Readers Digest (August)

154 Pages·2006·9.113 MB·English

#1 Secret 5
WAYS Iran Threat
To A Sharper TO SPOT
What You
Brain
A LIAR
Need To Know
How Doctors
NIC CAGE
The Inspiring
Gamble With
StoryHe
Had to Tell
Your Life
PLUS
Where All
ThatGas
7
Ways to Protect Yourself
MoneyGoes
America’s
WorstJudges
Broken Family,
Tender Reunion
August 2006
$2.99 rd.com
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1
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AUGUST NIE
2006 PH
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★ AMERICA IN YOUR POCKET ★ BY
D
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AT
FEATURES TR
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America’s K
U
162 *124 How Doctors AD
Worst Judges Gamble with Your Life ELLY L
K
Y
PAMELA F. GALLIN, MD, & JOSEPH K. VETTER D B
DALE VAN ATTA Millions of medical mistakes HE
Talk about injustice! How do happen in the lab. Here’s how RAP
G
these people manage to stay to protect yourself. OTO
on the bench? H
P
98 The Long Road Home
DEREK BURNETT
A year after Katrina, Reader’s Digest
returns to New Orleans to see
how one neighborhood is coming
back to life.
*106 Face to Face with
Nicolas Cage
MEG GRANT
An exclusive interview with
one of the most intense actors 132
in Hollywood. Jaws
*114 The No. 1 Secret to
A Sharper Brain SEAMUS MCGRAW
When
WILLIAM SPEED WEED
Is it chess? Crosswords? Vitamins? an alligator
There’s something even better. snagged him
120 What Happens in a death roll, Todd
In Vegas... Hardwick knew what
LYNDON STAMBLER
All starts with its flamboyant mayor. he had to do.
2 * ON THE COVER
BOOK BONUS
REUNION
184
MARY A. FISCHER
My mother and I were cruelly
E
KAY separated when I was four. It took 152 Nothing to Sneeze At
ELL years for us to find each
SS other again. Pollen and mold, up close and
U
Y R personal, never looked so good.
B
HED 137 Boy Wonder 156 The Accidental
P
RA Doctor
OG CAMMIE MCGOVERN GAIL CAMERON WESCOTT
HOT Once we stopped trying to “fix” After a gymnastics fall
P
our autistic son, we started to shattered his Olympic dreams,
appreciate the world as he saw it. he found his true calling.
*141 How to Spot 170 The Neighbor
A Liar From Hell
MAUREEN MACKEY MELBA NEWSOME
Five surefire ways. What would you do if your family
*144 Iran:Our and your home became a target?
178 Greetings from
Next Crisis?
KENNETH M. POLLACK
Outer Space
We’re on a collision course SACHA ZIMMERMAN
with this radical regime—unless For a vacation that’s really out there,
we play just the right card. book a voyage to the stars.
COVER: (CAGE) GREG GORMAN/ICON INTERNATIONAL; (DICE) IT STOCK INTERNATIONAL/JUPITERIMAGES
AUGUST
2006
COLUMNS
41 That’s Outrageous!
MICHAEL CROWLEY
55 My Planet
ANDY SIMMONS
Y
61 Health IQ MICHAEL F. ROIZEN, MD, ED B
& MEHMET C. OZ, MD RAT
T
73 Money Makers US
MARIA BARTIROMO ILL
91 Ask Laskas
228 RD ChallengJeEAGNUNNEN MARA RJIOEH LNASSOKNAS ScChhwaa7rlbe3’ss HN RITTER;GUS GREER
DEPARTMENTS sseuccrecet sosf ON BY JOWAB) FER
10 You Said It ATICH
1393 OEvnelyry ind aAym Heerrioceas HOTO-ILLUSTROF CHARLES S
51 Word Power POTO
H
20 65 Turning Point: Gay Talese (P
77 All in a Day’s Work
Dancing
for dollars 80 Humor in Uniform
85 Unforgettable
97 Quotable Quotes
S;
168 Laughter, the Best Medicine MAGEGES
221 Life in These United States ONE/GETTY IE/GETTY IMA
2Ffroi0er n1thdesR cdDooogLl ,dI daVaynIs cNoefG ysuoumrmseelfr ,fi kte, ebpe tftuerrr yyour H PARMELEE/STPEARDON/STON
barbecue, and get to the bottom of gas prices. DITSA
203 Health 214 Money 217 You G) MERENCER) LI
210 Food 216 Cars 218 Pets DODA
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8
ILLUSTRATED BY GEORGE JARTOS
YOU SAID IT
LETTERS ON THE JUNE ISSUE
That’s Outrageous!
Michael crowley’s col-
umn on crooks getting
rich off the Iraqi war
brought tears to my eyes (“The
$9 Billion Heist”). First, for
members of our military who
gave their lives, and then for
taxpayers like me. Robert Stein
and Philip Bloom misused gov-
ernment contract money for their
A Mole, own gain. How dare they rape the
American people? They should be
or Worse?
left on a road in Iraq to fend for
Ican only hope all readers of themselves. C.L. QUEENS, Los Angeles, California
“Burned by the Sun” will end
their love affair with tanning. Children of Divorce
Those mentioned in the article
are the lucky ones. Reading “New Reasons to Stay
My niece had a mole removed Together”was like reading
from her back, which turned out to my own life story. My parents
be malignant melanoma. Doctors as- divorced when Iwas three; 29 years
sured her they had caught it in time. later, Iam still dealing with the
Eventually she started to have back effects. That one event has done
pain, probably due to a slipped disk, more to shape who Iam today than
she was told. Surgery was per- anything else. It has made me deter-
formed, and it was discovered that mined to keep my marriage healthy
the melanoma had returned and so my children do not have to divide
spread to her spine. She became their time and love between two
paralyzed from the waist down; then homes. The reasons for divorce may
the cancer spread to her brain. make it unavoidable, but there is no
Kirsten died last August. She was such thing as a “good” divorce.
blond, fair-skinned, so very beauti- MANDY DOWDY, Walnut Grove, Mississippi
ful and so very loved. She was only
26 years old. I speak for my brothers and sis-
ANN MAZZARO, Scranton, Pennsylvania ters. All five of us feel that our lives
10
ELENA SEGATINI/ICONICA/GETTY IMAGES
would have been much better if our Rescued in Time
parents haddivorced. The constant
arguing, bickering and unhappiness Two thumbs up for the boys
between our parents resulted in a who came to Samantha
dysfunctional family and unhappy Schink’s rescue, and two
childhoods for us all. thumbs down for the justice system
Remaining together for the sake (Everyday Heroes:“Hot on the
of the children is not always best, Trail”). Mark Mead is a registered
especially when the children are sex offender. He drove his car into
made to feel that’s the only reason Samantha’s bike and was accused of
their parents are staying married. tearing at her top. If attempted rape
NAME WITHHELD BY REQUEST, charges couldn’t stick, at the very
Okanogan, Washington least he should have been convicted
Fighting for Life of assault. The boys’ actions were fit-
ting for “Heroes.” Mead’s conviction
One year ago, when my for lesser crimes was more suitable
doctors were unable to stop for “That’s Outrageous!”
a life-threatening hemorrhage, RHONDA COPLIN, Glendale, Arizona
Igave birth to an extremely prema-
ture baby girl. The doctors said I want to applaud Luke Schu-
there was nothing they could do macher, Matt Rodriguez, Drew Jenk-
for her because she was too
small. She died three and a
half hours later.
So I had strong emotions
as Iread“Miracle Girl,”about
Adrianna Mancini, who was
born premature but saved by
an experimental process
called liquid ventilation.
Iwas in awe that the technol-
ogy exists to save premature
babies, frustrated that it is
not FDA-approved, angry
that it was not available to
us, and disgusted that the FDA
and critics aren’t doing more
to advance this lifesaving
treatment.
HEATHER CHRISTIANSEN,
Tacoma, Washington
11
ILLUSTRATED BY DAN REYNOLDS
RD I AUGUST 2006
ins and Zach McIntyre for their intolerance to gluten, a group of pro-
bravery in saving Samantha. It is teins found in certain grains such as
boys like them who make teenage wheat, barley and rye.”It says that a
girls like me feel respected and hon- gluten-free diet means no bread,
ored. It terrifies me to think that this pizza, pretzels, pasta or beer.
dangerous man will be out on the I have been on a gluten-free diet
prowl again in three to five short since Iwas diagnosed with celiac
years. Men who rape, or who at- disease two years ago. I make all of
tempt to, should be given a life sen- those dishes using gluten-free
tence. Only then will girls like grains, and they taste like the “real”
Samantha and me feel safe to ride thing. Ieven drink gluten-free beer.
our bikes in our own town. Your readers shouldn’t hesitate to
NAME AND ADDRESS WITHHELD BY REQUEST get tested. If they have the disease,
they have many dietary options.
Foods Can Kill KAELA BRYANT, Paradise, California
Iremember the nightmy hus- HOW TO
band and I rushed our six- REACH US
month-old son to the hospital,
Letters to the Editor
begging him to “just breathe!”The
■[email protected]
ER doctors and our pediatrician
■You Said It, Reader’s Digest, Box 200,
could not determine the cause of Pleasantville, New York 10572-0200
his near-fatal symptoms. Six months Include your full name, address, e-mail
later Ifigured out he was allergic and daytime phone number. We may
edit letters, and use them in all print and
to dairy and eggs. He had eaten a
electronic media.
cracker containing milk before
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having the anaphylactic reaction For short humor items, please see page 8.
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We have learned to read every
tographs or article-length manuscripts.
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Save Time Go Online
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now age two, has been reaction-free address, account information, inquiries
at 877-732-4438 or rd.com/help.
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■RD, Box 7823,
learn more about the severity of
Red Oak, Iowa 51591-0823
food allergies and that common
Moving?
allergens can hide in unsuspecting
■RD, Dept. CHADD,
foods. BETHANY SCHOEFF, Hilliard, Ohio Box 7809, Red Oak, Iowa 51591-0809
Reprints
The sidebar “Allergy or Intoler- ■rd.com/reprints(min. 500 copies)
ance?” mentions celiac disease, “an
12
ONLY IN
America
IDEAS, TRENDS, AND INTERESTING BITS FROM ALL OVER
Slow Down, Get Happy
Ah, the pursuitof happiness. A second recent survey dug a bit
It’s one of our inalienable deeper in terms of what brings joy.
rights. Capturing happiness, This poll, from Directions Research,
well, that’s another matter. A recent suggested that happiness is highest
Pew Research Center poll con- among adults who dine with friends
firmed what’s been true for a while: regularly or frequent the movies.
Just a third of adults in the United Yes, it’s hard to find time to stop
States say they are “very happy,” and smell the roses these days
while about half say they’re “pretty (we’re all so busy waking up to
happy.” Who does that leave? Two smell the coffee), but why not round
types of people: miserable wretches up a few pals for dinner and a trip
and folks who just don’t know. to the multiplex? Consider it part of
The Pew poll did offer one statis- the fight for your right to be happy.
tical nugget that may remind more
of us how to find bliss: 42 percent
of those who say they “almost never
feel rushed” (could we please trade
places with them for a couple of
years?) are very happy. Translation:
Take it easy—you’ll feel better.
19