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* The Smart Key System may interfere with some pacemakers or cardiac defibrillators. If you have one of these medical devices, please talk to your doctor to see if you should deactivate this system. Contents MAY 2017

Cover Story 32 Gold Standard A conversation with Olympian and mental health–awareness advocate Clara Hughes, one of Reader’s Digest’s Most Trusted Influencers; plus our annual trust poll results. LISA BRYN RUNDLE

Health 40 Preventing Diabetes What you need to know to manage your risk. ANNE MULLENS

RD Vault 48 All About My Mother Three prominent Canadians reflect on lessons P. | they learned from the women who raised them. 68 FROM READER’S DIGEST, MAY 2002

Drama in Real Life 54 CanJet Flight 918 On a tarmac in Jamaica, an armed man takes a plane’s crew and 159 passengers hostage. Now it’s up to a pair of young flight attendants to save them all. NICHOLAS HUNE-BROWN

Knowledge 62 The Speckled Monster Tracking the legacy of smallpox. CHRISTOPHER J. RUTTY FROM ’S HISTORY

Department of Wit 68 Flight of Fantasy As Terry Fallis writes, sometimes you have PHOTOGRAPHY

OF TERRY FALLIS OF TERRY COURTESY to gamble with falling to be able to soar. BY COLIN WAY

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 1 Vol. 190 | No. 1,139 MAY 2017

Heart 4 Editor’s Letter 72 What Is Worth Singing About? 6 Contributors On falling in love with birds and 7 Letters discovering other lessons in insignificance. KYO MACLEAR P. | 10 FROM BIRDS ART LIFE

Life Lesson 80 Boost Your Self-Esteem The surprising link between confidence and compassion. COURTNEY SHEA

Human Interest 84 Power of Pong In the tiny town of Fort Providence, N.W.T., helps keep kids in shape and out of trouble. ELAINE ANSELMI FROM UP HERE

Editors’ Choice 92 Unusual Suspects How a ragtag crew of aging criminals pulled off one of the most daring robberies in British history. MARK SEAL FROM VANITY FAIR

READER FAVOURITES

13 @ Work 106 Brainteasers 18 Points to Ponder 108 Trivia Quiz 53 Laughter, the Best Medicine 109 Word Power 71 As Kids See It 111 Sudoku

91 Life’s Like That 112 Quotes BROOKE WEDLOCK

2 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca Health ART OF LIVING 30 Protect Your Toenails The facts about fungus. 10 Safety Squad LISA BENDALL BuddyUpTO founders Mita Hans and Kanwar Anit Singh Saini are using social media to GET SMART! make Toronto more secure—for everyone. VIBHU GAIROLA 104 13 Things Home The RD Interview Inspectors Won’t Tell You 14 Fresh Ginger MICHELLE CROUCH ADDITIONAL Amybeth McNulty, the new RESEARCH BY ANDREA BENNETT Anne of Green Gables, on red hair, gritty dramas and portraying CanLit’s beloved heroine. COURTNEY SHEA

Culture 16 RD Recommends Our top picks in books, movies and TV. SARAH LISS

Food 20 Pick Your Own Local growers share tips on selecting the best produce. CAITLIN AGNEW

Health P. 24 Staying Strong | 20 How to preserve muscle mass. SAMANTHA RIDEOUT

Health 28 Case History A medical mystery resolved.

ISTOCKPHOTO SYDNEY LONEY

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 3 Earning argue that laudable accomplishments make the top-ranked year woman forthesecond influencers (see thefulllist on page influencers (see trusted of Manitoba andtheOrder ofCanada. andshe’sSummer andWinter Olympics; named to been In This year, advocating formental health andbravely with sharing herstruggles advocating letes to she’s medallist; time Olympic oneoftherare CLARA Editor’s it’s Hughes seventh placed among thecountry’s most HUGHES IS FORMIDABLE. HUGHES have that herintegrity depression, Hughes has depression, More comfort. comfort. million steps, rather than a million Hughes because Hughes doing the right tremendous amount and oftimeinfinding her truth tremendous doing achieved podium finishes at podium achieved about about with journalistview with Lisa view our our have that matter.the things that to subjected subjected have the storytelling—every piece ofcontent piece is reliable storytelling—every reliable Your the At At moreseemed essential than dotoday. they seemed steps, More team team things because with herin“Gold Standard” (page her

Reader’s Reader’s Hughes earned readers’ earned through trust consistently earned right in storytelling—every amount journalist rather ofresearchers. have efforts These of often than not, courage often to makes her. ustrust thing. I we a Canadians proud, but Digest rigorous understand that Letter Trust courage placed

you hope She’s , we Over single heroic act. We ina fact-checking process by Bryn Rundle. Bryn 38)inour put also a six- both the both row. thepast enjoy reading more ath-

[email protected] Send anemailto inthetimefor she’s invested a Clearly before herown isa 32),aninter- annual poll— 70years, theOrder I

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ROGER AZIZ Published by the Reader’s Digest Magazines Canada Limited, Montreal, Canada Christopher Dornan Chairman of the Board Dominique Ritter Editor-in-Chief Karin Rossi Publisher

Executive Editor Stéphanie Verge Art Director Annelise Dekker Senior Editor Sarah Liss Assistant Art Director Danielle Sayer Pierre Loranger Assistant Editor Megan Jones Graphic Designer Project Manager Lisa Pigeon Contributing Editor Samantha Rideout Circulation Director Edward Birkett Proofreader Imogen Brian Contributors: Caitlin Agnew, Elaine Anselmi, Roger Aziz, Senior Researchers Vibhu Gairola, Rudy Lee Lisa Bendall, Andrea Bennett, Matthew Billington, Liona Boyd, Researchers Bob Anderson, Martha Beach, Michelle Crouch, Chloe Cushman, Marcel Danesi, Conan De Vries, Aimée Van Drimmelen, Terry Fallis, Andrea Bennett, Nadya Vibhu Gairola, Hana Gartner, Thorsten Gohl, Steven P. Hughes, Domingo, Jennifer Krissilas, Nicholas Hune-Brown, Wenting Li, Sydney Loney, Rob Lutes, Leslie Sponder, Lucy Uprichard Kyo Maclear, Anne Mullens, Christina Palassio, Paul Paquet, Copy Editors Chad Fraser, Amy Harkness Ian Reinsche, Luc Rinaldi, Lisa Bryn Rundle, Christopher J. Rutty, Julie Saindon, Mark Seal, Courtney Shea, Mike Shiell, Web Editor Brett Walther Marlene Silveira, Amarjeet Singh Nagi, Colin Way, Assistant Web Editor Robert Liwanag Brooke Wedlock, Simon Whitfield, Victor Wong

THE READER’S DIGEST ASSOCIATION (CANADA) ULC President Brian Kennedy Legal Barbara Robins Product Manager, Magazine Marketing Mirella Liberatore Production Manager Lisa Snow Advertising Account Managers Toronto Sandra Horton, Karen Smiley, Kathey 121 Bloor Street East, Stanton Montreal Linda Desrochers, Pat Tramley Vancouver Robert Shaw Suite 430, Head of Advertising Operations and Programmatic Kim Le Sueur Toronto, ON M4W 3M5 Head of Marketing Solutions Melissa Williams

TRUSTED MEDIA BRANDS, INC. President and Chief Executive Officer Bonnie Kintzer

Editor-in-Chief, International Magazines Raimo Moysa

VOL. 190, NO. 1,139 COPYRIGHT © 2017 BY READER’S DIGEST MAGAZINES CANADA LIMITED. Reproduction in any manner in whole or in part in English or other languages prohibited. All rights reserved throughout the world. Protection secured under International and Pan- American copyright conventions. Publications Mail Agreement No. 40070677. Postage paid at Montreal. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to 1100 René Lévesque Blvd. W., Montreal, QC H3B 5H5.

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HOW TO REACH US CUSTOMER SERVICE [email protected] Reader’s Digest Customer Care Centre, P.O. Box 970 Station Main, Markham, ON L3P 0K2 EDITORIAL OFFICE 1100 René Lévesque Blvd. W. | Montreal, QC H3B 5H5 | [email protected], rd.ca FOR SERVICE TO SUBSCRIBERS Pay your bill, view your account online, change your address and browse our FAQs at rd.ca/contact. MAIL PREFERENCE Reader’s Digest maintains a record of your purchase and sweepstakes participation history for Customer Service and Marketing departments, which enables us to offer the best service possible along with quality products we believe will interest you. Occa- sionally, to allow our customers to be aware of other products and services that may be of interest to them, we provide this information to other companies. Should you wish, for any reason, not to receive such offers from other companies, please write to: Privacy Office, Reader’s Digest, P.O. Box 974, Station Main, Markham, ON L3P 0K6. You may also write to this address if you no longer wish to receive offers from Reader’s Digest or should you have any questions regarding your record or wish to examine or correct it.

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 5 Contributors

TERRY FALLIS WENTING LI (Writer, “Flight of (Illustrator, Fantasy,” page 68) “Boost Your Self- Esteem,” page 80) Home base: Toronto. Previously Home base: published in National Post and Markham, Ont. Previously pub- Canadian Geographic. When I was lished in The New York Times and a kid, I was fascinated by all sorts The Globe and Mail. Talking of aircraft. I think I was compelled things over with a friend is useful by the utter freedom of flying. when my self-esteem is low. Taking I still toy with the idea of taking a step back and considering the big a hang-gliding course, but my picture also helps. I’m most confi- family has made it clear that the dent when I’m wearing one of my risk-benefit analysis does not fall excellent (although some would call in my favour. them hideous) colourful sweaters.

CHAD FRASER COLIN WAY (Copy Editor) (Photographer, “Gold Standard,” page 32) Home base: Parry Sound, Ont. Home base: Previously copy Calgary. Previously edited for Toronto Life and Sharp. published in The New York Times People don’t think of copy edit- and Sportsnet Magazine. With my ing as exciting, but it is! I like photos of Clara Hughes, I was being the last line of defence—the hoping to show that she’s a person one who catches an error that would who is wise beyond her years. She’s otherwise have slipped through. I’m someone with whom you’d want to powered by coffee, and I like to sit down and have a coffee. A good listen to faint (almost impercepti- portrait should capture the sub- ble) jazz music when I work. Too ject’s personality, a moment in their

much quiet makes me squirrelly. life, their story. (LI) RENA RONG TIM FALLIS; (FALLIS)

6 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca Letters READERS COMMENT ON OUR RECENT ISSUES

In honour of our 70th anniversary, we reached out to readers to ask, “What does Reader’s Digest mean to you?”

IN THE LOOP I began reading Reader’s Digest as a pre-teen in Belleville, Ont., in the 1940s. From the beginning, I was fascinated by stories of people doing kind things. I’m delighted that touching and inspirational articles are still being published today. I’m a crybaby and often find myself getting teary over things I read in the magazine. It’s so moving to hear about people going out there and acting generously. I’m also a fan of the humour pages. They keep seniors like me up to date on what younger people find funny. The jokes can link our generations. I look to Reader’s Digest for education and entertainment—it keeps me sharp. MOE WRIGHT, Kanata, Ont.

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 7 R EADER’S DIGEST

A COLOURFUL KINDNESS esting and relevant. Thank you for I enjoyed the article “Petal Pusher” producing such a high-quality Cana- (March 2017). It brought back dian magazine. memories of growing up in the LUBA RADKE, Hamilton, Ont. 1950s and ’60s. Children at my Sunday school would bring baskets MISSING PIECE of produce and bouquets of flowers I recently read “The Chosen Path” to church on Thanksgiving Sunday. (December 2016), a memoir about After the service, these gifts would a woman who converts to Judaism be distributed to seniors and other after discovering her Jewish roots. people in the community who I just wanted to pass on one con- were housebound or in hospital. cern: the story didn’t mention that I’m sure the blooms lifted the spirits non-Orthodox conversions are not of those recipients, as was the case always recognized in Orthodox set- for the elderly men and women tings. This may lead people who mentioned in the article. convert to believe they are becom- MIKE OGILVIE, Mississauga, Ont. ing Jewish only to find out later that they, and their children, are not uni- HELLO, OLD FRIEND versally acknowledged as such. At a dinner party, my friends and AARON HOLTZMAN, Toronto I were bemoaning our aging bodies and minds. I mentioned that I felt ERRATUM: like I was “losing my words” and In the January/February 2017 issue, remembered seeing the Word Power Trivia Quiz (page 123) was attrib- page in Reader’s Digest years ago. uted to Paul Paquet. It should have Our host retrieved a copy of the maga- been attributed to Beth Shillibeer. zine, and to my delight, I learned that Reader’s Digest apologizes for Word Power is still a monthly feature. the error. I now subscribe to Reader’s Digest and read every issue from cover to Published letters are edited for length cover. The articles are always inter- and clarity.

We want to hear from you! Have something to say about an article you read in Reader’s Digest? Send your letters to [email protected]. Please include your full name and address. Contribute Send us your funny jokes and anecdotes, and if we publish one in a print edition of Reader’s Digest, we’ll send you $50. To submit, visit rd.ca/joke. Original contributions (text and photos) become the property of The Reader’s Digest Magazines Canada Limited, and its affiliates, upon publication. Submissions may be edited for length and clarity, and may be reproduced in all print and electronic media. Receipt of your submission cannot be acknowledged.

8 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca Advertisement ABOUT BINGE EATING DISORDER IN ADULTS BINGING is a term you may have heard before.

You may have seen People “binge watch” People may even say they it on the news. TV series. “binge on food.”

WHAT IS BINGE EATING DISORDER? Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is more than just overeating; it’s a distinct medical condition that can occur in adults. In a survey of over 10,000 Canadian adults aged 18 years and over, 1.54% of the participants self-reported symptoms that were consistent with the DSM-5®† criteria for BED.‡§ ‡ Overall, experienced in the last 12 months. § Initial and supplemental data collection took place between May-August 2016.

In a survey of 2,980 American adults, BINGE EATING DISORDER...... was the most common LIFETIME PREVALENCE ... affected more men than any other eating disorder in adults, ESTIMATES 2.8% eating disorder.¶†† more common than anorexia and bulimia 0.6% 1.0% combined.¶†† Anorexia Bulimia BED ¶ Based on lifetime prevalence estimates of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and Binge Eating Disorder among adults over the age of 18 years across the . Prevalence and correlates of eating disorders from the National Comorbidity Replication, a nationally representative face-to-face household survey (N=9,282), conducted in 2001-2003, were assessed using the DSM-IV-TR®‡‡ diagnostic criteria of the WHO WMH-CIDI (World Mental Health – Composite International Diagnostic Interview). Diagnoses were based on version 3.0 of the WHO-CIDI, a layadministered diagnostic interview that generates a diagnosis according to the DSM-IV-TR® criteria. †† Binge Eating Disorder criteria defined in this study was based on the DSM-IV-TR® and the CIDI. Study criteria for Binge Eating Disorder was similar to that of the DSM-5®, with the following difference: individuals displaying more than 3 months, but less than 6 months, of regular binge eating would be classified as having binge eating disorder. BED OCCURS IN INDIVIDUALS IN A RANGE OF SIZES. So, have you heard of it?

Recently, the American Psychiatric Association recognized BED Diagnostic DSM-5® and Statistical as a distinct disorder. Manual of Mental May 2013 Disorders, Fifth Because BED is a recently recognized disorder, some adults may not Edition (DSM-5®) realize that their symptoms may be related to a real medical condition. Reach out. Ask for help. Start the conversation.

† DSM and DSM-5 are registered trademarks of the American Psychiatric Association. ‡‡ DSM-IV is a registered trademark of the American CDA/NPRMCDA/NBU/16/0046 Psychiatric Association. Date of preparation: November 2016 ART of LIVING

BuddyUpTO founders Mita Hans and Kanwar Anit Singh Saini are using social media to make Toronto more secure—for everyone Safety Squad BY VIBHU GAIROLA

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BROOKE WEDLOCK

! IN NOVEMBER 2015, soon bull’s eye on their back grow over- after a series of coordinated terrorist night: “If anyone needs a buddy… attacks in Paris, a woman in a hijab hijabi, turbaned or otherwise.” was assaulted and robbed by two Within moments of reading men outside an elementary school Saini’s status, his friend Mita Hans, in a north Toronto neighbourhood. a 50-year-old social services worker The hate crime shocked many, but and also a Sikh, got a call from her its vicious nature was familiar to sister in Mississauga, Ont., who speech-language pathologist and would be accompanying their tur- artist Kanwar Anit Singh Saini, 35, baned father to the bank because who says, “I’ve faced my fair share the family worried for his safety. of violence as a gay man in a turban.” Hans wondered how many others The next day, he posted a message were feeling similarly vulnerable. on his Facebook page offering to run Inspired by Saini, she created errands with people who’d felt the BuddyUpTO, a Facebook group º

10 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca Kanwar Anit Singh Saini, Mita Hans and BuddyUpTO’s 1,380 other members have helped nearly 100 Torontonians feel at home in their own city again. READER ’S D IGEST that links people who feel unsafe alone. I remember thinking, I don’t venturing out alone with volunteers need to know why. It wasn’t just an who join them on their day-to-day opportunity for someone to get a ride tasks. That first night, it was just from me—it was an opportunity for Hans, Saini and a couple of friends. me to do something decent.” Within 12 hours, BuddyUpTO had Activity in BuddyUpTO ebbs and grown to 50 members. flows, but Hans says there’s always “By the end of the week, the num- a surge in membership when ber was 500, then it was 1,000,” Hans events lead people to feel targeted. recalls. The tally continued to climb In February 2016, the group saw a as news of the group spread and spike in signups around the time new members began announcing of a rally for missing and murdered their locations and availability. Indigenous women; during Pride, Some messaged each other directly members link up to travel from to link up, while others reached out event to event. On January 30 of to Hans to be paired. this year, after a mass shooting in BuddyUpTO was conceived as a a City mosque, one mem- response to a hate crime, but it was ber posted, “To all my brothers and never intended to combat Islamo- sisters out there who feel unsafe, phobia specifically. Hans and Saini I will stand by you!” knew that while those wearing reli- “People wear those shirts that say gious garb are often targeted first, ‘Home Is Toronto,’ but in reality, LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and making Toronto inclusive and hav- transgender) people and sex work- ing people feel supported is up to all ers are also regularly at risk of being of us,” says Saini. “It’s not just home harmed. The BuddyUpTO network because we live here.” is willing to tackle all kinds of situa- Hans, who’s lived in Toronto tions: one young member reached since she was a young child, still out because her former abuser had remembers the racist gangs that begun taking her bus route to uni- hung around local movie theatres versity. Another woman requested a showing Indian films in the 1970s. ride to a railway station after a visit Her family would travel as a group to the hospital and was matched to avoid being attacked in the park- with musician Suzy Richter. ing lots. “We went through this pro- “She was attending a support gression of making the neighbour- group,” says Richter, 53. “We chatted, hood safe,” she says. And that’s but we never spoke about why she exactly what BuddyUpTO intends was fearful of taking public transit to keep doing.

12 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca @ Work

WEEKEND ON THE BRAIN? MESSAGE RECEIVED I have 11 missed calls from my boss, and I can only assume it’s because he’s super excited to give me a raise. @NOTICABLYBACON

PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT A nervous patient arrived at our dental clinic for root canal surgery. We brought him into the examina- onsizzle.com tion room and left him for a few moments. When the dentist arrived, ONE FOR THE AGES he found the patient standing next I work as a historical interpreter in a to a tray of equipment. museum that depicts life in a gold- “What are you doing?” the rush town during the early 1900s. dentist asked. To enhance visitors’ experience, I The patient replied, “Removing often encourage them to play along the ones I don’t like.” gcfl.net and pretend they live in the era. Recently, I asked a customer if he SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO? was a new miner in town. The line at our local post office was “ N o,” he replied. “I’m 35.” out the door. There was only one KELLEIGH MARSHALL, Wells, B.C. postal worker on duty, and the cus- tomers were getting testy. Hoping to WHAT NOT TO WEAR hurry things along, a patron yelled [Holding up two ties] out, “How can I help you go faster?” ME: “Which one? I have a big meet- The postal worker yelled back, “You ing today.” can go home!” SCARLETT BUZEK WIFE: “Both are nice.” [Later] Are you in need of some professional WIFE: “How did it go?” motivation? Send us a work anecdote, ME: “Well, wearing two ties was a and you could receive $50. To submit real disaster.” @MURRMANN5 your stories, visit rd.ca/joke.

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 13 THE RD INTERVIEW

Amybeth McNulty, the new Anne of Green Gables, on red hair, gritty dramas and portraying CanLit’s most beloved heroine Fresh Ginger

BY COURTNEY SHEA ILLUSTRATION BY AIMÉE VAN DRIMMELEN

You’re Anne Shirley in the new Anne of Green Gables miniseries. Nearly 2,000 actors tried out for the role. Any idea how you clinched it? I didn’t realize what a big deal it was until just before I came to Toronto from Ireland for the final audition! I haven’t experienced the trauma that Anne did, but I’ve been told we have similarities. We share a love of the world—of God, humans and nature. We merged really well, so it wasn’t just acting for me.

With the books and the 1985 CBC series, there’s lots of material to draw on. How did you prepare? I didn’t watch or read any versions of the story, other than our script, because I didn’t want to be affected by them.

14 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca Anne has a real knack for landing Has it weighed on you playing a in sticky situations. Do you share character who’s so beloved? that quality? I try to let it go. I’m not going to Of course, I have my ways of getting compare myself to Megan Follows into trouble. We all have times when [who played Anne in the 1985 series]. we think, Oh my God, can the world Other people will, and that’s fine— please swallow me up and take me she’s the Anne—but my Anne is away from this? Everybody can relate different and beautiful and unique. to that—it’s why Anne is so popular. Head writer Moira Walley-Beckett She especially appeals to young has described the new Anne as grit- girls. Why do you believe that is? tier than previous versions. How so? It’s the idea of Anne thinking that It’s more realistic, with flashbacks girls were no different from boys, her showing the abuse Anne has gone power and her struggles. She had a through. There are more layers. lot of challenges—feeling not good enough or not pretty, trying to get a Walley-Beckett won an Emmy for boy to like her, growing annoyed by Breaking Bad, which is certainly people—and her willpower makes gritty. Have you seen it? you wish you were like her. My grandmother and I recently watched it on Netflix. I loved it. My Anne famously had a love-hate rela- grandmother did too—she went on tionship with her carrot top. How a Netflix marathon for the first time. do you feel about your own mane? I really like red hair. I think if you Your mother was born in Calgary, have brown hair, you want blond but you’re from Ireland. What’s been hair; if you have blond hair, you your favourite discovery since you want blue hair. We always want what started filming here? we don’t have. It takes a while to Maple syrup. It’s basic, but so good. admit, Hey, it’s just part of me. And what’s one thing you miss And how do you feel about about home? puffed sleeves? Your Dairy Milk chocolate tastes dif- Oh, I love them. I love my Anne ferent. I think it must be the milk. My dresses, but when I see the friend brought over some Irish choc- other girls with their puffed- olate and I was extremely happy. sleeve costumes, I know how she feels—that sense of longing. Anne airs on CBC until May 7.

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 15 CULTURE

Our top picks in books, movies and TV RD Recommends BY SARAH LISS

INTO THE WATER Paula Hawkins Getting to the bottom of this dark whodunit (or, dare we say, what- dunit) requires untangling a swirl of narrative threads smartly spun by Paula Hawkins, the mastermind behind the juggernaut Girl on the Train. Into the Water centres around Danielle Abbott, a single mom who, 1when she died, had been writing a book about her British town’s so-called “Drowning Pool,” the cursed body of water responsible for taking her life and that of myriad women dating back to the 1600s. The ’s murky history—rife with internecine conflicts and allegations of witchcraft—forms a suitably gothic backdrop for this tortuous thriller. May 2.

DID YOU KNOW? Before she hit it big with Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins wrote a quartet of goofy, critically panned romance novels under the pseudonym Amy Silver.

BASEBALL LIFE ADVICE 2 Stacey May Fowles For long-time fan Stacey May Fowles, base- ball isn’t just a —it’s a metaphor for the endless challenges of everyday life. In this heartfelt essay collection, the Toronto writer digs into dynamics both on the field (bat flips, spring training) and off (mental health, domestic violence), using her passion for the game as a lens for sharp analysis. April 11. THE LEAVERS THE LOVERS 3 Lisa Ko 4 A novel take on modern Given the American administration’s romance, this racy comedy stars attitude toward immigrants, Lisa Ko’s Tracy Letts and Debra Winger as a debut is more than timely. The Leav- couple whose marriage has gone ers tells the story of a boy in the Bronx cold. Both partners are enmeshed who’s taken in by professors after his in affairs and vow to broach the topic mother, an undocumented worker, of divorce—until the prospect of fails to return from her job. Winner of splitting up reignites their spark. the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Tender, funny performances amp Engaged Fiction, it’s a must-read for up the charm factor of this uncon- this moment in history. May 2. ventional love story. May 5.

TWIN PEAKS 5 More than 25 years have passed since the question of who killed Laura Palmer was settled, but Twin Peaks’ influence on the television land- scape has barely faded. And now the cult series returns—along with key mem- bers of its original cast, including Kyle MacLachlan as pie-loving FBI agent Dale Cooper and Sheryl Lee as doomed heroine Laura—to plunge viewers back into the world of a creepy-quirky logging town in the Pacific Northwest ) COURTESY ) COURTESY TWIN PEAKS

( TV CRAVE that only director David Lynch could have imagined. May 21.

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PHOTOS: (MARTIN) TORONTO BLUE JAYS; (WICKENHEISER) © SFU UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS. QUOTES: (MARTIN) CANADIAN BUSINESS (SEPT. 16, 2016); (SASAKAMOOSE) THE GLOBE AND MAIL (DEC. 28, 2016); (DONLON) HOUSE OF ANANSI PRESS (NOV. 5, 2016); (PATE) JAN. 2, 2017; (BONDAR) CBC’S MANSBRIDGE ONE ON ONE (JAN. 21, 2017); (WICKENHEISER) JAN. 13, 2017. You can’t compare yourself to other people. Compare IT HAPPENS AS yourself to yourself. Pay attention to your work and stop looking around.

Chef SUSUR LEE, in Canadian Business 2016.

He looked like this eastern European Today, in this post-fact world of post- hairdresser. And I just remember truth politics, reality T V, toxic attack looking at this massive man—my ads, abbreved everything and perni- father—as this character and going, cious demagogues, more than ever “Okay, this is not normal.” It abso- we need thoughtful, inspired and lutely makes me smile just thinking brilliant writing and literature. of him. Business and technology CHRIS CANDY, son of the late actor expert DON TAPSCOTT, in a speech John Candy, on the first time he realized given at the Writers’ Trust of Canada gala what his dad did for a living When I left small-town , In India, we don’t have Mother’s I left for very personal, very angry Day, but our family celebrates it. reasons … I moved away because I 2014; (TAPSCOTT) NOV. 23, 2016; (AGLUKARK) APRIL (AGLUKARK) 23, 2016; 27, NOV. (TAPSCOTT) 2014; My sisters and I usually take my knew there was no other way to mom out for brunch; sometimes really cope with what was going my brother joins us and we make a on in my community. I found day of it. We talk and we reminisce. myself using my songs We spoil her and do whatever she and sharing my story as wants to do. a way to keep healing.

ET Canada reporter Musician SUSAN AGLUKARK, 9, MAY (PATEL) 31, 2016); (OCT. PHOTO: (LEE) ALEX UROSEVIC/CORUS; (AGLUKARK) JMA TALENT. QUOTES: (LEE) JAN. 5, 2016; (CANDY) CBC RADIO’S (CANDY) 5, 2016; (LEE) JAN. QUOTES: JMA TALENT. (AGLUKARK) (LEE) ALEX UROSEVIC/CORUS; PHOTO: SANGITA PATEL, in Chatelaine on CBC News

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 19 FOOD

Local growers share tips on how to select the best produce Pick Your Own BY CAITLIN AGNEW

! MAY MARKS THE RETURN of Spring seasonal fare to farmers’ markets When wild leeks appear, the season and grocery stores across the coun- has begun. Look for a firm bulb and try. is handy guide will help you a green leaf. “They’re best bunched understand what to look for in local and standing in an inch or two of fruits and vegetables—and when water for better preservation when your favourite varieties might show travelling to market,” says Sherry

up on a shelf near you. Patterson, owner of Chick-a-biddy ISTOCKPHOTO

20 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca Leave a Lasting Gift Acres, a 72-acre farm near Peterbor- for Child Amputees ough, Ont. Since they grow in the wild, ask suppliers to confirm they’re harvested sustainably. Zac and By late May, you’ll start to see Malorie asparagus, which should be a vivid green colour with stems that are firm yet bendable. Avoid specimens with tiny yellow flowers (which mean the plant has gone to seed) or dry, crispy tips (which suggest the vege- table has been improperly stored). There may still be a slight nip in the air, making locally produced greens zesty and flavourful. In June, those who use greenhouses to extend the season should have full salad mixes and English-style cucumbers on offer.

A charitable bequest or gift in your will honours the legacy of war amputees and changes the lives of child amputees for the better.

My uncle was a very special man “ with a generous heart and he couldn’t think of a worthier cause Summer than helping child amputees. July brings onions, carrots, berries, He knew you would use this money zucchini and other summer squash. well to bring smiles to children’s faces It’s also time for tomatoes. Patter- and make their challenges easier. son recommends trying different and make their challenges easier. heirloom varieties: “Some are tart, – Family member ” some sweet like candy, some meaty, some juicy.” Each type has different The War Amps indications of ripeness, but the goal The War Amps is to select fruits that have hit the 1 800 363-4067 waramps.ca Charitable Registration No.: 13196 9628 RR0001 Charitable Registration No.: 13196 9628 RR0001 ANNOUNCEMENTANNOUNCEMENTANNOUNCEMENT ANNOUNCEMENT READER ’S D IGEST

perfect sweet spot—not too firm and not too soft. In August, expect potatoes, chard, turnips, celery and collard greens. When corn arrives at the end of the month, look for full, uniform kernels. The tuft on the end should be brown and dried out; this indicates it was ANDANDAND YOU YOUYOU!!! left on the stalk long enough. Let’sLet’sLet’s clear clear clear the the air. the air. As air. Asthe As the spokesperson the spokesperson spokesperson forLet’sfor Reader’sfor Reader’s clearReader’s Digestthe Digest air.Digest AsSweepstakes, Sweepstakes,the Sweepstakes, spokesperson I’m I’m I’m askedforaskedasked Reader’srepeatedly repeatedly repeatedly Digest if ourif ifSweepstakes,our Sweepstakesour Sweepstakes Sweepstakes I’m is real.isasked isreal. real. That’s repeatedly That’s That’s understandable, understandable, understandable, if our Sweepstakes given given given theisthe thereal.problems problemsproblems That’s someunderstandable, somesome people peoplepeople have given havehave hadhadthe hadwith withproblems withfly-by-night fly-by-night fly-by-night some operators. operators. peopleoperators. We’re have We’re We’re differentdifferenthaddifferent with from fly-by-nightfrom from the the otherthe other other operators.guys. guys. guys. We’ve We’ve We’veWe’re beenbeendifferentbeen in thein in the business thefrom business business the of other makingof of making making guys. dreams dreams We’vedreams happenbeenhappenhappen sincein thesince since 1962. business 1962. 1962. Here’s Here’s ofHere’s makingwhy: why: why: dreams happen since 1962. Here’s why: Fall • We• •We NEVERWe NEVER NEVER ask ask you ask you foryou formoney for money money The first frosty nights benefit Sep- NEVER to • enter toWe to enter enter or toor or receiveto ask to receive receiveyou your for your yourmoneyprize prize prize tember harvests. When temperatures to enter or to receive your prize • We• •We NEVERWe NEVER NEVER require require require you you toyou buyto to buy buy drop, vegetables such as Brussels anything • anythingWeanything NEVER to enterto to enterrequire enter you to buy sprouts convert their starch stores anything to enter • We• •We DON’TWe DON’T DON’T have have have prizes prizes prizes drawn drawn drawn into sugar to keep the water in their on• Weona onU.S. a DON’T aU.S. U.S.bank bank bank have prizes drawn cells from freezing—and they taste on a U.S. bank • We• •We NEVERWe NEVER NEVER contact contact contact prize prize prize winners winners winners sweeter as a result. Patterson suggests by• Webyphoneby phone NEVER phone contact prize winners buying sprouts on the stalk, so you • We• •Weby ALWAYSWe phone ALWAYS ALWAYS give give giveaway away away every every every can see how they’ve been grown and penny,• We penny,penny, ALWAYSguaranteed guaranteed guaranteed give away every make sure the leaves aren’t wilting. penny, guaranteed When choosing underground vegetables, make sure they aren’t split or dry, indications that they MarisaMarisaMarisa Orsini, Orsini, Orsini, haven’t been stored properly. Administrator,MarisaAdministrator,Administrator, Orsini, “There should be a firmness and a SweepstakesSweepstakesAdministrator,Sweepstakes and and Contests and Contests Contests Sweepstakes and Contests smell of earthiness,” says Patterson. “Look for bruising or nicks that WANTWANTWANT MORE MORE MORE ANSWERS? ANSWERS? ANSWERS? could cause rotting.” VisitWANTVisitVisit us usand us and MOREandget get allget allthe all ANSWERS?the factsthe facts facts fast fast fastat at at readersdigest.ca/sweepstakesVisitreadersdigest.ca/sweepstakesreadersdigest.ca/sweepstakes us and get all the facts fast at readersdigest.ca/sweepstakes The Early Bird Gets the Deal Elliot Lake Retirement Living, an incredible place… an exceptional price

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How to preserve muscle mass Staying Strong BY SAMANTHA RIDEOUT

! WHILE IT MAY HAPPEN so muscle decline. Not only can these slowly that you don’t notice, your two habits slow muscle shrinkage, muscles tend to shrink and weaken but they can assist you in regaining with age, starting as early as your some of the lost mass. 30s. If they decline too much over the Protein is the most important decades, you can be diagnosed with building block for muscles. However, sarcopenia, which refers to low mus- seniors’ bodies don’t typically use it cle mass, low strength and poor phys- as efficiently as they used to. “This ical performance. e consequences is why many now recom- can include a less active lifestyle, mend higher protein intake in older disability, impaired coordination subjects than in younger ones,” says and an increased risk of falls and Dr. Tommy Cederholm, a professor fractures. Rheumatoid arthritis suf- of clinical nutrition at Uppsala Uni- ferers are especially vulnerable to a versity in . Seniors should loss of muscle mass and strength. aim for at least one gram of protein Drug companies are on the case, daily per kilogram of body weight. but they have yet to make any sig- Good sources include poultry, fish, nificant breakthroughs. That means dairy, beans, nuts and lentils. If you adequate nutrition and exercise are finding it hard to eat enough of remain the main prevention strat- these foods, consider adding protein

egies and the best treatments for powder to a smoothie. ISTOCKPHOTO

24 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca On the exercise side of the equa- recommended for everyone regard- tion, combine aerobic activity with less of sex or age. The best starting progressive resist- point depends on ance training, or your current strength PRT, which pits your On average, muscle and endurance, but muscles against an mass decreases by an a typical beginner opposing force (a annual rate of might dedicate 10 pull band or your minutes three times body mass, for ex- a week to exercises ample) and gradually 1 to 2 % that target a variety builds up to more after age 50. of major muscle repetitions and/or a groups. If you’re in stronger resistance. doubt, a qualified While it might bring to mind personal trainer could give you a images of bulky young men, PRT is tailored program.

News From the World of Medicine

Prolonged Painkiller Use your doctor if there are other options Linked to Hearing Loss to manage your discomfort. Acetaminophen and NSAIDs such as ibuprofen are a great go-to for aches. Self-Sabotage Influenced However, they’re now thought to by Preferred Time of Day affect the inner ear. A 55,850-subject “Self-handicapping” is when you try observational study from the United to protect your ego from failure by States found that people who’d taken creating external reasons to perform the painkillers frequently—twice per poorly—staying out late before a job week for six years or more, compared interview, for example, then blaming to less than one year of use—had a exhaustion and not ineptitude if you nine to 10 per cent greater chance of don’t get an offer. Indiana University noticeable hearing loss. If you rely psychologists discovered that people

THE VOORHES heavily upon these medications, ask who tend to self-handicap do it the

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 25

HEALTH

Case History BY SYDNEY LONEY ILLUSTRATION BY VICTOR WONG

THE PATIENT: Richard, a 37-year-old An ophthalmologist identified a software developer small corneal ulcer (a sore on the THE SYMPTOMS: A sore eye and thin, clear surface of the eye), likely reduced vision caused by bacteria trapped under THE DOCTOR: Dr. Martin Leyland, con- Richard’s contact lens. (He wore sultant ophthalmic surgeon at Royal daily disposable contacts, but bacter- Berkshire Hospital in Reading, U.K. ial infections are still common with wearers of these lenses.) Because ! ON HIS WAY HOME from corneal ulcers can lead to vision loss, work one Monday last September, Richard was placed on an intensive Richard was distracted by a sting- course of antibiotic eye drops, to be ing pain in his right eye that had administered hourly (including gradually worsened throughout nighttime) for two days, then every the day. He initially thought some hour during the day for two weeks. dust or dirt had gotten under his The treatment initially helped, contact, but the sensation didn’t but by the end of the second week, diminish after he removed the the pain had returned with greater lens. When his eye still hurt the intensity. Richard also noticed that following morning, he booked an the vision in his right eye was deteri- appointment with his family doc- orating. To reduce inflammation, tor, who suspected a contact lens– the ophthalmologist added steroids related infection and sent him to to Richard’s next two-week round of the eye-casualty department at the drops, but the discomfort and vision Royal Berkshire Hospital. loss only got worse. The ulcer was

28 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca also growing, and now there was a Leyland consulted the national refer- build-up of pus inside the eye. ence lab about treatment, only to By now, three weeks in, the agony discover that the fungus is resistant was overwhelming, and Richard had to all available antifungals. become so sensitive to light that he couldn’t keep his eyes open. He was no longer able to drive or work. Three weeks after his ordeal had Dr. Leyland performed a begun, Richard received a referral to corneal transplant, hoping Dr. Martin Leyland, who performed a to save the patient’s eye. corneal scrape to remove part of the ulcer for diagnostic purposes. The cells were sent to a lab to identify the Leyland had never before encoun- organism causing the problem. “At tered such a stubbornly resistant fun- this point, the patient was unable to gal infection. “Normally tears would read an eye chart and could only wash the fungus away,” he says. “But count fingers if I held my hand right once it gets underneath a contact in front of his face,” Leyland says. lens, it can grow quite happily and The results of the scrape came do some real damage.” back: nothing had grown in the lab. By that point, it was nearly three This time, the patient was treated months after the onset of the infec- with both antibacterial and anti- tion. Leyland performed an emer- fungal drops, as well as antifungal gency corneal transplant with donor tablets (the latter, in part, because tissue in a last-ditch effort to save the antibiotics weren’t helping). the patient’s eye, flushing the infected Though Richard started to show area with antifungal fluids. Post- some improvement, it was short- surgery, Richard began an intensive lived, and the pain and vision loss three-month treatment of oral and in his eye progressed. eye-drop antifungals. The inflamma- When a second corneal scrape two tion had also caused a cataract to weeks later also failed to yield results, form, so he underwent a cataract Leyland did a biopsy to remove a operation to improve his vision. larger piece of the cornea. Eventu- Fortunately, the fungus has stayed ally, a pathologist discovered a tiny away, and the corneal transplant has filament of fungus. Two days later, a remained clear since the operation. microbiologist identified it as a spe- Richard recovered well and may cies (Fusarium solani) found in soil eventually regain up to 90 per cent and plant debris all over the world. of the vision in his eye.

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 29 HEALTH

The facts about fungus Protect Your Toenails BY LISA BENDALL

! IT AIN’T PRETTY which is a have the condition. In these patients, common reason for treating toenail misshapen toenails from untreated fungus. “People don’t like the way it fungus can irritate the skin, leading looks,” says Brad Sonnema, a podi- to sores and infection; toenail atric physician in Edmonton. Ony- removal may even be necessary. For chomycosis—as the condition is most people, though, the fungus formally known—can be picked stays isolated to the nail and sur- up pretty much anywhere you walk rounding skin, and it rarely causes barefoot and grows inside or under internal issues. the nail, causing it to thicken, crum- Turn to a professional for diagnosis ble or turn yellow. and treatment options—and to avoid People with poor circulation or ignoring a condition with similar compromised immunity are at symtoms, like psoriasis. It’s best to greater risk, as are older people. discuss your options with your doc- “Their defence mechanisms may tor: some think all onychomycosis not be as strong,” says Sonnema. infections should be addressed, while “But most of the time, it’s just the others consider treatment a patient’s result of a lifetime of use and abuse.” choice if their case is minor. Oral anti- A damaged nail is more prone to fungal medications can negatively developing fungus. affect the liver and how it metabolizes At least 50 per cent of North other medications, inhibiting their American seniors have fungus in at effectiveness. Topical treatments are least one toenail. Those with dia- safer and must be applied diligently,

betes are around twice as likely to sometimes for many months. ISTOCKPHOTO

30 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca Go With Your Gut! new! Ultimate Flora probiotic ✔ Helps digestive balance ✔ 12 clinically-studied probiotic strains ✔ 50 billion live cultures

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Clara Hughes overcame a challenging childhood to become one of Canada’s most decorated Olympians and a passionate advocate for mental health. This year, she’s one of Reader’s Digest’s most trusted influencers. GOLD STANDARD

BY LISA BRYN RUNDLE PHOTOGRAPHY BY COLIN WAY

32 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca

READER ’S D IGEST

“USED TO SKATE IN CIRCLES and ride a bike pretty fast, now do all things slow.” That’s how Olympian Clara Hughes describes herself these days—at least that’s what she says in her Twitter bio. It’s an apt but incomplete description of a woman who makes every decision with enviable deliberation.

Since 1996, when she earned two How does it feel to be one of the most bronze medals on her bike in the trusted people in Canada? Atlanta Olympics, Canadians have It makes me kind of nervous! I try to cheered Hughes’s athletic skill. She’s just be myself. That’s what I consider brought home six Olympic medals in a trustworthy person, someone who both cycling and , mak- is themself—their whole being—in ing her the only person ever to win every circumstance. multiple medals in both the Sum- mer and Winter Games. But she’s Few would have pegged you as a all too aware that life’s a marathon, Most Trusted candidate in your not a sprint. Since stepping off the youth: you stole candy, forged notes, podium for good in 2012, she has bought cigarettes as a minor. Is trust approached the next phase of her life something you’ve had to work at with a determination to give back to over time? the community and an unwavering Definitely. I’m pretty open about the commitment to honesty. She’s shared stupid things I did as a young per- her ongoing struggle with depression; son. A lot of that comes out of having she’s talked openly about her difficult a dysfunctional family, internalizing childhood, her own poor choices guilt because of the breakup of that and the impact of a father who was unit and expressing it in really delin- verbally abusive and who struggled quent ways. with alcoholism. We make heroes of our athletes, What changed? casting them as role models whether In 1988 I saw [Olympic speed skater] or not they prove themselves worthy Gaétan Boucher race on TV. It was of admiration outside of their sport. such a powerful, freeing act of giv- Few have risen to this challenge ing oneself to something. I’d never quite like Hughes. And it’s perhaps seen somebody care so much. That’s this strength of character that has where my path as an athlete began. I earned her the trust of Canadians was 16, and I was lucky that I fell into from coast to coast to coast. the hands of fantastic coaches who

34 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca taught me that I had to trust myself— There can be an upside to struggling to understand and know which of my with something like depression when limits could be pushed and which you’re getting support: it can force limits needed to be respected. you to understand your mind and confront your demons. Have you We trust people who tell the truth, found that? even when it’s hard, and you’ve Yes. That’s part of what’s allowed me been courageous on that front. After to trust myself. But my experience having been lauded for your forti- with mental health has been pretty tude, how did it feel when you easy compared to what most people started to speak publicly about encounter. I had access to support as things, like depression, that some an athlete; I can afford a psychologist. might view as weakness? I spent so many years just showing You’re saying that because access- strength and joy. After two decades ing support, like psychotherapy, of that, I realized you’re only half can be prohibitively expensive? human if that’s all you show. Having That’s what I struggle with the most. the opportunity to fully express myself Talking is good, sharing is great and was one of the most liberating—and listening is even better, but there terrifying and embarrassing—experi- needs to be action [on access to sup- ences, and I don’t regret it. I’ve been port], and it needs to come from gov- sharing my inner struggles for seven ernment. It’s moving so slowly that years, and I’ve connected with hun- lives are lost. I know some of those dreds of thousands of people, and lives. They’re in my heart, and they that makes any naysayer or trash compel me to try to push for change. talker seem so small. We’re better than this reality.

It can take Olympic-level strength We’re a that prides itself on to cope with mental illness, but it’s universal access to health care, but not always seen that way. Do you we focus on the physical, except in think there’s progress being made the most extreme cases. on the stigma? It’s the equivalent of a person with I do. People’s attitudes are changing, cancer being told, Wait until you’re at particularly those of young Canadians. stage four and absolutely desperate, I see a future when people look back then we’ll get you on the waiting list. on when there was a stigma—when no one would talk openly about mental Over the past few years, you’ve com- illness—as an archaic, ridiculous time. mitted to revealing even the hardest

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 35 Hughes talks about mental health in Kingston, Ont., on Jan. 24, 2017. truths. In your 2015 memoir, Open up a mistruth to try to explain the Heart, Open Mind, you admitted that situation away. So I just put it out early in your cycling career you tested there, and I thought, If this ruins me, positive for ephedrine, a stimulant there’s nothing I can do. found in cough and cold medicine. You weren’t obligated to disclose that You also write a pretty personal information, so why share it? journal on your website. Why? I had to. You can’t just choose this It’s just a way of talking about how truth and not that one. weird and wild life is, how I’m human and flawed, how I struggle and how You can—people do it all the time! sometimes I’m stoked about ridicu- I felt I had no choice. If I was going lous things. to tell my story, it was an opportunity to liberate myself from something You recently posted a photo of your- that had happened in my life that I self looking very serious and sad. Are still don’t understand. you actively trying to show a counter- point to the happier image of you This was in 1994, but at the time, you that’s out there? were advised not to say anything, Oh, yeah. I was bawling my eyes out and the incident was kept quiet. and couldn’t stop. I’d been crying for I could have made it easier on myself days, weeks, months. My knee was by saying I took cough medicine, but I injured. I was sitting in my office and

[hadn’t taken any]. And I can’t make I thought, How many times do you HAGBERG THE CANADIAN PRESS/LARS

36 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca post nice pictures? Like, “Look at my It’s sensitized me to the struggle that hair today!” or “I’m so happy, I’m out so many people live with. I’ve had running!” And I just thought, I want to learn to be patient. And I’m very to share the here and the now, and grateful because I’ll recover fully. if anybody else out there is feeling this way, I just want to let them know In this time of fake news and alter- they’re not alone. Over 1,000 people native facts, trust seems to be harder wrote comments on Facebook and and harder to come by. Where do Instagram, and I read every one. It you put your trust these days? helped me through that tough time. I try to think critically, and I look to Sometimes being real with others also people whose opinions and morals I helps you be more real with yourself. value. I try to avoid ingesting the tox- ins of so much social media, those This was while you were waiting for mistruths that are perpetuated by the knee surgery after an injury. How real fake news and alternative facts. did you hurt yourself? I was hiking on Haida Gwaii, on the Many people are feeling demoral- West Coast, and wiped out on a very ized about the state of the world simple trail. My foot got jammed right now. Are you able to maintain between a log and a rock, I fell with all your optimism? my weight and I heard two huge pops. I have to be grounded and calm to I thought I’d completely severed my find any goodness. More than opti- ACL [anterior cruciate ligament], but mism, I think it’s, Can you keep your the doctor told me it was just sprained, humanity during this time of uncer- so for five months I pretended my tainty and unrest? knee was okay. When I finally got an MRI, there were only, like, two threads I did read that you communed with a of it left. It was my first surgery, my first chipmunk on the Appalachian Trail. IV. My first painkillers! That seems hopeful, if a bit unusual. When I walked the trail in 2016, I lived What’s the recovery been like? That’s outdoors. I’d touch a tree and feel its got to be a psychological challenge strength, and I’d say, “Hey, you’re as well as a physical one. looking good, old guy!” Or I’d see a I’m not used to things not working. As chipmunk and be like, “Hey, little an athlete, you learn to love pain and brother!” Those experiences, with the metabolize it as energy, but when that self, with nature, with others—that’s sensation comes through injury and where meaning comes from. That’s is chronic … there’s no comparison. what I seek out.

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 37 RE ADER’ S DIG EST

don a wetsuit—Mercer is one of Cana- da’s most accessible political satirists.

6. MIKE HOLMES 2017 Proving he builds community as well TRUST POLL WINNERS as houses, the home-reno guru helped Our annual survey results Fort McMurray residents regroup after the devastation of last year’s wildfires.

1. DAVID SUZUKI 7. CLARA HUGHES At 81, the eco hero uses his own renew- The erstwhile Olympian channels grit, able resource—passion—to protect determination and vulnerability into Earth from its most intelligent species. her work as a mental-health advocate.

2. CHRIS HADFIELD 8. CÉLINE DION The musical astronaut keeps his feet on After the death of her the ground as he makes intergalactic husband, René Angélil, enigmas a little less alien. last year, the performer showed strength by griev- 3. PETER MANSBRIDGE ing openly at a public memorial— After three decades anchoring CBC’s a display of the emotional honesty The National, the journalist signs off that’s her stock-in-trade. with a love letter to Canada, delivering his final broadcast on July 1. 9. LISA LAFLAMME In an era of fake news, the CTV National 4. JUSTIN News anchor reports on world events TRUDEAU with insight and integrity. There’s a chasm between hopeful promises made 10. GORD DOWNIE on the campaign trail and The Tragically Hip frontman has always the reality of running a nation. Since he rooted his music in a love of this coun- took office in November 2015, our 23rd try. When he embarked on a farewell prime minister has worked to negotiate tour last year after being diag- that gap with aplomb—and a smile. nosed with terminal brain cancer, Canadians came 5. RICK MERCER together to let Downie Infusing his biting commentary with know just how much we

goofy humour—and a willingness to love him back. CUSHMAN CHLOE (ILLUSTRATIONS)

38 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca 11. KEVIN O’LEARY 16. PENNY OLEKSIAK As a TV personality, he’s known for his Before the 2016 Games in biting quips; as a candidate for the Con- Rio, the swimmer thought servative leadership, O’Leary is pitching she’d never win gold; himself as the smart business choice. 52.72 seconds and 100 metres later, she became 12. MARGARET ATWOOD Canada’s youngest-ever She may not be a soothsayer, but the Olympic champion. And at 16, she’s still CanLit stalwart uses her work to imag- growing—as a person and an athlete. ine possible futures—and to remind us to speak truth to power in the present. 17. CRAIG KIELBURGER The dynamo behind youth empower- 13. DARBY ALLEN ment outfit WE is committed to using The Fort McMurray fire enterprise as a force for social change. chief, who retired in Feb- ruary, fought the blaze 18. ELIZABETH MAY that forced 90,000 As the leader of the Green Party, May Albertans out of their looks out for the well-being of the citi- homes. His even keel ensured no lives zens of Canada and the land we live on. were lost, earning him the trust and gratitude of countless Canadians. 19. STUART MCLEAN When the host of CBC’s 14. SOPHIE GRÉGOIRE Vinyl Café died in February TRUDEAU at 68, the airwaves flooded Both a public figure and a down-to- with stories about how earth role model, Grégoire Trudeau much he’d meant to all draws on her own struggles to advo- those who’d been listening. cate for feminism and mental health. 20. RONA AMBROSE 15. ROMÉO DALLAIRE Ambrose is making her time as The former UN commander interim Conservative Party opened up about his experience leader count. She’s been a with PTSD, shedding light on a sharp critic of her opponents, battle fought by so many men leading some to dub her the and women in our military. best prime minister we will never have.

With the help of news monitoring and informal surveys, Reader’s Digest selected a long list of 25 prominent Canadians from a variety of fields. The criteria for selection included holding important responsibilities and/or influence over public life and opinion. We then commissioned Ipsos Reid to conduct an independent poll of 1,200 English-speaking Canadians. Respondents were asked to choose the five people they trusted the most from the long list. Their answers were weighted to make the survey sample reflect Canada’s current demographic makeup according to the latest census.

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 39 DIABETES PREVENTING that affects one in how to and how know about the condition What you BY manage your own ANNEMULLENS five Canadians— need to

risk

MASTERFILE HEALTH

“YOUR BLOOD SUGAR IS TOO HIGH. diabetes. His father had died at 70 You have pre-diabetes.” When Gail from kidney failure caused by the Tudor heard her doctor say that dur- disease; his brother had a leg ampu- ing a regular checkup in July 2015, tated at 45 because of it. Diagnosed the 55-year-old wedding videog- with pre-diabetes 25 years earlier, rapher was shocked. How was that Linnhoff had tried his best to follow possible? Her body mass index was his doctor’s advice on diet and exer- in the healthy range, and her diet cise, but still his weight climbed. was low in fat and high in fruit, veg- etables and grains. Tudor, who lives in Wales, was also active—she skated, walked, kayaked and more. Since she THE CONDITION IS already exercised often, her doctor ON THE RISE: DIABETES said, it was unlikely she could reverse CANADA PREDICTS A her path to type 2 diabetes. There’s 44 PER CENT INCREASE no singular cause of pre-diabetes, so IN NATIONAL DIABETES pinpointing what led to her condition INCIDENCE BY 2025. wasn’t possible. She was offered a treatment plan that included drugs, and learned she’d In January 2015, he was feeling likely need to take them for the rest of so fatigued that he went for a blood her life. “I couldn’t believe i t ,” she says. test. The results showed his fast- Tudor was determined to learn if ing blood glucose was in the range there was anything else she could do of severe diabetes. “I stayed up all to prevent diabetes without resorting night, searching the Internet for to medication—she didn’t want to treatment suggestions,” he says. “My depend on it permanently. father and brother had failed to con- Retired engineer Frank Linnhoff, trol their diabetes; I couldn’t have 69, who lives near Bordeaux, France, the same f a t e .” knew that his obesity and family hist- In August 2015, at age 57, I, too, ory put him at high risk of type 2 was told that my fasting blood

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 41 READER ’S D IGEST sugar was in the pre-diabetes range. If pre-diabetes progresses to type Like Tudor, my BMI was also in the 2 diabetes, it can lead to heart dis- healthy range. I exercised three times ease, stroke, blindness, nerve dam- a week, walked 10,000 steps each day, age, kidney damage and even limb and I had maintained healthy eating amputations. What’s more, harm to habits for three decades. What more the body’s tissues and blood vessels could I do? can start well before full-blown type I immediately started to research. 2 diabetes develops. Pre-diabetes, I learned, affects, on Still, there is some good news: pre- average, an alarming one in five diabetes is reversible with lifestyle Canadians. With almost 50 per cent changes—sometimes you just have of pre-diabetics expected to develop to move beyond the obvious tech- type 2 diabetes itself, Diabetes Can- niques. In fact, Tudor, Linnhoff and I, ada projects a 44 per cent rise in along with thousands of others, have national diabetes incidence by 2025. all taken control of our pre-diabetes since our 2015 diagnoses. Here’s what you need to know about the condition. PREDIABETES IS REVERSIBLE WITH Who Is at Risk? LIFESTYLE CHANGES— Being overweight or obese, inactive SOMETIMES YOU HAVE or from a family with a history of type TO MOVE BEYOND THE 2 diabetes increaces your risk of get- OBVIOUS TECHNIQUES. ting pre-diabetes. Women, like Tudor, who have had gestational diabetes (a type that affects women during When a person develops pre- pregnancy) are at much higher risk of diabetes, an increasingly high eventually developing pre-diabetes amount of insulin—a hormone that or type 2 diabetes. So are women who moves sugar out of the blood and have given birth to a baby weighing into cells for energy use or storage more than nine pounds—as I did 23 as fat—is churned out into the body, years ago. and the hormone becomes less I also had a related health issue that effective. When too much sugar is up to 10 per cent of women develop: left circulating in the body, blood- a genetic, hormonal condition called sugar levels rise, and if they stay high, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), there’s a heightened risk that the which causes lowered fertility, poten- person will develop type 2 diabetes. tial weight gain and other symptoms.

42 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca A key feature of PCOS, just like dia- of people, like Tudor, Linnhoff and betes, is insulin resistance. me, have lost weight and cut their “Insulin’s action is the k e y ,” notes risk of developing diabetes by phas- Dr. Jason Fung, a Canadian nephrol- ing out sugar and refined or starchy ogist based in Scarborough, Ont. carbohydrates (such as bread, pota- Fung’s 2016 book, The Obesity Code, toes, rice and cakes) and instead eat- explains that insulin activity, insulin ing more healthy fat (found in foods resistance and the stress hormone like plain Greek yogourt, nuts, fish cortisol are major hormonal triggers and eggs). to type 2 diabetes and obesity. To During digestion, all carbohydrates reverse them, you need to address get turned into sugars, which cause those triggers, Fung says. the release of insulin. So, accord- ing to Fung, reducing carb intake to 100 grams a day or less lowers the amount of sugar in the blood—and the need for insulin to respond to it. Doing so ultimately helps resensitize us to insulin. At the same time, compared to other food groups, fats have the low- est impact on insulin release. A 2016 study published in The Lancet Dia- betes & Endocrinology journal also found that a high-fat Mediterranean diet (which includes fish, vegetables, cheese, nuts and olive oil) didn’t lead Weight Loss Is Key to weight gain—in fact, men and It’s long been known that drop- women who were instructed to eat a ping five to 10 per cent of your body higher-fat diet lost more weight and weight can reverse pre-diabetes—for inches from their waists than their as long as it’s kept off. But short-term counterparts who were asked to stick dieting isn’t the answer: most diets to a low-fat one. are hard to maintain, and regain- For almost a decade, Swedish GP ing kilograms is common. With the Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt has been coun- weight gain usually comes the return selling his pre-diabetes, type 2 dia- of high blood-sugar readings. betes and obese patients to switch But here is the new, somewhat to a low-carb/high-fat (LCHF) diet.

MASTERFILE controversial, approach: thousands “In weeks and months, they got

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 43 READER ’S D IGEST better, their diabetes reversed advocated carbohydrate restriction and they could get off drugs,” says as the first approach to managing Eenfeldt, who in 2007 started a diabetes and pre-diabetes in an arti- non-commercial Swedish web- cle published in the journal Nutrition. site, dietdoctor.com, which Tudor, Linnhoff and I have all used. Tudor started the LCHF approach in July 2015; 10 months later, she had lost more than six kilograms, and her blood sugar had returned to healthy ranges. Today, she says she’s in bet- ter health than ever before: her pre- diabetes is under control, and she’s lost around five per cent of her body fat. Similarly, seven months after starting the diet in 2015, I had lost four kilograms and my blood glu- cose returned to normal. Linnhoff also saw results: while he is still pre- More Than Just Food diabetic, he’s lost more than nine Nutrition isn’t everything. Other life- kilograms, and his blood sugar has style changes can help you maintain dropped closer to a healthy level. blood-glucose control, experts say. His dietary adjustments, along with Exercise is crucial, since our mus- the adoption of a more active life- cles absorb glucose in the blood. The style—Linnhoff enjoys cycling and more we move them, the more they dancing—has led to a sense of well- soak up. It doesn’t have to be train- being. “I felt so bad in January 2015,” ing for a marathon. Tudor, who uses he says. “I never thought that just a a home blood-glucose monitor, has year later I would feel so wonderful.” noticed that all she needs to do is walk LCHF isn’t guaranteed to work for around her house or up and down her everyone. No long-term studies have stairs to bring her blood-sugar levels yet been published, and most coun- down a few points. Most experts rec- tries’ diabetes associations are taking ommend 30 minutes of low-stress a wait-and-see approach. But med- movement daily—try to fit in a brisk ical experts and a growing body of walk if you’re unable to keep your research endorse the diet as safe and body moving with other activities. effective. In January 2015, for exam- Getting more rest also helps. In

ple, 26 international medical experts recent years, the link between poor ISTOCKPHOTO

44 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca Give diabetes a VOICE Join the conversation Raise your hand.

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A community-based In collaboration initiative led by: with: R EADER’S DIGEST sleep quality, insomnia and sleep “Reducing stress is vitally important,” deprivation have all emerged as risk notes Fung, who suggests mindful- factors for both weight gain and an ness meditation, yoga and massage. increased risk of diabetes. Getting I was fortunate. I immediately seven to eight hours of good-quality comprehended the dangers of pre- slumber reduces the risk. diabetes and treated my diagnosis as a wake-up call. Since October 2015, I’ve focused on making lifestyle changes: restricting carbs and sugar REDUCING STRESS in my diet, lifting weights, walking IS VITALLY IMPORTANT, everywhere and getting a good SAYS DR. JASON night’s sleep. While I went off LCHF FUNG. TRY MINDFULNESS for two months starting in Decem- MEDITATION, YOGA ber 2016 and gained back some of AND MASSAGE. the weight I’d previously lost, I cur- rently weigh five kilograms less than I did before I changed my diet. I Finally, make sure to find time to bought a blood-glucose monitor and relax. Stress increases cortisol in the check my blood sugar regularly. I am body, which can, in turn, raise blood- now always in the healthy range. In sugar levels. Over time, this may fact, I actually feel lucky that I got increase insulin resistance or lead that pre-diabetes scare: it has helped to abdominal weight gain, heighten- me avoid type 2 diabetes and has ing the risk of developing diabetes. improved my health overall.

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46 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca “Less bulky bladder protection means more dresses like this.”

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© 2017 P&G Three prominent Canadians reflect on life-changing lessons they learned from the women who raised them

FROM READER’S DIGEST, MAY 2002 HAND LETTERING BY MARLENE SILVEIRA RD VAULT

Finding My Voice Before we came to Canada in 1951, when I was three, my parents and I spent a year at a refugee camp in Aus- tria. We had fled what was then called Czechoslovakia, where the Commun- ists were expropriating everything. My parents had already lost their live- lihood once, to the Nazis. Mummy was liberated out of Bergen-Belsen and spent the years after the war try- ing to find her family, only to discover she was the sole survivor. She met my father in a small town outside Prague. Hana Gartner: “With her ferocious faith They married and had me in 1948. in me, Mummy had opened a door.” When we arrived in Montreal, every- thing we owned was contained in come out of my shell, so she signed me an army trunk and a couple of army up for classes at the Montreal Chil- blankets. Mummy bought an old sew- dren’s Theatre. That’s where I found ing machine and scraps of inexpensive my voice. With her ferocious faith in material and, using patterns in maga- me, Mummy had opened a door. zines, taught herself to sew. Her hands Although she was an educated were always going, making something. woman, I never heard my mother For pennies, she would look terrific. say “This is what I gave up for you.” She learned English by singing along She was always there for my younger to the hit parade as she worked. brother and me. When I sat in the For me, high school was a lonely kitchen with her, I felt safe. When she

RABIN/CBC NEWS RABIN/CBC DUSTIN time. My mother worried that I’d never made soup or sewed a ballet costume

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 49 READER ’S D IGEST for me, it was all a gift, a labour of father, on sabbatical from teaching, love. She wanted to make us happy. was completing a fine arts degree. I For a long time, I had a framed pic- learned that I had been accepted into ture hanging in my kitchen that said: a master class with Julian Bream, one “Put your heart into it.” I grew up with of the world’s top guitarists. that phrase. Mummy taught that les- But studying under Bream meant son by example, and it has become leaving my parents and going to my own work ethic. live in Stratford, Ont. When she saw me off, my mother said, “Enjoy the Hana Gartner was a host of CBC’s The experience, and learn as much as you Fifth Estate until she retired in 2011. She is currently completing an interdisciplin- can.” Then she gave me a hug that ary master’s thesis at York University in relaxed the knot in my stomach and Toronto on interspecies communication. calmed my fears of being on my own. In my early 20s, I set off to Paris to take private lessons. To raise the money, I gave guitar lessons and Embracing Risk did some performances around my On my first day of high school, in Toronto neighbourhood. My mother Toronto in 1962, I discovered that you had taught me to be self-reliant—to weren’t allowed to enroll in both art never take handouts but to enjoy the and music—you had to choose one or satisfaction of feeling as though I had the other. I complained to my parents, earned something. She also taught “This is terrible! I want to take art, and I’m really intrigued by music!” My mother was indignant. She’d been an art teacher and had taught me to play the recorder. She marched up to the school. “My daughter is going to be an artist,” she told the principal. “She needs to sign up for art and music!” Incredibly, the school bent its rules. And I learned from my mother that you have to fight for what you believe will be of lasting value. My mother also taught me to take risks—to not fear the unknown. When I was 17, my family lived in San Liona Boyd: “She gave me a hug that

Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where my relaxed the knot in my stomach.” DON DIXON

50 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca me that I shouldn’t always follow the trend. When I was invited to be the opening act for Gordon Lightfoot on one of his tours some years later, I didn’t know whether I should. I was coming from the pure classical trad- ition, and this gig meant playing arenas in front of thousands. I knew that lots of people in the classical world would be horrified. I called my mother from San Fran- cisco. “What do I do?” I asked. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained,” she replied. So I decided it Simon Whitfield: “After I won, she said, was worth the risk, and it proved to ‘Now this is your opportunity. Use it.’” be a move that led to other concerts. Many people wrote to say that those Chasing Dreams performances helped them discover My mother has always been involved classical music. in early-childhood education. As I Over the years, my mother accom- was growing up, I often watched in panied me on many of my own tours awe as she set the scene for children abroad, and together, we would to experience the joy of physical head out to get a feel for a country. activity, getting them excited and In India, we spontaneously took a ready to learn. boat down the Ganges River and a Mum was so proud of me after I rickshaw into the red-light district in won the triathlon at the 2000 Olym- Kolkata. My mother has an adventur- pics in Australia, but before the dust ous spirit, and I inherited that from settled, she grabbed me and said: her. Life is fleeting. You have to make “Now this is your opportunity. Use every day count. it.” She wasn’t speaking from an eco- nomic standpoint; she was talking

Liona Boyd is a world-famous classical about the importance of my being a guitarist. Her latest album shares a title role model, encouraging kids to fol- with her forthcoming autobiography: low their dreams. No Remedy for Love. One song on the Since the 2000 Olympics, I have album, “Thank You for the Life You Gave to Me,” is dedicated to her mother. She visited more than 100 schools. I talk debuted it at a surprise party for her to the kids about “living a life less

CHRISTOPHER STENBERG CHRISTOPHER mother’s 90th birthday in 2015. ordinary,” a concept passed on to

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 51 R EADER’S DIG EST me by my parents—the idea of never of its huge wheels, cheering for me. I being mediocre. I also touch on the find it sad when people say their par- need to set goals: short-term goals, ents have never seen them compete. such as doing well on a math test or When I was at the University of perfecting a piece of music; and long- New South Wales in Australia, I com- term goals, like becoming an elite ath- pleted only one semester and then lete or being in a band. I tell them that decided to drop out so I could race what you believe, you will achieve. professionally full-time. Mum was the first person I called. It was a ner- vous moment. I wasn’t sure how she AS I RAN BY A BIG would react. I said: “Mum, I have this opportun- DUMP TRUCK, I SAW ity, and I think I’m going to take it. MY MOTHER What do you think?” STANDING ON ONE OF She was as supportive as ever. If I ITS HUGE WHEELS, thought that was the best thing for CHEERING FOR ME. me to do, I should do it, she said. It turned out to be a good decision. Supporting your children, trusting When I played hockey and soccer their decisions, giving well-thought- as a kid in Kingston, Ont., my mother out advice—those are definitely came to every game—not to pressure important qualities. me but to support me. One of my favourite -related memories was Simon Whitfield is a four-time Olympian when I was running in the Canadian who was Canada’s flag bearer at the 2012 Olympics in London. Now an advocate Triathlon Championships in Winni- for sports and healthy living, Whitfield peg. As I ran by a big dump truck, I was inducted into the Canadian Triathlon saw my mother standing on top of one Hall of Fame in 2014.

HOLD THAT PUNCHLINE!

If you want your dreams to be as fascinating to other people as they are to you, don’t mention it’s a dream until the end of the story.

ALEXA KOCINSKI, writer

52 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca Laughter THE BEST MEDICINE

A GORILLA WALKS INTO a bar and orders a martini. Amazed, THE BEST JOKE the bartender thinks, What the I EVER TOLD heck, I guess I might as well make BY TODD GRAHAM the drink. As he hands the martini over, the Another term for camping should animal holds out a $20 bill. be “arguing outside.” The bartender accepts the cash You can follow Toronto comedian and decides to test his unusual cus- Todd Graham on Instagram or tomer’s intellect. He only gives the Twitter @idiotgallant. ape a dollar in change. The gorilla silently begins to sip his drink. “You know,” the bartender says, “we don’t get too many gorillas in here.” The gorilla replies, “At $19 a drink, I’m not surprised.” sunnyskyz.com

EYE OF THE BEHOLDER Who is this Rorschach guy, and why did he paint so many pictures of my parents fighting? Comedian ROB DENBLEYKER I haven’t slept for 10 days, because that would be too long. REGIONAL RULES Comedian MITCH HEDBERG CANADIAN: Spell colour. AMERICAN: No, you spell color. Send us your original jokes! You could CANADIAN: U. earn $50 and be featured in the magazine. AMERICAN: No U. @FRO_VO See page 8 or rd.ca/joke for details.

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 53 DRAMA IN REAL LIFE

54 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca On a tarmac in Jamaica, an armed man takes a plane’s crew and 159 passengers hostage. Now it’s up to a pair of young flight attendants to save them all. CANJET FLIGHT

BY NICHOLAS HUNE-BROWN ILLUSTRATION BY STEVEN P. HUGHES918 READER ’S D IGEST

ON THE NIGHT of Sunday, April 19, placed the gun’s muzzle against the 2009, Sangster International Airport pilot’s throat. “I am God,” he said. was quiet. The flow of vacationers “I like to take lives.” that pass through the busy portal to Jamaica’s north coast had slowed to CAROLINA SANTIZO ARRIOLA, 28, a trickle as passengers boarded the had been a flight attendant for just final flight out of Montego Bay. over six months, always taking same- CanJet flight 918 was a double-stop day flights and returning home to flight from Halifax, taking on and let- Toronto each night to care for her ting off passengers in Jamaica before seven-year-old son, Thomas. It was a continuing to Cuba, then heading back tough job for a single mother, but San- to Nova Scotia, where the now-defunct tizo Arriola always thought back to her low-cost charter airline was based. Just first months in Canada, when she’d after 10 p.m., as the last few passengers arrived from Guatemala as a six-year- snaked toward the screening area, a old who didn’t know a single word of lanky figure appeared among the tour- English. If she could survive that, she ists. Handsome and young, wearing told herself, she could survive any- shorts and loafers, the man looked like thing. She’d never worked a red-eye any other well-to-do Jamaican. When before, but that week she agreed to security guards asked him to walk cover a sick colleague’s shift, leaving through the metal detector, however, her son with her parents. he refused. He hitched up his shirt to As the plane waited at Montego reveal a gleam of silver, then pulled out Bay, Santizo Arriola was mid-cabin a .38 revolver and sprinted toward the handing out customs forms when she gate where the Boeing 737 sat waiting. heard a commotion up front. A pas- Onboard, eight crew members and senger came racing back, alarmed, 159 unsuspecting passengers were and told her there was a man with a already seated when the gunman gun on board. entered. The pilot, Captain James Santizo Arriola stared in stunned Murphy, came out of the cockpit silence. It felt like something out of a to investigate, and flight attendant movie. As she moved forward, how- Heidi Tofflemire and co-pilot Glenn ever, she saw the cockpit was closed Johnson locked the door behind him, and a tall young man with a wild look sealing off the flight deck. When the in his eyes was holding a gun to Mur- man announced that he needed to phy’s neck. She didn’t know what to leave Jamaica that night, Murphy lied do, but she knew she couldn’t leave and said the plane still needed to be her co-worker, a father and a hus- refuelled. That’s when the hijacker band, with the gunman.

56 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca As a flight attendant, Santizo Arri- was convinced he needed to refuel ola had been taught to always smile. the plane, and to get fuel he needed When a passenger is being difficult, money. Seeing an opportunity, San- smile. When you’ve dropped a tray tizo Arriola made a suggestion. “The of glasses on the floor, just beam and passengers, they have a lot of money,” pretend everything’s okay. And so, she said to Fray, and suggested he without fully realizing it, she broke release them in exchange for what out in her friendliest grin as she they had in their wallets. approached the gunman. Fray agreed. “I like you,” he told Santizo Arriola. Releasing Murphy, he made the flight attendant his new hostage, putting the gun to her head. THE PETITE Then he demanded the captain leave 26YEAROLD WAS NOW the plane to tell officials they needed THE MOST SENIOR fuel. Murphy lingered by the aircraft CREW MEMBER IN THE entrance, unwilling to disembark, so CABIN. SHE WARILY Fray fired his gun toward the door, STEPPED FORWARD. the bullet just missing the pilot, who escaped down the ramp. Santizo Arriola suddenly found The gunman smiled back. Later, herself in the role of chief negotiator she would learn he was Stephen Fray, with an armed hijacker. Worried that the 21-year-old son of a respected people were trying to escape through Jamaican businessman. She would the rear door, Fray demanded she have time to wonder what had hap- use the intercom to call the back of pened to the young man with such the plane. He wanted another flight promise, a kid who had gone to good attendant to come forward to tell him schools and run on the track team. what the passengers were doing. Was he on drugs? Mentally ill? At the moment, all she saw was someone NICOLE ROGERS HAD become a flight who was panicking. Her instincts told attendant hoping for a life of excite- her that the best hope for everyone on ment. The Nova Scotia native had board was to get Fray to calm down. always liked to travel, and the job Fray told Santizo Arriola he wanted promised cosmopolitan glamour. But billions of dollars. He demanded the her year and a half in the air had given pilot fly him to the Middle East, then her little chance to see the world. And the United States, then Cuba. Before after hundreds of trips, she’d never he could go anywhere, however, he encountered anything more dramatic

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 57 READER ’S D IGEST than a peeved customer or a flight travellers made their way forward, delay—until that night. dropping cash into a bag proffered With the in-charge flight attendant by Santizo Arriola, who still had the and the co-pilot locked in the cock- gun’s muzzle pressed to her neck. pit and the captain off the plane, The bag quickly became full, bills that left Rogers, Santizo Arriola, a scattering across the floor. security contractor and two other Within an hour of the hijacker’s flight attendants—Tony Bettencourt arrival, the flight attendants had and Anu Goswami, a terrified young managed to get each of the 159 pas- woman on her first shift. It also sengers out safely. Now, as Fray meant that Rogers, a petite 26-year- demanded they close the cabin door, old, was now the most senior crew the five remaining members of the member in the cabin. When the crew were alone, locked on the plane phone rang and the request came with the man with the gun. to move to the front, Rogers warily stepped forward. REVEREND COURTNEY WALTERS had just arrived home when his phone rang. A couple of years earlier, as part of an effort to boost security before IF THE COMMANDOS the Cricket World Cup in Jamaica, WERE FORCED TO the 49-year-old police chaplain and TAKE FRAY OUT, protestant minister had taken hos- WHAT WOULD HAPPEN tage training from a former FBI agent. TO THE PEOPLE ON Now the police determined that he BOARD THE PLANE? was the best person in Montego Bay to talk down the gunman. As Walters drove to the airport, As she approached, she made the he was nervous. He had done some same calculation as Santizo Arriola. simulations, but how would a real- They would do what flight attend- life hostage taker react? ants do: treat their difficult passen- No hijacker had ever held up an ger calmly but firmly. They would airplane on Jamaican soil. The rev- take charge and get these people off erend was led to the air traffic con- the plane. trol tower, where police and military Rogers instructed the passengers officers had a command centre. The to exit. “Leave everything behind,” Jamaica Defence Force’s counter- she yelled. “Grab your cash, put it in terrorism squad was flying in from the bag and get off the plane!” The Kingston to manage the situation.

58 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca In 2013, Carolina Santizo Arriola (left) and Nicole Foran—née Rogers—were awarded the Medal of Bravery and the Star of Courage, respectively, for their actions. Police wheeled a ramp next to the he’d placed on a storage container plane and ran a microphone out from facing the front row of seats, keeping the intercom in the cockpit, the only his revolver trained on her. direct line to the hijacker. Walters If she could make the gunman climbed up, ready to negotiate. see her humanity, Santizo Arriola Fray wasn’t interested. He swore reasoned, she would have a better at the reverend and vowed to kill chance of survival. And so, over the crew members. Walters had been next eight hours, as Walters contin- taught to make a connection with ued to try to negotiate, and the police the hostage taker, but the more he and army devised a plan to storm the spoke with the erratic young man, plane, she talked to him and asked the more he worried that reasoning him questions. At times, Fray opened with him might not be possible. Fray up to her. His parents were divorced, had established that he wasn’t afraid he said, showing her a picture of him- to open fire. If they were forced to self as a kid with his father. take him out, what would happen But as the night wore on, Fray to the people on board? grew agitated and angry. Frustrated that his demands for fuel kept being FRAY GATHERED THE remaining five delayed, he instructed Santizo Arriola hostages in the front of the plane. He to open the cockpit door. She didn’t

(SANTIZO ARRIOLA) FRED LUM/THE GLOBE AND MAIL/CP IMAGES, (FORAN) THE CANADIAN PRESS/ANDREW VAUGHAN THE CANADIAN PRESS/ANDREW (FORAN) IMAGES, AND MAIL/CP GLOBE ARRIOLA) FRED LUM/THE (SANTIZO sat behind Santizo Arriola, whom know the security code, she told him.

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 59 READER ’S D IGEST

“I’m a single mom,” she said, hoping All through that interminable night, to draw on the bond they’d estab- the flight attendant had fixated on lished. “If you do something to me, one thought: how do I disarm this you’re going to leave my son alone.” maniac? Could she clock him with She felt the pistol against her the fire extinguisher? Hit him with head. “I don’t care,” said Fray. “I’ll luggage? Each time she’d dismissed kill you, and then I’ll find him and the idea as too risky. kill him, t o o.”

BY 6:30 A.M., the police were losing the advantage that came with the THE WOMEN SHARE cover of darkness. It was time for A UNIQUE BOND. TO them to make a move. STAND BESIDE From her seat, Rogers could see SOMEONE IN SUCH DIRE a shadowy figure moving across the CIRCUMSTANCES WAS tarmac. “Why aren’t you storming the TO TRULY KNOW THEM. plane?” she thought. Growing para- noid, Fray demanded the crew shut the blinds and turn off the lights. Now, as Fray brushed past, the Finally, he told each of them to take skirt over her head drooped slightly. an article of clothing from a carry-on Counterterrorist commandos burst suitcase and put it over their heads. in through the door, guns lowered Santizo Arriola’s heart sunk. She’d at Fray, who froze. Rogers seized her been convinced that if he could see chance. She took hold of the pistol her face, he wouldn’t be able to kill pressed against her, wrenched the her. Now it felt as if he was preparing gunman’s wrist toward the ceiling and them for their execution. twisted the weapon out of his hand. Suddenly, the cabin phone rang. “Gun, gun, gun, gun, gun!” yelled The co-pilot, Glenn Johnson, told Rogers, who reached across the aisle Fray that the plane had finally been and passed off the firearm to Santizo refuelled and was ready for takeoff. Arriola. After hours of being threat- He just needed him to check out the ened, Santizo Arriola needed more window to see if the fuel truck was than anything to escape the cabin. still attached. She handed over the gun to a com- Sitting in the dark with a skirt over mando, then she and Rogers grabbed her head, Rogers felt Fray squeeze hands and, ignoring the men yelling past to get to the window, pressing for everyone to get down, rushed out the muzzle of the gun to her shoulder. of the plane.

60 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca A FEW MONTHS later, Stephen Fray restaurant. Before that flight, they’d was put on trial and Rogers flew to been strangers, but the traumatic Jamaica to testify. “I wanted to show experience had forged a unique him I was fine, that what he did wasn’t bond. To stand beside someone in going to change my outlook,” says such a dire situation was to know Rogers, now married and going by them intimately. “We have a special Nicole Foran. “I wasn’t afraid of him.” place for each other in our hearts,” Fray’s lawyer pleaded insanity. In says Foran. “If she ever needs me, I’m the months leading to the hijack- there; if I ever need her, she’s there.” ing, Fray’s family said, he had been That night, each woman relived hearing voices and acting strangely. the hijacking with the one other The attempted hijacking had been a person who could fully understand. result of paranoid schizophrenia, the Flight 918 was Foran’s final trip as a voices in his head “programming” flight attendant. Life in the sky had him. The court rejected the defence lost its lustre; she got engaged soon and sentenced Fray to roughly 20 after and had two daughters. Santizo years in jail. Arriola married, too, and her son now In December 2013, four years has a sister. She went to therapy for after the most terrifying night of several years to work through her their lives, the two women went to post-traumatic stress, though she Ottawa for a ceremony to celebrate acknowledges the feeling may never their heroism. Governor General go away. “It’s not constant,” says San- David Johnston awarded Santizo tizo Arriola. “But it’s there.” Arriola the Medal of Bravery for Even so, she still works as a flight convincing the gunman to release attendant, smiling at passengers the passengers; Foran was given the who have no idea that the woman Star of Courage for disarming Fray. pouring them tea is a hero—the The evening before the ceremony, rookie flight attendant who talked the pair had dinner in an Ottawa down a hijacker.

MAKING CHANCES

Luck? I don’t know anything about luck. I’ve never banked on it and I’m afraid of people who do. Luck to me is something else: hard work—and realizing what is opportunity and what isn’t.

LUCILLE BALL

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 61 Exploring the legacy of smallpox in our country’s history—and the likelihood of another deadly epidemic The Speckled

MonsterBY CHRISTOPHER J. RUTTY FROM CANADA’S HISTORY KNOWLEDGE

IT’S BEEN MORE than nine decades since Canada had its last brush with a deadly smallpox epidemic. The dreaded disease broke out in south- western Ontario’s Windsor region in early 1924, killing nearly half of the 67 people infected. Canada had not seen such a serious smallpox out- break since 1885, when the illness swept Montreal, causing more than 3,100 deaths. “Today we have no conception of the meaning of the word ‘smallpox,’” wrote Dr. John Heagerty, of Canada’s Federal Public Health Service, in a booklet published shortly after the Windsor outbreak. “For us, the word has been robbed of its terrors, and we discuss the problem of smallpox in the community in a general and academic way.” Once doctors knew what they were dealing with, patients were quaran- tined. Within a week, most of the 70,000 people in the Windsor area were vaccinated, stopping the epi- demic—which in pre-vaccine days often meant death—in its tracks. Although eradicated in 1979, smallpox remains a threat today, either as a potential bioterrorist A photogravure—based on an 1879 painting by Georges Gaston Melingue— of early vaccination against smallpox.

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 63 READER ’S D IGEST weapon or as a virus inadvertently The earliest reported smallpox resurrected. In recent years, scien- epidemic in the Western Hemi- tists have even speculated that the sphere struck in the West Indies in virus could spread from a small Siber- 1507, likely introduced by Spanish ian village as global warming melts sailors. The Spanish importation of the permafrost and the frozen bodies African slaves who were infected of 18th-century victims of the disease with smallpox intensified the impact begin to thaw. of the disease, as did the fact that the indigenous people of what today is CHARACTERIZED AS the “speck- known as tended to led monster,” smallpox emerged be concentrated in cities (unlike their as a pandemic threat three million counter- in ancient East Asia, parts to the north, who then spread through were mostly nomadic the Middle East, India, WITHOUT and thinly dispersed). Africa and Europe. It A DOUBT, French and British is caused by two virus SMALLPOX settlers brought the types: variola major PLAYED A disease to the fledgling and the less severe MAJOR ROLE New France and New variola minor, which IN SAVING England colonies, fol- are transmitted lowed by Dutch traders through infected drop- CANADA FOR who would spread it THE BRITISH lets and contact with north and west. Small- PHOTO ALAMY STOCK infectious rashes and EMPIRE. pox began to shape blisters. It starts with Canada’s history in flu-like symptoms and 1616, when the disease proceeds to rashes and blisters that struck the Aboriginal population liv- appear first inside the mouth and ing near the St. Lawrence River trad- then on the skin. The blisters rup- ing post of Tadoussac. From there, ture, spew pus and eventually crust smallpox travelled to tribes in the over, leaving permanent scarring. Maritimes and near James Bay and Severe variola major cases can lead the Great Lakes. During the 1630s, to complications such as blindness, the disease had affected nearly and often death. The mortality rate every tribe in the Great Lakes ranges between 30 and 35 per cent region, and by 1636, the population but can be much higher, as it was in of the Huron north of Lake Ontario Windsor in 1924. Those who survive had been reduced by half. At about

have lifelong immunity. the same time, smallpox arrived / HISTORICAL EVERETT COLLECTION (PREVIOUS PAGE)

64 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca with British settlers in the Bos- ton Bay area, soon eliminating the majority of the Massachusetts tribes of the Algonquin nation—and clear- ing the way for settlement.

THE SPECKLED MONSTER would also play a major role in shaping the course and outcome of wars between the English and French for control of North America. In 1690, for example, New England troops and their First Nations allies were attempting to carry out a siege of Montreal and Quebec via Lake Champlain when smallpox outbreaks struck the forces. A Canadian smallpox case, circa 1909. Soon after the British conquest of New France in 1763, a new bio- As a result, British troops and logical weapon emerged in the small- Canadian residents north of the pox war. This weapon was known as St. Lawrence River were significantly smallpox variolation—a method of more immune to smallpox than the preventing the disease by exposing revolutionaries to the south were. people to it in a controlled man- When General George Washington ner. If a person acquired the disease launched his attack on Quebec in July through a scratch, they appeared to 1775, smallpox broke out among his develop a less severe variant than troops. The disease played a major those who were orally infected. role in saving Canada for the British Variolation was first used in Brit- Empire. And, while Washington did ish-held Quebec in 1765. By 1769, a eventually attempt to variolate his concerted effort had been launched troops in the Boston area, the effort among the prominent English and proved to be too little, too late. French families in Montreal and Quebec and also most of the British SMALLPOX IMMUNIZATION through troops. The Thirteen Colonies were variolation would continue in Brit- much slower to take up variolation, ish North America until the 1850s, widely restricting or banning the although this method would be sup- practice due to religious concerns planted by smallpox immunization

LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA/PA-181559 LIBRARY and medical and scientific mistrust. through vaccination, a more effective

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 65 READER ’S D IGEST approach developed by physician Todd, who had recently received Edward Jenner in Britain in 1796. a supply of vaccine from England, The first British North American guessed correctly that the disease Aboriginals were vaccinated in 1803, was smallpox. He immediately travelling hundreds of kilometres for inoculated 60 indigenous people, that purpose. In 1807, Jenner person- and he also taught them the tech- ally sent the Five Nations Indians at nique of arm-to-arm vaccination— Fort George a formal gift of his book when material from one person’s about vaccination to help explain vaccination lesion is removed and how it worked. used to vaccinate another person— Smallpox among First Nations was so that they could immunize others. of considerable con- Todd then sent vaccine cern to the traders of the to several HBC factors. Hudson’s Bay Company Over the next two (HBC) as they expanded NEARLY years, the company westward. A major epi- 14,000 PEOPLE, launched a massive vac- demic swept across the MOST OF THEM cination program with West from 1780 to 1782, INDIGENOUS, the goal of inoculating and HBC traders wit- DIED OF every person within its nessed its devastating SMALLPOX ON domain. HBC ended up impact. In 1837, a sec- serving as the de facto ond smallpox epidemic THE CANADIAN public health agency reached the Canadian WEST COAST across Western Canada prairies via the Missouri ALONE. during the late 18th and River. It was caused by early 19th centuries; its the arrival of an Amer- efforts would keep the ican Fur Company steamboat at a disease in check for several decades. major fur trade post on the present- day North Dakota–Montana border. THERE WAS A certain amount of A deckhand ill with smallpox left the vaccine resistance in Canada dur- ship, rapidly infecting nearby indig- ing the mid- to late-19th century, enous people who came to trade. but it was focused largely within By September, word of the spread the French-Canadian community in of “some bad disease” reached Quebec. Opposition was driven as Dr. William Todd, a surgeon and the much by tensions in English-French HBC chief factor of the Swan River relations as by medical concerns. For district, near the present-day bor- instance, anglophone factory owners der of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. advocated compulsory vaccination

66 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca for their French-Canadian workers, World Health Organization’s cam- leading some francophones to view paign to eliminate the disease from vaccination as a race weapon. the planet. It was officially declared Further west, in the colonies of eradicated in 1979. British Columbia and Vancouver With the end of smallpox came the Island, yet another scenario played end of mass smallpox vaccination out. In 1862–63, smallpox reached an programs. Connaught Laboratories area known as the northern encamp- in Toronto began the process of clos- ment, where coastal First Nations had ing its smallpox vaccine production settled. Since they had had no previ- facility. A set of 15 vaccinia pulps, ous exposure to smallpox, the illness the primary ingredient for making spread rapidly. Colonists responded the vaccine, was put in deep-freeze by pressing for measures designed to storage, along with the seed virus. A insulate themselves from the infected final shutdown was scheduled and Native peoples. Many Victoria resi- included plans for the incineration dents took advantage of the situation of the remaining materials. to clear the area, and the Tsimshian, In September 1980, however, Songhees, Stikenes and Haida people Connaught’s medical director, Dr. living in the northern encampments E.W. Pearson, recommended that were evicted. Those who fled dis- the frozen pulps be saved, just in persed to their coastal homelands, case. They went undisturbed for spreading smallpox. the next 21 years. Then came the Nearly 14,000 people, most of them terrorist attacks of September 11, indigenous, died of smallpox on the 2001, which led to concerns about coast alone. smallpox being used as a bioterror- Ultimately, as anthropologist and ist weapon. historian Robert Boyd has stressed in Canada has used the stored pulps his book The Coming of the Spirit of to create a new smallpox vaccine Pestilence, smallpox “served as a final stockpile. The Canadian Public blow to the Native peoples of British Health Agency has a contingency Columbia and paved the way for the plan in place should a new outbreak colonization of their lands by peoples occur. This is a good thing—since of European descent.” much of the world’s population is now as vulnerable to smallpox as IN THE 20  century, Canadian sci- Canada’s indigenous population entists played significant roles in the was 400 years ago.

FROM “A POX ON OUR NATION,” BY CHRISTOPHER J. RUTTY. CANADA’S HISTORY (FEBRUARY/MARCH 2015), CANADASHISTORY.CA

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 67 out tion part. ably My returning permanently to minutes before disintegrating and They 68 AS to pushed back 69-centthose gliders that balsa-wood parachute-clad toy allthings airborne.with Frisbees, Toronto soar I When A flight fixation ran with an equally flight- anequally with | the in-flight without disintegra- soared YOUNG BOY 05 like gliders—but those prefer-

inthe1970s, I •

2017 was beautifully for about the frontiers offragility. | 12,I rd.ca GROWING started hanging started I deep: soldiers and soldiers was theearth. obsessed obsessed wanted

up in six

he’d ers. utes studiously researching glid- Lilienthal, inthelate competitor,and theirGerman Otto designed by up, by classmate, Geoff. As rumour to and Idecided Roger dynamics came exclusively from own (and itwasn’t a Our leaping offtheroof Geoff and I Geoff We hang-glider—and test-fly it, a tested collective knowledge collective of aero- Ramjet carefully theclassics noted homemade parachute the Wright brothers cartoons. To bungalow). So design and build our spent 19thcentury. several min- ofhishouse had it, had bone Geoff too.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TERRY FALLIS DEPARTMENT OF WIT

As one-time wannabe Wright brother Terry Fallis writes, you have to risk falling to be able to soar Flight of Fantasy We considered the modern models series. Yes, series. An idea this good that dominated the sport of hang- merited more than one model. gliding—and then we designed a We agreed to pool our babysitting hang-glider that bore absolutely no money—$21.34 between us—and resemblance to any of them. We just rode the bus to the lumberyard. thought ours looked better. I’m sure history is rife with break- Next came the most important throughs financed by babysitting task: to come up with a cool name. gigs, but I just can’t think of any right We cycled through all the great soar- now. We returned home with glue, ing birds. The eagle? Too American. a box of screws and 100-plus feet of The condor? Too ugly up close. The pine one-by-twos. turkey vulture? Um, no. We built Falcon 1 in my backyard. After a longer deliberation than At school, shop class wasn’t exactly we’d committed to designing the my strong suit, and neither Geoff glider itself, we settled on the Falcon nor I was familiar with the “measure

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 69 READER ’S D IGEST twice, cut once” maxim, so two more of students, a few teachers and my trips to the lumberyard were required entire family headed to the launch before Falcon 1 took shape. My site. I lost the toss and became the mother even chipped in, sewing blue Falcon 1’s inaugural test pilot. Geoff rayon wing panels. seemed relieved. We introduced two significant I donned my hockey helmet and innovations in our design. The first mouthguard—safety first—and stood was ailerons, or wing flaps, so we at the top of a steep hill. As I hyper- could dip and bank in flight. They ventilated and hummed the theme were activated by levers and string from Rocky, six classmates strained that passed through a maze of pulleys. to lift the contraption. Then I was We were unconcerned off and running, very that to operate the nearly buckling under ailerons, we’d have to the weight of Falcon 1. let go of the glider. We AS I HUMMED When the wind caught had a solution for that: THE THEME the wings, I prepared the second innovation, FROM ROCKY, to climb into the sky a sling seat. Rather than SIX FRIENDS and bank to my right to hanging by our scrawny STRAINED TO give the photographer arms, we were to sit in LIFT THE HANG- the perfect shot. But my a loop of rope located GLIDER. THEN feet simply wouldn’t below the glider’s I WAS OFF leave the ground, and wings. I wish I was mak- AND RUNNING. I collapsed under the ing this up, but I’m not. glider’s weight. Several weeks later, Strangely enough, Falcon 1 rested in our three more sprints backyard. It was as aerodynamic as from the top yielded similar results. an anvil and slightly heavier, but to Through it all, the photographer us, it looked like it would fly forever. happily snapped away, providing an We hadn’t been shy about our little incontrovertible record of Falcon 1’s foray into aviation. The whole school earthbound test “flights.” knew about the test flight we’d sched- Geoff and I were bruised, but not uled in the park down the street. We’d discouraged. We went on to build Fal- even attracted the attention of the con 2 and 3, which, incidentally, were official photographer from the Board just as airworthy as Falcon 1. The only of Education (now the Toronto Dis- thing that ever took flight was the trict School Board), who was there to unfettered optimism of youth. And we record the momentous flight. Dozens loved every minute of it.

70 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca As Kids See It

“Don’t think of it as learning. Think of it as a software upgrade.”

AGES AND STAGES WEEKEND REST My four-year-old grandson, Caleb, “Sleeping in” as a parent is mostly was telling me about his neighbour’s just listening to your kids as they try new cat. The pet seemed like a kitten, to “whisper.” @YENNIWHITE based on his description of its antics. “How old is the cat?” I asked. WHEN I GET HOME from work, I My grandson replied, “Not very like to read a magazine while having old, because it doesn’t even go to a bite to eat. My three-year-old school y e t .” granddaughter, Olive, will often MARGARET PETERSON, White Rock, B.C. come and sit on my lap while I do so. One day, my daughter saw us I REALIZED THAT my five-year-old together and asked Olive what she grandson had been watching too was doing. The youngster answered, much reality TV the day we attended “I’m hanging out with your dad!” a relative’s wedding. LEONARD ADAMS, Red Deer, Alta. As the four bridesmaids walked down the aisle toward the front of the Do you spend your day with hilarious VRIES

E children? Tell us about them! A story church, he leaned in and asked, “Is could earn you $50. For details on how this where the groom decides which to submit an anecdote, see page 8 or

D CONAN one he wants to marry?” gcfl.net visit rd.ca/joke.

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 71 HEART

On falling in love with birds and discovering other lessons in insignificance WHAT IS WORTH

SINGING ABOUT?

BY KYO MACLEAR ADAPTED FROM BIRDS ART LIFE

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 73 READER ’S D IGEST

THE BIRDS WERE SUDDENLY EVERYWHERE. I could hear them in the trees and tucked in the eaves of our house: idle choirs chattering and trilling. A hawk perched high above the ice rink while I was skating with my two young sons one afternoon. I spied a flock of migrating geese through a skylight while I did the backstroke in a YMCA pool. It moved like a giant cursor across the white flatness of the sky.

One evening in early December would see on a greeting card or in a 2012, I returned from visiting my glossy bird calendar. father at the Toronto General Hospi- These specimens lived in gardens tal, where he was recovering from a of steel, glass, concrete and electri- stroke, and curled up on the couch in city. There were birds on tacky stucco my composer-husband’s studio. My walls, rebar bundles, giant forged husband, David, played a track he had nails and wire fences. There was no made for a documentary directed by doubt that they were of, rather than Alan Zweig titled 15 Reasons to Live, above, the mess and grit and trash of based on a book by Ray Robertson. the world. The film was divided into 15 stories, The message in the photos wasn’t loosely representing the chapters in the usual one about environmental the book, that tackle the question of sins or planetary end times. The mes- what makes life worth living. sage, if it could be called that, was Halfway through, a 30-something about love—a love for the imperfect Toronto musician who went by the and struggling. It was a love for the name Jack Breakfast appeared in the dirty, plain, beautiful, funny places segment titled “Meaning.” After years many of us call home. of wallowing in creative depression, My heart beat a little faster looking Jack had quit drinking and found at them, at the birds and the space peace by birding in the city. “I didn’t around them. even have to think about it. I just felt I had grown solitary as the only easier. I felt easy-hearted,” he said. child of two aging immigrants who He had discovered his joy was had fled their homelands for a con- bird-shaped. tinent devoid of family, who sat on I looked at Jack’s avian photo- the land like two potted plants rather graphs on his website. It was an than trees in soil. I had grown solitary extensive and odd collection. They as a writer whose craft demanded my

were not the sorts of pictures you separation from others. Is that what MASTERFILE (PREVIOUS PAGES)

74 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca I saw in the space around the birds? through dark, dewy forests or observ- My own solitude? ing tide pools. I had many adventures I soon made contact with Jack and as a child, but they involved casinos, arranged to meet him for a bird walk. international airports and mammoth I wanted to be enraptured and feel department stores. that I was still inspirable. I did not see My parents were devoutly metro- nature as my own personal Lourdes politan. My father was a London- or healing wilderness. born foreign correspondent and was Or maybe I did. stationed in Tokyo when he met my Japanese mother, a demure, long- “HELLO?” JACK SAID, loping toward haired sumi-e (ink painting) artist. me with his heavy camera, a stout Their courtship began at a Canadian figure in layers of woolly brown. Embassy party in a thick fug of ciga- “Hello?” I replied. I was standing by rette smoke. He fell in love with her a large duck pond in High Park on charm and prettiness. She fell in love a cold but sunny morning later that with his worldliness and the promise month, exhaling cloudlets of breath. of escape. People walked by on the path with They married, and a couple of their dogs. Ducks waded past us on years later, work drew my parents to the water. London, where I was born. And then I had sudden misgivings. I felt shy. another job drew them to Canada. What had I been thinking? An exotic cosmopolitan couple had Jack was a serious birder. I, how- suddenly landed in a quiet North ever, belonged to the vast numbers Toronto neighbourhood. who knew nothing about birds and My father dashed off somewhere thought of them mostly as a decora- for work, and my mother was left tive motif. My house was a frivolous alone in a cold house. Quiet quiet, bazaar of nature-themed trinkets, no noise except the birds outside, a from the prettiest handcrafted duck choir on their way from or to else- lamp to the usual menagerie of where. All those notes held in the stuffed toys to our Anthropologie owl cold air, the migrant songs, were not mugs. I lived in a state of unforgivable a comfort to my mother. Having lived anthropomorphism. Anthropoapolo- through hardscrabble war years in getic. That’s what I was feeling. the Japanese countryside, she had What did I know of the wild world, no fondness for nature. and what did it know of me? When spring came, she dug up I did not grow up picking ber- the entire backyard and installed a ries by a river valley or clambering traditional Japanese rock garden,

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 75 READER ’S D IGEST a carefully ordered and manicured chatting up the ladies. He was a duck landscape that she raked with monk- with charisma. ish regularity. If she had to have Did Jack have charisma? nature, she would have it her way: A little. soft, sprinkler-grown moss and Did Jack grow up feeling close to pruned Japanese trees. nature? No. JACK EASED MY shyness by talking Jack grew up in a city-bound fam- me through the ducks on the pond. ily. He told me: “I started going on “There,” he said, “see those ducks bird walks to get out of my studio landing on the water, the ones that and out of my head. I used to worry look like clumsy seaplanes? Those are about being loved as an artist. I mallards. And over there, that funny wanted to be significant! I wallowed

I WANTED TO ACHIEVE THE BENEVOLENT AND CAPACIOUS FOCUS THAT THE BIRD LOVING MUSICIAN SHOWED THE WORLD. cluster swimming in a tight circle in in a state of insecurity most of the the middle of the pond—see? Eight, time. Now I spend hours trying to nine, 10, 11 of them churning food to spot tiny, distant creatures that don’t the surface—those are northern shov- care if I see them or not. I spend ellers.” He pointed to a solitary duck most of my time loving something that resembled a large turkey bob- that won’t ever love me back. Talk bing on the water, a cross between a about a lesson in insignificance.” farm duck and a mallard. Apparently As we walked, I was thinking his mate had died recently. She dis- about something I had just read in appeared one day, and there were 8: All True: Unbelievable, a book by rumours of a carcass sighting. Amy Fusselman: “You would be sur- Can a duck feel lonely? I wondered prised at how hard it is to be open to but I did not know. new and different good things. Being The farm duck–mallard seemed to open to new things that are bad— be enjoying himself. He was cruis- disasters, say—is pretty easy.... But ing around the various duck cliques, new good things are a challenge.”

76 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca Part of being open, I decided, meant was stepping forward, then stepping cultivating a better kind of attention. I back. He was leaning to the side, then wanted to achieve the benevolent and stepping forward, then stepping back. capacious focus that the bird-loving I crossed the street to see why. musician showed the world. Lying there was a pigeon with a My usual (non-maternal) atten- bloody, severed tail. I unearthed tion had three strains. There was the a gym towel from my bag, and we dogged attention I gave to my art, encircled the bird and carried it gent- the boxed-in attention I gave to my ly to a sheltered doorway. I don’t devices and screens and the dur- know if the bird took us in with its ational attention I sometimes gave glazed eyes or if it felt indifference, to challenging books, art and films. but we stayed with the creature as it All had something in common: they grew increasingly still.

RATIONALLY SPEAKING, I KNEW THE PIGEON WASN’T A MESSAGE, YET I HAVE A CERTAIN FAITH IN SERENDIPITY. were on their way someplace. They I had seen dead birds before, but sought a reward, a product purchase, I had never seen one die. Rationally a narrative connection. speaking, I knew the pigeon wasn’t a What would it be like to give my message. I am not a sign-seeker, yet expansive attention to the world, to over the years I have developed a cer- the present moment, without any tain faith in chance and serendipity. expectations or the promise of an I began to feel that I was being told obvious payoff? what to do next. I would learn about Jack was oblivious to the thoughts birds. I sent Jack a note and asked if I moving through my head. He was too could follow him for a year. busy peering into shrubs, grandly He said yes. and generously giving his attention to the birds. HUSBAND: “WHAT ARE you writing about?” A FEW DAYS later, I spied a young man Me: “Well ...” moving strangely on the sidewalk. He My husband is far too loyal and

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 77 READER ’S D IGEST drowsy to doubt me. If I embark on That’s what we were celebrating an ill-conceived journey, I know when we sat in my father’s kitchen, he will be the guy throwing paper eating the homecoming lunch my streamers in the air and hooting husband and I had brought. We were “Farewell! Farewell!” in a moment of repose. My father felt This is what we do. We cheer each more alive and durable than he had other on in our misadventures. felt in a long time. We did this for my father when he So when my father asked what I escaped from his hospital bed later was working on, I told him. that winter. He called us from a taxi, “I am thinking of writing a book recounting his jailbreak as if he had about birds and a r t ,” I said. just dug a tunnel to freedom using I put on an open and trusting face, a spoon, when really he had rolled which was quite an effort because

I WANTED JACK TO SAY THAT BIRDS SING BECAUSE THEY MUST, BECAUSE IT IS PART OF THEIR VERY ESSENCE. his walker to the elevator, travelled my father was now leaning back and a few flights to the concourse and looking at me blankly. flagged a cab right outside the hos- We sat there, at the table, having a pital doors. Breathless with excite- silent conversation. ment and emphysema, my father “Why?” jokingly imagined an epic manhunt. “Why not?” For a moment he was a fugitive, not “Couldn’t you write something a a patient. little more useful? A bigger book?” When we cheered my father on, it My father, who likes things distant wasn’t because we were diminish- and serious, thinks I write too close ing the medical ramifications of his and peculiar. He is drawn to the escape but because we knew there largeness of things, the clash of civil- was something bigger at stake. izations. Birds are too compact and There are moments in life when ordinary for him. what we need is the power to style My husband, who had been star- our own stories. ing at the ceiling while my father and

78 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca I had our first silent conversation, anyone deciding for me what is big registering his desire to escape, and what is little. glanced over at us as we softened into our second one. WHAT IS WORTH singing about? “Pain?” I asked, wordlessly. What if the song is too small? Books “ Ye s .” will tell you that birds sing for a num- “Where?” ber of reasons—to call to each other, “Here. Here. Here.” to warn of predators, to navigate, to My father’s face was now ashen. I attract mates. But I wanted to know nodded at my husband: time to leave. what Jack believed. Why do birds My father needed to rest. While he sing? So I asked. I wanted him to say struggled to stand, I had a moment they sing because they must, because of clarity: I had just told my father, a it is part of their very essence. man who did not have time to waste, “I don’t want to get all whimsi- that I was writing a book on some- cal,” he said. “Anthropomorphism thing obscure and indefinable. is a dangerous habit and a hard one At a certain stage, these matters to break.” within families don’t get worked out, I hesitated, because it was likely they just get half-heartedly poked at that my habits of anthropomorphism or ignored. I knew my father would were unbreakable. “I promise I won’t choose to forget what I had said and tell anyone.” ask me again at a later date: “So, what Slowly Jack nodded. Finally, he are you working on?” said, “Okay. It’s possible that birds I, in turn, would make something may sing just for the joy of it.” up, not because I am an admirable I don’t know why his response daughter but because I do not want made me so happy, but it did.

ADAPTED FROM BIRDS ART LIFE, BY KYO MACLEAR. © 2017, BY KYO MACLEAR. PUBLISHED BY PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE CANADA LIMITED. REPRODUCED BY ARRANGEMENT WITH THE PUBLISHER. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

BUDDY SYSTEMS

Love is blind; friendship tries not to notice.

OTTO VON BISMARCK, statesman

When a woman becomes her own best friend, life is easier.

DIANE VON FURSTENBERG, fashion designer

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 79 The surprising link between confidence and compassion Boost Your Self-Esteem BY COURTNEY SHEA ILLUSTRATION BY WENTING LI LIFE LESSON

IMAGINE A GOOD FRIEND acciden- what keeps us from being lazy and tally switched the a.m. to p.m. on self-indulgent. In fact, the opposite is her alarm clock and missed a major true. Over more than a million years appointment. Or that same friend of evolution, our brains have been lost the election for condo board programmed to attack any problems president. You’d probably comfort we encounter; this dates back to this person and explain that setbacks when threats to our success (i.e., ba- and screw-ups are just part of life. sic survival) were physical in nature. Now imagine the person in need of Today, it’s not our selves so much as a supportive shoulder was not your our self-concept that’s under siege; friend, but you. when we become overly critical, Neff “We tend to be so much harder on explains, we act as “both the attacker ourselves than we are on our friends,” and the attacked.” This can increase says Kristin Neff, a professor of edu- stress and may trigger depression. cational psychology at the Univer- The good news is that, with a few sity of Texas and the founder of the simple techniques, adopting a self- emerging field of self-compassion. A compassionate attitude is well within cousin of self-esteem rooted in Bud- our reach. “Most of us know how to dhist practices, this approach focuses be kind, caring, understanding peo- on developing a healthy sense of self ple,” says Neff. “We’re just not used to based on viewing hardship and fail- treating ourselves that way.” ure as reasons to be kinder to our- selves, instead of more critical. TREAT YOURSELF In her popular TEDx Talk, “The WITH CARE Space Between Self-Esteem and In her self-compassion seminars, Self-Compassion,” Neff explains that Neff teaches how to become a good we’re tough on ourselves in part friend to yourself. Step one is simply because we believe self-criticism is taking notice of your behaviour:

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 81 READER ’S D IGEST how do you talk to yourself when physical contact. “Research indicates things aren’t going well? What words that touch soothes distress and calms are you using? What tone have you cardiovascular strain.” adopted? For some, that means keep- ing a journal; others prefer to check in GET INVOLVED; BOOST with themselves throughout the day. WELL-BEING Many attendees of Neff’s workshops According to a 2014 Concordia Univer- are aged 50 and up—representative sity study, when self-esteem decreases of the number of people who have a in older adults struggling with sad- tenuous grasp on their self-worth as ness, anxiety or loneliness, the stress they move into the so-called golden hormone cortisol increases. This can years, when validat- lead to a host of medi- ing factors like career cal issues, such as car- advancement are in diovascular disease. But shorter supply. The BEING ABLE that same study also good news, she notes, TO IMPART found that bolstering is that it’s easier to WISDOM TO self-esteem in seniors adopt a warts-and-all TEENS MADE may protect them from appreciation of your SENIOR JOAN experiencing psycho- situation at 60 than it JORDAN, A logical distress and is at 16: “After you’ve LIFELONG health problems. knocked around for BOOKWORM, According to Sarah long enough, you FEEL VALUED. Liu, a co-author of the start to realize life is study, volunteering imperfect, and you’ve can be a great way to learned a lot from your boost feelings of use- failures, so why would you beat your- fulness and combat loneliness. She self up?” is an advocate of intergenerational In times of stress or self-doubt, Neff programming, an initiative pairing suggests touch as an effective tech- seniors with adolescents—two vul- nique for triggering compassion—giv- nerable populations who can help ing yourself a gentle hug or putting each other. your hand on your heart to feel the Back in 2002, Joan Jordan was sensation of warmth. “It may seem floundering, having suffered a spinal awkward or embarrassing at first, injury five years earlier, when she was but your body doesn’t know that,” she 50, that left her feeling isolated and explains, noting that as mammals, useless. Then one day, through the we instinctively receive comfort via efforts of Toronto Intergenerational

82 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca Partnerships, she joined a dozen or like into each day. “There’s a connec- so seniors and a group of Toronto tion between our emotions and our high-school students for lunch, con- thoughts,” she says. In other words, if versation and board games. you’re mired in negative feelings, you While playing Scrabble, Jordan tend to view the things that happen recalls, her young opponents seemed to you through a negative lens. stymied by some words. “I teased Vancouver-based inspirational them about what they were teaching speaker Danielle LaPorte is also in school these days. We laughed, and a proponent of actively managing I was able to explain what the words our lives—and emotions. In her new meant.” Being able to impart wisdom book, White Hot Truth, she urges made Jordan—a life- her readers to focus on long bookworm—feel respecting themselves, valued. She returned to rather than striving the group the following THE to please others. “I week and, before long, PHILOSOPHY always say that most joined Toronto Inter- OF SELF- people should respond generational Partner- COMPASSION ‘no’ to 80 per cent of the ships as a volunteer; ASKS US TO requests they receive,” eventually, she became ACCEPT THAT she says, adding that a board member. IMPERFECTION this simple act of self- IS PART OF compassion provides KINDNESS CAN BEING HUMAN. an instant boost. Over SOW SUCCESS time, clearing the deck In her practice as a self- lets us focus on accom- esteem coach, Heather plishing things that Walter preaches the importance of matter to us. taking responsibility for our own out- For Neff, the ability to embrace our comes. “Our minds are conditioned failings is at the root of her philoso- to suss out strategies and options [to phy, which asks us to acknowledge achieve the things we want],” says that imperfection is part of being Walter. When we blame others and human. With self-esteem, “we feel like feel powerless, she adds, we feel we we have to put others down to lift our- have no options. The Whitby, Ont., selves u p,” she says. Self-compassion, counsellor will have clients make a however, is about being good to our- list of the things that bring them joy selves because we care—when we fail (gardening, for instance, or calling a or struggle, the path of personal nur- friend) and schedule an activity they turing is the best way forward.

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 83 In the tiny northern town of Fort Providence, N.W.T, table tennis helps keep kids in shape and out of trouble

PowerBY ELAINE ANSELMI FROM UP HERE

Two children playing ping pong in Fort Providence, N.W.T.

84 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca HUMAN INTEREST of Pong REA DER’S DIG EST

N THE SIDE OF the of the community is Dene and Métis. highway to Fort Provi- But the main question remains: how dence, N.W.T., bison do you steer kids away from crime with massive heads and and keep them out of the crowds that Odwarfed back legs sit in breed it? This is a challenge for every- clusters, paintbrush tails swishing. one, and especially for Philipp. It’s October, and I’m riding along Part of the principal’s strategy is to with Deh Gáh School principal Lois push for traditional programming. A Philipp as she makes the three-hour week before I arrived, students—some drive south from Yellowknife. We left as young as seven—had returned from at 6 a.m. and we didn’t stop to see the 30 days in the bush with elders and bison, or even to grab a coffee. leaders from the community, where We roll past a truck stop just outside they were trapping, harvesting wood Fort Providence. Pinned up around and checking nets. There were no the door are newspaper articles, event processed sugars, just berries they posters and advertisements: boat could pick if they wanted sweets. They for sale, truck drivers wanted, floor hunted for their meat and ate a whole hockey starting up at the gym. There’s moose in eight days. a missing person poster: a young man But Philipp knows young people from Fort Providence hasn’t been seen need day-to-day support if the com- since April 2015. Like many commun- munity wants to see substantial ities in the North, this town of nearly changes. “It’s about creating opportun- 800 along the shore of the Mackenzie ities and creating a safe space,” she River is grappling with how to keep says. “A space where kids can be kids.” young people out of trouble. The Deh Gáh School has found an There’s been a spree of break-ins unlikely tool to help residents create throughout the area in the last year. that haven: table tennis. A community member launched a petition calling for the banishment of I SEE THE plan in action soon unruly youth, but the initiative thank- after arriving in Fort Providence. A fully lost steam. Fort Providence Chief rope ladder is spread out across the Joachim Bonnetrouge has called the school’s gym floor. Students hop crimes a cry for help. He’d like to see through, their knees lifted high. an on-the-land camp established as They move on to navigate brightly an alternative to the justice system, coloured cones spread evenly in a with the aim of rehabilitating young line, feet weaving to the left and right. people by connecting them to their “Now do the same with a ping-pong

traditional cultures—the vast majority ball,” says Thorsten Gohl. And they do. GOHL THORSTEN BY PHOTOGRAPHY

86 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca Standing well over six feet, with curly recognized the physical benefits of brown hair to his shoulders, the coach the sport—it could help kids stay fit— is easy to spot. He’s dressed in shorts and because the sport only required and running shoes, despite the tem- two to four players, it was much easier perature hovering just above zero. to organize in a community of fewer For the past two years, Gohl—a than 800 people than, say, a game of professional table tennis player from . They decided to sign up for Germany—has been drilling his stu- a coaching course in Vancouver. That’s dents on the basics and the not-so- where they first met Gohl. basics of the sport. Some are getting it: one boy is confident, tapping the ball over his shoulder as he brings his A YOUNG STUDENT paddle behind him, sending it back over to the front. Others are uninter- SERVES DIAGONALLY ested, to say the least: a boy in a black ACROSS THE TABLE cap walks into class late and kicks an AND DEFTLY KNOCKS orange cone, which lands near my A COLOURFUL TARGET feet, before he takes a seat on the CLEAR OFF THE EDGE. bench. By the end of the day, shards of white plastic ping-pong balls are scattered across the gym like egg- Previously, Gohl was employed shells. But the kids keep playing until as a photographer in Vancouver the doors are locked for the night. when he found his way to Table It’s a good place to be in a small Tennis Canada, the sport’s national town with few other things to do. organization. He started working with them as a marketer and then began IN THE FALL of 2013, two faculty hosting coaching clinics across the members from Deh Gáh School, then country, including the one Kielstra vice-principal Jim Snider and his col- and Snider attended. With Philipp’s league Jeremy Kielstra, travelled south support, the educators organized for a table tennis coaching clinic. Gohl’s first visit to the North shortly Snider’s father-in-law got him into after their Vancouver coaching camp. the sport back in 2012, while he was on In order to get funding to bring a visit from Fort Providence down to Gohl up to Fort Providence and pur- Burnaby, B.C. Upon returning home, chase supplies, like new tables and Snider got Kielstra on board. Soon paddles, they had to apply for grants. they were playing on old tables they It was only a year and a half after start- found in storage at the school. They ing the program that they established

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 87 R EADER’S DIGEST an official organization: Table Tennis the Table Tennis North website and North. They also had to host tryouts works on getting funding to take the for the 2014 Winter Games—an sport across the territory. Up until international tournament held every recently, all the work was done strictly two years for athletes from across the on a volunteer basis, and Gohl relied circumpolar world. on his savings to pay bills. In Decem- ber 2016, though, he received his permanent resident status in Can- TO KEEP STUDENTS ada and became a paid employee of INTERESTED, ACTIVITIES the District Education Authority. NEED CONSISTENT A RECENT GRADUATE of Deh Gáh LEADERSHIP. STABILITY School, Mikaela Vandell spent the IS A CHALLENGE IN better part of the fall working with THE TRANSIENT NORTH. Gohl, coaching students in table tennis. Mikaela is tall for an 18-year- old, with long, dark hair piled on her The sent eight head. She walks into the school gym student athletes to compete in table before classes start, a pink travel mug tennis that year, but no one medalled. in hand. The territorial champion- Nonetheless, the sport has been gain- ships are a month away, and there’s ing momentum: 1,500 students came work to do. out to a tournament in Yellowknife Mikaela’s been playing for two in November, and seven communi- years. She competed at the Arctic ties were represented at the territorial Winter Games in Fairbanks, Alaska, championships this past January in in 2014 and again in , Green- Fort Providence. While Kielstra and land, in 2016. The games are the ma- Snider have moved on to the larger jor event for circumpolar youth, with centres of and Yellowknife, indoor sports such as hockey, basket- Gohl is keeping the momentum going. ball and volleyball, and outdoor ones The coach has taken to the North, such as as skiing, snowshoeing and living in a blue trailer just off the main dogsledding. In 2016, the N.W.T. won drag in Fort Providence. Bison wan- its first medal in table tennis: a silver der into the swaths of grass between in juvenile girls’ doubles. the homes at night, leaving behind The improvement is exciting to dinner platter–sized piles of dung. Mikaela. “The first year was so bad. Gohl spends most of his days at the Everyone was so pro and we had just school, coaching. He also manages started out,” she says. So she worked

88 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca

on her serves, her returns and her fitness before and after school—she did a lot of jumping jacks. She’s been through the wringer. Now she can help others through it. These students are starting out younger than Mikaela did. Summer Bonnetrouge is nine and has been playing for two years already. Standing at one end of the table, she serves diagonally across Deh Gáh School graduate Mikaela Vandell at the and knocks a colourful 2016 in Nuuk, . target, sitting just at the edge of the table, clear off. She grins, teachers, similar to Snider and Kielstra, giggles and serves again. who have fostered an interest in cer- Another player, 17-year-old Neilsen tain sports in the past. But once they’ve Vandell—Mikaela’s cousin—says he moved on, that interest often wanes. didn’t initially take to table tennis. It That’s why someone like Gohl is so was hard at first to get the spin right. important. He interacts playfully with With the paddle in his hand, he dem- the kids. He misses his shot and jumps onstrates how the ball can take an in the air yelling “No!” He stamps both unpredictable path if your opponent his feet in turn, laughing as he does. puts a spin on it. You’re best to return He thinks his sense of humour is what it, if you can, in the same manner. He draws the students to table tennis. flicks the paddle with his wrist, send- “I’m a fun guy,” he says, grinning. ing the imaginary ball spinning at For Mikaela, having a mentor has me. At last year’s table tennis cham- kept her interested and pushed her pionships, he won third place in the to improve. Leading up to the games, under-18 boys’ division. she and Gohl practised in the gym for an hour multiple times a week before TO KEEP STUDENTS invested, activi- school started. ties need consistent leadership, says She’s grown up playing sports, but Philipp. That stability is a challenge in with most games requiring more than the transient North. There have been two players, she says gathering enough

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 89 R EADER’S DIG EST people can be tough. In soccer, she table, over the net to the other side always played on teams from other of the table and up to the opposing communities. Numbers are a chal- paddle. “He got served!” the boy in lenge—a reason Table Tennis North is the cap calls out, flicking his wrist as a territory-wide organization. It’s not the ball sails past his opponent. They just about Fort Providence. laugh and start again. Gohl wants to bring the sport to Two girls grab paddles and take up youth across the territory. When- another table. The first serve bounces ever he can, he travels throughout off the green surface and carries the North, teaching students and straight through the air, hitting Gohl teachers to become coaches. “I’m a square on the forehead. “Nice shot,” dreamer and crazy sometimes,” Gohl he jokes. says. “I said when I came here, ‘In a At the far end of the gym, a woman year’s time, I want to do 20 commun- in an orange hoodie begins rallying ities.’” He made his move to Fort with a young boy. She has a long, dark Providence in September 2015, and braid hanging under a baseball cap while 20 may have been a lofty goal, that matches her sweater. “That’s her he’s already hit 13. grandson,” Gohl tells me. I’d seen her earlier that day, standing at the door WHEN THE SCHOOL day ends, some of the gym with an apron on. Veronica familiar faces return to the gym. The Bonnetrouge is the school’s cook, as tables are still set up in a line in the well as the janitor. Her daughter, the middle of the room, and the pile of young boy’s mother, shows up and paddles sits on the floor. joins the match as well. The mother “Is it open? Can we play?” asks a grins as her son’s shot flies over her boy in a black hoodie as he walks right shoulder. Here, all three genera- into the gym. He and a kid in a flat- tions are playing together. Table ten- brimmed baseball cap begin to rally. nis is becoming more than just The white ball travels from paddle to something to do.

FROM “THE OTHER NORTHERN PADDLE SPORT,” BY ELAINE ANSELMI, UP HERE (DECEMBER 2016), UPHERE.CA

UTMOST DEVOTION

Life is nothing if you’re not obsessed.

JOHN WATERS, director and writer

90 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca Life’s Like That

WHAT’S THE POINT? WHEN I RETURNED HOME from I’d spent more than two hours in the college for spring break, I noticed salon getting my hair permed, cut a note on the refrigerator door. It and styled. Relieved to be done, I listed some goals my dad had set went to pay the receptionist. for himself: help wife more; lose “Good afternoon!” she said cheer- weight; be more productive at work. fully. “Who’s your appointment with I promptly added: “Send Michelle today?” reddit.com money every month.” A few days later, my brother FELINE FUNNIES wrote: “Make payments on car for “Someday this will all be yours,” Jason.” My boyfriend joined in with: I tell my cat, waving my arms “Buy Tom a J e e p.” Finally, my father wildly at a few Amazon boxes by added a new goal to his amended the front door. @CLOUDYPIANOS list: “Wean kids.” ajokeaday.com It’s so sad that curiosity led to so

many life-changing inventions but is Send us your funny stories! They could still mostly remembered for killing be worth $50. See page 8 or visit

MIKE SHIELL that one cat. @SIXTHFORMPOET rd.ca/joke for more details.

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 91 EDITORS’ CHOICE

How a ragtag crew of aging criminals pulled off one of the most daring robberies in British history UNUSUAL SUSPECTS BY MARK SEAL FROM VANITY FAIR ILLUSTRATION BY MATTHEW BILLINGTON

(Top row) Terry Perkins, Brian Reader and Daniel Jones; (centre) Hugh Doyle; (bottom row) William Lincoln, John “Kenny” Collins and Carl Wood.

92 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca

READER ’S D IGEST

HE AUDACIOUS APRIL 2015 RANSACKING of safe- deposit boxes in Hatton Garden, London’s jewellery district, was epic. So much cash, jewellery and other valuables had been taken that the loot needed to be hauled away in giant trash containers on wheels. The newspapers were filled with artists’ renderings of the heist, featuring hard-bodiedT burglars in black turtlenecks doing prodigious things. Experts insisted that the crime was the work of a foreign team of Navy SEAL–like professionals, likely from the infamous Pink Panthers, an international gang of master jewellery thieves.

But when arrests were made the skulk around your rundown mansion following month, a collective gasp in the suburbs of London, infuriating rippled through Great Britain. your neighbours by running a used- The Hatton Garden heist, it turned car dealership out of your home. out, had been the work of a group This was the life of 76-year-old of superannuated criminals. “Run? Brian Reader. They can barely walk,” one of the fel- And yet for decades, he had exas- ons, Danny Jones, wrote to a reporter perated Scotland Yard. He was first after he was arrested. “One is 76 and arrested for breaking and entering at has cancer; another, a heart condi- age 11; as a young man, he was al- tion, 68; another, 75, can’t remember legedly part of the “Millionaire his name; and one is a 60-year-old Moles” gang, which burrowed under- with two new hips and knees.” ground to loot safe-deposit boxes in a Yet they had defied age, infirmities, Lloyds bank vault in London in 1971. burglar alarms and even Scotland Reader had usually managed to Yard to power their way through walls walk away—that is, until the Brink’s- of concrete and solid steel and haul Mat robbery in 1983, involving the away an impressive prize estimated theft of what today would be worth at more than £14 million (almost more than £83 million (C$135.5 mil- C$23 million), at least £10.3 million lion) in gold bullion from the high- of which is still missing. security warehouse at Heathrow Airport. Reader was a “soldier” on RETIREMENT IS A DRAG. Your wife that job, moving the gold between a has passed away; most of your mates “fence” (a middleman) and dealers. are in exile, prison or the grave. You He was found guilty of conspiracy for

94 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca The vault was in the basement of this building located at 88-90 Hatton Garden.

handling stolen goods and sentenced a cash depot in East London and to nine years. stole cash equivalent to £19 million When he got out of prison, it (C$31 million) today. Perkins was seemed he had put his life of crime sentenced to 22 years. behind him. But two decades later, Extraordinarily fit, Jones, 58, was, suffering from prostate cancer and according to a friend, a “Walter other ailments, he decided to get Mitty” type, who read palms and ran back into the game with his biggest marathons when he wasn’t in prison. caper yet—the Hatton Garden heist. His passions were for the army and His number two was Terry Per- crime, and his rap sheet was filled kins, 67, who suffered from diabetes with convictions. and other health issues and lived in Carl Wood, 58, another member of a little house in the London borough the team, was sentenced to four years of Enfield. He was a ghost to the in prison in 2002, after he and his neighbours, who had no idea that accomplices were recorded planning in 1983 he had been a ringleader to torture a money launderer who in the largest cash robbery in Brit- owed them £600,000 (C$980,000). ish history at that time: the Security Having no trade, Wood would testify

©REX/SHUTTERSTOCK Express job, in which a gang raided that he dabbled in “a bit of painting

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 95 READER ’S D IGEST and decorating.” In debt at the time burglar-proof door—operated by a of the Hatton Garden heist, Wood combination that has to be worked claimed to have been living on dis- by at least two people—opened up a ability payments after being diag- labyrinth of safes. nosed with Crohn’s disease. The wooden main door to the Driver and lookout man John building and a glass entryway “Kenny” Collins, 74, had a rap sheet behind it—both left unlocked dur- stretching back to the 1950s that ing the day—lead to an unstaffed included convictions for robbery and lobby. The elevator in the lobby burglary. Diabetes had sent him into is set up so it can’t descend lower semi-retirement. than the ground floor. Beside the Two peripheral members of the elevator is a door that leads to a flight team, Hugh Doyle, 48, and William of stairs to the basement. This is also

THE VAULT’S IMPENETRABLE BOMBANDBURGLARPROOF DOOR OPENED UP A LABYRINTH OF SAFES.

Lincoln, 59, stored and helped move unlocked during business hours. At the stolen treasure. the bottom of the stairs is another One unidentified member of the wooden door, behind which is a team still at large is Basil, as he was sliding iron gate that forms an air called by the other thieves and the lock with a second sliding gate. To police. He is believed to be the inside enter the first gate, you need a four- man, who knew the building, dis- digit security code; a security guard armed the alarms and let the others in. opens the second gate to let you out the other side. Inside the air lock THE VAULT, BELONGING to Hatton are locked shutters, behind which Garden Safe Deposit Ltd. (HGSD), are the doors, no longer used, to the was located in the basement at elevator shaft. 88–90 Hatton Garden. The building There is a much easier way to is seven storeys tall and has around access the vault area: a street-level 60 tenants, most of them jewellers. fire exit with an outside lock on Gre- The vault’s impenetrable bomb-and- ville Street, from which iron stairs

96 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca go down to a courtyard adjoining neglected to disable two CCTV cam- 88–90’s basement. From the inside, eras: one in the fire-exit passage and the Greville Street door is barred another on the second floor. merely with a hand-operated bolt. Shortly after Basil appeared, a The Hatton Garden basement is CCTV camera in the street showed accessed from the courtyard by a a white van pulling up to the build- door with two sliding-bolt locks, ing’s fire-escape entrance and sev- and that door leads to the HGSD eral men unloading tools, bags and basement foyer. At the far side of two wheelie bins. These men— the basement foyer is a white door, Reader, Perkins and Jones—were behind which is the HGSD air lock. disguised as municipal workers, At 9:19 p.m. on Thursday, April wearing reflective yellow vests, hard 2, the staff secured the vault for the hats and white surgical masks.

MINUTES LATER, A THIN MAN WEARING A BLUE JACKET, A RED WIG AND A FLAT CAP PASSED IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA.

Easter long weekend. The owners Basil opened the fire-escape door, were apparently so confident of the and the men unloaded their gear. vault’s construction that they gave Kenny Collins entered an office their guards weekends off. building across the street, where he Minutes later, a thin man wear- would serve as a lookout. ing a blue jacket, a red wig and a It was to be a three-day job, dur- flat cap passed in front of a closed- ing which they planned to loot all 996 circuit television (CCTV) camera safe-deposit boxes in the vault. on Greville Street. A black bag on Once inside the 88–90 fire-door his shoulder hid his face. This was corridor, the men evidently couldn’t Basil. He evidently had keys, which breach the white door that led to the he used to enter 88–90 through the HGSD basement foyer. But they had front door and made his way to the planned a more ingenious way to basement fire door. He disabled the get in—one that presupposed inside alarms and cameras inside the build- knowledge of the building’s layout. ing but made one crucial mistake: he They walked up to the second floor

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 97 READER ’S D IGEST

Surveillance video from the robbery that was later shown in court.

and called the elevator, which they after 1 a.m. to find no sign of forced disabled, then returned to the ground entry on the front door to the build- floor and pried open the elevator ing or the fire exit. Nothing seemed doors to the open shaft. Then one or amiss. “It’s all locked up,” Stockwell more of them dropped down the four told Bavishi. metres to the basement, pried open The police also dismissed the the flimsy steel shutter covering the incident. disused basement elevator door and Meanwhile, the team pulled the sec- entered the air lock. ond air lock gate open. They were in. They cut the telephone cable and The safe-deposit boxes lay within broke off the GPS aerial so that the a Chubb safe embedded in a half- alarm’s signal range was comprom- metre-thick concrete wall. Anchor- ised—but not quite compromised ing a 35-kilogram diamond-tipped enough. A short time later, a text alert coring drill to the floor and wall, and was sent to the monitoring company, connecting it to a water hose for cool- which contacted HGSD co-owner ing and reducing the amount of dust, Alok Bavishi. the team began boring through the Kelvin Stockwell, chief custodian concrete. The drill made only a quiet

guard of the vault, arrived shortly hum as it breached the wall. POLICE VIA AP METROPOLITAN

98 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca Within two and a half hours, three Perkins, Basil and Jones anchored overlapping circular holes had been the new pump and hose to the wall cut through the concrete. The thieves opposite the vault, and 10 tons of stared through the holes not into the pressure went to work. diamond-filled vault but at a wall of Eventually Perkins exclaimed, solid steel: the rear of a cabinet of safe- “We’re in! We’re in!” They could see deposit boxes. It was unmovable— the bounty beckoning. Jones and bolted to the ceiling and the floor. Basil busted open the old but sturdy They had a pump and hose with a metal deposit boxes with sledgeham- 10-ton hydraulic ram, strong enough mers, crowbars and angle grinders. to force the doors off of almost any- Since they were now two men short, thing. But the pump broke, and the they were able to ransack only 73 of steel cabinet stood firm. the 996 boxes, but it was enough, a

THE JOB WAS DONEAND THERE WAS NO DNA EVIDENCE, THANKS TO THE STUDY OF FORENSICS FOR DUMMIES.

Around 8 a.m. on Friday, April 3, vast array of loose diamonds and other the men temporarily surrendered, stones, jewellery and cash. There was leaving the vault. In a move that also gold and platinum bullion. shocked the others, Reader, the ring- The burglars felt they were steal- leader, decided to leave for good. He ing from the rich, including the was convinced that to return would Hatton Garden jewellers who, Per- mean certain capture. kins later said, had ripped off his Jones and Collins didn’t walk away, daughter by using a fake stone in though. Instead, they went shopping her engagement ring. for another pump ram and hose. Around 5:45 a.m. on Easter Sun- They returned around 10 p.m. on day, April 5, the job was done: empty April 4. Finding the fire-escape door metal boxes were strewn across the locked, Carl Wood followed Reader’s floor, along with the drill and broken lead and quit. After Basil finally let jack, but no DNA evidence, thanks to them in again, Collins returned to the thieves’ careful study of Forensics his post as lookout. Back at the vault, for Dummies.

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 99 READER ’S D IGEST

Within 36 hours, they’d divided the rooting for the daring, still-at-large loot among them. thieves. And for six weeks after the heist, the burglars revelled in their “I THINK WE’VE been burgled,” Kel- rewards and relived their crime. Old vin Stockwell recalled being told age and infirmities be damned—they by his associate guard on Tuesday were full-on thieves again. morning, when he arrived at work. “I went downstairs and saw that THE FLYING SQUAD, the elite inves- the top lock of the door was miss- tigative unit within London’s Metro- ing,” Stockwell told me. “I called the politan Police Service, was formed police. Fifteen, 20 minutes later they in 1919 and named for its ability to turned up. We went inside. It was like “fly” across London without regard a bomb had hit the place.” to districts. They have solved some

DRIVING THE TRACEABLE MERCEDES WAS A MAJOR SCREW UP. SO WAS USING THEIR OWN CELLPHONES.

By 10 a.m. the street in front of the of the biggest and most famous cases vault was filled with box holders, who in Britain. were barred from entering the build- Paul Johnson, 54, a tall, chiselled ing. The media soon arrived, along Clint Eastwood type, and his bright with insurance adjusters. Then came and intense deputy, Jamie Day, 43, the excruciating wait as the police both wore business suits and ties sorted through the rubble. The calls bearing the squad’s descending- from police to the emotional victims eagle logo. Day, 20 years a London began on Thursday. cop, seven on the Flying Squad, was Some couldn’t say with certainty the first detective through the vault’s what was in their box, and others door on the morning the burglary wouldn’t say. Did their boxes contain was discovered. stolen goods and cash that hadn’t The team on the Hatton Garden heist been declared to the tax authorities? consisted of most of the 50 or so offi- As the heist dominated the Brit- cers in the Flying Squad’s western unit. ish media, the public seemed to be Overseeing the whole was Scotland

100 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca Detective Chief Inspector Paul Johnson addresses the media on April 9, 2015.

Yard commander Peter Spindler, who, USING THE EASILY traceable Mer- like the thieves, was approaching cedes was a major screw-up. Through retirement. Working around the clock, automatic licence-plate recognition, officers and detectives deciphered the police tracked the car’s move- more than 350 pieces of evidence. ments from Collins’s home to the Most important, Spindler said, they store where the replacement hydraul- “trawled” through days of CCTV foot- ic pump was purchased. age collected from the 120-plus cam- Just as foolhardy, the burglars, eras in and around Hatton Garden. though equipped with walkie-talkies Early on in the investigation, a during the actual heist, used their young member of the CCTV team own cellphones before and after the spotted the Flying Squad’s first big burglary. “By researching cellphones lead: a white Mercedes E200 with a and using call-data analysis, we black roof and alloy rims had passed started building a picture,” recalled through Hatton Garden multiple Spindler. It was more than enough to times prior to the Easter weekend. get special approval to plant listen- The vehicle belonged to an ex-con: ing devices in Collins’s Mercedes and

©REUTERS/STEFAN WERMUTH ©REUTERS/STEFAN Kenny Collins. Perkins’s Citroën Saxo.

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 101 READER ’S D IGEST

The thieves were trailed by Their mistake was allowing the detectives, observed by lip-readers, increasingly careless Collins handle bugged in their cars and videotaped the logistics. The day after the bur- in their favourite bars. The Flying glary, Collins gave most of his loot Squad was astounded by what they for safekeeping to “Billy the Fish” heard. “The biggest robbery in the Lincoln, the brother of Collins’s world … we was on,” said Perkins in long-time girlfriend. just one of many endlessly incrim- At 60, Lincoln suffered from inating statements. incontinence, sleep apnea and a One evening in May, a month after recent double hip replacement. He the heist, the Flying Squad dispatched had convictions for attempted theft, an operative with a hidden video burglary and battery. He duped a camera to the pub where Reader sat family member into storing three

BY THIS TIME, PEOPLE WERE TALKING. IT WAS IMPERATIVE THAT THE THIEVES SELL EVERYTHING OFF FAST. drinking with Perkins and Collins. bags of the stolen goods at his house Perkins pantomimed for Reader the and transporting them to a handover moment that Jones and his 10-ton point. Even more reckless was Col- hydraulic pump knocked over the lins’s choice of the handover point: massive wall of safe-deposit boxes. a pub parking lot in Enfield that was Damning as the recordings were, under CCTV surveillance. the police needed more to arrest. They At 9:44 a.m. on Tuesday, May 19, had to catch the men with the goods. in full view of the CCTV camera and with the Flying Squad monitoring ONCE THE HEAT died down, the their every move, the burglars trans- thieves planned to trade their haul ferred three canvas duffel bags filled for cash, provide for family mem- with jewels to Collins’s Mercedes. bers and fund their pensions. But by The police already knew the location this time, people were talking. It was because Perkins and Jones had previ- imperative that they consolidate ously revealed the address in conver- everything and sell it off fast. sations recorded in their cars.

102 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca ALMOST SIX WEEKS after the heist, Collins felt they had no choice but to the Flying Squad was ready to plead guilty. The others charged in descend. Just after 10 a.m., they the heist—Carl Wood, Hugh Doyle stormed 12 addresses simultan- and William Lincoln—were found eously. From Enfield to Bethnal guilty at trial in January 2016. Green, in East London, to the suburb In March 2016, the seven were of Dartford, more than 200 officers, sentenced to a total of 34 years in some in riot gear, battered through prison, most receiving between six doors and dragged out the suspected and seven years (with the exception burglars and their accomplices. Lin- of Doyle, who was handed a sus- coln was stopped in his car. Reader pended sentence). was escorted from his old mansion Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Ltd. “a little unsteady on his legs and went into liquidation in September clutching his heart,” said a neighbour. 2015, unable to recover from its dam- At the home of Terry Perkins’s aged reputation. daughter, Danny Jones, Kenny Col- The mysterious Basil is still at large, lins and Perkins were at the dining as is more than two-thirds of the haul. room table, on which a smelter had The thieves had disabled and sto- been set up to melt millions of Brit- len the hard drives of the CCTV cam- ish pounds’ worth of precious metals, eras inside the actual building and its when officers burst through the front basement vault. “What they forgot, door wearing riot helmets and flame- or didn’t know,” said the prosecutor, proof overalls. “was that one little camera in that “Jones tried to run out the back door walkway outside the back of one jewel- but only made it a few yards into the ler was still working and recording garden,” recalled deputy Jamie Day. what they were doing.” Presented with the recordings, Said Spindler, “They were analog the CCTV footage and other digital criminals in a digital world, and no evidence, Reader, Perkins, Jones and match for digital detectives.”

FROM VANITY FAIR (MARCH 2016), © 2016 BY MARK SEAL, VANITYFAIR.COM

CAVEAT EMPTOR

If you want a guarantee, buy a toaster.

CLINT EASTWOOD

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 103 GET SMART!

BY MICHELLE CROUCH ADDITIONAL RESEARCH BY ANDREA BENNETT

Don’t choose a home inspector through your 1real estate agent, says Steve Maxwell, a home improve- ment coach based in Mani- 13 Things toulin Island, Ont. Instead, hire a certified, independ- Home ent inspector. It should take between 2 two and four hours to Inspectors check a house. “Any inspec- tion that takes less than that is a warning,” says Maxwell. Won’t Tell A small home with no base- ment might take less time.

You Inspectors can’t tell you not to buy a home— 3they’re not supposed to give real estate advice. But they should outline major issues such as foundation damage.

Sellers: prepare your house for an inspection 4the same way you would for a showing. Julie Peck, of

Peck Home Inspections, SCOTT JOSHUA also suggests taking care of smaller Have your house inspected repairs, like loose doorknobs, before before you put it on the market. the inspector arrives. 9You can inform the buyer of any issues upfront—and avoid a renegoti- Ask for a sample report before ation—or you can complete neces- you hire someone, says Graham sary renovations or repairs with a 5Clarke, president of the Canadian trusted contractor yourself. Association of Home and Property Inspectors. Are there pictures? Rec- Pay special attention to your ommendations for how to address roof and foundation—issues any defects discovered? Be sure you 10with either can stop a sale in its can understand the document. tracks. Peck suggests trimming large tree limbs to prevent damage to your Even newly built homes should roof. To preserve your foundation, be inspected. There’s a lot that keep your downspouts draining away 6can go wrong during construction, from the home. from poor roofing design to electrical issues, says Mike Holmes, Jr., of Mike Ask to accompany your inspect- Holmes Inspections. “There are build- or during their evaluation. ers making homes one after another,” 11“This is your chance to get to know he says. “They’re flipping them out your new home,” says Peck. “I encour- like hotcakes. It’s not quality.” age the buyer to take an active role.”

Read the full report, not just the Most homeowners are honest, summary. Inspectors use the but some aim for a cover-up, 7summary to outline high-priority 12says Clarke. Is the basement empty issues, but your concerns might except for a cluster of boxes pushed extend beyond that. against a foundational wall? Has one wall received a fresh coat of paint? Look for a home inspector who These clues might indicate a hastily tests air quality—specifically concealed defect. 8checking for mould and testing for radon, a naturally occurring gas that When it comes to DIY homes, is the number one cause of lung can- be cautious. Some DIYers cer in non-smokers. “These tests are 13don’t do repairs the way a profes- fairly inexpensive,” says Holmes, “but sional would. Bad fixes could lead if there are issues, the fixes can often to unsafe electrical systems or leaks be costly.” in basements, Clarke says.

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 105 Brainteasers

Challenge yourself by solving these puzzles and mind stretchers, then check your answers on page 111.

FIGURE SKETCHES (Difficult) The artist Mathias Wizzini is showing his latest masterpieces. Five of his works are displayed here in Reader’s Digest, and we have a sneak peek at the title of a sixth. Logically, what should 26 look like?

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PAQUET PAUL BY Trivia Quiz Word Power

Things aren’t always as they seem. That’s the theme of this month’s quiz, which tests your knowledge of terms for curious and unseen facets of human experience. Mysterious, devious or preposterous? You be the judge.

BY ROB LUTES

1. Aesopian—A: holding special 8. incognito—A: with one’s identity meaning for those in an underground concealed. B: silently. C: happening movement. B: of mythical animals. at night. C: ghostly. 9. sleight—A: use of a foreign 2. peculation—A: identity theft. language. B: use of dexterity and B: activation of spiritual powers. cunning. C: use of hypnosis C: embezzlement. to gain information. 3. ulterior—A: beyond what is 10. illuminati—A: people claiming openly revealed. B: buried in a to have special enlightenment. pit. C: in fine print. B: spies. C: flashlight signals. 4. camouflage—A: forged docu- 11. xenology—A: study of invisible ment. B: disguise that blends with particles. B: study of extraterrestrial the surroundings. C: escape tunnel. life. C: study of the occult. 5. clairaudience—A: faculty of 12. equivocal—A: cursed. hearing what is inaudible. B: sound B: ambiguous. C: malevolent. believed to emanate from stars. 13. surreptitious—A: done secretly. C: speaking in tongues. B: hidden underwater. C: spoken sweetly to conceal malicious intent. 6. steganography—A: art of making nonsense seem reasonable. 14. apport—A: material object B: communication using scent. produced at a seance. B: ghost ship. C: hiding a message within C: doorway to another dimension. another message. 15. argot—A: confidential report. 7. ambuscade—A: hidden passage- B: decoder ring. C: vocabulary of a way. B: elaborate lie. C: ambush. particular group.

rd.ca | 05 • 2017 | 109 REA DER ’ S DIGE ST Answers

1. Aesopian—[A] holding special 9. sleight—[B] use of dexterity and meaning for those in an underground cunning; as, It was hard to detect movement; as, Arnoldo’s greeting was Salma’s sleight of hand; she was a actually an Aesopian warning to his good magician. resistance cell that danger was near. 10. illuminati—[A] people claiming 2. peculation—[C] embezzlement; to have special enlightenment; as, as, Discovered with thousands of Members of the illuminati arrived for dollars in client funds, Suzanne was the ritual with solemn expressions. found guilty of peculation. 11. xenology—[B] study of extra- 3. ulterior—[A] beyond what is terrestrial life; as, Fortner’s novel openly revealed; as, Pat’s fawning was about an expert in xenology demeanour concealed her ulterior who travelled around the galaxy motive, which was to break up her classifying alien cultures. friend’s marriage. 12. equivocal—[B] ambiguous; as, 4. camouflage—[B] disguise that Khalid’s responses were equivocal, blends with the surroundings; as, so that no one knew whether he The leaves served as camouflage for liked his birthday gift or not. the hideout. 13. surreptitious—[A] done secretly; 5. clairaudience—[A] faculty of as, Fabien remained aware of his hearing what is inaudible; as, Bilal mother’s decline through surrepti- claimed his clairaudience allowed tious phone calls from his brother. him to listen to far-off conversations. 14. apport—[A] material object 6. steganography—[C] hiding a produced at a seance; as, Madame message within another message; as, JoJo raised her hands and waited for Using the first letter of each sentence the appearance of an apport. to spell her location, Alicia’s email was 15. argot—[C] vocabulary of a a good example of steganography. particular group; as, The cabbie 7. ambuscade—[C] ambush; as, couldn’t understand the argot used The rebels’ ambuscade at the palace by the college students in her taxi. put government forces on high alert. VOCABULARY RATINGS 8. incognito —[A] with one’s iden- 7–10: fair tity concealed; as, Tired of attention, 11–12: good the prince always travelled incognito. 13–15: excellent

110 | 05 • 2017 | rd.ca

111

2017 • 05 rd.ca | |

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Answers

Brainteasers:

Quotes BY CHRISTINA PALASSIO

CANADA HAS THE MOST I SUPPOSE THAT SUPERFICIAL A CANADIAN IS DISCOURSE ON INNOVATION I’VE SOMEONE WHO SEEN, HAVING HAS A LOGICAL DONE BUSINESS IN SOME 135 REASON TO COUNTRIES. THINK HE IS ONE. JIM BALSILLIE MAVIS GALLANT

There is something inherently fascinating about seeing time and its effects on people. DON McKELLAR

My grandparents endured the I can use my phone tortures of the damned, and to change the I’m born with a silver spoon temperature in my house from half a in my mouth. With philan- world away, but it still thropy, I am just saying thank thinks I want to write you, thank you, thank you. “st” when I mean “at.” CHARLES BRONFMAN BEN MULRONEY

YOU SOMETIMES WRITE THE HAPPIEST SONGS WHEN YOU’RE DOWN.

TOM COCHRANE

PHOTOS: (GALLANT) GETTY IMAGES; (MULRONEY) CC CFC PHOTO SAM SANTOS / GEORGE PIMENTEL PHOTOGRAPHY; (COCHRANE) TOMCOCHRANEARCHIVES.COM. QUOTES: (BALSILLIE) CANADIAN BUSINESS (OCT. 7, 2016); (GALLANT) CANADIAN SCHOLARS’ PRESS (1997); (DON McKELLAR) CBC RADIO’S Q (JAN. 13, 2017); (BRONFMAN) TORONTO LIFE (NOV. 4, 2016); (MULRONEY) TWITTER (JAN. 8, 2017); (COCHRANE) CBC RADIO’S Q (DEC. 7, 2016).

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