Reader’s Digest-PDF

ReadeR’s digest

Prabhav Pagadala

Table Of Contents

• First Time Riding a Bicycle Without Training Wheels – pg.3
• My First Day At Preschool – pg.4
• Helpful Voices – pg.5
• Practical Quantum Computers – pg.6
• Do Anticholinergics Increase Your Risk of Dementia – pg.7
• Cup of Tea – pg.8
• Police Action – pg.9
• Humor – pg.10
• Scary Story - pg.11
• Dosas – pg.12 and pg.13
• Author’s Picture - pg.14

100 Word Story – First Time Riding a Bicycle
Without Training Wheels

The first time I was put on a bicycle, I ran into
my dad. That was with training wheels though. That
also happened three months ago. This is my first time
riding my bicycle without training wheels. I carefully
took my bicycle onto the sidewalk and got on. My dad
was right there to help me keep my balance. It was at
that moment I knew I was going to be a daredevil. I
took off without my dad. I was riding my bicycle. Those
were the words I told him when I looked back at him.
That was a big mistake because I rode right into a
street light.

100 Word Story – My First Day At Preschool

Preschool is the life for all kids. There’s
recess and nap time, the greatest things in the
world. However, my first day of preschool was
the worst. I loved my parents. I was there to
meet my teachers and make new friends. A
preschooler’s brain is undeveloped. I did not
know that my parents were leaving me. When
they left, I cried and cried and cried and cried!
The teachers must have known leaving parents
was difficult because they gave me a juice box
and told me to calm down. Then, they
introduced me to the class. When I met the
class, I was very scared and nervous.

Strange But True – Helpful Voices

A woman with the name AB heard two strange
voices on a holiday. The voices told her to return home
immediately. When she got home to London, the two
voices in her head told her the address for a hospital’s
brain scan department. Unsure of what to do, she
went to the hospital and got a brain scan. She did this
because the two voices told her to scan for a brain
tumor and an inflamed brain stem. Even though no
symptoms were showing, AB did have a brain tumor.
After that, the voices told her, “We are pleased to help
you.” They also said goodbye to her. Thankfully, AB
fully recovered from her brain tumor.
-http://listverse.com/2007/07/06/top-15-bizarre-true-
stories/

Technology – Practical Quantum Computers

For years, companies have tried building quantum computers
for various reasons. Though there are many tries being done, there is not
much success. This is all being changed by the tests that are being run at
a Dutch research institute at QuTech. Many companies are funding this
project like Google, Intel, IBM, and Microsoft. Leading this project, Leo
Kouwenhoven wants to overcome a common problem of quantum
computers, qubits. Qubits are the basic units of quantum information,
and can easily be disturbed. If Leo wants qubits to used in his attempt to
make a quantum computer, than he requires both entanglement and
quantum superposition. Entanglement is an occurrence when qubits are
linked together. If something happens to one qubit, then it will instantly
happen to another qubit if the qubits are linked together. Quantum
Superposition is when qubits are in two different physical states at once.
This is all very hard because even the slightest disturbance can mess up
qubits. Leo works on using quasiparticles, discovered in 2012. Google’s
head of quantum computing effort, Harmut Neven, is working on
building a 49-qubit system. Before this, researchers were only able
program five-qubit computers, along with fragile 10- to 20-qubit systems.
The max qubit system is a 50-qubit system. This is because no
supercomputer would have the memory and communications bandwidth
that is needed to stimulate the quantum counterpart.
-https://www.technologyreview.com/s/603495/10-breakthrough-
technologies-2017-practical-quantum-computers/

Medicine – Do Anticholinergics Increase Your
Risk of Dementia

Anticholinergics block acetylcholine, a
neurotransmitter that carry brain signals for controlling
muscles. Anticholinergics inhibit parasympathetic nerve
impulses by blocking the binding of acetylcholine to its
receptor in the nerve cell. Anticholinergics are used to
treat many conditions, including Parkinson’s disease. A
study led by the University of East Anglia (UEA) found out
that certain types of anticholinergic are linked to higher
dementia risk. UEA took 40,770 patients with dementia
between the ages of 65 and 99, and paired each of them
up to seven people who were the same sex and similar
age, but did not have dementia. UEA used the
Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden (ACB) scale to find out
the effect of anticholinergic on drugs that the patient has
been prescribed. A score of one on the ACB scale meant
that a drug could be anticholinergic. A score of two or
three meant that a drug was definitely anticholinergic.
UEA examined more than 27 million prescriptions. UEA
reviewed the records of the patients and the seven people
paired with them. UEA found that 35% of dementia
patients and 30% of the seven people paired with them
had been prescribed a drug that has had a three on the
ACB scale. A further analysis proclaimed that drugs with
an ACB score of three were drugs that were prescribed for
depression and Parkinson’s disease. These drugs were also
linked to a higher risk of dementia. This risk could last up
to twenty years after taking that drug.
-https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321632.php

Humor – The Cup of Tea

At the age of two, I had just
recovered from an accident that left me
very sick. Someone gave me a get well little
“tea set” as a gift. It was one of my favorite
toys. I was serving my dad a cup of tea,
which he drank without despair. He kept on
giving me a lot of praise about serving him
tea. The tea was actually just water. After
several cups of tea, my mom came home.
She watched me bring my dad tea because
he thought it was the cutest thing. Once she
watched my dad drink the tea, she found
out a problem. She told me dad, “Did it ever
occur to you that the only place she can
reach to get water it the toilet?
- http://www.surfersam.com/funny-
stories/cup-of-tea.htm

Humor – Police Action

George Phillips lived in Meridian, Mississippi with his
wife. When going up to bed, his wife told him that he left the shed
light on. George quickly discovered that there were people stealing
things.

He phoned the police, who asked “If there was anybody in
your house.” George said “No.”

Then, the police said that all patrols were busy, and that
he should just lock his door. If an officer was available, then he/she
would stop by. After hanging up, George counted to 30, then called
the police again.

He said, “Hello I just called you a few seconds ago because
there were people in my shed. Well, you don’t have to worry about
them now cause I’ve just shot them all.”

After he said that, he hung up. In less than five minutes,
an ambulance, three police cars, and an Armed Response unit came
to his house. They quickly caught the burglars.

A police officer came to him and said, I thought you said
that you’d shot them!”

He replied, “ I thought you said there was nobody
available!”
- http://www.surfersam.com/funny-stories/police-action.htm

Writer’s Choice - Humor

One day, a wife was cooking fried eggs
for her husband. While she was cooking, her
husband came into the kitchen. He kept on
watching her fry eggs for about two minutes.

All of a sudden, he started screaming,
“Careful. Careful! Put in some more butter! Oh my
Goodness! You're cooking too many eggs at once.
Way too many! Turn them! You have to turn them
now! You need more butter. Oh my God, just listen
to me! There going to stick! Careful. You have to be
careful. Be Careful! Turn Them over quickly. Have
you gone crazy? Don’t forget to use salt and
pepper on them. Use the salt and pepper! Take
them out! Put them on the plate!”

The wife stared at him and replied, “
What is wrong with you? I know how to fry a
couple of eggs!”

The husband replied calmly, “I just
wanted to show you what it feels like when I’m
driving.
- http://www.surfersam.com/funny-stories/fried-
eggs.htm

Writer’s Choice – Scary Story

Rachel’s grandpa came from Florida to spend
time with his family. People were saying that his mind
changed after his wife died from stroke, and that he
needed a little family time. He used to make rabbit stew
during the depression. Unfortunately, Rachel had a rabbit.
Rachel went to school to be in the Easter Bunny play. She
got to wear an Easter bunny costume and bring it home
to show her mom. When she got home, a strange odor
accepted her. She asked grandpa what he was cooking. It
was stew. When she go to the kitchen, she saw her
rabbit’s lifeless eyes and body laying on the counter.

When her grandpa saw her, he said, “Oh,
another big fat rabbit for my stew!”

Rachel tried telling her grandpa that it was her,
Rachel. She was just in an Easter bunny costume. Her
grandpa didn’t listen. He cornered her into a room with
no escape routes. Rachel shouted no just as her grandpa
raised the kitchen knife.

A couple hours later, Rachel’s mother came
home. She asked her Grandpa, “What’s cooking”

He replied, “Rabbit stew.”
- http://www.scaryforkids.com/rabbit-stew/

Favorite Recipe - Dosas

Ingredients- rice, urad dal, salt, and cooking oil

Utensils- wet grinder, girdle, and ladle
Accessories- chocolate chips, onions, chutney, and pickles

Instructions for preparation of batter-
• Mix two cups of rice to one cup of urad dal
• Soak the mix of rice and urad dal for eight hours in a big

container
• After soaked, wash and drain the rice-urad dal mixture
• Using the wet grinder, grind the mixture to a soft paste,

adding as little water as necessary
• Let the paste/batter ferment in a warm environment (oven)

for another eight hours. Be sure that you have plenty of space
for the paste/batter to rise
• Refrigerate the batter until you are ready to make dosas

Favorite Recipe - Dosas

Instructions on making dosas-
• Place some batter into another container and mix as much water as

needed to make the batter can flow freely
• Warm the girdle over a medium flame
• Take the ladle full of dosa batter and spread it around on the warm girdle
• Apply some oil on the edges of the dosa on the girdle
• Apply any accessories you want (chocolate chips or onions)
• Cover the dosa on the girdle until the top of the dosa appears cooked
• Use a spatula to place dosa on a plate from the girdle
• Remove any residual crumbs, and start the next dosa

You can serve the dosa with any pickles or chutneys.

Dosas are a traditional and cultural Indian dish. They can be eaten any time
throughout the day, but are usually eaten in the morning. This is my favorite
Indian dish because it brings me warmth and joy when I eat it with my family.
Dosas are like someone’s life. Many people eat dosas plain, and many people
eat dosas with accessories. A plain dosa is a simple dosa. You can choose the
toppings on the dosa to make it complex. Likewise, you can decide if you
want your life to be simple or complex, adding or taking away various things.
My favorite accessory with dosas is mango pachadi. It is cut up mangoes with
a lot of spies added to it. I have just started putting chocolate chips in my
dosas.

Author’s Picture

I chose this picture of my basketball goal
because this is something that I use almost
everyday. I play basketball with my friends on the
street, right by our houses. This is much more
convenient than having to go to the gym to play.
We sometimes play a real game. Usually, the first
team that gets to 21 points wins. We go by ones
and twos instead of twos and threes. We also
sometimes play horse or pig. This is a game
where we have to try and make hard shots that
the other players cannot make. If they miss, they
get a letter. If the person who constructed the
shot missed, then the turn goes to the next
player in line. We also bring a football or Frisbee
out and try to make it into the basket. We got
this goal from our neighbors who were moving
away. It was really nice for them to give the goal
to me.