, a professor of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Most people consume three times the recommended daily limit of sugar. And it's not just a harmless habit.“The research has been very consistent and the findings quite convincing that eating too much sugar can lead to a wide range of adverse health effects,” says Hu.Even if you've gotten the message that too much sugar isn't good for your health and are taking steps to cut back, like…9 min

Reader's Digest|May 2024THE RD LIST READ, WATCH, LISTENThe Ministry of Ungentlemanly WarfareStarring Henry CavillFILMTHIS GONZO TRUE STORY isn't your father's wartime movie. An action-comedy based on the book of the same name, director Guy Ritchie's newest follows the first special forces mission in history, ordered by Winston Churchill (Cary Elwes) during World War II and led by British commando Gus March-Phillips (Henry Cavill). For his off-the-books Nazi-stopping operation, March-Phillips assembles a team of “ungentlemanly” fighters. “You won't like them,” March-Phillips tells Churchill. “They're all … mad.” Actors Alan Ritchson and Eiza González stand out among the motley crew, playing a hulking, bow-and-arrow-wielding Dane and a knockout with an aptitude for sharpshooting and spycraft. If it sounds like something out of a James Bond novel, it is: Author Ian Fleming was among Churchill's real-life advisers for the affair.…4 min

Reader's Digest|May 2024Flying HighLAST SEPTEMBER, FIVE men jumped out of a hot air balloon 38,139 feet above New Mexico. After free-falling 34,067 feet, they linked arms for roughly five seconds before separating and deploying their parachutes. The men—73-year-old Larry Connor and four Air Force pararescuers—set the record for the highest high-altitude, low-opening formation skydive, meaning they gutted it out longer than anyone else before opening their chutes. The feat raised more than $1 million for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which provides educational opportunities for the children of Special Ops Forces lost in the line of duty. Connor, a thrill-seeking millionaire who once flew to the International Space Station, told People, “I've found the impossible is just somebody's opinion.”SPECIAL OPERATIONS WARRIOR FOUNDATION, ALPHA5 PROJECT…1 min

Reader's Digest|May 2024Willow and StormThink your story can hop to the top?See terms and submit your story at rd.com/petpals.RESCUERS TOLD US that Willow and Storm would both need their front right legs amputated at 6 months. The Siberian husky siblings were the only puppies in their litter with a birth defect that forced them to walk on their elbows, and would be better off as three-legged “tri-paws.” Their breeder had planned to euthanize them—until the rescue organization stepped in.We weren't afraid of the challenge and quickly learned that Willow and Storm weren't either. Now 8 years old, the two have hopped, run and climbed hundreds of miles of hiking trails. They can jump amazingly well: We had to have a 6-foot fence installed around our yard to prevent them from clearing it. Once in…1 min

Reader's Digest|May 2024Ringing TrueFROM THE WASHINGTON POSTGARY GUADAGNO HAD lost hope of ever finding his parents’ wedding rings. While selling his childhood home in Reading, Pennsylvania, in 2011, just before his mother's passing, Guadagno searched high and low for the rings. He didn't find them.He figured his mother, who had Alzheimer's, had thrown them out. He was devastated, but didn't know what else to do besides move on.“They're keepsakes and part of my family legacy,” he says.A decade passed and the rings never turned up. Then, last September, Guadagno got a Facebook message from Hannah Keuscher, who had bought his mother's house back in 2011. Her husband, Josh Martin, had discovered a jewelry box with two rings inside a kitchen light fixture.Keuscher and Martin suspected they held sentimental value for someone, and they…3 min

Reader's Digest|May 2024Humor inUNIFORMDrill instructors are tough to please. During boot camp at the Great Lakes naval training center, a DI saw our squad outside the mess hall. “What are you doing?” he demanded.Our squad leader replied, “Waiting to be called to chow, sir!”“Well, you're not waiting fast enough. Drop and give me 10 pushups.” —JOHN KEARNS Cabot, PAAfter boot camp, I entered a building on base and asked the guard for suite 110. He said it was downstairs. I looked around, but I didn't see stairs or elevators. “Where's down?” I asked.“Where's down?” he repeated. “Son, I bet you had a pretty hard time in boot camp.” —ALAN BRUCE ROWLEY Omaha, NEIn his new book, The Dirty Tricks Department (St. Martin's Press), John Lisle describes the Coordinator of Information (COI), a spy…1 min

Reader's Digest|May 2024WATCH OUT: HELICOPTER PARENT LANDING!✦ A parent emailed me to ask if their student could take an upcoming math test on a different day because they had a golf tee time scheduled during the test. ✦ I once had a second grade parent complain to the administration that they liked last year's teacher much better. I had taught this same student in first grade. ✦ A mom complained to my principal because she didn't like my fun Friday bubblegum font. I had to change it. ✦ A parent wrote, “Since my child sees a speech pathologist for the halfhour after lunch, I'd appreciate it if you didn't teach anything new until he returns to the classroom.” ✦ A mom, concerned that her kindergartner son wasn't drinking enough water, asked me to check the toilet…1 min

Reader's Digest|May 2024News FROM THE WORLD OF MEDICINEBATTLING CANCER WITH BUBBLESAfter 20 years in development, a new kind of cancer treatment with seemingly minimal side effects has arrived on the market. Histotripsy (Greek for “tissue crushing”) uses ultrasound waves to make microscopic gas bubbles form and pop within bodily tissues. A machine called the Edison System can make these waves target tumors, destroying the abnormal cells. The patient's own immune system then cleans up the debris. Rodent studies suggest that in doing so, bodies get better at recognizing the cancer cells and fighting them off. In a recent clinical trial, histotripsy successfully destroyed tumors in 42 out of 44 liver cancer patients. So far, it's authorized only for liver tumors, and only in the United States. But developers hope it will go on to treat other cancers…3 min

Reader's Digest|May 2024GETTING STARTED: A GUIDE FOR BEGINNERSWhat to plantStart by assessing your space. (How much sun does it get? Is the soil sandy, or heavy with clay?) Choose plants that suit those conditions. Employees at local nurseries can tell you all you need to know. Take along a small bag of your soil to make it even easier.I find that if I start by providing plants with the sun or shade they want and the soil they prefer, the plants don't ask a lot of me. You don't need to be a plant whisperer. I read labels. I research plants before I buy them. And I resist planting a cactus in wet soil or a fern in hot sun, no matter how great I think it'll look in that spot.When to waterYou can buy a moisture…2 min

Reader's Digest|May 2024“I HAD TO DO IT”FROM THE NEW YORK TIMESMargaret Newcomb, 69, a retired French teacher, is desperately trying to protect her retirement savings by caring for her 82-year-old husband, who has severe dementia, at home in Seattle. She used to fear his disease-induced paranoia, but now he's so frail and confused that he wanders away with no idea of how to find his way home. He gets lost so often that she attaches a tag with her phone number to his shoelace.Feylyn Lewis, 36, sacrificed a promising career as a research director in England to return home to Nashville in 2021 after her mother had a debilitating stroke. They ran up $15,000 in medical and credit card debt while Lewis took on the role of caretaker.Millions of families are facing such daunting life choices—and…14 min

Reader's Digest|May 2024YOU CALL THAT A KIDNAPPING?A young man, M., has just entered a bedroom of a $2 million house in Birmingham, Alabama, where an older man, E., is asleep.M.: Sir, hello. Why are you in my house, sir?E. (half asleep): Nahnah … what?M.: What are you doing here?E.: You scared me.M.: Are you supposed to be here?E: Yes, I live here.M.: No, sir. I bought this house and everything in it two months ago. Who are you?E.: I am Elton Stephens, and I am renting this house.Elton B. Stephens Jr., to be exact. He is 75 years old, 6 feet tall, 180 pounds, gray hair, blue eyes. He is 14 years retired as manager of the real estate division of EBSCO Industries Inc., a privately held international conglomerate started by his father. Elton has been…14 min

Reader's Digest|May 2024Brain GAMES SHARPEN YOUR MINDFact or Fiction?MEDIUM Determine whether each statement is fact or fiction. To reveal the solution to the bonus question at the bottom, write the letters indicated by your responses in the corresponding numbered blanks. Turn the page upside down for the answers.BONUS QUESTION What are bees helping to locate underground in the Balkans? (Need help? Turn to 13 Things on page 24.)Answers: 1. Fiction; it's meant for a pocket watch. 2. Fact. 3. Fact. 4. Fact; because of their bumpy green skin. 5. Fiction; Armed Forces Day is a separate holiday—also in May—celebrating those currently serving in the military. 6. Fact; in 1987, Joey Meyer of the Denver Zephyrs ripped one 582 feet. 7. Fiction; like so many English expressions, this one derives from Shakespeare. 8. Fiction; C-3PO appears with…2 min

Table of contents for May 2024 in Reader's Digest (2024)

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